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Hypnotic Scaling HandoutPaul Koeck MD - SC29 - Hypnotic Scaling - an Ericksonian Solution Focsued Self-Hypnotic Technique- BriefTherapyConference - San Diego 2016 - Summary

Hypnotic Scaling an Ericksonian self-hypnotic1 technique that allows you to choose freely where to move on your scale. Developed by Paul Koeck, MD

Instruction sheet for the patient after the first session with his therapist to use at home

People have a tendency to have either very intense negative feelings, either very intense positive feelings. It seems like they are unable to “choose” something in between. This is very nice of course when you live the peaks, but feels terrible during the downs.

The goal of this exercise is to learn to “choose” freely what mental state or emotion you want to feel/develop in a specific moment.

Hypnotic Scaling, developed by Paul Koeck, MD
Hypnotic Scaling, developed by Paul Koeck, MD
Hypnotic Scaling, developed by Paul Koeck, MD
  1. Choose an emotion or a mental state that you would like to master more gradually and define its opposite (like, depressive – Euphoric, Hate – Love, Fear – Peace, Satisfied about my life, …)
  2. Close your eyes and feel where on this scale (from 0 to 100) you are now. Let just a number pop up in your mind
  3. Look in your mind (your eyes remain closed) at yourself. See your body posture, look at the colors, look at your body posture, look at the position of each part of your body … see the position, tension or relaxation of every muscle
  4. Observe your feelings and also the thoughts, actions and images that connect to those feeling
  5. Observe also what habits (behaviors, actions, patterns) emerge, connected to this feeling
  6. Now keep your eyes closed, eventually you can write your observations down later or record your voice on a tape and describe them with loud voice so that you can type them later)
  7. With your eyes closed, decide to move a VERY small bit on this scale towards the negative feeling. Move 1% to the worse and observe (while asking you the following questions):
    1. “HOW did I do this?” (= the process that helped you moving down)
    2. “What CHANGES did I observe in ….?”
      1. My images
      2. My thoughts
      3. My feelings + where in your body you feel it
      4. My actions
      5. My body posture: tensions, pleasant sensations, respiration rhythm, ….
  8. Then move down 1% more and repeat this several times until the negative feeling hurts you too much. Remember to observe closely HOW you do it to make your feelings (and thoughts, images, body posture, …) worse + WHAT you observe to be different
  9. When it starts to hurt, try to motivate yourself gently to go little bit further2 … so you will learn to observe small changes which will help you later when having a similar negative feeling spontaneously to get rid of it … step by step
  10. When you pushed yourself a little into the suffering (now it might be the first time in your life that you take very deliberately control of your feelings … even if for a while you might feel uncomfortable … you cannot deny that you are in control, not?) … choose to change direction and move 1% up
  11. Observe the same things as mentioned in N°6
  12. Now you are DISCOVERING for the first time in your life HOW to make feelings better …. In small portions (be careful … avoid to make big steps … it would spoil the whole learning experience)
  13. Climb up step by step … even further toward the positive than the starting point till you reach the point that is OK for you today
  14. Focus on your LEARNING of HOW in each stage you improve your feeling step by step (jumping spoils everything!!!!!)
  15. When you reach your desired point for today (do not choose 100% today since you want to learn to trigger intermediate feelings … pastel colors …. Gray between black and white ….) you add some additional exercises to make free choice:
  16. Learn to choose upon command: Choose a % and go to that % with closed eyes, and then choose at random another … so you will train your mind to choose your level of a certain feeling and behavior
  17. Now for the next 30 days …. Insert 1 or 2 “training” moments in your day where during 5 or 10 minutes, you train yourself to choose a level of those feelings at your own choice, every time at the end of your minitraining, you decide at which level you want to stay for the coming minutes or hours
  18. After 30 days you will be an expert in choosing your appropriate feeling in this scale and you will almost do it unconsciously
  19. For the next 30 days you can choose another “couple” of feelings where you want to increase your inner freedom
  20. When you repeat this exercise later with several other “couples” of opposite feelings, you will become almost free to choose the kind of inner feelings you want at any different moment in your life
  21. Then send us an email at coaching @ coachteam.com to tell us your experience so that we know how you feel freely now

More information about this Ericksonian self-hypnosis technique, video’s and downloadable worksheets will be posted at https://www.15minutes4Me.com/HypnoticScaling by Paul Koeck, MD, the developer of Hypnotic Scaling.

Workshop at the European Brief Therapy Conference in Sofia 2017

Watch the live demonstration here (for participants of the workshop only):



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Hello.

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So let's slowly get started.

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There is one handout about this workshop

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since this afternoon, I'm going to get with

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apart another workshop and I have enough handouts printed.

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You can also have one of that one.

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And the reason why I give it is because there

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is a hyperlink of the two workshops on it.

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And you can watch the interviews I

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did with Mr. Isebaert and what I will do, I

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will put this workshop also behind the same password.

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So the password will be EBTA 2018.

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So if you want to rewatch the demonstration later,

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that might be interesting for going more into detail.

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I am Paul Koeck from Belgium.

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I'm a physician.

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I'm trained with Luc Isebaert and a little bit with

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Steve De Shazer in the solution focus approach, in the

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systemic approach, but also Ericksonian hypnotherapist.

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What I'm going to present today, and I hope there

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will be a volunteer so that we can do some

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interactive stuff and show how it really works because it's

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more interesting when we are really going into the dynamics.

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I want to present a very at first,

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very simple self-hypnotic technique that I always

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start with the patient in a hypnotic session.

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So it's a one session where you as a therapist,

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teach or do the technique together with the client.

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And then the client is invited to do the

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hypnotic scaling at home as much as he wants.

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What is the goal?

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The goal is to develop a self-help tool so that

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a patient can learn to regulate where he wants to

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be on a scale at a certain specific moment.

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The specific moment can, for

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instance, be a job interview.

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I'm going to tell some stories.

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At the same time, I want to invite if some

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of you is interested in volunteering and experiencing this technique,

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you can come and give me a sign.

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So that's why I'm making some examples.

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I had one woman who came to

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me and she was five years unemployed

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despite of being a psychologist, Master Degree.

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And she had a job interview on Wednesday.

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And she asked me if I could help her.

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So we planned a two hour session, and in

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the first hour we did the hypnotic scaling technique.

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I'm going to explain a little bit more into detail so

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that when I asked her on a scale from zero to

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ten where she was, she was somewhere close to zero.

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And what we did in the technique is to teach her

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so that she could teach herself to go up and

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down on the scale in a more hypnotic way.

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When Steve De Shazer, hypnotherapist himself,

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but his model was more of verbal model,

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a digital model where he taught us how

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to use the scale by asking questions.

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Excuse me, can the air conditioning be

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a little bit lower?

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Because I think it interferes a little bit.

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So what you can ask the client is to go

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up and down on a scale and for the moment

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you have to go to the job interview.

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Bring yourself almost seven or eight or nine,

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depending on what you want, and do the

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job interview in that mental state.

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You can use it also for

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anxieties for depressive feelings, for everything

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where an emotional component is involved.

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I remember doing a workshop at the

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European Hypnosis conference and there was a

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woman and she fell off the horse.

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And while falling off the horse, she developed a fear.

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And every time when she reapproached the horse, the

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horse felt a fear and there was a kind

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of negative interaction between her and the horse.

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She did a hypnotic scaling technique

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in a conference like this.

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And later she reported that when she

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reapproached the horse, there was a different interaction

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and they could rebuild trust together after the

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quite serious accident that they both had.

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So is there anyone in the room who

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would like to either demonstrate something you would

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like to work out for yourself?

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It can be something like self-esteem.

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It can be something like

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anxiety in a certain situation.

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You can also do role play of a client.

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It's always nicer to play on yourself, but

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you can also doa role play of a client

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who is interested in experiencing it.

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So I have one or two volunteers.

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Can you briefly say in one word what kind

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of a topic it is about so that I

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can judge if it's workable without going into detail?

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Okay, that's a nice one.

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What would be yours?

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Management.

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Weight management.

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Weight management.

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Then I will choose yours. Yeah.

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So you can do.

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And what's your name?

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Yeah, you can use the microphone.

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Hi, my name is Danny.

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Danny, nice to see you.

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So welcome.

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I'm very glad that you want to

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volunteer to work on your topic.

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I'm just looking at my watch.

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Can some time keeper tell me when

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we are 15 minutes before ending?

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You will do that.

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And you also do it when it's ten minutes and

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five minutes when the workshop has to close, 15 minutes

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before the end, and then ten minutes and five minutes.

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Yeah.

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Thanks a lot.

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Would you prefer to tell two or three words about

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it or do you want just to keep everything private?

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Both are perfectly okay for me. Okay.

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Maybe just a little bit.

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When I go into events like conferences or

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kind of things, sometimes I will have this

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thing, then I need to socialize with people.

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I find it's really hard for me

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to actively to talk to strangers.

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I would prefer sitting there and let other people talk

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to me, but in that case, I would love opportunities.

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So you would like to learn to be

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more going forward to talk to people? Yeah.

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Probably just be less awkward when

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I'm trying to do that.

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That's great.

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That's wonderful.

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So is it fine if we just

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start the technique without too much explanation.

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And I'm going to invite you to close your eyes.

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And when you close your eyes, I will just ask you

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to tune into yourself and I will ask some questions.

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But you will remain fully conscious because the goal is

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that afterwards you can practice this and you will be

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able to watch the video again if you want.

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So then you can listen to everything.

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So, yeah, you can close your eyes

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now and just feel the seat.

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Your breathing is going up and down,

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and that's fine tuning into yourself while

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feeling your breath going up and down.

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And now I want to invite you that you will be

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able to move your lips and keep your eyes closed and

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remain in the same mental state that you are.

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And I'm asking you to picture in front of yourself

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sitting on this seat so that you can see the

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position of your shoulders, the position of your hands are

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touching each other, the feet on the ground.

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You can see the yellow and orange patch and you can

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picture beside of yourself a scale from zero to ten.

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Word ten means this is the way it

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can go on forever in my life.

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Relating to the topic that I'm addressing today. Zero is the

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worst or the lowest you've ever been in your life.

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And I'm going to invite you not to make a rational

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thought, but just to look at the picture of the scale

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of zero to ten and be curious what number pops up

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that represents where you are now in this specific moment.

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Two. Wonderful.

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So I would like to invite you, while being at the two,

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to observe how it is for you to be at the two.

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What thoughts go through your mind, how to

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position of your body and your shoulders, the

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muscle tension, the breathing and everything.

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And now I'm inviting you to go to

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one and a half on the same scale.

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So I'm going to invite you to

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make it a little bit worse. Not too much.

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Just one and a half.

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And you will be surprised how much

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you're going to learn from this.

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And just let me know when you

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arrived at one and a half.

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You can knock your head when you are there.

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Okay.

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Being there at one and a half.

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My first question to you is what did you do?

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How did you manage to go from two to one and a half?

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You can answer keeping your eyes closed.

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What did you do?

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Did you focus on the number?

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Did you focus on the feeling itself?

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I think it is the number.

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So, you just focused on the number.

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And the position.

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In order to go down, you focused on the number

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and what did you focus on in the position?

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What did you do specifically?

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Moving backward.

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And moving backward. Ok, that's fine.

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And can you now

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and it's a different question

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observe how one and a half is different to two?

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What's different in your thinking, in

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your feeling, in your body position?

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Okay.

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You feel more like shy away. Okay.

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I can understand that.

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That's a less pleasant feeling.

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Nervous. A little bit nervous.

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How do you feel? Shaking?

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Trembling.

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Yes.

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All right.

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I would love to invite you now to move

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down to one and it's safe to do that.

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Just note here.

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And my first question is what was your strategy

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to go from one and a half to one?

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It is like I have this memory of being really

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shy, really reluctant to talk to people.

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All right.

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So if you want in the future to go down from

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one and a half to one, you can focus on this

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memory of shyness and being reluctant to talk to people.

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That seems your mechanism of how you do it.

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Can you tell me now a little bit more about

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how it is different to be at one?

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Alone but a little bit more freedom.

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A little bit tense.

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So now I want to invite you to go to zero to five.

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We go a little bit more down first because that will help

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you to learn more how in the future you will go up.

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So now it might be a little bit unpleasant,

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but it will be offered in the future.

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So just take the time to go to zero point five.

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Okay.

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How did you do that?

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What did you do to get there?

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I just kind of feel this thought that

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I didn't not accept people all around me.

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Like when I was in school.

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I was not very popular and I was

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always going to school alone and study alone.

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Is it more like that you focus on a

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feeling or are you more remembering the pictures or

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the movies? Feelings and also some memories.

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So you focus on the feelings and the memories

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of how you could feel lonely in the past.

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And that's what brings you down on the scale? Yes.

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So that's interesting because

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we are learning something.

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There is a strategy to go down on the

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scale and there will be one to go up.

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So that's something you will discover in the future.

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How does it feel to be a zero point five now?

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Well, like metaphor, it was like

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I'm stuck in a crystal ball.

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I can see the world visibly,

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but I just can't touch them. Okay.

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It's like you are stuck in a crystal ball and vividly see the world and not touch them.

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May I invite you to go to zero?

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You are zero,now? How did you do that? How did you go there?

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I don't think there's that much difference than the zero point five

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because I feel like that I'm in my early age

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and now so this is not an issue.

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So I never worry about that.

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So I can live without anyone around me.

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I could just live alone even though I was really young.

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So you can live alone.

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You feel like at early age and that you can feel alone.

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And was it at that time in your

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life safe and a good thing to do?

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Yeah, I think so.

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Actually, what you want to change now once in the

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past, what a very useful thing to do for you.

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Yeah.

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Because the environment changed and no longer

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in kindergarten or private school setting.

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It's very different.

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Oh, that's interesting.

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Environment changes so maybe we can move

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up on the scale and learn to

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integrate new skills into new environments.

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May I invite you to go to zero point five again?

21:18.050 --> 21:19.760
Let me know when you're there.

21:22.350 --> 21:23.820
Now, this is interesting.

21:24.150 --> 21:27.514
How did you move from zero to zero point five?

21:27.612 --> 21:28.800
What did you do?

21:30.990 --> 21:33.418
I just have this thing kind of feeling

21:33.444 --> 21:38.580
like a picture that I'm stepping forward.

21:42.910 --> 21:45.880
Feeling in a picture like stepping forward.

21:48.070 --> 21:51.362
So while you can experience that, I'm going to explain

21:51.436 --> 21:53.858
two or three things to the group that later you

21:53.884 --> 21:56.380
can listen on the videotape if you want.

21:57.250 --> 21:58.910
So what's happening now?

21:59.080 --> 22:03.354
She's going down and down on the scale.

22:03.462 --> 22:06.446
Actually, in actual life, it's zero.

22:06.628 --> 22:08.570
But once upon a time in the past,

22:08.620 --> 22:10.720
that was a useful place to be.

22:11.110 --> 22:13.614
And now she wants to learn a new skill.

22:13.782 --> 22:18.686
But because she can emotionally and in

22:18.808 --> 22:22.600
all her sensory modalities excess, what's happening?

22:23.050 --> 22:26.800
She can learn it on a deeper connected level.

22:27.610 --> 22:32.010
And she is now telling that the stepping

22:32.070 --> 22:36.386
forward is something that's helpful to go from

22:36.448 --> 22:40.842
zero to zero point five.

22:40.866 --> 22:42.486
It doesn't matter to what degree.

22:42.558 --> 22:45.950
The stepping forward is a reflection of what she

22:46.000 --> 22:49.746
does because at the same time, she's giving herself

22:49.818 --> 22:54.002
now prognostic suggestion that in the future, when

22:54.016 --> 22:56.918
she is at zero, stepping forward is what she

22:56.944 --> 22:59.020
can do to go to zero point five.

22:59.770 --> 23:02.810
And me explaining to you that if

23:02.860 --> 23:05.870
this is the prognostic suggestion, it's even

23:05.920 --> 23:09.686
reinforcing the prognostic suggestion that this might

23:09.748 --> 23:11.920
happen more easily in the future.

23:14.870 --> 23:18.500
Now coming back to you, Danny, can you go to one now?

23:21.870 --> 23:22.620
Yeah.

23:26.830 --> 23:27.880
Are you there?

23:28.990 --> 23:33.520
And what helped you to move from zero point five to one?

23:37.310 --> 23:38.670
In the picture?

23:39.170 --> 23:41.430
It looks like I'm taller.

23:42.050 --> 23:44.540
It looks like you're taller. Wow.

23:46.550 --> 23:48.450
How did you change the picture?

23:51.990 --> 23:56.590
Kind of like a growing stick

23:57.930 --> 24:03.262
broke that crystal ball that they keep growing. Oh, wow.

24:03.396 --> 24:04.442
Keep growing.

24:04.526 --> 24:06.550
And you broke that crystal ball.

24:06.990 --> 24:10.574
Could you, keeping your eyes close, indicate

24:10.622 --> 24:12.430
with your fingers why in the room

24:12.480 --> 24:14.650
this image is more or less situated.

24:16.230 --> 24:19.906
Could you, while keeping your eyes closed, show

24:19.968 --> 24:22.990
in the room with your fingers where this

24:23.040 --> 24:24.900
image is in front of you?

24:26.590 --> 24:27.518
Right here.

24:27.664 --> 24:28.660
Right here.

24:29.110 --> 24:32.282
And when it was more smaller, was it on

24:32.296 --> 24:34.720
the same place or was it a different place?

24:42.590 --> 24:43.700
Very close.

24:47.430 --> 24:48.454
Very close.

24:48.612 --> 24:53.460
So it was moving bigger and moving upwards? Yes. Wow.

24:54.750 --> 25:05.502
That's time to go to one point five now, I guess.

25:05.586 --> 25:09.626
To the audience,what I'm doing is I'm inviting her at the same time

25:09.688 --> 25:11.874
these are commands.

25:11.982 --> 25:19.850
It's like gently, hypnotically inviting her with gentle

25:20.290 --> 25:24.880
commands that her unconscious mind can follow.

25:26.110 --> 25:29.320
Are you at one point five already? Yes.

25:30.130 --> 25:31.540
How did you do that?

25:34.970 --> 25:42.082
I think I come back to normal figure. Normal figures.

25:42.106 --> 25:47.602
So instead of watching yourself, you were focusing on

25:47.616 --> 25:50.280
the figure again, on the number.

25:53.170 --> 25:55.838
The body figures are really long.

25:55.924 --> 25:58.650
And then now it has become normal,

25:58.710 --> 26:00.640
just like what it looks like.

26:01.570 --> 26:04.000
Like the real you. Yeah. Wow.

26:04.870 --> 26:08.320
So it becomes more like the real you.

26:08.950 --> 26:13.000
Can you move that same picture and yourself to two now?

26:14.470 --> 26:15.760
Yes. Okay.

26:18.410 --> 26:19.820
How does that feel?

26:21.170 --> 26:26.070
It feels release. Release.

26:26.510 --> 26:29.326
Where in the body do you feel that release?

26:29.518 --> 26:36.000
Warmer. Wow.

26:36.690 --> 26:37.800
That's great.

26:40.810 --> 26:42.940
Can you go to two and a half now?

26:44.170 --> 26:45.400
Two point five.

27:08.870 --> 27:13.160
So first tell me how you did this.

27:19.070 --> 27:20.420
Simply just one more step.

27:24.110 --> 27:30.358
Once I took that step forward, I

27:30.384 --> 27:34.654
could have some pictures that I'm speaking

27:34.752 --> 27:42.100
to other people, showing them myself.

27:45.350 --> 27:47.286
You are more focused on other people

27:47.348 --> 27:50.890
also and on their names.

27:51.010 --> 27:54.478
And then I observe a big shift in your voice.

27:56.111 --> 27:58.986
Your voice? Yeah.

27:59.048 --> 28:01.770
Your voice sounds more relaxed and more fluent.

28:05.070 --> 28:07.140
Maybe you can go to three now.

28:08.250 --> 28:09.420
Take your time.

28:16.316 --> 28:22.453
Now, I am very excited..

28:22.453 --> 28:24.453
You are excited.

28:26.082 --> 28:27.940
That's an important moment.

28:34.910 --> 28:36.214
You feel excited.

28:36.382 --> 28:38.370
Enjoy this excitement.

28:46.054 --> 28:51.058
You want a tissue. Okay. Thank you.

28:56.875 --> 29:01.042
I don't know why I am excited but I am happy.

29:01.116 --> 29:04.498
Because you are exactly working on a

29:04.584 --> 29:07.140
very important goal in your life.

29:09.250 --> 29:11.440
Maybe. Yeah.

29:12.430 --> 29:15.460
It's something you're dreaming of for a while, I guess.

29:20.150 --> 29:22.340
Let's find out how it's at four.

29:22.670 --> 29:23.660
Go there.

29:24.470 --> 29:25.700
Just do it.

30:02.710 --> 30:04.610
I don't have strong feelings.

30:07.010 --> 30:11.600
I kind of like I could have a step from two to three.

30:12.050 --> 30:17.862
Then next it will be very easy to go four and five.

30:18.056 --> 30:18.738
Yeah.

30:18.884 --> 30:21.846
Now you want to go faster? Yeah.

30:22.028 --> 30:25.830
But I'm going to invite you not to do that yet because

30:25.880 --> 30:29.526
I want you to have the skill in the future on any

30:29.588 --> 30:33.558
point of the scale to be able to choose where you go

30:33.644 --> 30:39.200
and not to be driven by accident or by whatever.

30:40.670 --> 30:42.980
It's nicer if you can learn to choose.

30:45.450 --> 30:46.980
Are you at four now?

30:49.110 --> 30:49.860
Yes.

30:51.270 --> 30:54.106
Would five be fine now? Yeah.

30:54.288 --> 30:57.840
So try five without going higher. Okay.

31:04.210 --> 31:07.430
And I'm asking people in the room to observe

31:08.230 --> 31:12.220
how her nonverbal the muscles in her face

31:12.550 --> 31:16.398
and try to guess which of the different girls

31:16.434 --> 31:19.430
you would approach spontaneously on a reception.

31:29.930 --> 31:31.760
Are you there? Yes.

31:33.710 --> 31:37.520
How is five?

31:41.874 --> 31:45.550
Five is like daylight.

31:45.550 --> 31:47.550
It is like daylight?

31:49.090 --> 31:51.638
And what made you move to four to five?

31:51.724 --> 31:53.800
What strategy did you use?

31:55.090 --> 31:58.238
Because you said it was easy and I

31:58.264 --> 31:59.762
told you not to go too fast.

31:59.836 --> 32:02.246
So you must have done something. Yeah.

32:02.428 --> 32:05.800
I just relaxed myself without thinking too much.

32:06.130 --> 32:08.582
You relaxed yourself without thinking too much?

32:08.656 --> 32:10.360
More bodily experience.

32:11.470 --> 32:12.220
Yeah.

32:39.470 --> 32:40.830
It was like a more confidence I think.

32:41.690 --> 32:43.760
More confidence. Wow.

32:47.610 --> 32:48.838
Where do you feel this confidence in

32:48.864 --> 32:54.900
your body? Everywhere. Yeah.

32:57.030 --> 33:01.080
And how did the picture of yourself change?

33:03.910 --> 33:05.320
The picture of yourself.

33:06.250 --> 33:07.540
How did that change?

33:08.950 --> 33:34.402
It is like an armor at two, three or even four.

33:34.596 --> 33:38.270
I'm wearing like a T-shirt.

33:38.330 --> 33:40.990
But now is something heavier.

33:41.490 --> 33:43.500
Now is something heavier? Yeah.

33:51.430 --> 33:53.066
What number are you now?

33:53.248 --> 33:55.326
Five.

33:55.508 --> 33:56.720
Going to six.

34:24.599 --> 34:25.466
How is that?

34:31.449 --> 34:33.350
Taller. Taller?

34:35.350 --> 34:37.010
It keeps growing taller.

34:41.389 --> 34:47.226
I see your head is more relaxed and straight up while your

34:47.288 --> 34:50.540
muscles in your face are softer than before.

34:55.350 --> 34:57.130
Something else about six.

35:04.270 --> 35:05.646
More freedom.

35:05.718 --> 35:06.710
More freedom?

35:16.670 --> 35:19.038
How do you see yourself move

35:19.184 --> 35:21.754
at a reception or social gathering?

35:21.802 --> 35:24.109
Now at six.

35:29.429 --> 35:34.989
Walking very steady with curious eyes.

35:34.989 --> 35:36.496
Walking with curious eyes?

35:39.698 --> 35:42.979
You see yourself in the picture?

35:45.235 --> 35:52.181
I'm holding a cup of coffee and just looking around.

36:06.414 --> 36:07.433
All the things that in the room

36:07.433 --> 36:09.500
all the people.Instead of yourself.

36:13.170 --> 36:16.620
May I invite you to do an experiment? Okay.

36:17.490 --> 36:20.760
Can you step in your own body mentally now,

36:21.390 --> 36:24.310
and you continue the same walk in the same

36:24.360 --> 36:27.300
place and describe me what you've seen.

36:54.190 --> 36:57.290
I see this hotel lobby and strange looking decorations.

36:58.210 --> 37:00.542
There are some tables there

37:00.616 --> 37:02.500
and some people are working.

37:07.250 --> 37:10.290
And I could go downstairs.

37:11.570 --> 37:14.718
I remember there's a gift shop.

37:14.864 --> 37:15.802
So I'm curious

37:15.886 --> 37:20.120
and want to check.

37:21.548 --> 37:25.272
How about meeting people in your body now?

37:27.210 --> 37:36.217
Yeah, I move around and I can see people in the conference and I say hello to them.

37:36.510 --> 37:38.940
Wow. Hello.

37:40.650 --> 37:41.760
Go to seven.

37:42.810 --> 37:43.138
Yeah.

37:43.164 --> 37:44.100
Now seven.

37:50.530 --> 37:51.940
How did you do that?

37:53.762 --> 37:56.205
Wow, seven.

37:59.930 --> 38:02.900
I can introduce myself or ask questions.

38:07.050 --> 38:11.098
You start to introduce yourself and ask questions. Yeah.

38:11.244 --> 38:13.920
And what questions would you ask?

38:14.910 --> 38:27.422
Questions like where you're from and if it was their first time

38:27.436 --> 38:33.582
here and probably share with what we saw

38:33.656 --> 38:46.320
before or our past experiences.

38:47.730 --> 38:48.130
Yeah.

38:48.180 --> 38:51.238
You keep talking, I wouldn't be able to stop you.

38:51.264 --> 38:52.210
That's wonderful.

38:52.890 --> 39:00.421
Okay, time for nine.

39:10.912 --> 39:13.750
Nine is a bit harder.

39:13.750 --> 39:17.966
To me, nine is a bit harder.

39:18.128 --> 39:22.482
Would you prefer eight and a half. Maybe. Okay. Do that.

39:22.676 --> 39:24.440
Do you know what's best for you?

39:28.950 --> 39:31.140
Or you can stay at eight if you want.

39:34.330 --> 39:35.680
What feels better?

39:38.630 --> 39:43.806
I think if I need to be higher

39:43.868 --> 39:54.120
than eight, probably I need someone else to do together.

39:54.870 --> 39:55.378
Wow.

39:55.464 --> 39:58.634
But that's why you include

39:58.682 --> 40:00.242
new elements in your context.

40:00.326 --> 40:03.478
And that's what smart communicators do when

40:03.504 --> 40:06.842
they want to connect on different levels.

40:06.986 --> 40:08.700
They use more than one tool.

40:11.590 --> 40:13.982
Would you like me to experiment how it

40:13.996 --> 40:18.700
is to invite mentally someone? Okay.

40:19.150 --> 40:21.460
And just find out what happens.

40:29.510 --> 40:33.621
Does that have to be specific person or anyone?

40:35.630 --> 40:39.860
Since you already graduated, you're already above five.

40:40.730 --> 40:44.240
You are free to choose what's best for you from now on.

40:48.090 --> 40:55.031
What would you prefer?

40:56.558 --> 40:59.879
I think anyone would be okay.

40:59.879 --> 41:08.351
If there was someone, probably it would be different.

41:14.210 --> 41:17.060
That's, by the way, a wise strategy that

41:17.870 --> 41:20.650
people give trainings in how to approach

41:20.710 --> 41:24.030
people often say you first go and you pick

41:24.140 --> 41:26.706
the one single person that has the same problem

41:26.768 --> 41:29.562
as you.Go to that person you connect, and

41:29.576 --> 41:31.542
then together you conquer the world.

41:31.736 --> 41:35.240
So that can be a wise strategy sometimes, right?

41:35.240 --> 41:36.944
Right.

41:36.944 --> 41:37.400
Yeah.

41:37.790 --> 41:40.890
I coach people in business and when they

41:40.940 --> 41:43.138
need to connect on a new business reception,

41:43.174 --> 41:45.440
that's one of the techniques we teach them.

41:46.790 --> 41:47.780
All right.

41:49.730 --> 41:51.260
What number are you now?

41:59.610 --> 42:02.038
I can imagine someone together with me.

42:02.124 --> 42:03.801
I could even go to ten.

42:03.821 --> 42:06.780
If you like to try that out,

42:07.110 --> 42:09.480
I give you one minute to do that?

42:40.910 --> 42:42.620
Ten is very enjoyable. Wow.

42:48.057 --> 42:50.746
That's an important experience.

42:54.687 --> 42:57.747
Because I used to have that experince

42:57.747 --> 43:01.218
when I was drunk.

43:01.374 --> 43:03.914
I can be at ten, actually.

43:04.072 --> 43:05.874
So now you have a second strategy.

43:05.922 --> 43:08.990
You can do that with a person or with a bottle.

43:12.170 --> 43:14.610
You increase your amount of choices.

43:21.690 --> 43:24.670
And I guess if you would write me an email

43:24.720 --> 43:29.134
in one year from now, you might even write me

43:29.172 --> 43:31.320
that you can do it without another person.

43:34.630 --> 43:39.640
Because a year is a long time when you practice enough.

43:45.350 --> 43:47.178
Probably.No need to do that.

43:47.204 --> 43:50.538
You are free because something even what

43:50.564 --> 43:52.506
I tell is not very important.

43:52.688 --> 43:54.500
What you choose is important.

43:59.430 --> 44:02.530
And what number would you like to stay for

44:02.580 --> 44:06.086
the rest of the day after finishing this exercise?

44:06.086 --> 44:08.086
Three would be great.

44:10.930 --> 44:15.040
Okay, then I gently invite you to go back to three.

44:21.290 --> 44:22.940
You are there. Yeah.

44:23.390 --> 44:26.890
Would I be fine that we close exercise here knowing

44:26.950 --> 44:30.894
that any day in your life you can practice to

44:30.932 --> 44:34.350
go again to four and five and six or ten.

44:34.400 --> 44:37.340
Whatever you like at whatever moment you want.

44:38.150 --> 44:39.740
Is that fine? Yeah.

44:39.740 --> 44:47.917
You can open your eyes.

44:51.266 --> 44:55.138
Okay, thank you.

44:55.138 --> 44:57.138
Thank you.

45:01.170 --> 45:03.850
The light is very bright. Yeah.

45:04.020 --> 45:06.900
You were in another world for a while. Yeah.

45:08.010 --> 45:08.760
Okay.

45:09.570 --> 45:11.542
Would you like to share something with

45:11.616 --> 45:14.220
people about your experience or not?

45:20.950 --> 45:22.286
Do we still have time?

45:22.408 --> 45:24.590
Yeah, we have.

45:27.685 --> 45:34.662
I guess very touching experience because I was also trained as an

45:34.676 --> 45:41.430
Ericksonian hypnotherapist but I never had these connections with

45:41.480 --> 45:47.890
these feelings of scaling under the trends.

45:50.190 --> 45:53.798
What I feel really is different and the surprise

45:53.834 --> 45:55.920
for me is I go down first.

45:57.030 --> 46:00.502
When I go down, it was really uncomfortable, I

46:00.516 --> 46:04.366
think and when I can go up again and

46:04.428 --> 46:08.040
make that really big leap, that's the point I think.

46:08.670 --> 46:09.790
I don't even know why

46:09.840 --> 46:13.294
I've been very emotional but I think

46:13.332 --> 46:16.070
that means something so probably it's.

Live demo

Workshop at the Brief Therapy Conference

on Thursday 11 December 2014 at 10:15 – 11:45 in Anaheim, California, USA Room: Royal A&B, Hyatt Regency Orange County

Hypnotic Scaling is a simple Ericksonian & Solution Focused self-hypnosis technique, developed by Paul Koeck, MD to help your client self-control and resolve Anxiety and Depression or symptoms of PTSD. You will be able to teach your client to freely choose where (s)he wants to be at a scale from 0 to 10 at any moment or in any context using (Self) Hypnotic Scaling. This workshop consists of theoretical insights & a life demonstration so that you can see the technique at work, followed by practical exercise.

After this workshop you will:

  1. Know how hypnotic scaling can help your clients discover multiple unconscious resources
  2. Know how to do the hypnotic scaling and teach the client self-hypnotic scaling
  3. Be amazed how clients can move themselves on their scales rapidly

After mastering this technique, your client will:

  1. Gain (rational AND emotional) insight in the micro dynamics of his problem pattern AND solution pattern
  2. Be able to choose freely how much (s)he wants to move up or down on the solution scale
  3. Be able to condition himself/herself on specific moments (depressive moods, anxiety, panic, stress, job interview, business meetings, press interviews, dating a (wo)man, …)
  4. Have experienced hypnotically that (s)he can change feelings, thoughts and behaviours within less than 30 minutes the ability of change becomes undeniable after this first session, because it has happened you co-constructed together a new exception!!!
  5. Feel more in charge of his/her life, emotions, thoughts, behaviours or habits: the locus of control is in his hands now

Paul Koeck, MD is director of the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Antwerp, Belgium in Europe (www.Erickson.be). He studied medicines, philosophy and sports medicines at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He obtained his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Vlerick Business School in Belgium. Paul Koeck, MD became a certified Solution Focused Therapist and also a Master in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy at the Korzibsky Institute in Belgium. Paul is founding partner of the Centre for Stress Management and managing partner and CEO of Coachteam.com where he coaches business leaders all over the globe. (www.coachteam.com). Paul Koeck, MD is the author and CEO of the Solution Focused Ericksonian Self-Help Program www.15Minutes4Me.com and authored several books in Dutch.

He taught and trained people all over the globe in over 20 countries on 4 continents in 5 languages: English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German.

Connect with Paul Koeck, MD @

More downloads and video’s about Hypnotic Scaling will be published at www.15Minutes4Me.com/HypnoticScaling.

A full training in Hypnotic Scaling by Paul Koeck, MD can be organised in your institute. Write Paul at coaching (at) coachteam.com


Never do this exercise without initial assistance of a professional trained licensed therapist or physician. Always ask your physician or therapist for permission if and how you are allowed to do this exercise under his/her supervision, instructions and responsibility.

2 When you do the exercise the first time with your therapist or counsellor, he will help you stretch your limits, later when you do it on yourself, you can choose how much you want to stretch yourself, you are the one who knows your limits. Never force yourself!