Yesterday I witnessed “Bad Hypnosis” to the level that it made me flinch, then laugh. Bad Hypnosis is reinforcing a negative in someone’s mind that won’t serve them in moving forward.

I had a doctor’s appointment with a new physician. When I got to the office, I had to fill out the requisite first time patient paperwork. Sitting right there at the reception window was this giant oversized pen. It was very colorful and looked like a child’s toy. It was HUGE!

Since the receptionist didn’t hand me a pen, that was the one I was expected to use. Here’s what caught my attention: It was in the shape of a giant syringe.

Holy Cow, Batman, did anyone ever consider the message that sends? It’s a safe bet that most people don’t like needles, especially BIG needles. What the prop does is reinforce a negative in anyone’s mind who has even the slightest aversion to needles.

It was a gift from a medical supply company with their logo printed on it so that their name would be out in front of the public in doctors’ offices all across America.

The doctor’s office looked at it as a free pen; the people they’re treating got a whole different message – a reinforced fear.

If this was the only instance of bad hypnosis we encounter, it wouldn’t be so bad. The problem is that it’s everywhere. We use it on a daily basis and it never gets productive results.

Reminds me of a story . . . Years ago, I was going through an emotionally painful time in my life. I was visiting my father in the hospital and he asked how things were going with my situation. I told him that I was dealing with it a day at a time but was making progress. Then he said what he thought was a well meaning, empathetic phrase. His exact words were, “It must be eating you up inside.”

That’s bad hypnosis.

Lucky for me that I have a bad hypnosis filter that was installed years ago that allows me to chuckle when someone offers me an obviously bad suggestion and allows me to avoid processing it.

This post is an attempt to make you more aware of “Bad Hypnosis” so that it doesn’t take a toll on you and you don’t use it to take a toll on others.

Become aware. Is what you are about to say going to reinforce a negative in a person’s mind? The way to know that in advance is to pretend the same thing was said to you. How would you feel? If it only puts you into a tailspin, don’t offer it to another.

Start to notice that bad hypnosis is everywhere. “If you don’t button up, you’ll catch cold.” Calibrate your bad hypnosis radar. When you hear a piece coming your way, either laugh aloud or chuckle to yourself. That response will be the way to guard against you unthinkingly processing the information to your detriment.

You are exposed to bad hypnosis everyday – suggestions that, if taken to heart, will lead you to an un-resourceful frame of mind. You also use bad hypnosis everyday and it doesn’t serve the people you’re offering it to.

My mission is not to make bad hypnosis go away, only to get you to see how it impacts you everyday.

All the best,

John