• As the name suggests, countdown techniques involve counting backwards, often from ten to one.

• This can be a very effective way of deepening trance, especially if you link it to an imagined activity, such as travelling in a lift or using an escalator or flight of stairs.

• It is recommended that you allow your client to choose where they end up: where they are when they step from the lift or alight from the stairs.

• This makes good use of your client’s imagination.

• Countdown techniques can also be made part of the therapy itself, by using phrases such as: “with each step down you will become more deeply relaxed” or “you will feel more confident”.

• You can also use them for regressions or pseudo-orientating to a future time.

• You might, for example, say “when you step out of the lift … you step out into the future”.

• This deepening process requires an expressive use of your voice.

• There are contraindications associated with countdown techniques that you should be aware of and avoid with some clients.

Contraindications:

• If your client is experiencing depression, avoid using the word ‘down’.

• Some clients will have phobias with stairs and lifts.