Milton Erickson's hypnotic language patterns

The Milton Erickson's hypnotic language patterns causes ambiguity in any representational system which helps to induce trance. They can be used as a converted means to intentionally influence others, I personally love the tag questions, double binds and extended quotes.

1) MIND READ: Claiming to know the thoughts or feelings of another without specifying the process by which you came to know them.

"I know that you are wondering.. . "

2) LOST PERFORMATIVE: Stating a value judgment without specifying whose judgment it is.

"And it's a good thing to wonder.. . "


3) CAUSE & EFFECT: Stating or implying that one
thing causes another. Stated or implied Cause &
Effect patterns include:

a. C E (C makes E happen.)
b. E because C
c. If ... then ...
d. As you... then you...

"Because.. "

4) COMPLEX EQUIVALENCE: Equating two things, or saying that their meanings are equivalent.

"That means.. . "

5) PRESUPPOSITION: Assumption.

"You are learning many things.."

6) UNIVERSAL QUANTIFIER: A set of words that generalizes to 'all' cases or 'no' cases.

"And all the things, all the things.."

7) MODAL OPERATOR: A word such as 'can', 'might', 'should', 'must', or 'ought' which implies possibility or necessity.

". . .that you can learn..."

8) NOMINALIZATION: Changing process words (or verbs) into nouns. The most common nominalization is adding -ing to a verb to make a noun.

"Provide you with new thoughts, and new understandings." (The speaker has changed the process words think and understand into the nouns thoughts and understandings.)

9) UNSPECIFIED PREDICATE: Omitting the verb, or the object of the verb, or both.

". . .and you can. " (Can what?)

10) TAG QUESTION: A question added after a statement, designed to dissolve resistance.

"Can't you ? "

11) LACK OF REFERENTIAL INDEX: Using a general subject that does not refer to a specific person.

Examples: people, they, it, one, that.

"One can, you know.. . "

12) COMPARATIVE DELETION (UNSPECIFIED COMPARISON): Using comparative words without saying who or what the comparison is being made to.

"And it's much more useful.. . "(than what?)

13) PACING CURRENT EXPERIENCE: Describing what the client is currently experiencing in a way which is undeniable.

"You are sitting here, listening to me, looking at me, etc.. . "

14) DOUBLE BIND: An illusion of choice where either choice will lead the listener to do what the speaker is suggesting.

"You can learn everything you need now.. . or you can learn in the next two days."

15) CONVERSATIONAL POSTULATE: A question to which the response is either "Yes" or "No." In allowing the client to choose his response, this pattern avoids authoritarianism.

"Do you feel this is something you understand? "

16) EXTENDED QUOTES: A series of quotes embedded within one long sentence, where the speaker quotes one person talking about what was said by a second person who was talking about what was said by a third person, etc.

"Last week I was with James who went to the 2008 conference, when he talked to someone who said.. . "

17) SELECTIONAL RESTRICTION VIOLATION: Attributing consciousness to an inanimate object or a mode of communication to a creature that does not have that mode.

"A toy can have feelings.. . "

18) AMBIGUITY

a. PHONOLOGICAL: Using two words with different meanings that sound alike in the same sentence; or using one of them in a context where it could also be taken for the other.

"You can hear that here.. . "

"You can believe you're unconscious.. . " (The listener can hear this also as "You can believe your Unconscious.")

b. SYNTACTIC: Using a combination of words
that has more than one possible meaning.

"They are visiting relatives."

c. SCOPE: Using a modifier in a linguistic context where it is unclear which other part(s) of the sentence the modifier refers to.

"Speaking to you as a child.. . " (Who is the child?)

"The disturbing noises and thoughts.. . " (Are the
thoughts disturbing?)

d. PUNCTUATION:
Run-on sentence: Using the last word or phrase in a sentence as the first word or phrase of the next sentence.

"I want you to notice your hand me the book."

Pause at unexpected place:

"As you read this.. . report, you'll gain new insights. "

Incomplete sentence:

"I know that you expect."

19) UTILIZATION: Utilizing all that happens or that the client says.

Client says: "I'm not ready. "
Response: "That's right, you're not ready, yet, because you haven't asked the one question that will have you totally and completely ready. "