How to Use Frame Control in Hypnosis

In Conversational Hypnosis you must know that language and circumstance are both very important and powerful ways of influencing the unconscious.  Learning to control frames is a process that you should refine simply because it is so powerful.  

Frame control in hypnosis is one of the most important things you can do with a subject.  In one way to control the frames of various interactions is to take control of the interactions themselves.  This is because frames are the ways in which you view things, they are the contexts that give meaning to all the interactions you have.  If you stop to thing about how you consider things you will realize that without a frame, without a context to put a statement, idea or interaction into, the thing would be meaningless to you.

A great example of this is the same one we have used before.  If you are driving along and a car speeds by you and cuts you off you would more than likely be irritated or upset about the matter of inconsideration from the other driver. 

If you are given more information, one of the things that can help to change a frame and you now know the car has a child in it that was just hit by a drunk driver. You have been told they are speeding to the hospital in order to save the child’s life; your frames will more than likely change.  Because you have retained a new set of facts about the reason for the inconsideration you may be more forgiving and sympathetic to the situation.  This is an example of the power in changing a frame.

There are different ways in which you can control and manipulate frames.  There are essentially four options you have, to maintain your frame, preframe, reframe and deframe.  Of the four framing options maintaining your frame and preframing are the most important and powerful in Conversational Hypnosis.

Maintaining your frame is the first option you would usually want to exercise.  In order to maintain your frame you will always arm yourself with non-reaction.  To act as if the frame that someone else is suggesting simply doesn’t exist will cause them to raise question in their frame and put more value in yours.  Ignoring the fact that their frame is even a consideration will only reinforce your stance and cause insecurity in their own frame to rise.

Maintaining your frame is a skill you have practiced both in the frames section of these articles and in the hypnotic gaze.  In the hypnotic gaze induction you learned to hold a steady stare even though it is at times uncomfortable and seems to defy social boundaries, this is maintaining your frame in a different way.  When it comes to thoughts and interactions you will simply not back down.  You will be so convinced of your frame being the only true frame that there is no other possibility in truth in the other person’s frame.

This is an interesting stance to take and will be one you use in hypnotism to benefit you both.  The funny thing about frames though is that when it comes to right or wrong the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.  Because frames are based on the contexts we put them into that means there is no clear cut right and wrong to them.  Take the idea of organized religion. 

Many people believe in it very deeply and others contradict it as a way of control.  Now neither is right or wrong, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle.  Some religious facilities may exercise an excess of control through their power as an establishment others however are truly in belief that there is only one way to be and that is of whatever religious nature they are, they do good things and that is their context.  

So on to the second most valuable way to use frames in Conversational Hypnosis and that is to preframe.  Preframing takes a bit more calculation and thought than maintaining your frame.  If preframing you will need to know the outcome of the situation you are looking for before you start working.  To know the outcome or purpose you are trying to achieve will affect the way that you preframe a thing. 

Once you know the outcome you will next ask yourself that if that were the only possible truth in the world what would have to happen to make it so.  Once you have answered the numerous questions that come from that one thought you will set your preframe up to convince a person to see things your way before actually diving into the frame itself. 

Create a yes set on or tell a story about the things that would have to be true in order for your frame to stand true.  This is a way of controlling the frame before you get to the objection of why it is not so.

A good way to maintain and preframe is to become good with implications and assumptions.  If you can imply and assume then many times your frame will be taken at your word as the unconscious usually registers assumptions and implications as truth.  This is a way of stating the natural order of things and getting little resistance because the frame slips in on the coattails of the assumption or implication.

The next technique in framing is the reframe.  This is the ability to look at things in a new way.  Shed a positive light on a frame that was being viewed negatively by a person.  The saying that every cloud has a silver lining is a simple way of saying to reframe your judgment. 

There are two ways to reframe a context reframe is when you change the context that the frame is placed in.  And a meaning reframe which is where you change the meaning of the frame itself.  These are similar but useful in different ways as you will learn through out the course of your profession as a hypnotist.

Deframing is the last way in which you will control and manipulate frames.  Deframing is to turn the table on the person who is raising an objection to your frame.  You simply switch the role, reverse the challenge.  As a challenge is raised to your frame instead of explaining it away you will challenge the frame they are set in. 

This is unexpected most of the time and will set the person into a defensive mode.  When in defense mode they will be unconsciously taking in more of your frame than they will be defending their frame.  Causing it to eventually become true for them as well.  Presto you have deframed a situation. 

Now the only thing to be aware of in deframing is to maintain a positive or light attitude in that you can easily come off as aggressive or negative in other ways, this will only cause your subject to distrust and feel uncomfortable with you.  Since that is not the relationship you wish to have in hypnosis you should take caution to the ways in which you react when deframing.

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