Hypnosis has a vocabulary of its own, part science, part tradition. This glossary explains the terms you are most likely to meet, in alphabetical order.
A to C
Abreaction. An intense release of emotion during hypnosis. Sometimes presented as healing in itself; without skilled handling it can simply be distressing.
Age regression. The experience, in hypnosis, of being at an earlier age. Research shows it is an imaginative reconstruction, not a literal return.
Amnesia (hypnotic). Forgetting something on suggestion, such as a number or the content of a session. The memory returns when the suggestion is cancelled.
Analgesia (hypnotic). Reduction of pain through suggestion. The best-researched hypnotic effect.
Anchor. A cue, such as a touch or word, linked to a feeling so that it can be recalled quickly.
Animal magnetism. Franz Mesmer’s 18th-century theory of an invisible healing fluid. Disproved in 1784.
Autogenic training. A relaxation method using set phrases about heaviness and warmth. Published by Johannes Schultz in 1932.
Catalepsy. A limb, or the eyelids, staying rigid or fixed in place in response to suggestion.
Convincer. An experience that persuades the client that something is happening, such as eyelids that will not open.
Critical faculty. In Dave Elman’s model, the part of the mind that evaluates and rejects ideas. A teaching concept, not an established finding.
D to G
Deepener. A technique used after the induction to increase the sense of depth, such as counting down or imagining a staircase.
Direct suggestion. A plainly stated suggestion: “Your arm is becoming heavy.”
Dissociation. A sense of separation from part of one’s body, surroundings or experience. Used therapeutically for pain.
Ego-strengthening. Suggestions to build confidence and resilience. Developed by John Hartland in the 1960s.
Ericksonian hypnosis. A permissive, indirect style using stories and metaphor, derived from Milton Erickson.
Esdaile state. A very deep state described by Dave Elman and named after the surgeon James Esdaile. Sometimes called the “hypnotic coma.” Not scientifically validated.
Expectancy. What a person expects to experience. A major influence on hypnotic response.
Fractionation. Bringing someone out of hypnosis and straight back in, repeatedly, to deepen the experience.
Glove anaesthesia. Numbness created in a hand by suggestion, which can then be “transferred” by touch to another part of the body.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy. A structured programme for irritable bowel syndrome and related conditions.
H to M
Hidden observer. Ernest Hilgard’s term for a part of the mind that seemed to register pain during hypnotic analgesia. Its interpretation is disputed.
Hypermnesia. Apparently enhanced recall in hypnosis. Research shows more is reported, without greater accuracy.
Hypnotherapy. The use of hypnosis for a therapeutic purpose.
Hypnotizability. A person’s capacity to respond to hypnotic suggestions. A stable trait, measured by standard scales. Also called hypnotic susceptibility or suggestibility.
Ideomotor response. A small movement produced by an idea, without a feeling of deliberate effort. Used for finger signals.
Indirect suggestion. A suggestion that is implied instead of stated: “I wonder which hand will feel lighter first.”
Induction. The opening procedure that focuses attention and begins hypnosis.
Mesmerism. The practice derived from Mesmer’s animal magnetism, the forerunner of hypnosis.
Metaphor. A story or image that carries a therapeutic message indirectly.
N to R
Negative hallucination. Not perceiving something that is present.
Non-state theory. The view that hypnosis is explained by expectation, motivation and social context, with no special state required.
Parts therapy. A method that treats inner conflict as a negotiation between “parts” of the personality.
Positive hallucination. Perceiving something that is not present.
Post-hypnotic suggestion. A suggestion given in hypnosis that takes effect afterwards, usually in response to a cue.
Pre-talk. The conversation before hypnosis in which the therapist explains what will happen and corrects misconceptions.
Rapid induction. An induction taking one to four minutes, such as the Elman induction. An instant induction takes seconds.
Rapport. The trust and connection between therapist and client.
Regression. See age regression. Past-life regression is the same procedure applied to supposed previous lives; research does not support the memories as real.
S to Z
Script. A written set of words for an induction, deepener or suggestions.
Self-hypnosis. Hypnosis that a person guides for themselves.
Somnambulism. A term for deep hypnosis, marked by amnesia, anaesthesia and hallucination on suggestion. Unrelated to sleepwalking in this context.
State theory. The view that hypnosis involves a distinct altered state of consciousness.
Suggestion. A communication intended to produce a change in experience, sensation, thought or behaviour.
Time distortion. A change in the perceived passing of time during hypnosis.
Trance. A traditional word for the hypnotic state. Many researchers avoid it because it implies more than the evidence supports.
Utilization. Milton Erickson’s principle of using whatever the client brings, including resistance, as part of the process.
A note on words
You will notice that some terms describe well-researched phenomena, such as analgesia and post-hypnotic suggestion, while others belong to particular schools and have not been tested, such as the Esdaile state and the critical faculty. When you meet an unfamiliar term, it is worth asking which kind it is.
The bottom line
The jargon is less mysterious than it sounds. Most hypnosis terms describe something simple: focus your attention, settle in, accept a helpful idea, and carry it into daily life.
Next in the series: Émile Coué: The Pharmacist Who Taught the World to Talk to Itself
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.