Thread: Post Hypnotic Suggestion

I have saved my money and I'm planning to visit a registered hypnotherapist next week.

I am planning on asking her to try to help me have longer and more vivid dreams and to become lucid in those dreams more often.

I think this could really work since hyponsis makes it possible to speak directly to your subconsious which is ultimately responsible for your dreams.

I would like to hear any ideas anyone has regarding what suggestions could be made while in the hypnotic state and how those suggestions could best be worded.

Has anyone else tried this, I tried self hypnosos but I wasn't too sucessfull

I will let you all know how it goes.

Excellent idea. I am working on a similar approach using a Text-to-Speech program that converts Word .doc files into a pleasant computerized voice. What I am doing is playing a "post-hypnotic" script after waking up from a dream, before returning to sleep. The idea is that you are already in a relaxed state similar to deep hypnosis after waking up from a dream, so a hypnotic induction procedure is not necessary. So far no lucidity using a previous version of the script, but lots of very vivid dreams. The new version will be tested tonight.

The program I recommend is TextAloud from NextUp.com. You can download a free trial for 15 days, which has a Microsoft voice (Mary) that demonstrates the capabilities of the system. Mary is "clunky" with a lot of thuds, and sounds quite robotic. There are MUCH better voices, ATT Natural Voices Crystal (which I am currently using) and NeoSpeech Kate (which is in the mail). Both of these are lovely and appealing. What I suggest you do is try TextAloud using the hypnotic script you are already using, or just do what I am doing -- play the post-hypnotic suggestions immediately after waking up from a dream. If that doesn't work, go to a hypnotherapist.

Here is the exact script I am using tonight with TextAloud and Crystal. Why don't you download the free trial right now and paste the script into it? The program is real easy, one of the easiest programs I've ever used. It only takes a couple of minutes to learn the basic set-up and you're ready to rock and roll. That will give an idea of how it sounds. If you like it, you can get the full program with Crystal and that will give you plenty of room for experimentation.

Frankly, I'm having a total blast with this program. It is so cool typing something then have Crystal say it. The neat thing is that every night is a new experiment where you can test new words and new ideas. To avoid falling asleep before the track ends, I find it best to lie on my back and cradle my head in my hands, which are folded behind my neck.

What I do is export the file to Windows Media Player and burn a CD, which I run on a CD player next to my pillow. It's real easy. The Pauses are the number of seconds between sentences. The entire script runs at about 4 minutes, so I repeat it twice to make an 8 minute track, The "spelling mistakes" are not really mistakes, but tweaks to make Crystal sound more natural. Enjoy and let me know your results. Either post them here or send me a PM.

{{Pause=3}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
You notice the extraordinary events. {{Pause=3}}
You recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
You realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You know you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You are conscious in the dream. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
You notice the abnormal location. {{Pause=3}}
You recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
You realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You know you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You are conscious in the dream. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
You notice the strange creatures. {{Pause=3}}
You recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
You realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You know you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You are conscious in the dream. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
You notice the peculiar people. {{Pause=3}}
You recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
You realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You know you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You are conscious in the dream. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
You notice the weird objects. {{Pause=3}}
You recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
You realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You know you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
You are conscious in the dream. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}

I'm not so sure this technique would be the best for me.
If I wake up during the night and do anything that involves activating my brain, thats it, I'm up for hours. This is why I cant keep a dream journal or WBTB because I cant get back to sleep. I'm sure that waking up and turning on a CD player would have the same effect.

I may give it a try when my exams are over and I don't require so much sleep, but I don't think I will cut and paste the script you wrote. It seems good but understand that it is a little dangerous to take a strangers ideas and try to implant them into your subconcious.

Thanks for the reply, I will keep you posted.

Excellent idea. I am working on a similar approach using a Text-to-Speech program that converts Word .doc files into a pleasant computerized voice.[/b]

Sounds a lot like the technique my friend used to give up smoking, what he did was recorded his own voice (addressing himself as you, rather that I, so you say you will give up smoking/have lucid dreams/have unlimited confidence with the opposite sex or whatever your heart desires), he played the recording back on his computer right at the outside of his conscious audible range, then he'd put on mp3's over the top of it so that he wasn't actually aware of hearing it all, but apparently the subconcious mind can pick up quieter sounds than the concious mind does. It's been a few months since he quit and he really made it look easy. I was thinking it might be a good idea to hypnotize myself to become consiously aware of subliminal sensory information, but thats the sort of thing that really could break your head if you did it wrong, so I'm gonna hold off on that idea for a bit.

Right now I'm working on a creating a file from your script using Speaking Notepad 3.4, so I don't have to buy anything. I am using a pleasant british voice called Peter at 120 words per minute at a pitch of 77. Because Speaking Notepad doesn't let you put in pauses and leaves an annoying message before the file it exports, I used Sound Recorder with the highest quality setting, using the speaker mix for the input, and am now using Audacity, a free audio editor, to add in pauses. I'll post a link when I'm done. Kind of a roundabout approach, but i personally think those jerks at NextUp are conartists, and there is no way I'm dishing out $$$ for a bunch of computerized voices, and a text-to-speech tool.

mossboss, I would say a good phrase to use would be something like:
"When you have a strange experience, you will consider the possibility that you are dreaming."

For me, I am guaranteed to become lucid if I ask myself "am I dreaming?" but it rarely happens. I don't know if you are the same way.

As your choice of a hypnotherapist may not be familiar with LD I would recommend you ask her to "anchor a common dreamsign to the question "Am I dreaming?"" she will also most likely guide you in other ways as she sees fit but insure she sets up some appropriate anchors.

This is odd, but I 'think' I had once gone to a hypnotherapist who taught me how to self-hypnotize myself and give myself my own post-hypnotic suggestions.

or...

What might have happened is that I had given myself Post-hypnotic Suggestions to remember that I had once gone to an expert hypnotherapist that trained me to be an expert at giving myself post-hypnotic suggestions.

Whatever occurred, yes, post-hypnotic suggestions do work. But it does take work. The power of a Suggestion depends upon two things -- the time spent in inculcating the suggestion, and the effort and emotional energy put into the suggestion. Yes, during the hypnotic transe itself, it is important to be very relaxed, but the best suggestions will occur if they radiate as a kind of afterglow from a strong emotional conscious intent.

I used a hypnotherapist several years ago for post-hypnotic LD suggestions. Had about 6 sessions but no results. My conclusion is that unless you find a skilled hypnotherapist who has prior experience with LDs and knows what type of suggestions to give, it may be a waste of time and money.

Using a text-to-speech program seems much better. After waking up from a dream, one is already in a state similar or identical to hypnosis, so an induction procedure is not necessary. By using a text-to-speech program, you go straight into post-hypnotic mode and can experiment and find out what suggestions work best. My previous script gave lots of vivid dreams but no lucidity, so I revised it.

Here's my latest script, which I will test over the next few days. The reason I use "notice" is because noticing is the threshold of awareness. Also, there are no "spelling mistakes" only pronunciation tweaks.

{{Pause=3}}
Tonight, reemember. Every time you dream.
Notice the extraordinary events. {{Pause=3}}
Recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
Realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
Notice the anomalous location. {{Pause=3}}
Recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
Realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
Notice the strange creatures. {{Pause=3}}
Recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
Realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
Notice the unusual peepull. {{Pause=3}}
Recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
Realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
Notice the weird objects. {{Pause=3}}
Recognize the dream world. {{Pause=3}}
Realize you are dreaming. {{Pause=3}}
Conscious dreams tonight, reemember.
Conscious dreams tonight. {{Pause=5}}

Did the last script fail? because I spent a while creating a file for it. (with a lead in count, and biaurnal beats that supposedly help induce meditative trance states.) It's about 13 minutes long (I'm not sure exactly as I used timewarping, so the times are innacurate), and I am currently exporting it as an mp3 to put on my IPOD, will be testing it shortly. I haven't gone to a hypnotherapist ever, but I agree with ZenVortex in that text-to-speech is free once you buy (or illegally download) a program/voices. I also lets you try for yourself any combinations. I got the crystal and mike voices, and personally I prefer the L&H voice, Peter over crystal. In my opinion british people have more relaxing voices than americans.

Hi Penguin:

The previous script failed to produce lucidity although it generated vivid dreams. Also, the dreams themselves indicated that certain aspects of the script were wrong (for me at any rate). I get a lot of guidance from dreams and consider them to be an important source of inspiration. Since you already programmed the first script into your I-Pod, I suggest you go ahead and use it for a few nights and see what happens.

Here's an interesting question. How long does it usually take for sensory input to sink in to the subconscious and affect dream production? For example, after starting doing RCs on a regular basis, how long before RCs occur in dreams? Personally, I find that it takes about 1 to 3 days before something I do in the outer world manifests in the dream world. Some people say it takes about a month, but for me, the dreams usually provide a more immediate reflection.

There was some research a couple of years ago using Tetris, showing that the Tetris images manifested in dreams the following night, not the same night. I suppose intense sensory experiences like movies or music can manifest in dreams the same night. What seems to happen is that images can show up in dreams immediately, but complex tasks like RCs or "recognizing" dreams or following post-hypnotic commands can take a lot longer.

For this reason, I think its probably a good idea to stay with the script for several days to give it enough time to sink in and clearly demonstrate what it is doing.

As your choice of a hypnotherapist may not be familiar with LD I would recommend you ask her to "anchor a common dreamsign to the question "Am I dreaming?"" she will also most likely guide you in other ways as she sees fit but insure she sets up some appropriate anchors[/b]

Thanks h0ju, That is an excellant suggestion, I hadn't thought of it myself but I will definitely use it.

I am going to contact the hypnotherapist today and set up an appointment later in the week.

More suggestions are always welcome and maybe we can keep this thread from becoming a "Sales pitch" for ZenVortex's speach-to-text idea.

The way Charles Tart post-hypnotically generated LDs in his pioneering work in 1974 was to give the suggestion that the subject will dream about a specific dreamsign, such as a pink elephant and that when the dreamsign appears, the subject will realize he is dreaming.

This is a form of incubation/association and it apparently works quite well. I believe LaBerge and other hypnotherapists have used this approach. I think it is possible to also use the type of direct suggestions I am using in my text-to-speech experiments. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

mossboss, I like MILD, so for your hypnotic suggestion you might consider wording such as:

when I am dreaming I will recognize that I am dreaming.
when I am dreaming I will realize that I am dreaming
when I am dreaming I will become aware that I am dreaming

The success of your approach may hinge on how hypnotizable you are.

I am curious about this approach whether the subconscious can help with lucidity. So far I've assumed that the key is additional consciousness.

I have made an appointment for next Tuesday and I will discuss all the suggestions with her.
Although she has never done anything like this, she is familiar with lucid dreaming and has studied it a little. At least it's better than nothing. I think it would be unlikely that I would find someone with actual experience.

Thank you all for your suggestions and keep 'em comming.

Congratulations mossboss! Report back and tell us how it goes. I personally think repitition is important in getting your subconsious to remember somthing. I think you should think of some lines, like what Asclepius sugested, or whatever fits you, and have the hypnotist repeat it many times. Just do what ever you think is best, and please tell us how it goes.

p.s. Yeah, sorry about turning it into a text-to-speech discussion. I have created a thread for this in the attaining lucidity forum. It can be found [link cancelled by PenguinLord13 as it is obsolete] try the Question: Audio Playback During Sleep thread by ZenVortex instead.

I had another idea I want to try before my appointment.
In my next LD I'm going to ask a dream character what suggestions he/she thinks I should recieve under hypnosis.
Don't know if it will work but I thought it sounded like an interesting idea.

I went to a hypnotist who is certified to help me with self-hypnosis training. I bought a 10-pack of CD's to help with learning, to having confidence, etc...
Mostly now I use them to help me relax, and when the CD sessions are about over, I just turn off the laptop and continue to relax.

Originally posted by ZenVortex
I used a hypnotherapist several years ago for post-hypnotic LD suggestions. Had about 6 sessions but no results. My conclusion is that unless you find a skilled hypnotherapist who has prior experience with LDs and knows what type of suggestions to give, it may be a waste of time and money.

I have been using Hypnosis for a while now, mainly to relax and rejuvenate after a days work. Some of the techniques used by different hypnotists are very powerful and can begin to help you with the first trance.

I use the technique which involves relaxing parts of your body one at a time, eg, relaxing your feet then your calves, legs and so on. Also a trick I use is to visualize the words of the hypnotist in your head as subtitles. This helps with concentrating on the task at hand and not letting your mind stray.


- Axis

I have been using self hypnosis alot recently, I haven't had any success yet, but every time I go into the trance I say that the next trance will be deeper, and it works. So eventually I will end up in a deep enough trance to have a major impact.

Well my apointment was yesterday evening at 7:00.
The hypnotherapist runs her practice out of her home and when I arrived there there was no answer at the door. I waited for 20 min, called twice, then went home *sigh*

She called me a little while later and said that she had left me three messages earlier in the week saying that she needed to reschedule. The problem is she wrote my phone number down wrong.

I know that this is highly unprofessional and I wouldn't want someone who is absent-minded messing around with my subconsious, but I hesitate to tell her to forget the whole deal because she has knowlege of lucid dreaming. I'm worried that if I let this one go I will not find another hypnotherapist who knows about LD.

I am expecting to hear from her today regarding rescheduling, but it is 5:30pm right now and still no word. If she forgets to call me today or still gets the number wrong I guess I'll just have to keep searching.

I highly doubt she is the only hypnotist that knows about lucid dreaming in your area. Believe me, she probably gets enough business on her own that having a small break may be good for her. I am not sure if it was another appointment that came up or what.

This may be off the subject, but I spoke with a small tattoo studio that is well respected here, and they have a 2 month waiting list.

It may be good to look around, and call hypnotists. They know about the subconcious, and that goes hand in hand with dreaming. It may surprise you what you find.

Originally posted by mossboss
Well my apointment was yesterday evening at 7:00. *
The hypnotherapist runs her practice out of her home and when I arrived there there was no answer at the door. *I waited for 20 min, called twice, then went home *sigh*

She called me a little while later and said that she had left me three messages earlier in the week saying that she needed to reschedule. *The problem is she wrote my phone number down wrong.

I know that this is highly unprofessional and I wouldn't want someone who is absent-minded messing around with my subconsious, but I hesitate to tell her to forget the whole deal because she has knowlege of lucid dreaming. *I'm worried that if I let this one go I will not find another hypnotherapist who knows about LD.

I am expecting to hear from her today regarding rescheduling, but it is 5:30pm right now and still no word. *If she forgets to call me today or still gets the number wrong I guess I'll just have to keep searching. *

I think you're right.
She was supposed to call me yesterday to reschedule and I havent heard from her. I'll be damned if I'm going to give my hard earned money to someone who can't take the time to pick up the phone and make a call.
Were talking $70-$80 an hour! (CAD)
I don't know about you guys but I would work my ass off for that kind of money.

I guess I have to keep searching.

Will keep you all posted. 8)

Probably a good choice. Letting an airhead play with your mind is never a good idea. Paying them to do it...if they mess up then just don't get me started. 70-80 bucks an hour...wow, I agree. If you're getting paid $70+ per hour you need to work your ass off double time if you want respect. Anyways, if she were to mentally harm you in a moment of clumsiness, now wouldn't that suck. So yeah, if you're dishing out big money finding someone who pays you a bit more attention's a good idea. I'm sure you can find more hypnotists with knowledge of Luicd Dreaming. Good luck!

O.K. So I found another hypnotherapist.

I spoke to two, and both of them have heard of Lucid Dreaming. The first actually spent a winter practicing lucid dreaming but she didn't seem very open-minded when I spoke to her on the phone. It was kinda like "this is how it works and thats the end." And anyway she wanted $120/hour

The other hypnotherapist had much more reasonable prices and although she had never used hypnosis to help a person improve dream recall and become lucid more often, she was quite interested and seemed genuinely excited about giving it a try.

My appointment is tonight at 6:30. I will post the details when I get home, and the results (if any) in the days to come.

By the way: I have been very careful to chose only hypnotherapists who are:

A) Certified Hypnotherapists (CHt)
and
B) A member of a professional organization that can verify their crudentials (eg. the National Guild of Hypnotherapists)

Just in case anyone else was thinking of trying this.