"Ordinarily, staring is creepy. But if you spread your
attention across many individuals, then it's just people watching." Sheng Wang
“The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” Ralph W. Sockman
Center for A COURSE IN MIRACLES website
Martin
Mull - Jesus is Easy
Richard Bandler used to joke, “I’m only a hypnotist, so this is only a
suggestion,” followed by an
embedded command. Since the word “only” means “nothing but” or “nothing else but,” “I’m only a
hypnotist” (which would ordinarily
indicate a statement that is self-deprecating or minimizing) literally becomes,
“I am a hypnotist and nothing else.” This creates a context in which the listener becomes a
hypnotic subject who responds to the hypnotist’s suggestions. The usual meaning
of “This is only a suggestion,” in which the word “only” would ordinarily minimize the
impact of what is said next, reverses to become a command to be followed
hypnotically. Recognition of the reversal of the usual meanings of these
phrases creates an enjoyable joke to further distract the listener’s conscious
mind. All this occurs through implication. See: Implication: how to convey meaning without stating it.
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