Collapsing Negative Triggers and Transforming Post-Hypnotic Suggestions

Dr. Kali DuBois
2 min readJul 22, 2023

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Post-hypnotic suggestions are directives given to an individual while they are in a hypnotic state, which are intended to influence their behavior after they emerge from the hypnotic state. These suggestions can be beneficial or harmful, depending on their content and the individual’s relationship to the person making the suggestions.

Unintentionally harmful post-hypnotic suggestions may be given by friends and family who, consciously or unconsciously, communicate negative expectations or self-limiting beliefs. For example, a parent might consistently tell their child that they are “not good at math.”

Over time, the child may internalize this belief and develop a corresponding performance anxiety around math, resulting in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), these harmful post-hypnotic suggestions can be considered as negative trance states that are triggered by certain events or situations. The good news is that NLP offers several techniques to counter these negative trance states, one of which is the “collapsing anchors” or “collapsing triggers” technique. Here is a brief overview of how the process works:

Identify the Negative Trigger: The first step is to identify the negative trigger, which could be an internal feeling, an external event, or a specific situation that activates the negative trance state.

Establish a Positive State: Next, find a situation or memory in which you felt extremely positive or empowered. Really try to recall the situation vividly and anchor this positive state to a specific gesture, word, or action.

Collapse the Triggers: Once both states (negative and positive) are identified and anchored, the next step is to fire or activate both anchors simultaneously. This is done to create a new neural pathway in the brain that associates the negative trigger with the positive state.

Test the Results: After you’ve collapsed the triggers, test the results by thinking about the negative trigger or placing yourself in a situation where you would normally be triggered. If the technique has worked, you should feel the positive state instead of the negative one.

Repeat: If the initial collapse isn’t completely successful, or if there are multiple negative triggers, you may need to repeat the process until the negative trance state is fully replaced by the positive one.

While this might be beneficial for some, it is always important to work with a skilled trainer.

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Dr. Kali DuBois
Dr. Kali DuBois

Written by Dr. Kali DuBois

Brainwashedslut.com - I own a venue in San Francisco that puts on comedy and stage hypnosis shows. I'm a PhD in psychology and I write books on sex.

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