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The Yes Set and No Set Trance Induction Techniques--How Satsang Questioning Blows Our Minds

This is a 'technology'.

It is not a mark of special wisdom or attainment. Anyone can learn it if patient and ambitious.

This mere verbal description may seem inadequate when compared with the bliss and astonishing altered experiences people report "we all had them" around Andrew Cohen or other satsangi guru types.

But imagine someone who remembers the stunning feelings of a first cocaine hit, and you show that person a diagram of how the brain receptors are affected by the action of the cocaine molecule--and then a graph of how the amount of dopamine released declines over time as dose exposure proceeds.

That diagram will seem so inadequate when compared with the utter bliss.

Still here is a description from a longer article below. Persons who remember string of responses they gave to Andrews questions should ask if they repeatedly said yes, yes yes, or no no no.

Then they can read this and see if any of this seems applicable to what they remember.

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So a 'yes set' or 'no set' works because it sets up a pattern which is interrupted by the therapist which leads to the patient's unbalancing and need to rebalance themselves with the help of the therapist suggestions.

Readers are invited to look up yes set and trance induction on Google.

If you are asked a string of questions to which you repeatedly say yes, yes yes
or a string of questions to which you keep answering no, no no)
this elicits a trance in trance-susceptible persons.

If one is on the recieving end of such interrogation and doesnt know about yes setting trance induction, one can in context of satsang, be led to think ones trancing out is a nondual enlighenment experience and attribute it to the Amazing Guru (fill in name here).

And not recognize you've been tranced out.

Intelligence has zero to do with this. Education is no protection either.

Here is further information. It can account for why so many zone out in sastsang questioning

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[www.behavior.net]

Re: Question of trance induction..
Brian Lawless · 06/18/01 at 8:50 PM ET
Thank you for your response! My question got VERY sidetracked there into something else regarding Brazilian trance! (*which apparently is somewhat your point as well*) I hope it leads these people to some useful data. But, on to my point, the Ericksonian use of confusion refers to a changing of consciousness or alteration of one's sense of reality. What could this mean? I'll write my thoughts here. -You refer to 'experiential states not normal to waking consciousness.' (I'll continue here with your martial arts metaphor.) So, this 'loss of balance,' as in the handshake induction, changes their normal comfortable method of behavior slightly, which leads to internal search (what Dr. Erickson refereed to as searching the unconscious.) This is essentially a pattern interrupt. (Loss of balance - a good analogy by the way!) This ‘unconscious search’ is trance, or to keep with the metaphor, 'keeping one's internal balance' is trance. So, if I understand correctly, the individuals normal natural method of behaving or pattern of behaving in Ericksonian Therapy is interrupted, or slightly confused at some point in time, leading to trance.... here trance is a state which the individual must search within themselves for a response or go to a new response suggested by the therapist, thus affecting change or in other words therapy.

Trance is like an unbalancing and re-balancing action. So a 'yes set' or 'no set' works because it sets up a pattern which is interrupted by the therapist which leads to the patient's unbalancing and need to rebalance themselves with the help of the therapist suggestions. Any pattern will do! Any behavior pattern exhibited by the patient will do! I guess my new question is where exactly does disassociation enter this equation?

Trance isn't exactly an ‘internal confusion’ with the connotations that word brings! Rather a shifting of regular patterns of the problem that leads to a search and a discovery of new pattern of behavior until recently outside of consciousness or rather, in Dr. Erickson theory, inside the unconscious. Internal searching isn’t to me exactly confusion, but I see where they are going with that. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that this term ‘confusion’ can be VERY misleading, and lead to distrust of the theory where a therapist’s fidelity with his/her clients might be in question. I’m sure you understand my meaning here.

So, more to the point, Dr. Erickson used normal pattern interrupt by continuing the normal behavior in the opposite direction (much like the martial arts does!)

This fits so well with Erickson's steadfast cow story! Pull the cow....change the pattern with alittle with a PULL from the other direction while continuing to first pull. Funny how he didn't PUSH the other or PUSH the same way...he PULLED the other way. Is this why it IS confusing? The steadfast cow is left with nothing left to be steadfast about! It's resisting then it's ASKED TO RESIST IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION by the pull. Basically a more complex reverse psychology.

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PS- I'm an instructor in Jeet Kune Do...on the side, it's not as easy as one might think to 'catch' that opponents hand...is it! ;) It's easier to intercept their intention! Jeet Kune Do the way of the interception fists....or even better like Jiu Jitsu....by taking the opponent to the ground (out of their frame of reference or ‘losing their balance’ one can remove their resistances and subdue (change) a much large opponent by resisting in the opposite direction a little to lead to a trap? Interesting! I knew there is a connection there, I've got it now! I REALLY feel like of got somewhere with your response! Thank You. The last piece often neglected is the resistance in the opposite direction like the handshake induction pulling away slightly in the ‘opposite direction’ then opening the trance or search…I think that has some significance somehow...what do you think?


om] Corboy warning: All this is to assist members of our human family to become awake and free to function to their best capacity as citizens, friends, lovers, spouses, parents, students, workers and at play.

This material was from a forum by and for psychotherapists, who by professional code of ethics are mandated to 1) preserve patient autonomy to full extent 2) increase patient autonomy as much as is possible and avoid fostering undue dependence on the therapist and... finally above all else, do no harm.

Dont add problems to the ones that your patient or client already comes in with.

Anyone who uses this information in unkind ways to intrude upon, objectify and darken/restrict the capacities of any other person will become a monster in human form.

WHen this information is misused, whoever misuses these techniques for their own ego driven gratification will become a prisoner of these techniques, no matter how much bliss they induce in others and no matter how many persons they con into believing the operator loves them and believing they love the operator.

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Woebegonia

The advice:

"My most auspicious advice: Remain empty. Leave all that personal mind-stuff aside. Stay as impersonal Awareness alone. This is the highest way and choice. Accept and follow this advice with all your heart. You will find it sufficient to win you freedom."

All I hear is: Don't think!