Blackboard Induction & Intervention for clients presenting with weight & anxiety issues

I've seen?a lot of clients in my practice?for weight loss and anxiety, who are both visual and analytical. With so many, I found the basic Blackboard Induction was very effective and so developed it further into an intervention to manage problematic behaviours, and increase motivation and self-efficacy. This too has been worked really well?and I would like to share it with you.

Notes: the purpose of this induction is to temporarily eliminate conscious interference with hypnosis. When people try too hard to listen or follow instructions, they are using the conscious part of their minds, which tends to minimize the ability to go into deep hypnosis. By giving the conscious mind a task to do (making and erasing the alphabet), the conscious mind is subdued, allowing suggestions to go directly to the unconscious mind. In addition to using it as a stand-alone induction, I’ve developed it further so it can be used effectively as an intervention during the session, especially with analytically minded clients, and with issues such as managing intrusive thoughts, cravings, stress, and increasing motivation.

Basic Blackboard Induction

With eyes closed, your client is asked to imagine a blackboard in front of them. On the blackboard, they draw a large circle.?Inside the circle, they draw a large letter X which touches the circle at all four feet of the X, so the X is completely attached to the circle.

Your client is asked to carefully erase the X but to ensure the circle remains in-tact. Suggestions are given to gently create a gap with the eraser at the four feet of the X to gently detach it from the circle without disturbing the circle in any way. Once detached from the circle suggestions are given to erase the X completely from the circle, again without disturbing the circle in any way.

Now with a blank circle, suggestions are given for your client to remember when they had to learn the alphabet, all 26 in lower and upper case and what an insurmountable task that was, learning all those letters which they did successfully (assuming they have which you’ve checked out during your assessment). They are then required to take the letter 'A' and draw it in the circle, but this time just half the size of the circle so it’s not touching or going to disturb the circle in any way. Suggestions are given to erase the letter 'A' from the circle and to erase it from their mind. Take your client through a couple more letters and then they are on their own to complete the set through to Z. The client is asked to let you know when all the letters have been erased.

If the client is still very alert, they can be taken through the same process with the other set of letters e.g., the lower case set if the upper case set was used first or vice versa.

Suggestions are given to focus on the letters and to ignore your voice during the process. During which you can give hypnotic suggestions and deepeners for relaxation, deep breathing and letting go of the letters.

If the client is still alert or deep trance work is required e.g., for parts or regression therapy, the client can be asked to create the number 100 in the circle and suggestions are given to draw and erase the numbers from the circle, working backwards from the number 100. They must do this with care, ensuring each number is completely formed and erased before the next one is drawn. Suggestions are given to gradually speed up the process whilst maintaining accuracy and visibility of the numbers until their mind goes completely blank and there are no more numbers. Hypnotic suggestions and deepeners can continue to be given. Suggest their ‘yes’ finger will raise to indicate when the task is finished.

Interventions using the Blackboard

This technique can be used immediately following on from the induction or as a call back later in the session after other hypnotic work has been done and/or post-hypnotic suggestions have been given.

For managing problematic thoughts, behaviours or emotions.

Your client is required to imagine the problem situation e.g., craving for chocolate. Your client creates a picture/symbol of the situation to enable them to put it into the circle e.g., the bar of chocolate. They are asked to imagine the image being far too big for the circle as if looking at it through a powerful magnifying glass. So all they can see of the image is perhaps part of a letter on the wrapper which fills the entire circle. [We use a magnifying glass as a metaphor for the problem being overwhelmingly problematic].

Suggestions are given to reduce the size of the image inside the circle until it all fits in the circle and is touching the circle at various points of the image. They then detach the image from the circle (as they did with the letter X above) and shrink the image down to a pin prick on the page and/or use the eraser to delete it completely from the circle.

If the client is unable to imagine an image, they can create a word, phrase or something else associated with the problematic thought, behavior or emotion e.g., a colour, and put this in the circle instead.??

For increasing motivation to move towards positive change

Your client is asked to create a large triangle on their blackboard.?Suggestions are given to associate this triangle with positive feelings towards achieving their goals (which may have been assessed, discussed and agreed upon already, or this technique can be used as a process of achieving this).

Your client is required to create an image of something which symbolizes what they want more of e.g., motivation to exercise. They imagine the image e.g., of them using their gym equipment appearing very small at first within the triangle and use the magnifying glass to enlarge it or aspects of it which appear most significant to them. Suggestions are given to increase the size of the image (using VAKOG) to a size that fits comfortably inside the triangle. This can be anchored. On release suggest the client move the image into another triangle a third of its size to the top point outside of the triangle. This process can be repeated further twice during the session with images associated with the same or different changes the client wishes to make. We can use stacked anchors to strengthen associated and compatible positive states. Each time the image is transferred to another point on the outside of the triangle. At the end of the technique, the triangle is blank inside with three images in smaller triangles at the three points external to the central triangle. This leaves your client with space to allow a further scenario to come to mind of a positive change they can make in-between sessions, for which posthypnotic suggestions (PHS's) can be given.

Further Interventions

PHS’s are given to promote change in the areas your client has identified here. Future pacing could be used for your client to imagine actually putting these actions into play. Check for congruency and use feedback from your client to assess for barriers to implementing these changes. If time, work can be done using the circle to remove barriers and/or the triangle to problem solve and implement new changes which will congruently work more easily.

Homework/tasking

PHS’s can be given during trancework to encourage your client to use all of the above techniques to aid in-between session processing and change work e.g., self-hypnosis using induction, self-motivation and thought to stop stopping on problematic behaviours using the intervention and positive anchor.

On disengagement, further suggestions are given on using the techniques in their own space during self-hypnosis as a prevention and management method and the benefits of this for increasing and/or maintaining motivation to change.

Hope you enjoy using it and look forward to hearing any feedback from you about how it works with clients in your practice!

Karen is an advanced hypnotherapist specialising in resilience & stress management, and trainer/co-founder of the Academy of Advanced Changework providing Fast-track hypnotherapy training for qualified mental health practitioners, Diploma courses in Clinical Hypnotherapy & NLP on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne, & Sydney, Australia, and a range of online & distance CPD courses internationally, including an Advanced Diploma in Hypnotherapy course for qualified hypnotherapists.

Schedule your free 20-minute call to find out more about our hypnotherapy courses: https://calendly.com/karenbartle/hypnotherapy-training