One of the best techniques for children, especially those who are really afraid of the dentist is the “Two-finger eye-closure method”, this is the fastest technique ever devised for obtaining hypnosis. Because it is so fast it is especially recommended for emergency patients. In most instances, the hypnosis is quite deep.
The Dentist induction for children goes as follows:
“I guess you play a lot with your toys when you’re home. And you probably pretend a lot with them, isn’t that right? Well, we have a little game of pretending too. And if you can learn to play this little game of pretending, nothing that happens in the dentist’s office will bother or disturb you. You just won’t feel anything that we’re doing if you learn to play this little game. Would you like to learn about it?
PATIENT: Yes.
DENTIST: All right, open your eyes wide. I’m going to show you this little game. I’m going to pull your eyes shut with my forefinger and my thumb, like this.
[Gently places thumb and finger on eyelids and draws them down.]
Now you pretend with your whole heart and soul that you can’t open your eyes. That’s all you have to do. Just pretend that. Now, I will take my hand away [removes hand] and you pretend so hard that when you try to open your eyes they just won’t work. Now try to make them work while you’re pretending. Try hard. They just won’t work, see.
Now just because you’re pretending like that, anything we do in this office won’t bother or disturb you at all.
In your mind, you can be home playing with your toys and you won’t feel anything I have to do“.
After the treatment is finished, say: “Now, when I have you open your eyes notice how good you feel. Open your eyes. How do you feel?”
The Emergency Case
This approach is also recommended for the emergency victim because it is so fast; you generally get hypnosis within five seconds, but it is important to create deep hypnosis!
You can achieve this deepened state by having them pretend to smell beautiful flowers, or let them watch their favourite tv-show, or play their favourite game mentally. You can check this deepened state as you know that the patient’s eyelids should flutter, that the whites of the eyes should get red, and that there should be increased lacrimation. Don’t forget that you are working with a person who hears and understands everything you are saying. You are talking to a person who is perfectly conscious when he’s in deep hypnosis.
