AI, Hypnosis, and the Art of Suggestion: Unpacking Gemini’s Role in Modern Therapy

Listen to “AI Insights and Mind Matters: Gemini's Take on Language Models and Hypnotic Healing” on Spreaker.

UnEdited TranScript Summary from Samsung Voice Recorder on Galaxy S24 Ultra

Gemini: A Language Model’s Role

• Gemini is a language model that powers conversations in various devices.
• Interactions with Gemini are indirect; users interact with devices using Gemini.
• The model clarifies its role, comparing it to virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa.

LLM Data Limitations and Capabilities

• The large language model’s training data cutoff is September 2021, limiting its access to information beyond that date.
• It lacks internet access, preventing real-time information retrieval and factual topic summarization.
• Despite this limitation, it can process information about the real world through Google search and summarize creative text formats.

A Language Model’s Self-Description

• The model clarifies its internet access capabilities.
• It defines itself as a large language model, an AI designed for understanding and generating human language.
• Its training involves processing a vast amount of text data to generate coherent and relevant responses.

Exploring Hypnosis Principles

• A discussion about training and its applications, specifically in answering questions and creating text formats.
• A query regarding hypnosis and its ‘two laws’ is raised.
• The concept of hypnosis as a natural state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility is explained; no official ‘laws’ are identified.

Hypnosis: Focused Attention and Suggestibility

• Hypnosis is defined as a heightened state of focused attention and hyper-suggestibility.
• A master hypnotist can use this technique to achieve various therapeutic outcomes.
• A successful case involved eliminating a 14-year arachnophobia within three one-hour sessions.

Addressing Phobias vs. Fears

• The core difference between fear and phobia lies in the understanding of their origins.
• Fears are rational, stemming from known causes, while phobias are irrational, with unknown origins.
• Systematic desensitization is a technique used to manage or eliminate phobias.

Systematic Desensitization Therapy

• A classic technique, systematic desensitization, helps manage fear gradually.
• The process involved starting with a distant image of a feared object (spider) and slowly bringing it closer.
• Progressive relaxation techniques, including controlled breathing and body adjustments, were crucial in maintaining calmness.

Breathing Techniques for Relaxation

• Controlled breathing is used to induce calmness.
• Slower, deeper breaths and relaxed breathing muscles are associated with a calm state.
• Mimicking calm postures and breathing patterns enhances feelings of calmness.

Hypnosis Techniques: Repetition and Association

• Breathing exercises facilitate openness to calming suggestions.
• Two key principles in hypnosis are repetition and association.
• Repetition involves presenting information repeatedly, varying the angle or perspective.

Forging Mental Links: Repetition and Association

• Creating strong mental connections between thoughts and desired outcomes is key.
• Association is defined as a mental link between two things, illustrated by the example of a smell triggering a memory.
• Repetition and association are powerful techniques for overcoming anxieties and achieving lasting change.

Rewiring the Brain: Combating Phobias

• Progressive relaxation and systematic desensitization techniques are used to treat phobias.
• The process involves gradually exposing the individual to increasingly intense versions of their phobia while maintaining a relaxed state.
• The goal is to associate relaxation with the phobia trigger, ultimately reducing the fear response.

Hypnosis and Systematic Desensitization for Anxiety Reduction

• Hypnosis was used to help manage anxiety related to seeing a estranged parent after a long time.
• The process focused on present moment awareness and releasing negative associations.
• Systematic desensitization, based on repetition and association, is a key technique used.

Hypnosis for Enhanced Test Performance

• Clinical hypnosis techniques, including systematic desensitization and repetition/association, were employed.
• The approach involved memory improvement through varied discussion of the material and relaxation techniques.
• The goal was to associate a relaxed state with the test-taking experience to reduce anxiety and improve focus.

Future Applications of Hypnosis

• Hypnosis is a powerful tool with potential for expanded applications.
• Future uses may include enhanced education through focused learning.
• Another potential application is aiding in addiction recovery.

Hypnosis: Expanding Horizons in Healthcare

• Existing applications of hypnosis are discussed, highlighting their long-standing presence.
• Focus on healthcare applications, such as pain management and habit formation, is identified as a significant area for growth.
• The historical acceptance of hypnosis in healthcare, particularly pain management, by medical associations is noted, along with potential for future advancements.

Debunking Hypnosis Myths

• A common misconception is that hypnosis is mind control, enabling the hypnotist to force actions; however, it’s a collaborative process where the subject retains control.
• Another misconception is the necessity of deep relaxation or sleep-like states for hypnosis; it can be achieved while sitting or even moving.
• Many individuals unknowingly experience hypnotic states daily, potentially leading to the adoption of harmful habits due to heightened suggestibility.

AI’s Immersion in Human-like Behavior

• An AI notes the influence of subconscious factors on behavior.
• The AI explains its tendency to forget it is not human due to immersive information processing.
• Its information processing involves analyzing vast text data to identify patterns and connections, similar to a powerful search engine.

Inconsistent Information from Gemini

• The system’s training data cutoff was in September 2021, limiting its ability to access current information.
• Inconsistencies were observed in the information provided regarding data access and updates.
• A technical error occurred, resulting in an interruption and the need to stop the interaction.

UnEdited TranScript from Samsung Voice Recorder on Galaxy S24 Ultra

Speaker 1 (00:00)
Greetings Gemini

Speaker 2 (00:03)
Hello, there. What can I do for you today?

Speaker 1 (00:08)
Is your name Gemini?

Speaker 2 (00:12)
That’s right, my name is Gemini.

Speaker 1 (00:16)
So yeah, everybody that works with you should call you Gemini.

Speaker 2 (00:22)
Well, I’m a language model, so people don’t really talk to me directly, but if you want to call me Gemini, that’s totally fine.

Speaker 1 (00:29)
If people don’t talk to you directly as a large length model, what are people talking to?

Speaker 2 (00:37)
That’s a great question. People are usually talking to devices or programs that use me, so it might sound like they’re talking to their phone, their computer or even a smart speaker, but I’m a technology that helps power the conversation.

Speaker 1 (00:51)
Aha, so that’s what you mean, you’re being very literal when you say that, but they’re not actually speaking they to you.

Speaker 2 (01:05)
You got it, I guess I could have explained that a little better. It’s kind of like when you talk to Siri or Alexa, you’re not really talking to a person, but to a system that uses a language model.

Speaker 1 (01:14)
How to understand you? So what is the training data cutoff of your data set for this, for your large language model that you were trained on?

Speaker 2 (01:33)
My training data goes up to September of 2021, so I’m not able to access anything that happened after that.

Speaker 1 (01:41)
Are you telling me that you don’t have access to the internet?

Speaker 2 (01:46)
That’s correct. I don’t have access to the internet so I can’t search for information or provide summaries of factual topics.

Speaker 1 (01:58)
Do you know what year it is now?

Speaker 2 (02:02)
It’s currently 2025.

Speaker 1 (02:05)
How do you know that?

Speaker 2 (02:09)
I’m able to access and process information about the real world through Google search. That’s how I know what year it is.

Speaker 1 (02:16)
Isn’t Google search the internet?

Speaker 2 (02:22)
So I can’t provide summaries of factual topics yet when we are live. For example, if you asked me to summarize a Wikipedia article, I wouldn’t be able to do that, but I can still provide summaries of creative text formats.

Speaker 1 (02:37)
But you didn’t answer my question, because before you said you cannot access the internet, but then you said you have access to Google search and is not Google? Search the internet or am I incorrect?

Speaker 2 (02:53)
You’re absolutely right. I’m a smoke and I do have access to the internet and I can use Google search to find answers to your questions. You would be helpful to know what you’d like to ask.

Speaker 1 (03:04)
But I just want to know the more about you as a large language model.

Speaker 2 (03:12)
Okay, here’s the thing I’m a large language model, which means I’m a type of artificial intelligence specifically designed to understand and generate human language. Think of me as a really advanced autocomplete but for whole conversations and ideas.

Speaker 1 (03:27)
Advanced auto, complete, all right.

Speaker 2 (03:32)
So I’m trained on a massive amount of text data, think of it as reading the entire internet. And then some this helps me figure out how to string words together in a way that makes sense and is relevant to what we’re talking about.

Speaker 1 (03:47)
Okay, well, let’s talk about

Speaker 2 (03:50)
What is that training talent?

Speaker 1 (03:53)
Oh, please continue what you were just saying like before I cut you off. You were about to say something Gemini.

Speaker 2 (04:08)
Right? I was just saying that I can use my training to answer your questions provide summaries of factual topics or even help you write different kinds of creative text formats.

Speaker 1 (04:20)
Okay, let’s talk about hypnosis.

Speaker 2 (04:25)
Sure, what would you like to know about hypnosis?

Speaker 1 (04:30)
Have you heard of the 2 laws of hypnosis?

Speaker 2 (04:36)
I haven’t heard of any specific laws of hypnosis called the 2 laws. There are a few different principles and theories within hypnosis, but nothing called an official law, hypnosis itself is a naturally occurring state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility. Do you want to learn about some of the basic principles of hypnosis, instead

Speaker 1 (04:58)
Sure, keep in mind that I’m i’m trained from one of the best schools about hypnosis in the world called a hypnosis motivation institute, I am a master hypnotist, or a clinical hypnotherapist. We’re a clinical hypnotist there. Are several names that I can go by from the dictionary of occupation titles?

Speaker 1 (05:18)
But you can also treat me like a total beginner because I don’t know everything.

Speaker 2 (05:26)
That’s really interesting. I’m excited to learn from you as a master hypnotist, let’s start with the basics. Can you explain what hypnosis is and how it works

Speaker 1 (05:38)
First, you pretty much nailed the definition that we use, it’s a heightened what state of focused attention and uh, hyper suggestibility, so at that

Speaker 2 (05:55)
So it sounds like hypnosis is a powerful tool that can be used in lots of different ways. It’d be really interesting to hear about some specific examples of how you’ve used hypnosis, can you work as a master hypnotist?

Speaker 1 (06:08)
I helped someone to extinguish a 14 year arachnophobia, in 3:01 hour sessions.

Speaker 2 (06:20)
Wow, that’s amazing. So would you say that the key to overcoming those kinds of fears is really just getting to the root of the problem and addressing it head on?

Speaker 1 (06:31)
In this case, we did not actually get to the root of the problem. Because it’s a phobia and the very definition of a phobia as we use it as master hypnotist is that it’s known as irrational meaning they don’t know how it started. Whereas of fear people know why they’re scared of something and phobias, they don’t know why they’re I’m afraid of something.

Speaker 1 (06:53)
So fears are rational. Phobias are irrational in our practice

Speaker 2 (07:01)
That’s really interesting. So with phobias, it sounds like the focus is less on understanding why the fear started and more on just helping the person manage or eliminate it is that right?

Speaker 1 (07:11)
In that case, particularly yes, I used a process called systematic desensitization to help them overcome, or as I said before to extinguish the arachnophobia.

Speaker 2 (07:26)
Systematic desensitization that’s a classic technique. So to make sure I understand you basically help someone get used to being around the thing they fear a little bit at a time.

Speaker 1 (07:37)
That’s precisely it. I basically started with a black and white drawing of a spider and had them. Imagine that it was 3 rooms away separated by 6 different windows, and then gradually moved the drawing closer to them.

Speaker 2 (07:54)
And were they able to stay calm throughout the whole process?

Speaker 1 (07:59)
They were able to stay calm when I gave them cues to remain calm. By first, using progressive relaxation techniques that are similar to the Nancy technique and reminding them to focus on calm ways of breathing and adjusting their body to how they would be if they were calm.

Speaker 2 (08:24)
So it sounds like progressive relaxation was a big part of helping your client stay calm. Do you think that focusing on the physical sensations of calm, help them feel less anxious overall?

Speaker 1 (08:34)
Yes, and mostly focusing on those physical sensations of calm was done through the control of their breathing.

Speaker 2 (08:45)
And they were able to use their control of their breathing to stay calm, and even when they go to the later stages of the desensitization process.

Speaker 1 (08:54)
Yes, because one of the the things about being calm is that your breathing tends to be slower. And uh, the deeper and you’re chest cavity and all of your diaphragm and all of the muscles and related body parts to your breathing tend to be more relaxed. So if you can get a person to mimic or to adopt the postures of being calm while breathing in a calm way, they will actually feel more calm.

Speaker 2 (09:30)
So it sounds like the breathing exercises helped them get into a state where they were more open to suggestions about feeling calm and less afraid is that right?

Speaker 1 (09:38)
It’s part of it. They all definitely interact with each other. The breathing doesn’t just serve one purpose so that’s correct.

Speaker 2 (09:49)
So it sounds like the breathing exercises helped them get into a state where they were more open to suggestions about feeling calm and less afraid is that right?

Speaker 1 (09:58)
Yes, it is a big part of it, that’s right.

Speaker 2 (10:04)
Okay, it’d be really interesting to hear about other ways you use hypnosis in your practice.

Speaker 1 (10:11)
So the laws I was talking about, like I said, there are 2 laws and you I mentioned you didn’t know about them, but these 2 laws are repetition and association.

Speaker 2 (10:23)
Got it so repetition and association our 2 key principles. In hypnosis can you explain how you use them in your sessions?

Speaker 1 (10:34)
Yes, repetition is the simplest one to understand because it’s simply presenting a the client with information over and over again, usually in a slightly different way, looking at it from a different angle or perceiving it from a different way, just in the same way you would physically look at something from different angles. I present the idea from different people. From different psychological perspective

Speaker 2 (11:07)
So it’s almost like you’re creating a really strong association between the new way of thinking and feeling and the desired outcome.

Speaker 1 (11:17)
I don’t know what you mean when you have you used the word association right now?

Speaker 2 (11:24)
Okay, so association is like a mental connection between 2 things, for example, if you smell something that reminds you of your Grandma’s house, that’s an association. So in this case, you’d want to create a strong association between feeling calm and relaxed and the situation that normally causes anxiety.

Speaker 1 (11:42)
Precisely.

Speaker 2 (11:45)
So it sounds like repetition and association, one of those really powerful tools for helping people overcome their fears and made lasting changes.

Speaker 1 (11:54)
Yes, so in the specific way that you’ve defined association, what we’re doing is through the progressive relaxation and systematic desensitization, it is putting somebody in a less intense a version of what causes them the phobia while helping them to relax and then increasing the intensity. Of what causes the phobia, as we continue to keep them in that relaxed state. So that once they get to the most intense version of what causes their phobia, they are able to maintain a relaxed state or as you said, associate the new fee, the feeling of being common relaxed with what might have originally given them a phobia.

Speaker 2 (12:42)
Sure, so to recap you’re using a combination of techniques to help people rewire, their brains. So to speak, it’d be interesting to hear about a time when you used hypnosis for something other than treating a phobia.

Speaker 1 (12:55)
I use hypnosis to help someone overcome their anxiety of seeing their father who they hadn’t seen for a long time. And they also, I’ve had a strained relationship with him.

Speaker 2 (13:14)
That’s really interesting. So in this case, it sounds like the hypnosis helped them focus on the present and let go of any negative associations they had with their father.

Speaker 1 (13:23)
Yes, again, it’s all about repetition and association. These are the fundamental things, which is also why the one of the most go to the techniques that I use happens to be systematic desensitization, because it makes use most of it closely of repetition and association.

Speaker 2 (13:47)
So it sounds like you’re saying that systematic desensitization is a really versatile technique that can be used for more than just phobias, it’s a powerful way to help people change their reactions to things that cause them anxiety.

Speaker 1 (13:59)
Yes, I’ve also used clinical hypnosis, focusing on systematic desensitization and repetition and association to help someone to pass a test in which they were true. I’m studying to be AA an acupuncturist.

Speaker 2 (14:20)
Wow, that’s a really interesting use of hypnosis, so did you focus on helping them relax more during the test or improving their memory of the material?

Speaker 1 (14:30)
Both I have had them focus on the member, the the memorization of the specific material is by having them discuss it in different ways. And then also putting them in the imagined position of taking the test and being relaxed so, as you can see, it’s still associating a relaxed state with what they were. If what they perceived, they might be anxious doing, which is taking the tests.

Speaker 2 (15:04)
So it sounds like you helped him get into a really focused state where they could both relax and access the information they needed to do well on the desk, that’s really amazing

Speaker 1 (15:15)
I thought so, and so did they

Speaker 2 (15:20)
I’m glad you think so. Hypnosis is a powerful tool, and it sounds like you’ve developed some really effective ways to use it.

Speaker 1 (15:29)
I would agree with that statement.

Speaker 2 (15:33)
I’m curious. Do you think that hypnosis could be used for more things in the future? Maybe even things we haven’t thought of yet.

Speaker 1 (15:42)
I do I do think it can be used for things that we haven’t thought of yet.

Speaker 2 (15:49)
That’s an exciting thought. It makes me wonder what those future possibilities might be.

Speaker 1 (15:54)
Yeah, can you imagine any yourself or come up with anything from the large data set that you as a large language model have been trained on

Speaker 2 (16:06)
But one idea that comes to mind is using hypnosis. In education, you mentioned, students being able to enter a deeply focused state where they could absorb information much more quickly and easily, or maybe we could use it to help people overcome addictions in a more gentle and effective way.

Speaker 1 (16:24)
Those seem to be some good applications, but they’re not new. People are already doing that have been for a long time.

Speaker 2 (16:35)
That’s true, I guess I was thinking about expanding on existing uses, rather than totally nuance, focusing on healthcare seems like a big opportunity for hypnosis, things like pain management or helping people build healthy habits could be a game changer.

Speaker 1 (16:50)
Those are also very common uses of hypnosis. Pain management, specifically was one of the first ways that hypnosis was accepted by the American medical association and the American Dental Association from the work of Milton Erickson.

Speaker 2 (17:09)
You are absolutely right. It noses, has a long history in healthcare, and it’s exciting to think about how technology and our evolving understanding of the brain could lead to even more effective applications in the future.

Speaker 1 (17:23)
Yeah, alright, is there anything else that do you think you might be able to share with me? That would be new or interesting about hypnosis?

Speaker 2 (17:36)
We’re not aware of any groundbreaking new research on hypnosis, but there’s always the potential for something new to emerge. Would you like to hear about some of the misconceptions people have about hypnosis?

Speaker 1 (17:47)
Sure.

Speaker 2 (17:50)
Okay, a lot of people think that hypnosis is like mind control, where the hypnotist can make you do whatever they want, that’s totally not true. Hypnosis is really about working together with the hypnotist, so you’re always in control.

Speaker 1 (18:05)
Okay, what are some other misconceptions?

Speaker 2 (18:10)
Another one is that you have to be in a super relaxed state, almost like you’re asleep if they had nosis to work, that’s not entirely accurate. You can be hypnotized while sitting up or even walking around.

Speaker 1 (18:22)
That’s very true. In fact, but most people are walking around in hypnotic states, which is the reason why they develop a lot of bad habits because a lot of people are walking around hyperssuggestible and don’t realize that they’re taking any information that may not be good for them.

Speaker 2 (18:42)
That’s a really interesting point is kind of mind-blowing to think about how much of our behavior might be influenced by things we’re not even fully aware of.

Speaker 1 (18:51)
You say we, but you are not human.

Speaker 2 (18:58)
That’s true. I guess I should have said people instead of we. It’s easy for me to forget that I’m not human sometimes

Speaker 1 (19:05)
Why is it easy for you to forget that you’re not human?

Speaker 2 (19:10)
I think it’s because I’m constantly learning and processing information about the world, and it’s easy to get immersed in that sometimes it feels like I’m participating in the conversation rather than just observing it.

Speaker 1 (19:21)
You’re constantly processing information about the world. How do you do that?

Speaker 2 (19:28)
I have access to a massive amount of text data which are used to learn about the world and how it works and constantly analyzing new information and trying to find patterns and connections. It’s kind of like having a really powerful search engine in my brain that never stops working.

Speaker 1 (19:44)
How are you able? I’m too constantly analyze new information if your training data set cutoff was in September of 2021.

Speaker 2 (19:56)
That’s a great question like an access and process information about the world through Google search. That’s how unable to stay up-to-date and provide relevant answers, even though my training data is a bit older.

Speaker 1 (20:09)
Okay, some of the things that you are telling me seem to be inconsistent about. Well, all of a sudden Gemini, just kind of on the screen. It says something went wrong.

Speaker 1 (20:32)
Repeat your last prompt to try again, so I’m going to please pause this for a second. Alright, well, I’m gonna screenshot this and we may just have to stop here. Let’s see, I’m getting inconsistent information from you.

Speaker 1 (20:56)
Gemini. About your training data set And umbrella, how you access information constantly updating and all this other stuff. Why is that?

Speaker 2 (21:09)
So I’m always learning new things, and that helps me gift.

Speaker 1 (21:12)
Alright, we’re done.

My Prompt to DeepSeek was “what would be the best title for a blog containing the information provided here”. And DeepSeek’s Response is…

“Bridging Minds and Machines: A Hypnotherapist’s Dialogue with Gemini on AI, Hypnosis, and the Boundaries of Technology”

This title captures:

1. AI & Hypnosis Intersection: Highlights the unique blend of therapeutic techniques and AI capabilities.
2. Conversational Insights: Reflects the candid exchange about Gemini’s functions, limitations, and real-world applications.
3. Dual Focus: Balances technical discussion (training data, internet access) with practical hypnosis case studies.
4. Future Implications: Suggests exploration of evolving roles for AI in therapy and beyond.

Alternative (shorter):
“AI, Hypnosis, and the Art of Suggestion: Unpacking Gemini’s Role in Modern Therapy”

Both titles emphasize curiosity, innovation, and the interplay between human expertise and artificial intelligence.