Hypnotizing Autistic People
I have been continuing to work on the newbie guide to hypnosis.
All the inductions now have in-place text for the scripts, they cross reference back to the relevant theory bits, and I've even got the sections consistent between inductions now.
But the big bit is filling out a page on hypnotizing autistic people.
This was great fun to do because it's so blatantly obvious now how much the stereotype of "analytical" and "difficult" subjects matches up with the autistic stereotype. So many "powerful mental techniques" just don't work well on autistic people.
Try to assert your authority and establish compliance with an autistic person and you may as well stage-dive onto pavement.
Attempt to confuse and overwhelm the senses of an autistic person with language patterns and sensory overload? I've got news for you: autistic people *expect* to be confused and overwhelmed.
Try to relax them with PMR? They won't stop thinking. They'll get bored and their brains will give them more interesting things to think about.
So the way to hypnotize an autistic person is to work with them, rather than against them. Summarizing from the page:
Form an alliance by infodumping all the theory on them, and explain why and how you're doing what you're doing.
Frame hypnosis as a co-operative game with some clear and easy to follow rules.
Frame suggestions in terms of their special interests.
Pay attention to and respect their sensory needs.
Use direct and clear communication.
Keep the mind engaged. If you're not doing anything, bring them out. Don't rely on trance to keep them occupied.
Check-in frequently. Don't assume that you can read non-verbal cues.
If they have any stims, that's a great introduction to automatic behaviors.
I had fun writing this, and if you have feedback please reblog and/or leave a comment. I want to do a page on ADHD next and could use some tips there as well.
