Nominalizations are words that take the place of a noun in a sentence, but they are not tangible-they cannot be touched, felt, or heard. They are often process words, mainly verbs, which have been frozen in time by making them into nouns.
Words like curiosity, understanding, and love are nominalizations.
Whenever these words are used, then information has been left out, often about 'who' or 'what' it refers to.
Example: 'Curiosity can be dangerous.' Presents the question, 'for whom?'.
Nominalizations are especially useful in hypnosis because they are vague and to be understood require a little more thought to fully understand. They require the listener to search through her experience for the more appropriate meaning.