Suggestibility Games for the Imagination
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1. MUSCULAR RELAXATION
This is a test of how well you can relax. Sit comfortably and raise your left arm to a right angle position in front of your chest and extend your right forefinger and place it under the center of the left palm. Concentrate on relaxing your left hand and arm completely so it’s only support is the extended right forefinger. When you are confident that your left hand and arm is completely relaxed, let me know and at the count of three take your forefinger away. . . one, two, three.” See what happens. If your hand falls then you’ve done great and are relaxed and following instructions. If it does not fall then it can’t be relaxed. Try again, this time really relax and let it go loose, limp and relaxed.
2. IDEOMOTOR ACTION
Ideomotor action can easily be demonstrated by using a pendulum – a heavy object suspended from a string or chain. Hold the pendulum (a weight tied to the end of a string). Hold the pendulum in your hand in front of yourself and keep your hand still while you think of the pendulum moving back and forth or around in a circle. Without conscious movement on your part the pendulum will begin to swing in response to the thought. The Pendulum Experiment is often used as a stage demonstration in which each person is given one to operate with quite interesting results.
3. THE LEMON
Ask subject to close his or her eyes and imagine looking at, feeling, picking up, and slicing a ripe, bright, yellow lemon in half. Then he/she invites the clients to picture themselves smelling the lemon, bringing it to their mouth, and finally squeezing some of the juice onto their tongue. The individuals who are aware of salivating and/or smelling the citrus aroma during this exercise are more likely to be good imaginative candidates than those who do not salivate. Some individuals’ mouths will visibly pucker.
4. THIRST “HALLUCINATION”
“Keep your eyes closed. Imagine that you’ve just finished a long, long walk in the hot sun. You’ve been in the hot sun for hours, and for all that time you haven’t had a drink of water. You’ve never been so thirsty in your life. You feel thirstier and thirstier. Your mouth is parched, your lips are dry, your throat is dry. You have to keep swallowing and swallowing. You need to moisten your lips. (3-second pause) You feel thirstier and thirstier, drier and drier. Thirstier and thirstier, dry and thirsty. You’re very, very thirsty! Dry and thirsty! Dry and thirsty! (End after a few minutes.) Now imagine drinking a cool, refreshing glass of water (5-second pause).”
5. EYE CLOSURE
Pick out an Object above eye level so that there is a slight strain on the eyes and eyelids. It can be a spot on the ceiling. Imagine that your eyelids are becoming very heavy. With each breath in you can feel them getting heavier and heavier. Breathe in and feel them getting tired, breathe out and feel them getting very very drowsy, so very heavy. In a moment I will count from ten down to one, at the number one your eyes will feel so heavy that they close right down. (Count slowly so that you say the number on a deep breath out.)
6. FINGER MAGNET
Rest your hands in your lap and interlace your fingers, then stretch and separate your index fingers, creating approximately a one-inch gap between the fingers. Next, imagine that your fingers are magnets pulling toward each other – the closer they get the stronger the pull. When your fingers touch, they will join together so strongly that they will feel as if they are impossible to separate. Again, the more vivid and real the sensations of this exercise are, the more likely that you would test higher on a imagination scale.
7. HAND MAGNET
Have the subject hold arms out, palms facing one another about nine inches apart. Then as they close their eyes give suggestions that they imagine and feel magnets in their hand pulling them together. Continue the patter for a couple minutes and have them open their eyes to see how far their hands have moved.
8. THE HAND-TINGLING
Place your hands by your sides or rest them on your thighs, close your eyes, and imagine that your hands are becoming very heavy and tingling. With each breath in you can feel the tingling getting stronger and stronger. Breathe in and feel them tingling more and more, breathe out and feel the tingling getting very very strong, so very tingly, like small bits of electricity moving through your hand or when your hand falls asleep. In a moment I will count from ten down to one, at the number one your hand will feel so filled with tingling that it moves. (Count slowly so that you say the number on a deep breath out.)
9. ARM LOWERING
"Hold your right arm straight out in front of you like this. (The experimenter guides the subject to extend the right arm directly in front of the body at shoulder height and parallel to the floor.) Close your eyes and concentrate on your arm and listen to me. Imagine that your right arm is feeling heavier and heavier, and that it’s moving down and down. It’s becoming heavier and heavier and moving down and down. It weighs a ton! It’s getting heavier and heavier. It’s moving down and down, more and more, coming down and down, more and more; it’s heavier and heavier, coming down and down, more and more, more and more. (End after a couple minutes.) You can relax your arm now."
10. ARM LEVITATION
"Keep your eyes closed and put your left arm straight out in front of you in the same way. Concentrate on your arm and listen to me . . . Imagine that the arm is becoming lighter and lighter, that it’s moving up and up. It feels as if it doesn’t have any weight at all, and it’s moving up and up, more and more. It’s light as a feather, it’s weightless and rising in the air. It’s lighter and lighter, rising and lifting more and more. It’s lighter and lighter and moving up and up. It doesn’t have any weight at all and it’s moving up and up, more and more. It’s lighter and lighter, moving up and up, more and more, higher and higher. (End after a couple minutes.) . . . You can relax your arm now."
11. THE BALLOON AND A DICTIONARY
Have the subject extend his/her arms at shoulder level and closing your eyes. Touch the subject’s right hand, suggesting that you are placing a very heavy dictionary on the top of that hand. Also suggest that you feel the straining of the muscles in the hand and arm, making it very difficult to hold the book up in the air. Next, the ask the subject to imagine you are tying a helium balloon around the wrist of their left hand, making that hand and arm light and buoyant as it floats toward the ceiling. When you asks the subject to open his/her eyes, they will see the distinct separation of arms and hand – the hand that had an imaginary balloon tied around it will be significantly higher than the hand that the subject imagined was holding a dictionary.
12. HAND LOCK
"Keep your eyes closed. Clasp your hands together tightly. (Experimenter explains interlacing the fingers of both hands with palms together.) Hold them out in front of you, arms fully extended all the way straight out in front. Concentrate on your hands and hold them together as tightly as you can. Imagine that your hands are two pieces of steel that are welded together so that it’s impossible to get them apart. They’re stuck, they’re welded, they’re clamped. When I ask you to pull your hands apart they’ll be stuck and they won’t come apart no matter how hard you try. They’re stuck together; they’re two pieces of steel welded together. You feel as if your fingers were clamped in a vise. Your hands are hard, solid, rigid. The harder you try to pull them apart the more they will stick together! It’s impossible to pull your hands apart! The more you try the more difficult it will become. Try, you can’t. (End 45 seconds.) (5-second pause) “Try harder, you can’t. (10-second pause) Relax, let go, relax. You can unclasp your hands now."
13. ARM STIFFENING
"Now as you relax deeper and deeper, I want you to extend your right arm straight out in front of you and close your eyes. You feel your arm getting stiffer and stiffer as if it is made of steel. There is no joint at the shoulder. There is no joint at the elbow. There is no joint at the wrist. Like a steel beam, your arm is so stiff that you cannot bend it. That’s right, so stiff that you cannot bend it. Go ahead and try. You can’t bend it. It is too stiff. That’s OK now. Stop trying. You have a joint at the wrist. You have a joint at the elbow. You have a joint at the shoulder. Your arm is perfectly normal in every way. You can bend it as you could before." (As you tell the subject that he cannot move his arm, hesitate for a few seconds before telling him that his arm is OK. That will give him a chance to accept and test the challenge.)
14. EYE CATALEPSY
Alright, it is important to address this imagination test as “The Pretend Game”. It will work better if people think they are in control and it is only “pretending”. I will give you the test now, so first read through the instructions, and then do the test. . . . "Okay, I want you to simply pretend your eyes are getting very heavy and sleepy. Pretend your eyes are getting so heavy and sleepy, that you just want to close them. Go ahead and close them now. Now that your eyes are closed, I want you to imagine your eyes are so heavy and relaxed, it’s like there is a ten-pound bag of magic sand resting on each eyelid. All the muscles around your eyes are so relaxed, it’s like they simply go to sleep. Pretend that all the muscles around your eyes are asleep. Now pretend or imagine that your eyelids are sealed shut. Locked shut. Glued shut. Your eyelids are so tightly locked shut, glued shut, and tightly sealed shut, that the harder you try to open your eyes, the more closed they will remain. When you know this is true, the harder you try and open your eyes, the more closed they will remain. I want you to test them and test them hard. And you will see that your eyes remain closed and heavy and comfortable. Go ahead and test them now. (Pause for about 2-3 seconds). Good. Stop trying. Now, when I count from one up to three, your eyes will open and you will feel very peaceful and at ease. One---two----three. Eyes open, fully alert and awake." . . . Important things to keep in mind: Always tell your subject that this is a pretend game and that they are in total control at all times. If they think you might be able to control them even a little, they will resist, and it won’t work. Second, when they do close their eyes, make sure to emphasize that only they can make this happen. When they are sure that their eyes will remain closed, test them. Third, as soon as you see that they try to open their eyes even a little, say, “Good, stop trying.” If you wait too long, they might get nervous that their eyes aren’t opening, and they will make them open.
15. POSTURAL SWAY
The subject is asked to stand absolutely straight, with their feet right together. They are then asked to tilt their head back and fix their gaze on a point on the ceiling. Standing close behind, places your hands on the subject’s shoulders and gently rock him back and forward as a prelude to the suggestions. The subject is then asked to close his eyelids, keeping his eyes focused on the same point, as if he were trying to gaze through his eyelids. The subject is then asked to imagine his body becoming completely stiff, and it is suggested that he is gradually falling backwards, pulled by a powerful, invisible force. The subject should begin to gently sway, and increasingly emphatic suggestions should result in him falling backwards into your waiting arms. Be there! It’s important to reassure the subject that they will be caught. Do not do this test with persons who you are not able to catch and support (overly tall or heavy subjects).
16. LEG CATALEPSY
Have the subject place his weight on the leg you wish to make stiff, while you take hold of one of his hands. Tell him to look you straight in the eyes and think he cannot bend his leg. You perform this operation in a stooping posture, looking up into his eyes. When you rise, tell him to let his eyes follow yours. Now begin making a few passes down his leg with one hand, commencing about six inches above the knee and continuing downward to about six inches below the knee. While making these passes, state in a positive manner: “Now you will find your leg is getting stiff . . . stiff . . . it is becoming stiffer . . . stiffer . . . and you cannot bend it! You will walk stiff-legged!” As you say the last words, rise. Keep your gaze centered on the root of the subject’s nose, between the eyes, and pull him toward yourself causing him to walk stiff-legged. After he has walked a few yards, remove the influence by clapping your hands together and saying, “All right. It is all gone now. You can bend your leg now. It is all loose and free. You can walk perfectly!”
17. OPEN MOUTH CATALEPSY
Have the subject open his mouth wide, as you present these suggestions: :Open your mouth wide . . . wider . . . wider . . . wider . . . it is becoming stuck open so you cannot close it. It is impossible to close it, try as hard as you will.” After the attempt to close his mouth has resisted his best efforts, suggest: “Your jaw is relaxing now. Relax your mouth. You can close it now!”
18. NAME AMNESIA / LIPS CATALEPSY
Stand directly in front of the subject, stare between his eyes, and when you notice his eyes become set begin stroking down the sides of his face and around his mouth, as you suggest: “Your lips are becoming stuck fast together and you cannot open your mouth now. Your lips are stuck together so you cannot speak. Try to speak. See you cannot speak because you cannot open your mouth. Try, try hard! Tell me your name if you can. See, you cannot even speak your own name!” The subject will try to speak, but his mouth remains tightly shut. Then move your fingers gently around his mouth and suggest: “Now your mouth muscles are relaxing and you can speak, but you still cannot speak your own name. See you can speak now. Say “Hello” to me (subject says “hello”), but you cannot speak your own name; you can’t even remember what it is!” A sort of blank look will come over the subject’s fact. He finds that not only is he unable to speak his name, but somehow it eludes him, until you say: “All right. You can speak and remember your name now.” He complies as a look of relief comes over his face.
19. STUTTERING
Select a subject who has been responding well to the imagination tests. Have him seated in a chair as you lean over him, standing close to his left side. Suggest that his gaze is becoming fixed to yours. Watch the eyes and, when an expression of fascination begins to enter, ask him to repeat the word “MISSISSIPPI.” He does, and you state firmly: “Now you will find you cannot again utter that word without stuttering over it, no matter how hard you try. Try, try hard, but you cannot say MISSISSIPPI without stuttering. You will stutter MISSSSSSISSSSSSIPPPPPPI. You absolutely cannot say Missssss – issssss – ippppppi without stuttering. Try and say it! Try hard!” Note: Present suggestions of this type with intensity and stutter yourself. Once the subject has started he will stutter all over the place on the word. Then softly say: “All right, you can pronounce the word clearly now. Say it. Mississippi . . . it’s easy.” The subject gingerly says it.
20. NAME AMNESIA / NAME CHANGE
“You can speak now but you cannot say your own name. You have forgotten it!” Place your right forefinger directly in the center of the subject’s forehead and press in as you continue: You cannot remember your own name, but you can speak. What is your name? Try hard to remember it, but you cannot. Try! Try hard! You have completely forgotten your own name!” The subject will develop a blank look on his face in realizing that he has forgotten his own name. You can remove your finger from his forehead now, and ask him quizzically: “Just what is your name?” There is no reply. You continue: All right, I will tell you what your name is.” Give him some funny sounding name like Bunny or Snoopy or Hao Ke-Ai and repeat over and over: “Your name is Oswalt Flopper. What is your name? Your name is Oswalt Flopper. Tell me your name. Your name is Oswalt Flopper! Tell me your name! It is Oswalt Flopper!” The subject will suddenly blurt out his name as Oswalt Flopper. Immediately clap your hands beside his ear and state: “All right. It’s all gone now. You can remember your real name now perfectly. What is your real name? Relax and tell me your real name. “ The subject states his real name. The test is completed.
21. HAND SHAKING
Face the subjects and ask them to hold up their hands, allowing them to dangle from the wrists. Have them shake their dangling hands rapidly. Demonstrate this violent shaking of the hands yourself, as you suggest: “That’s it. Shake your hands. Shake them faster and faster. Let them go any way they want to go! Let them shake and flop in any direction. Now forget about your hands. The shaking has become automatic. You cannot stop it! Your hands are shaking on their own! You cannot stop it!” You will soon have everyone on stage shaking their hands vigorously. Now go to each subject in turn and bounce his legs up and down a few times as you suggest: “Your legs, too, are shaking right along with your hands. Shaking! Shaking! Shaking! You cannot stop the shaking!” Get all the group bouncing their legs along with shaking their hands. Rapidly dash down to the group, from one shaking subject to another, releasing each with a clap of the hands and the suggestion: “All right, you can stop shaking now. Stop shaking and be calm.”
22. FASTENING A STICK TO HANDS
Have the subject stand before you and tightly grip a stick. Have him grip the stick from underneath with the fingers folding on top, hands spaced by a foot and a half to two feet. Tell the subject that the stick is stuck to his hands and that he cannot release it from his hands try as hard as he will. Suggest: “The stick is stuck to your hands. Try to throw it away from you but you cannot. Try, try to throw it away . . . but you cannot!” The subject’s attempt to release his hands and throw down the stick causes an exciting drama. Try as he will, he cannot release the stick until you state: “Okay now . . . now your hands are relaxing their grip upon the stick and you can throw it away from you.” The stick is tossed to the floor with a clatter!
23. IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT
Have the subject stand up from the chair. Tell him to look deeply into your eyes. Now tell him to make his legs stiff, and state: “I am going to count from one to three, and by the time I reach the count of three your legs will have become so stiff that you cannot sit back down try as hard as you will.” Count: “One, two, THREE!” and the reaction sets in. The subject finds that his legs have become so stiff that he cannot sit down despite his best efforts. The more he tries the stiffer his legs become. After the subject has tried hopelessly for a few moments to sit down, remove the influence by clapping your hands and exclaiming: “All right . . . it is all gone now . . . you can sit down now! What a relief it is!”
24. IMPOSSIBLE TO STAND
Have the subject look into your eyes while you gaze back at him, concentrating on the root of his nose. Tell him to think that he cannot stand up from his chair, that when you count “Three” he will find that he is stuck firmly to the seat of his chair, and he cannot get up try as hard as he will . . . that the more he tries the more firmly he will be stuck to his chair. Then say: “Ready . . . one . . . two . . . THREE! Now you cannot get up . . . you are stuck tightly to the seat of your chair!” To conclude the test, clap your hands and suggest: “All right now, get up. You are released from your chair now. You can stand right up!” The subject stands . . . the influence has been removed.
25. SPONTANEOUS QIGONG
How to practice Spontaneous Chi Kung (Zi Fa Dong Gong): [1.] Begin by standing with the feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, head erect and the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. The exercise can be performed while sitting or laying down as well (for weaker persons this is better). [2.] Breathe in a deep and relaxed manner for five minutes, calming the mind and emotions. Gently close the eyes and think of pleasant, natural scenery (such as the beach, rainforest or a beautiful sunset) and feel a wave of relaxation move from the crown of the head, down through the third eye, past the heart and down into the Huang Ting (the yellow court), a region of the abdominal cavity between the Dan Tien and Mingmen. [3.] Once the energy is sunk to the Huang Ting, keep the mind focused here until spontaneous movement occurs. Let yourself move as your chi directs, go with the chi flow. Avoid physical or mental resistance to the spontaneous movement as this may inhibit the therapeutic value of this exercise. After a short time the movements will become involuntary, this is normal so just let it happen. If the movements become too intense then simply concentrate on regulating the breathing or open the eyes slightly. [4.] After 10 - 30 minutes of this exercises tell yourself that the movements are coming to a gradual stop. When the movements lessen, massage the face and ears gently and open the eyes. Walk around slowly for about thirty seconds to reorient yourself to your physical body. There are many other versions of inducing spontaneous chi flow, most use relaxation and concentration on energy flow within the body. Others use concentration on major accupoints of the body that correspond to the nerve plexus’ and/or chakras (energy centers). Practice of this exercise daily will help reduce stress, energy imbalance and may prevent illness.
26. OUIJA DANCING
The simplest Ouija Dance is performed with two people – music is optional: [1.] Face each other, loosely clasping hands (we’ve found meshing fingers is best, because it is easier to relax). [2.] Relax. Be patient. Clear your heads. [3.] Your hands will move. Follow them with your bodies . . . You will find yourselves being twirled and tied and stooped and stretched in lots of ways. Enjoy it, it’s a fascinating feeling. With more people, hold hands in a ring. Ouija Dances with four or more dancers produce amazing spinning knot works. Sometimes after untying itself, everyone in the ring is facing outwards! As with all dances and other methods of “opening doors that cannot be closed,” the more you practice the better you get. Typically, two to six can Ouija Dance. The most people the creators of Ouija Dancing have ever Ouija-danced with at one time has been thirteen.
Feel free to add others to the list.
Beautiful post. I will have to read it several times and even practice on others.
In the meantime, I might find/invent something to add.
Thanks a lot and Cheers!
Posted by: Ron | March 02, 2004 at 09:00 PM
Dear Dr. Brian,
You have a lot of suggestibility games for the imagination. May I use some of yours,Doctor? If I live near you I will visit you very often. I trust that you are really the great hypnotist, I think. I hope you would visit Bangkok, Thailand one day in the future,I would like to see you.
Boonlert Saisanit
Posted by: Dr. Boonlert Saisanit, A.M.D., C.Ht | June 24, 2005 at 08:00 PM