How to Skillfully Answer the Question - Are You Going to Make Me Cluck Like a Chicken?

by Erika Flint, BA, BCH, A+CPHI

If you’ve been a hypnotist for any period of time you've likely been asked the question, "Are you going to make me cluck like a chicken?"

I still get this question all the time, and I still see hypnotists struggle to answer it properly.

This article is how to skillfully answer those questions in a way to help our clients feel safe and comfortable working with you while helping them understand more about hypnosis. Answering this question appropriately becomes a win-win for you and your potential client.

Where Do These Questions Come From?

They come from stage hypnosis shows, movies and television.

They want to know - was it real what they saw on a television show last night?

And they wonder – is what I saw a true reflection of what I can expect in the hypnosis office with you?

We do a great service to our community and the hypnosis profession when we know how to compassionately answer these questions and help others understand the true nature and experience of hypnosis.

Things to Keep in Mind When Addressing These Types of Questions

Answer Compassionately

Most of our friends, family and potential clients have no idea what hypnosis really is, or how hypnosis helps people with real issues. The first goal that we have as hypnotists is to respond compassionately and sincerely.

Use it as an Opportunity to Engage and Educate

Instead of you - the hypnotist, being negatively influenced by your client's anxiousness, you want them to join you in feeling safe and calm.

Second, listen to what your potential clients or friends are saying to you and try to understand where they are coming from.

It’s likely that they’re trying to engage in a conversation with you about hypnosis, are they curious about it and don’t know what else to say or ask for.

The Role of a Great Hypnosis Pre-talk

The Hypnosis Pre-talk is designed to eliminate fears about hypnosis which would normally cover this type of questioning.

However, there’s not always time to give our potential clients an entire hypnosis pre-talk before we work with them. This means you may need to address this type of question before your client decides to work with you.

Here are the top ways to respond to that line of questioning. Use your best judgment when replying. Not all answers would be appropriate in all circumstances.

1 - Expectation and Purpose: Stage Hypnosis Is for Entertainment

Stage hypnosis is real hypnosis – but the expectation and purpose are different than hypnosis in the office.

You can say: “The people up on stage are in hypnosis, but, the purpose is different – it’s for entertainment! People attending a stage hypnosis show know ahead of time that it’s for entertainment and expect to see people on stage doing silly things.”

You can add “do you know someone in your life that loves the spotlight, and enjoys being up on stage? Those are the people that usually volunteer in a stage hypnosis show”.

2 - Primary and Secondary Hypnosis Suggestions

To help educate our clients, adding the distinction between primary and secondary hypnosis suggestions can be helpful. Use caution with this as it could cause confusion.

A primary hypnotic suggestion is when the client experiences or demonstrates the suggestion at that very moment. On stage, this would be when the person actually clucks like a chicken.

An example of primary hypnotic suggestions in the hypnosis office is when we ask our clients to experience a deeper sensation of relaxation. Then we ask them to nod their head or raise a finger when they have achieved that sensation.

Most of the work we do with clients in the hypnosis office is secondary hypnotic suggestions.

A secondary hypnotic suggestion is when a hypnotic suggestion is experienced after the hypnosis session is over - outside of the hypnosis office.

For example, breathing in only fresh clean air for smoking cessation, and eating only when actually hungry to lose weight.

Making this important distinction can help further distinguish the difference between hypnosis for entertainment, and hypnosis in your office.

3 – "I Wonder What Else You Could Do?"

A response that is very powerful for clients who have experienced a primary hypnosis suggestion on stage or otherwise, is to help them take their experience a step further.

For example, ask “If you could do that up there on stage in front of all of those people, I wonder what you could use it for in your life that could really be of benefit to you?”

4 – "I’ve Never Once Had a Client Who Wanted to Cluck Like a Chicken!"

If somebody specifically asked you if you’re going to make them cluck like a chicken, you could ask them, “would they like to cluck like a chicken”?

This usually will cause them to laugh then you can continue with “because I’ve never found it all that helpful for my clients to know how to do that”.

Then continue with one of the above follow-on answers to help clarify the role of hypnosis.

There are many ways to answer this question, and it should always be done with love for our clients and respect for the work of stage hypnotists, entertainment shows, and for the profession of hypnosis itself.

I want to thank Cal Banyan and Celeste Hackett for their insights into answering these questions over the years and encourage you to comment on your favorite way to answer this question to contribute to this discussion. The better we get at helping the public understand the value of hypnosis, the more people we can help.