Being "suggestible" doesn't sound like a virtue, does it? It seems like a synonym for "gullible" and "naive", and implies that you're stupid. But in fact, the nearest synonym to suggestibility is "open-mindedness" - it's the ability to absorb new ideas into your sense of reality.
Hypnotists like myself are very interested in suggestibility, because not surprisingly, the more suggestible someone is, the easier they are to hypnotize. Stage hypnotists use techniques to bring out on stage the most highly suggestible people, because these are the easiest to temporarily distort their sense of reality and make them do bizarre and hilarious things.
I am a hypnotherapist and work with a much broader range of people, not just the most suggestible. Rather than temporaritly distort someone's reality, I aim to make more subtle but permanent changes to someone's sense of reality to help them overcome personal issues. Whatever you are using hypnosis for, the subject must have at least some suggestibility, or they can't be hypnotized.
But suggestibilty isn't just about being hypnotized, it's essential in your growth and development as a person!
What you call "reality" isn't an absolute thing, it's a personal thing. Your idea of reality, though it will share many things in common with others, is never quite the same as yours. That's why we all have different opinions and points of view. Furthermore, that reality needs to grow and develop so we can adapt to our changing environment.
This will involve the assimilation of new ideas and the "dumping" of ideas that no longer fit our experience. For example, most children are taught to believe in Santa Claus as a comfort when they are very young, but as we learn more about the world and how it works, this idea no longer fits with what we know and is left behind. But this is only possible if we are suggestible. If we weren't, we would in the face of all the evidence refuse to believe any alternate explanations other than presents are delivered by Santa Claus every Christmas Eve.
On the other hand, if you are too suggestible, you are indeed gullible and vulnerable to being exploited, abused, conned and misled. A medium degree of suggestibility is best, neither rejecting ideas out of hand or immediately accepting every idea you are exposed to. It's best to weigh up an idea against what you have experienced so far, and see if it fits better than your previous ideas. As we gain new experiences, our reality needs to inevitably evolve to fit it, in order to respond appropriately to it.
In Psychology, there are three basic responses to a "suggestion" which in psychological terms means a new idea about reality. These are:
1. REJECTION The idea is not compatible with our experience, or is seen as threat to things we consider important, so is not accepted. It is either ignored, opposed or aggressively contested.
2. RATIONALISTAION The idea is compatible with our experience, but existing ideas are also held on to, so our sense of reality changes to accomodate both the old and new ideas.
3. CONVERSION The idea is accepted as a better fit to our experience than our old ideas, and since they are not compatible, old ideas are discarded and a new sense of reality is born that fits the new idea.
None of these are "right" or "wrong" in themselves, they are simply possible outcomes from new ideas. In the course of a healthy balanced life you will make all three responses on a regular basis, on everything from the nature of the universe to which is the best accompaniment to potatoes.
It is not healthy to be too suggestible, as then your life has no consistency or structure to build on, but if you are not suggestible enough, you will not grow and develop as a person, and will find yourself unable to work with the world and people around you. Fortunately, suggestibility itself is not fixed. On average there is a gradual transition from the high suggestility of children to the "set in their ways" attitude of older people, but things that happen to us can reverse this trend by challenging us or forcing us to change.
A healthy attitude to adopt is that nothing is certain, but experience suggests it's a certain way. Whenever you have a new experience, honestly examine your beliefs to see if they need updating - have no "sacred cows" but don't be too easily convinced without enough supporting evidence. In this way, you will function best in the environment round you and be best equipped to face change and challenge.
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