How to Hypnotize People While They Sleep

Written by Melanie Fleury

29 August, 2019

Hypnosis has long been used on subjects to create a change in behavior. Many imagine that it is simply a magic-type trick done in shows; hypnosis has, however, been used successfully to help with weight loss and to assist those who want to quit smoking. Many people use hypnosis as a form of therapy or to meditate and relax 1. To receive hypnotic suggestions, you must be relaxed and calm.

How to Hypnotize Someone While Asleep

Create a rhythm with the one you are trying to hypnotize. While sitting next to the person, match his or her breathing in a slow, measured manner. This puts you in a rhythm with the subject, so that you are not disturbing the person's pattern of sleep.

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Rub your subject's hand or arm. Slowly and gently touch the arm or finger and begin to rub in a slow rhythm.

Explain to your subject what you are doing. This is to establish your voice in the person's head. Don't begin by introducing the behavior you are trying to change; instead, simply explain what you and the subject are doing at that present time. For instance, you can say, "I am rubbing your arm while you are sleeping. You are sleeping in a warm room."

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Make suggestions. Now you can start describing what behavior you want to change. Make sure to use a rhythmic tone in your speech so as not to disturb the sleep cycle of the subject. Repeat the behavior change several times. While doing so, continue to rub the hand or arm of your subject. Continue for approximately 10 to 15 minutes and then gradually walk away. If the suggestion does not take effect the first time, you can try again at a different time.

Be aware of limitations. It would be unethical to try to hypnotize someone without their consent--and even more so if the person is a child. Although anyone can try these techniques, there are many trained hypnotherapists who can probably achieve the best results.