A non sequitur is a statement presented in the form of ’cause leads to effect’, A > B, but where there is in fact no logical connection between A and B. The structure of the statement fools the listener by starting with a statement of something that is true and then specifying an outcome that does not logically follow.
Getting the client to focus on their breathing has nothing to do with relaxation, but by stating something that is true, that they are focusing on their breathing, the mind is distracted into accepting the second part, that they can relax, without examining the causal link between them.
| ‘… paying attention to your breathing can make you relax even more. ‘ | |
| ‘You will be returning to the present, and bringing with you everything have learned today.’ | |
| ‘as I count down the steps you will go deeper into trance’. |
These can be identified by testing ‘Oh, really? And how does that work?‘