Only approximately 20% of people have the natural hypnotic capacity as sought by the stage hypnotist when she is looking for volunteers in  a nightclub act. Most people are in the mid-range capacity (approx. 60% of the population). Where a person is on the scale tells more about how a person will feel, than how effective trance will be. Even those who can only achieve a light state of trance can experience effective therapeutic results. 

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A sense of hypnotic capacity can be drawn from the way people respond to a series of familiar situations. On the ten questions test that follows, score as a 0,1,2, or 3.

0 = never , 1 = seldom, 2 = occasionally, 3 = often or always

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                                                                                                      Questions

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1.Do you ever become so involved in a television program, movie or play that you lose temporary awareness of your immediate surroundings? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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2. In the midst of a conversation has the person you are talking to suddenly asked "Where have you gone?" 0 ,1, 2, 3.

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3. When reading or hearing about somebody else's experience, do you often find yourself becoming deeply involved? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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4. While waiting at a stop sign or red light, do you sometimes come back from a daydream to realise that the person behind you is honking their horn because the light has gone green or the way is clear? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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5. Have you ever been able to recall an experience so vividly that you almost felt like you were actually re-living it? 0, 1, 2, 3

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6. Have you ever been deeply moved by an eloquent or poetic speaker? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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7. Have you ever arrived home from shopping with something which you had no intention of buying, but which a saleswoman/ man convinced you was perfectly suited to your needs, even though it isn't? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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8. Do you often glance at the clock after being engrossed in  a book, TV program, or computer, to findthat it is now an hour later than you expected it to be? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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9. Do many people complain that you don't listen well or that you forget things easily? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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10. Have you ever been physically hurt or injured, and only later realised after you find the cut or bruise? 0, 1, 2, 3.

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If the score is between 20- 30, this indicates high hypnotic capacity. 10 - 19 indicate medium trance potential. Less than 10 indicate the lower end of the susceptibility scale, however any questions answered with a 2 or 3 indicate that hypnotic potential is greater than what the final score suggests. 

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Source: Discovering the Power of Self- Hypnosis, by Stanley Fisher, Ph.D.

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