Transderivational Phenomena

There are primarily four classes of transderivational phenomena which we all experience throughout the day, and become very useful during the process of hypnotherapy. The real nice thing about this knowledge once one is familiar with its use, is that it provides for waking trance work which comes in very handy for those subjects that don't believe in hypnosis. The four classes of transderivational phenomena all take into account, that the subject is engaged in the communication process, at an unconscious level of mind.

The benefits of this form of communication encompass the effectiveness of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique in that,
a) the conscious mind does not interfere with the hypnotic induction, and the shift to trance state, and
b) the unconscious mind ends up making choices as to the meanings provided by the hypnotherapists communication, in turn being the best choice for the clients experience and needs.

To further understand the process of the transderivational search, we have to take into account that every sentence in the spoken/written language has two separate meanings. These would be the “Surface Structure”, which is the way it actually sounds/appears, and the “Deep Structure”, which is the derived, and chosen meaning selected by the listener/observer.

The four classes of the transderivational phenomena in the search for meaning are;
1a) Generalized Referential Index:
When using metaphor, Erickson has found that a subject responds best when the story presented is just outside of the subjects conscious awareness, as a similar, yet not quite repetition of the clients situation. For example, if I were to say, “I had an instructor once whom…”, the listener would set upon a search to find a suitable meaning to fill in for “instructor”. Suitably the person I would be speaking to, would be a facilitator of sorts, and would typically choose himself as the referential index, since none was provided. Specifically, people tend to generate a Deep Structure which is identical in form to the recovered Deep Structure, except that they substitute nouns with the referential index’s, which pick out portions of their ongoing behavior, thus making them maximally relevant for themselves.

This process, provides the client with the most freedom to create a suitable meaning for himself as he participates in the communication process without being directed.

1b) Generalized Referential Index with Suggested Noun Substitute: Here, we have a similar form to the one above, with the additional difference, that the hypnotist provides the desired noun referential index. In addition the location of noun placement will also have an effect on the derived meaning picked up by the client. For example;
- Instructors can be very generous with their marking, Professor Adams.
- Instructors can, Professor Adams, be very generous with their marking.

2) Selectional Restriction Violation:
When a predicate is used which does not fit the provided referential index, this forces the listener into a transderivational search for meaning. Again here, the listener will likely choose himself, in order to make sense of the sentence. For example;
- A rock can feel good about rolling in the surf.
Here the listener will replace the noun “rock” with herself since a “rock” cannot “feel”.

3) Deletions:
Here a part of the Deep Structure is missing from the overall surface structure allowing the listener to fill in via a transderivational search what he believes applies best. For example;
- you have been so fulfilled…
- it can be so satisfying…
This method can be further extended with ungrammatical deletions, as such
- …and your lost within…( lost within what?)
If a person is presented with many of these ungrammatical deletions, her linguistic processing mechanisms jam, making this ideal for deepening a trance.

4) Nominalizations:
These are the result of turning a Deep Structure predicate into a Surface Structure noun. For example;
- …satisfy….becomes….satisfaction
When used within the context of hypnotic language, a nominalization activates a transderivational search within the client for a Deep Structure representation. For example;
- …the frustration….
This poses the question as to whom, over what, with whom or what.

email: dr_frank@hypnoticadvancements.com

Mailing address:
Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)
Hypnotic Advancements
3126 McCarthy Court
Mississauga , ON
Canada L4Y-3Z5

© 2004, Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)

If your experience with hypnosis is limited or you simply want to accelerate the effectiveness of your hypnosis sessions, and improve your life beyond perceptible measures, just click the link below for your free demonstration with this new state of the art program.

Back to “Hypnotic Language & more Secrets of Hypnosis”