Hypnotic suggestions is the special kind of suggestions that the hypnotist use as a part of the treatment. These suggestions are either direct or indirect. An example of a direct suggestion could be something like "Your arm will raise up in the air", while the indirect suggestion would be something like "You may feel your arm getting lighter and perhaps wanting to raise from the chair". In the earlier days of hypnosis, the technique of choice was direct suggestion. This approach is often the one being used by stage hypnotist in order to create the illusion that the hypnotist controls the subject, even though that's not the case. Modern hypnotists are widely adopting the indirect approach, as it has proven more pleasant for the client and thereby more useful for solving problems. This is not to say that the direct approach hasn't got its place, it certainly has. Some clients will respond better to the direct approach.

One of the ground rules of hypnotic suggestion is that the suggestion should not be negative. When you suggest something you should suggest what it is that you want, and not what you don't want (Notice how I just did the exact opposite of what I was suggesting). The reason for this rule is that the subconscious mind doesn't process negations. When I say "Don't think of a pink elephant", that's exactly what you'll do. It's similar to parents who tell their children "Don't fall down", sometimes they will fall down just because they were told not to. The imagination has a tremendous effect upon the body, which is the reason why you should always suggest what you want to happen. This rule applies to virtually every situation in life, wether you are a hypnotist or not.