had a deep and profound conversation about the nature of skills and skills training. I'm not going to go into the details of this conversation here, but it had the effect of reconnecting me with the reasons that I created the Hypnosis Skills Bootcamp that I first ran for James in Melbourne back in 2012 (though under a different name) and ran again at my training room in Letchworth Garden City in July 2013.

Well, thanks to James I'm all fired up to run it again... only this time deeper and sweeter 🙂

I created the Hypnosis Skills Bootcamp for one reason only - it was desperately needed! The original notion came about from a conversation between myself and Norwegian hypnotist Jorgen Rasmussen. Both Jorgan and I had encountered the same problem when it came to teaching the more advanced aspects of hypnotic facilitation - lack of basic skills amongst workshop attendees. Indeed it seems seems there is a problem with much hypnosis training - whilst there is a good emphasis on information and 'processes' (scripts and 'recipes') there is apparently little deep work done on skills building (and, of course, I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule out there).

What I'm talking about here is...

Here in ‘The West’ the Chinese term 'gongfu' is most often associated with the martial arts, but in it’s true meaning it refers to any profound skill that has been achieved through dedicated study and deep practice. So, you could have Gongfu in carpentry, or chess playing, or archery… any skillet you can name - including hypnosis!

But, sadly, most people who study hypnosis never achieve Gongfu…

And so, as such, they often lack the confidence in their abilities and the certainty in what they do that they would like to have.

Why?

Well, put most simply, because they are generally not taught hypnosis from a skills based perspective!

Maybe they go on a training or read books and get some useful perspectives and some procedures or scripts, Maybe they get a run-through of each sequence (induction, process or whatever) to aid their memorising of the material…

Which, at some point, is something that absolutely has to happen!

Now, don’t get me wrong – it is most certainly useful to learn valid perspectives on the ‘mechanics’ of hypnosis! It’s useful to learn the hows and whys and whats and to get the study in…

It is only through doing this that you can really develop this skills you need to make it happen!

Now if you are a good ‘self-directed learner’ you can create opportunities to make this happen – set-up practise groups, do street hypnosis, find volunteers etc (all of these things I strongly recommend), but I know that for a lot of people this is not easy! They can get caught in the confidence trap and never get to making it happen. You also need to be pretty good at self-coaching in order to take this path – experimenting with differences (with a willingness to fail) and paying attention to feedback! So…

Well, this is exactly what the Hypnosis Skills Bootcamp is all about - breaking it down and learning the skills in the way skills are best learned. And if you think about it it makes sense…

As I mentioned above, in the west the term Gongfu has come to be associated with martial arts, and there is a reason for this - because martial arts are skills based activities. And this is a fact that is clearly reflected in the methods teaching and training that they employ.

But imagine how it would be if martial arts was taught like hypnosis most usually is!

You get a bunch of theory on how a particular punch, kick, throw etc. works, then you get a quick demo and then you have a go… and then move onto the next ‘move’. Do you think martial artists could really achieve any kind of competence that way? Any kind of depth to their ability? NO WAY!

Which is exactly why martial arts are NOT taught that way – because teaching that is a totally lousy way to build skills!

If you look at how effective martial arts are taught, they are taught in the way that produces effective martial artists with high level skills…

No boxing school would teach you the theory of a guard, jab, hook and cross, give you a quick run-through on each, and expect you to go out and win a fight! No Judo Dojo would run you quickly through the theory and sequence of a hip throw then enter you for a competition. And it isn’t just martial arts this is true for – it is true for almost all skill based activities!

Yet, when it comes to hypnosis, that is exactly what most often happens! And then people wonder why they lack the confidence!

Now, I have to put my hand up and say that I have, in the past, been as guilty of this as everyone else – I have taught theory, models, sequences, understandings and attitudes, then implored people to go out into the world and practise. This is all good for those who do go out and get he leg-work done, but for everyone else, well…

This workshop – The Hypnosis Skills Bootcamp – is, as the name suggests, going to be VERY different.

What you are getting is a full weekend of high intensity drilling and coaching. No sitting around and just listening…

We will be covering all the primary skills you need to lead someone in an effective hypnotic process, and some! We will look at technique, touch, timing and flow. Subtleties around setting-up. Adapting to variables. Leading with verbal and non-verbal communication and more.

You will learn how to run ‘rapid induction‘ sequences and ‘waking hypnosis‘ sequences (and how the two fit together), and you will get…

At The Hypnosis Skills Bootcamp you will be in an environment of continued functional feedback – creating the context for you to see, feel and hear every difference and every nuance.

Now, if this sounds like a lot of hard work, well, it will be – because that is where real skill comes from. But it will also be, in equal measure, a lot of fun and high quality generative play.  Which, I think, is also important to know!

As I have probably made clear, this weekend is about skills – it is NOT going to be about doing hypnosis… it is all about LEARNING hypnosis. What this means is…

What I am talking about here is a concept known to Zen Buddhists as ‘Shoshin‘. Let me quote from good old Wikipedia: “Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning ‘beginner’s mind’. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.”

So what this means is there are no expectations for anyone to be anything other than a good learner – willing to be bad in order to learn to become good.

For those who may have a little more experience, be willing to be open to all feedback and suggestion without ego, regardless of who it comes from! I will be doing the same! It is also important to be aware that we will be breaking the skills down, so some of the drills may, on the surface, seem a little abstract – not quite ‘wax on wax off’ but abstract none the less (much in the same way that scales and timing practise is abstract in music, or ‘flow drills’ are abstract in certain martial arts – but both are building and drilling essential skills). We will, of course, be building them back up again into solid ‘hypnotic sequences’, which will be all the more solid for having gone through the process.

One final thing I would like to make absolutely clear is that, because this is about skills and skill-sets, this will NOT be a rigidly structured event teaching a designated set inductions and techniques. We will work hard, have fun and roll with the dynamic. This is drilling and coaching skills not teaching a curriculum!

Well, a whole bunch! We’ll be drilling and developing…