Product reviews for Scripts and Strategies in Hypnotherapy

Scripts and Strategies in Hypnotherapy by Roger Allen is easy to read, well assembled and contains around 90 scripts of hypnotic induction. The author gives a sentence in the introduction that the book is of interest to beginners; as a recent graduate with an special interest in Ericksonian approaches, I found the book to be of particular interest.

The reader is introduced to a variety of Ericksonian approaches as well as a number of NLP techniques. The well-written scripts furnish students with resources of these methodologies to work with. It is a simple and useful method of learning trance induction.

The book contains a general introduction describing a number of concepts: hypnotic state, the process of induction, conscious and subconscious parts of the mind. Some of the chapters also contain introductions about various themes. The first chapter provides a description of hypnosis and the effect of the hypnotic state on conscious and subconscious processes. Allen's scripts go right into the induction of hypnosis; a variety of techniques from simple to more advanced are included. Among the scripts are -˜Eyes Sealed Shut', 'Ticking Clock Induction', 'Children up to Age Ten', -˜Overload Induction', -˜Self-Hypnosis Training' that the reader is invited to try out. His descriptions are clear, providing the student with what seems to be a useful repertoire to get started.

From there, Allen goes into deepening techniques, giving a batch of ways to deepen the trance once the subject is under hypnosis. However, Allen doesn't explain why you would want to deepen the trance. I feel that he did not give enough information on how to recognize whether the subject is in trance or not, and how to manage unexpected responses.

Allen offers a group of therapeutic scripts designed to work with a wide circle of problems. These include habit control, weight loss, fear and panic management, healing, pain management, sexual issues, loss and bereavement, and smoking cessation. Although they are general scripts, it is very educational to see the many ways in which specific suggestions can be inserted into the trance induction process. In some scripts Allen refers to previous scripts in the book as a starting point. Reading them was very helpful for me. They provide a framework that can easily be modified to meet the particular needs and concerns of clients.

Allen also gives a useful introduction to a number of therapeutic strategies including metaphors, amnesia, memory enhancement and performance improvement. I found the section on Smoking Cessation to be of particular value. The section included a detailed description of how smoking affects different chemical processes within the human body. In the Ukraine, smoking continues to be a pervasive problem, though here smokers rarely seek help Included in the book is a Smoking Questionnaire that facilitates redirecting the clients thoughts on what is important. The comprehensive information, combined with hypnotic induction techniques creates a very promising tool to help clients who have a genuine desire to stop smoking.



As Allen says, Scripts and Strategies in Hypnotherapy provides a starting place for integrating the medium of hypnosis into therapeutic practice. If the reader has some experience he can adapt scripts for cases or use them as is. In my own case, I am not yet ready to use these scripts in my clinical practice, though they did allow me to gain some valuable experience trying out techniques on volunteer colleagues who are interested like I am. This resource has helped me to get past that difficult first step, and I appreciate the clear and useful way in which this information is presented.