The Importance of Rapport in Hypnosis

Before any hypnotic technique, script or suggestion can truly be effective, something more fundamental must be in place: the relationship. The way we relate to a patient will either open the door wide for change or quietly keep it firmly closed.

When we meet a patient in a genuinely warm, understanding, caring and respectful manner, a number of important things begin to happen. Defensiveness softens. Suspicion reduces. The nervous system settles. In other words, the person in front of us starts to feel safe. It is this sense of safety and trust that forms the essential climate in which hypnosis can work at its best.

It is important to recognise that hypnosis is not something we do to a patient, like an injection or a medical procedure carried out on a passive object. Hypnosis is a cooperative venture. It is a process we create together with the patient.

Because of this, time spent on the human relationship is not a luxury or an optional extra; it is a vital prerequisite. Focusing only on clever techniques or hypnotic “skills” without attending to rapport is like trying to cook a meal without turning on the heat. The ingredients may be excellent, but the transformation never really takes place.

So, before we concern ourselves with induction methods, deepeners or suggestions, we must give priority to establishing a cooperative, trusting relationship. When we do so, the technical aspects of hypnosis have a context in which they can truly become maximally effective.