Deepeners

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The various deepeners used below are useful for helping someone
reach a 'lower' level of trance. Of course, all of this talk of 'deeper'
and 'lower' is simply metaphorical, but it serves a helpful purpose.
A popular - and effective - deepener is the simple Staircase. This
involves inviting the client to imagine walking down a staircase,
becomming more relaxed with each step. It's a simple way for them
to focus on the process of becoming increasingly more relaxed,
whilst employing their imagination to reinforce the point. Most of
the deepeners listed below are variations on this theme.
A Relaxing Staircase
Awareness Deepener
Candle Countdown
Jon Rhodes' Breathing Deepener
Numbered Staircase
Staircase Deepener
Telephone Session Deepeners

A Relaxing Staircase
Introduction
This Staircase deepener, also appears with our Progressive Muscle
Relaxation script below.
It was written by Richard Nongard and can be downloaded for free
from the link in the credit.
As you relax, I want you to create in your mind a mental image of a
grand staircase; agrand staircase that either curves to the left or
curves to the right.
It has a grand banister with ornate artwork.
[Pause]
This heavenly flight of stairs has ten steps.
[Pause]
You are at the top of the ten stairs.
[Pause]
In a minute, you are going to slowly move, in your minds eye, from
the tenth stair, tothe ninth stair
From the ninth stair, to the eighth, all the way down, until
eventually you get to the verylast stair.
When you get to the bottom of the staircase, you are going to step
off into a giantrestful feather bed; a place of complete tranquility

and comfort and peace.

[Pause]
As you relax, imagine yourself at the top of the grand staircase..
Moving now from the tenth stair, to the ninth stair
With each slow movement from one step to the next you become
more relaxed.
This sensation of relaxation not only doubles or triples, but is ten
times more powerfulthan the previous step.
Now move from the ninth step to the eighth step
And from the eighth to the seventh
Relaxing even further
Allowing your mind to drift
And your body to relax.
From seven to six
Six to five
Doing good
Five to four
Almost there
Quadrupling the sensation of relaxation
Peace and serenity
Three
Two
One...
In your minds eye, down on that bottom step.
With the next step, you are going to step off this heavenly flight of
stairs into a state oftotal relaxation, and comfortably rest on a
feather bed, or a comfortable pillow that youhave created in your
mind.
One
Zero
All the way down now, totally relaxed
Opening the subconscious mind to new thoughts, new ideas, and
new experiences.
[Pause]

Awareness Deepener
By: Jon Rhodes
Now I would like you to listen to the sound of my voicejust listen
quietly to the sound of my voice... and as you listen to the sound of
my voice you may be aware of other sounds too.... sounds inside

the buildingand sounds from outside...

I would like you to know that in a strange and contradictory way,
these sounds will help you to relax, deeper and deeperthe only
sound you need to think about is the sound of my voice... and while
you're listening to the sound of my voice you can just simply allow
yourself to drift awaydrift away to a warm and pleasant placea
relaxing part of the mindthats comfortable and pleasant...
Now whilst you are relaxing more and more, I would like you to
become more and more aware of your body...more aware of your
hands and where they rest...How your hands feelare they hot or
coldwhat are they resting on
I would now like you to become aware of your ankles and feet
you may wonder if they will start to feel heavy too, as you... relax...
thinking about your breathing for a while...noticing that your
breathing is becoming slower and steadier as you relax more and
more... slower and steadier... breathing calmly and evenly
And as you allow yourself to relax even more now... I wonder if
you can sense the beating of your own heart... sensing the beat of
your own heart as it calmly pulsesI would like you to see if you
can use the power of your mind to slow that heartbeat down...see if
you can use the power of your mind to slow that heartbeat down
just a little...so that you can then feel your whole body slowing
down...becoming more and more deeply relaxed...
And you can now become gradually more and more aware of your
whole self... aware of your chest and stomach, just sensing how
they are feeling now... aware of your legs and feet...just sensing
how relaxed they might beand wondering if it is possible to relax
them even more...and you may begin to sense the weight of your
head...you may notice that the weight of your head may seem to
gently increase a littleallowing yourself to relax more and
more...deeper and deeper
... and you may also begin to notice that your face muscles begin to
relax...relax and let go... smoothing out...giving you a warm and
relaxing feeling...And as you face muscles relax, you find your
tongue relaxesyour tongue becomes relaxed and stillhelping you
mind to become even more relaxed and still
and as you continue to sense the beating of your heart and the
steadiness of your body's rhythm... you may feel so relaxed and
comfortable that you simply cannot be bothered to move...even
though you know you easily could... if you wanted to... I know that
you easily could, if you wanted to... but you simply cannot be
bothered to even try... allowing yourself to just be... relaxed and
relaxing even more now...

Candle Countdown
Now, as you relax more and more, you can just enjoy that
experience of letting every muscle in your body... [wait for outbreath] relax.
And now imagine in your minds eye a single candle which is lit. I
don't know what colour your candle is - it can be any colour you
choose - but I do know that the colour you choose is a colour that
your subconscious knows relaxes you and calms your mind.
Focus your mind on the flame of the candle. See how beautiful the
colours are within the flame. Notice the flickering and dancing of the
flame, as the yellows and reds swirl around. You may notice other
colours in the flame, orange, blue, purple, white, or maybe some
other colour... and as you see the colours within the flame, you
relax more and more, going deeper and deeper, as you enjoy the
sensation of relaxation and those heavy hypnotic feelings.
And as the flame flickers and dances, you may notice a halo around
the flame - and if you find your mind wandering away from the
flame of the candle, just bring it gently back again.
Focus now, on the wax body of that candle in your mind's eye. As
you see the first trickle of melting wax, being to move down the
side of this warm and comforting candle.
Now imagine that you are that candle, a candle of total relaxation.
Warm, soothing, melting away any stress or tension, as you sink
and trickle into a deeper and deeper trance. Picture the chair that
you are sitting in, as a candleholder, and that your muscles, like the
wax of your candle of relaxation, are melting into the chair and that
you are becoming yourself, as candle of relaxation.
And as you enjoy the comfortable sensations of warmth and ease
and relaxation, I am going to count down from 10 to 1. Each
number will make you 10 times more comfortable and relaxed than
you are now.
109 - flickering, floating8 - melting, drifting, sinking7 - deeper into
relaxation6 - more and more relaxed5 - more comfortable4 - more
at ease3 - deeper2 - and deeper1
deeply, deeply relaxed.
Zero. You are now very deeply relaxed and each and every
suggestion that I make will go deeply into your mind.

Jon Rhodes' Breathing Deepener

I would like you to now concentrate on your breathingfocus on
your breathing
And as you focus on your breathingI would like you to focus on a
spot or point on the wall or ceilingAny spot will doit could even

be an objectJust focus your gaze on this spot and concentrate on

this spot as much as you can
Now I would like you to do a yoga breathing exercise to help you
relax deeper and deeperI would like you to alternate breathing
with your left and right nostrils
I would like you to do this following pattern
Breathe in through your left nostriland breathe out through your
right nostril
Breathe in through your right nostriland breath out through your
left nostril
Breathe in through your left nostriland breathe out through your
right nostril
Breathe in through your right nostriland breath out through your
left nostril
Repeat this cycle for a few momentswhilst continuing to focus on
that point
And you should quickly find that your eyes are becoming more
heavy and tired as you relax deeper and deeperSometimes people
experience slight distortions in their visionseeing strange colours
and shapesIf you experience this, then that is fineJust continue
to breathe alternating your nostrils
And your eyes may now feel very tiredlike at times when you try
and stay awakebut struggleThe more you trythe more eyes
eyes want to close
I would like you to now allow your eyes to close
You may feel a gentle wave of relaxation flow through your body
and mind as you relax deeper and deeper with your eyes closed
And I would like you to know that it does not matter if your mind
becomes so deeply relaxed that my voice drifts awayYour
unconscious mind will still absorb all the suggestions that I am
about to give youas my voice will travel with you wherever your
mind wanders
I would like you to simply observe the colourful oily blackness of
your mindas you drift down to the centre of your beingyour
subconscious mind risingas your consciousness descends
And you can observe your subconscious and conscious minds
rising and fallinglike the waves in the oceanby watching the oily
colourful blackness move and swirlas you become even deeper
relaxed into the centre of your being
And I would like you to know that your unconscious mind is now
ready to accept all the suggestions that I am about to give it.

Numbered Staircase
Introduction
This is a nice variation on the popular staircase theme. Asking the
client what number they have reached helps to verify the level of
trance they are at.
Youre now standing at the top of a very long and beautiful
staircase. There are one hundred steps leading down, and around
and although you cant see the bottom of the stairs from here, you
just know that theres a beautiful place waiting at the bottom of the
stairs, just for you.
Notice the staircase; notice the carpet if there is one, make it your
favorite color. Perhaps the stairs are made of marble or wood, if so
then thats okay, thats alright.
On either side is a beautiful firm banister that makes you feel safe
and secure. The banister is smooth and polished, and you place
your hand lightly on it.
Notice that on the floor of the stairs are the numbers from one
hundred, going all the way down to zero. And the deeper down you
go, the more comfortable and the more relaxed do you become.
So get ready now to begin walking down the stairs, if youre not
already, going down, down, down. Deeper and deeper and deeper
down. Good. Relaxing more and more with each step down.
Now look down at the numbers and tell me, what number step are
you on?
[Client will probably be about halfway down, in which case suggest
they go down deeper still, then check the number again]
When you reach the bottom step, just step down and let the
staircase fade away. Youre deeply relaxed now, very deeply
relaxed, from the top of your head, all the way down, deeper down,
to the tips of the toes.
[Now proceed to the special place visualization, perhaps via a
room, or a door leading outside...]

Staircase Deepener
As you sit there, very comfortable and very relaxed - you become
aware of a staircase - a beautiful staircase with a polished, ornate
banister running down alongside and a deep, rich carpet underneath
your bare feet. As you look down the stairs you notice that there
are ten steps leading gently down - ten steps leading down, and
down, and down; these are the steps that will lead you deep into
dreamtime - deep into relaxation - and in a moment I'd like you to
walk down those steps with me and I will count them off for you
one at a time, and you will find that the deeper down you go, the
more comfortable and the more relaxed will you become. So when
you are ready to walk down the stairs I want you to gently place
your hand on the banister and begin to slowly descend the stairs as
I count them off from 10 to 1.
10 - deeply relaxed, deeply comfortable, 9 - deeply relaxed, deeply
comfortable, 8 -more and more and more relaxed, 7 - deeply
relaxed, deeply comfortable, 6 - 5 more and more and more
relaxed, - 4 - deeply relaxed, deeply comfortable,3 -more and more
and more relaxed, 2 - almost at the bottom now, just one more step
to go, and 1 - going deeper and deeper down into hypnosis now, all
the way down - to that deeper, healthier level of mind.
And as you reach the bottom step you can let the stairs and the
ordinary, everyday world, further and further down - as you go
deeper and deeper
You are now standing at the bottom of the steps and feeling very
comfortable, very relaxed and at peace with the world. In front of
you is a large, oak door. The door is closed, but you can open it. You
have the key to this door. And you really want to go through the
door and see what is there on the other side, for you somehow
know that a wonderful place is there waiting for you.
So move now toward the door. Push it open. Push the door open.
Push, push and push - and suddenly the door creaks gently open,
and you push it even further open and walk through.
Now close the door behind you and turn and find yourself in a very
special place."
[Proceed to describe special place, or leave them to imagine it
with vague descriptions they can fill-in for themselves]

Telephone Session Deepeners

Introduction
By: Linda Simmon
When doing a telephone session, it is necessary to alter your
technique a bit and as part of that change, a series of short,
relaxing visualizations each with a separate countdown is extremely
effective.
As you close your eyes take a deep, cleansing and relaxing breath in
and out releasing any lingering tension or negativity from the past
few minutes, hours, days, weeks or even longer and as you
continue to breath deeply and easily feel the rhythm of your
breathing gently rock you into a more comfortable place. feel the
slowing down that is occurring in your body and your mind as you
relax even more deeply. Remember, this time is for you and you can
let yourself value and experience it fully as you continue to relax.
[First Countdown]
And now, as you continue to breath gently and rhythmically I want
you to focus on your body for a moment and notice how it responds
to the messages from your mind. And the message from your mind
right now is that this is your time. There is nothing else that you
have to do right at this moment but. relax. You choose to allow
your normal relaxation responses take over as you continue to
breath in gentle, rhythmic, easy, smooth breaths and the body
continues to slow down and relax even further. [Second Countdown]
Now I want you to visualize yourself lying on a large rubber
raft gently floating on the water. The sun shining down on your face.
You can feel the warmth of the sun on your face, the coolness of the
water on your skin as it washes gently onto the raft and you can
hear the water softly lapping against the side of the raft, ever so
gently. Allowing yourself to feel the soft gentle rocking as I count
you down even one more time with 54..3.21..and 0
even deeper sleep, deeper relaxation.