Tag Archives: Double Bind

Which Chair Would You Like to Be Hypnotized In?

Who’s Running Your Show?

There’s a lot of patterns from hypnosis that have made their way into sales.

One of them is the “double bind.”

Milton Erickson, the guy who invented covert hypnosis, and upon which a lot of NLP was based, was famous for this “famous” one.

Somebody would come into his office to be hypnotized.

But since hypnosis requires that you give over control of your mind to some guy you’ve just met, a lot of people are understandably nervous.

So Erickson would say, “Would you rather go into trance in the blue chair or the green chair?

Meaning either choice would end up with him going into a trance.

Salespeople use this a lot. If somebody calls you to make an appointment, they may say, “Which is better for you, Thursday afternoon or Friday evening?” Meaning either choice leads to an appointment, which is what they want.

Sometimes this is called a “false choice.”

You’ll see this crop up in normal life all the time.

One is how humans behave.

We have TONS of instincts that drive our behavior. Take eating for example. No matter what, we have to eat.

But we can choose what we eat, and how much we eat.

Even if you DON’T choose, you’re kind of letting your inner caveman choose for you.

And he or she doesn’t necessarily make the best decisions.

Because your inner caveman can’t really see too far into the future. They can only see what’s right here, right now.

Only conscious practice can you MANAGE all of your instincts, to consciously CREATE a life, rather than going on autopilot.

Even autopilot behavior can be “managed,” but first it must be “created.”

For example, if you ONLY filled your fridge with healthy food, you would no longer need to consciously choose what you ate. You’d just eat whenever you felt like it, but since took the time to PLAN how you’d fulfill your instincts, you’d be better off.

This is just one example, of course.

Think of what you could do if you could successfully manage ALL of your instincts?

One thing everybody has inside them is an “imagination and comparison” machine that is ALWAYS ON.

Meaning that “part” of you is always measuring your current state, and then trying to imagine a better state.

This is why you are always shifting. Always moving. Always have that deep desire.

If you don’t choose HOW you will fulfill your desire, you’re caveman will. Or somebody else will by manipulating that inner caveman.

Back to the double bind.

Are you going to choose, or are you going to let somebody else choose?

Are you going to build your life or let somebody else manipulate you into helping THEM build THEIRS?

Your inner caveman can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

Which will you choose?

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