I was teaching a hypnosis workshop (on using programmed ideomotor effect in trance sessions) and as a quickie demonstration in ideomotor effect as automatic drawing, I put pen to paper to create this piece. The title, Mosquito, was written via automatic writing.
See my small gallery of automatic drawing images here and read the other posts on the topic here.
On the Los Angeles Somnambulistic Sleepwalkers yahoogroup, there has been some discussion of late about clients who are smokers not being able to verbalize the whys and wherefores and whatnots of why they seem to grab cigarettes and trance out automatically with no thought of their goal of quitting in that moment. A member of the list who is also on the Hypnosis Technique Exchange asked if the client under discussion was asked the questions while hypnotized.
That's the question that popped in my mind as well.
I have found that many times when the conscious mind is unable verbalize things or when the rational mind gives a bunch of runaround rationalizations that have nothing to do with the real emotional drivers behind a problem, then accessing the unconscious is the best route to go . . . even at the get-go as it is the unconscious where the important stuff happens.
Of course there are many ways to go about getting unconscious responses, ranging from the simple waking suggestion of ideomotor effect and the pendulum with an answerboard for autoquestioning to processes like six step reframes or core transformation which are ostensibly waking state processes but are actually fractionation trance sets. Even a process like 3D Mind sets up a trance state that is unnoticed by the client that if very clearly straight on unconscious emotional connections being revealed and manipulated to good effect.
Normally, when I am going after unconscious drivers or trapped emotions behind behaviors, I would probably go with Elman-based hypnoanalysis and regression via the Watkins Affect Bridge or the like. However, even if I am using an ostensibly non-trance process, I will most likely use deep trance hypnosis as my context both the speed and increase my effectiveness but also as a means to enhance suggestibility via the ritual of formal trance induction. Besides, I find that when I've popped someone into state (deepen and connect to physical response sets to establish compliance and suggestibility), I can usually get to the whys and wherefores if need be right off the bat. Parts therapy can clear away some objections as can something along the lines of core transformation (I note that I don't do the process quite pure Andreas as I induce somnambulism first and then run the it as a hypnotic process, takes a lot less time and you can intensify responsiveness much more readily that way - also, people who come to me expect hypnosis so I do most processes, even simple NLPish things, via deep trance).
For those who have trouble letting go and letting the hypnotist direct them to reveal information and the like, one can also use a playful setup. Or, if you just want to give something creative and fun a go, automatic drawing can be quite rewarding . . . it is certainly not the quickest way to get to emotional drivers and insight but it is a pleasant way that can be very appropriate for many folks.
Automatic drawing to get to the info needed can be roundabout or straightforward but either way it is client-centered (it is also nice for folks who believe they have a creative side as teaching them the skill can be useful later in freeing creative blocks . . . and it is nice for folks who believe they have no creative side as the results will be startling to them as they discover that once freed their inner imaginations begin freeing creative impulses in other areas of their lives - genie out of the bottle and all that).
Last month I conducted a workshop on ideomotor effect and using it in sessions. One of the ideomotor effects I demonstrated was automatic drawing where you set the pencil to paper and the hand draws an image without conscious direction which is then titled using automatic writing (there's a few examples of this in the appropriate category on my blog). One of the attendees who hadn't been exposed to ideomotor based drawing before then asked me how automatic drawing might be used in sessions with clients . . . I replied that it could be used anyway you wanted to use it or in much the same way Jung used painting or the sandplay folks use the sand or monks use sand or the like . . . I then improvised a session process by popping her into deep trance (I seem to pop everyone into deep trance these days) and having her unconsciously create an automatic drawing associated to an issue.
I have run the process a few times since then and it seems to work well.
For instance, one young woman was having conflicts with colleagues so I did my standard induction, deepening, suggestibility building and compliance sets and then I gave her the suggestion that she think of the issue or conflict she had that she just wasn't getting a handle on at the time and that she really FEEL the FEELING associated with this issue and that her hand would begin to unconsciously move and begin to draw a picture and that it's okay if she had no idea of what the picture was but as she draws she should FEEL the FEELING associated with this issue . . . I am very big on the idea of FEELING FEELINGS associated with things as that is an important component of accessing states and finding release and adaptive strategies, a number of studies on therapeutic modalities have found that a key component to therapeutic effectiveness is the client's ability to access feelings within the body that are associated with their presenting issues, more so than therapy constructs - see some of the work on Focusing for more, thus my preference for experiential hypnosis and focused trance as through deep trance states one can accelerate or intensify emotional connections manifested through the body and reliably get to the FEELING at the emotional and unconscious level rather than at the unemotional conscious or rational level, we want the rationalizations to be set aside and get to the meat of the matter, the FEELING MIND) . . . really feel the emotions at an unconscious level sliding down her arm and into the picture she was drawing and that as she watched the picture taking shape the energy would continue to build until when her unconscious finishes the picture the energy flows into the picture and her hand stops and she would then have at that moment an epiphany, a realization of what the picture was about and just how she would then act to resolve the issue as the energy was not free to work with her instead of against her to solve this.
Worked like a charm.
She had no idea what the scribbly swirls were becoming as her hand moved automatically - and it took a bit to get her oriented to how it feels to let go and allow the hand to become dissociated enough for independent unconscious movement as some folks do need gentle guidance - and we were all chatting away while she was drawing and it did not distract from the business at hand as distraction of the conscious is fine even metastatements about the process don't interfere - but when her hand stopped and the picture was obviously finished she had a "aha" moment with emotional as well as intellectual release, tears streaming down the face, bloodshot eyes, and that look of euphoric release or bliss one often sees with folks who make solid breakthroughs . . . and she reported that she suddenly realized exactly what the picture was about and what she needed to do. She seemed to have quite a bit of resolve for positive action after that as well as a gentle peace of mind with demeanor change as well . . . "just from drawing a picture" as she put it.
This sort of playful experience may or may not be appropriate for your clients . . . but it can be a rather interesting and sometimes deeply moving experience.
Obviously there are faster ways to get the insight, particularly with certain persons . . . pop 'em into somnambulism, setup physical and emotional compliance sets for heightened suggestibility, then just ask 'em. If you hit a block, then do the ol' tap tap tap on the forehead and a "when I count from three to one you will answer, the answer is there, three, two, one, answer!" and whatnot ad infinitim. If they don't respond to directed questioning then some indirect bits or ideomotor setups where they control the fact that they will take all the time they need in the next thirty seconds and allow themselves to choose to answer fully and directly beginning now. However, for some folks, a bit of automatic drawing may just be the thing and if it doesn't work immediately, that's okay . . . after all, they're not revealing anything they don't wish to reveal . . . they're in control the whole time even if their hands are moving about . . . it is "just drawing a picture" . . . but what a picture.
All the best,
Brian
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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [phillips@nccu.edu.tw]
Certified Hypnotherapist
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
http://www.briandavidphillips.com
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