Confusion (New: 8/27/17)

We can utilize confusion to enter into new and unfamiliar territory. Anything dealing with paradox especially can lead into a state of confusion. Cognitive dissonance also leads to confusion and occurs when one is between two or more contradicting beliefs.

Exercise: Contradictory Suggestions

This exercise can be done with one or more speakers throwing out contradictory suggestions. The more contradictory, the better. It begins with visualizations of the suggestions, e.g. we fly, and the ground is hot. Summer is cold, and we go inside. Here, we go outside. Inside we stay heavy like a feather. Once the acting participant is in an overwhelming state, all suddenly stops with a final suggestion that is to make clear sense:

Example suggestions: (1) Now dance your mystery; (2) Now enter into your true self; (3) Now resonate with one thing.

The point of the exercise is to enter into trance so that profundity in the subbody can be found. This exercise is based in Milton Erickson’s confusion technique.¹

¹ LeCron, Leslie, Experimental Hypnosis, 1948.