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Self-Assessment

Before learning induction, discover how your mind works. This determines which techniques will work best for you.

Moonlit reflection in a still pond

Why Test First?

Not everyone is hypnotized the same way. About 80% of people are "non-analytical" — they respond well to relaxation-based inductions. About 20% are "analytical" — they need busy-mind techniques because relaxation alone makes them restless.

By testing yourself first, you'll know which induction style to use. This saves weeks of frustration. The tests below also serve as preconditioning — they build expectation and demonstrate to your subconscious that suggestion works.

Test 1: The Chevreul's Pendulum

Named after French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul, this is the universal starting point — it appears in every major hypnosis text from Powers to LeCron to the American School of Hypnosis clinical manual.

How to do it:

  1. Make a pendulum: tie a ring, washer, or any light object to 8-10 inches of thread.
  2. Draw a circle on paper, about 6 inches diameter. Mark N, S, E, W points.
  3. Rest your elbow on a table. Hold the thread between thumb and forefinger, letting the pendulum hang about 1 inch above the center of the circle.
  4. Try to keep your hand perfectly still. Do not consciously move the pendulum.
  5. Mentally ask your subconscious: "Show me which direction means YES." Wait and watch.
  6. The pendulum will begin to move — clockwise, counterclockwise, back-and-forth, or side-to-side.
  7. Repeat for NO, "I don't know," and "I don't want to answer."

Why it works:

This is an ideomotor response — your subconscious directs tiny involuntary muscle movements in your hand without your conscious awareness. It's the same mechanism that makes you gesture while talking. If the pendulum moves without your conscious effort, you ARE suggestible.

Non-analytical response: The pendulum moves freely and noticeably.
Analytical response: Very little to no movement — your conscious mind is too engaged, suppressing the subtle muscle signals.

Test 2: The Finger Attraction

No props needed — pure mental suggestion. This tests your response to imagery.

How to do it:

  1. Sit comfortably. Lift both hands and clasp them as if praying, but extend your index fingers upward, about 1-1.5 inches apart.
  2. Concentrate on the space between your fingertips.
  3. Imagine a thick rubber band being placed around your fingertips, pulling them together.
  4. Visualize the rubber band clearly — feel the pull.
  5. Wait and observe. Do not consciously move your fingers.

Non-analytical: Fingers move together and touch.
Analytical: Fingers stay apart or barely move.
Reverse response: Fingers move apart — you may be resisting or nervous. Note what's coming up for you.

Test 3: Arm Rising & Falling

A powerful kinesthetic test using opposing imagery — lightness and heaviness.

How to do it:

  1. Stand with feet apart. Close your eyes.
  2. Extend both arms in front of you. Right hand: make a fist with thumb pointing up. Left hand: palm facing up, fingers extended.
  3. Imagine: In your right hand, you're holding strings attached to 15 large, colorful helium balloons. Feel them pulling your right arm UP.
  4. Imagine: On your left hand, 5 heavy encyclopedias are being stacked. Feel the weight pulling your left arm DOWN.
  5. Say to yourself: "Right arm up, up, up... left arm down, down, down..."
  6. After a minute, add one more encyclopedia: "On the count of three... 1... 2... 3!" then open your eyes and look at your arms.

Non-analytical: Arms move significantly in opposite directions. Some people even feel real discomfort from the imagined weight.
Analytical: Arms barely move.

Understanding Your Results

If you responded strongly to 2 or more tests, you're likely non-analytical (relaxation-responsive). About 80% of people fall here. You'll do best with progressive relaxation, eye fixation, and visualization-based inductions.

If you barely responded, you're likely analytical. Your conscious mind stays busy and won't relax easily. This isn't a problem — it just means you need different techniques: analytical body scans, active muscular relaxation, or "busy mind" vehicles that give your conscious mind a task while suggestions slip past.

Important:

There is no pass or fail. Every response tells you about your mind — and that's the point. Even "no response" is data. Analytical people can be excellent hypnotic subjects once they use the right approach.

The 3-Factor Model (Holroyd)

Academic researcher Jean Holroyd identified three factors that determine your response to hypnosis. Understanding these helps you optimize your practice:

1. Altered State Capacity

Your ability to shift into a genuinely different state of consciousness — measurable by theta brainwave activity in the frontal cortex. This can be developed with practice.

2. Imaginative Involvement

Your natural ability to visualize and get absorbed in fantasy. Some people are "fantasy-prone" and respond to suggestions through vivid imagination even without deep trance.

3. Expectancy

Your belief that hypnosis will work for you. This is a powerful predictor — people who expect success respond better. If you're skeptical, results may be slower but still achievable.

All three interact. You don't need all three at maximum — even one strong factor can produce results. But the more you develop each, the more effective your practice becomes.

Next Steps

Now that you know your profile, head to the Induction Library and choose methods matching your type:

  • • Non-analytical: Progressive Relaxation, Eye Fixation, Favorite Place Staircase
  • • Analytical: Analytical Body Scan, Active Muscular Relaxation, Analytical Vehicles
  • • Not sure? Start with Active Muscular Relaxation — it works for both types

Remember: your profile can change over time. Analytical people often become more relaxation-responsive as they practice. The brain is trainable.

Suggestibility Self-Assessment

Question 1 of 6

When you're absorbed in a good movie, do you physically react (jump, cry, tense up)?

Reflect

What was your suggestibility profile? How will you tailor your induction to match your natural response style?