Thank you for your comments regarding self esteem and hypnotizability. I agree with some theorists that having imagination is an essential part of being a ‘good hypnotic subject’. However, what defines this? Is it one’s ability to visualize and to take on board the suggestions of the therapist, or is it one’s skill in being able to create images and to adapt them appropriately. Consider this as a theory. We all have the equal imagination and it is just a question of tapping into these resources—be they visual, gustatory, olfactory, auditory, kinaesthetic or emotional

.  Further, what is intelligence and how does one measure it? Standard IQ tests measure one form of intelligence with a criteria for this formulation but it excludes other important intelligences such as kinaesthetic-dominant intelligence, and creative thinking intelligence.

And why is it important for someone to be highly hypnotizable. I don’t want a debate about low, medium and deep state trance (e.g. Cardeña, 2005), but, if my work with visualization anything to go by, one can do a great deal of effective work without the need of a formal induction and/or deepener. Using naturalistic induction can also produce a deep state. Whether a deep state helps the efficacy of the therapy is debatable.  

I, too, work better with people who are ‘bright’, whatever that means. Perhaps the word ‘bright’ for both me and Keith means that what we consider to be intelligent and worthwhile more aptly matches the experiences of our client who we consider to be ‘bright’ than perhaps other people who we might see on a day-to-day basis.

Self Esteem

Self esteem is a fundamental mechanism that helps individuals to maintain inner balance. It is what emcompasses our core belief system and our sense of welling being, our confidence and inner abilities in isolation and in social settings. Our self concept is a descriptive set of constructs. For example:

I am a good mother

I am confident

I am caring

Self esteem is so important for maintaining and living a happy life. Maslow pointed out that the central core of one self image can be maintained and balance if one is accepted, loved and respected by others. This respect, ideally, should come from members of one’s family, a significant partner, and at work. If one feels this natural place within society and at home one is able to self-actualize. Absence of these fundamental mechanisms can cause distress, and self-defeating mechanisms. Sometimes when I work with clients, I get the impression that they have never been given adequate love or a place in society and that it needs to start in the consulting room. People also need to be cared for with the appropriate food and water and need to feel safe. See (Maslow’s pyramid).