“Hypnosis” Is Just A Word

Some people are just too funny.  I often have to suppress a giggle.  It’s not that I am inclined to laugh at them; it’s that the ideas they express in ignorance are funny.  I don’t think I’m superior to anyone, and ignorance isn’t funny to me.  Ignorance is simply the state of not knowing something, or inexperience.  It isn’t an insult.  No one knows everything.

I love it when the uninitiated think I can get control of their minds and “make” them do things such as quack and wag their tails.  Why aren’t they more concerned that I can make them detail my car and paint my dining room?

Or the belief that I can find out their secrets.  The secrets that I’ve already heard from conscious, earnest clients up to this point would probably disappoint most voyeurs.  I’m afraid that there’s nothing there that I haven’t experienced myself, or seen someone among my family or friends go through.  No, most deeply-guarded secrets are not so scandalizing, at least to me.  And the imagination is not stranger than Real Life.

A lot of people tell me they can’t be hypnotized.  Fair enough!  If they dig in with stubborn resistance, there’s no way anyone can hypnotize them or even persuade them to sit in my office.

And among clients who willingly submit to the process, sometimes I have trouble keeping a straight face.  One gentleman, who admirably came in to let me help him quit smoking, explained that he enjoys smoking a joint with his wife most nights.  He’s not an addict; he uses it the way some people enjoy having a drink at the end of the day.  He asked, “can you make me quit cigarettes but still let me smoke pot?”  The answer is YES!  Tobacco and mary jane are two totally separate things–and one was desired and the other despised by the client.  The mind will have no confusion there.

But ignorance is also detrimental.  If a person will hold to erroneous beliefs, I won’t be able to show them how wonderful hypnosis is, and what it can do for them.  I won’t be able to share this gift with them.  They will never learn that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and what they get from me is a new skill that they can use, on their own, for the rest of their lives for many issues that will arise.  It’s like getting an Owner’s Manual for the mind!

Lastly, here’s something I like to point out at the beginning of every session: Hypnosis is just a word.  It describes a very natural state of mind that everyone enters into and out of, many times every day.  Whatever that state is, we can learn to use it and control it to a great degree.  Once we learn to manage that state, we learn that it is the key to the most powerful parts of our minds.  It is the way to align all the parts of mind and body, and the way to becoming unstoppable!

Talk To Me

Talk To Me

In the hypnotism part of sessions with clients, I do most of the talking.  Sometimes we have a simple conversation, but that’s rare.  Usually clients answer some questions with very short answers.  Depending on the depth of the trance, they may not say anything.

Feedback is essential.  During the trance I always test my clients’ depth by observing their responses to certain suggestions.  At the lightest level of trance they will lose control of simple motor functions.  At the deepest levels they will experience hallucinations and negative hallucinations (not seeing something that is there).  I always test.

The feedback I need is immediately after the trance.  I want to know what their experience was like for them, if they were comfortable, if there was any idea or impulse or memory they want to talk about.  I want to know whatever impressions they had that they might want to talk about.  I want to know what hypnosis was like for them.

I don’t ask these things out of curiosity; I ask because the information is essential to their success, and to the way I will conduct the next trance session.  For example, if I know what their individual idea of hypnosis is, I can suggest it to them and they will be able to slip into that state more easily and quickly.  Their answers to my questions also reveal whether I went too quickly or too slowly of if they need concrete or more accurate instructions and descriptions.  Sometimes they pick up on subtleties that I miss, because they are extremely attentive to certain details while in the trance state.

I won’t know most of this information if I don’t ask, because during hypnosis they are sitting passively in a chair, physically relaxed.  Of course, there are many signs that I can see: rapid eye movement, changes in breathing, especially in response to suggestions of physical relaxation, abreactions, fidgeting, etc.

Abreactions are physical movements in response to suggestions.  They can vary in intensity, and they are always significant and must be explored if the client is to be successful.  I always ask about physical reactions, because I need to know what was going on at that time.  It may have been their subconscious reacting in some way–or they might have been physically cold or uncomfortable.  It’s essential that I find out more, so I can help them succeed in the best possible way.

Sometimes certain words or phrases are distracting to them because they remind them of specific situations.  I like to snap my fingers as a cue, but some clients are startled by that, so I’ll do something else such as a gentle knock on my wooden desk.

Feedback closes the loop of communication with my client.  A few simple explanations and descriptions from them help me to understand what to do differently in order that they achieve what they set out to do!

Suggestibility and Affirmations

“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” You might recognize this affirmation, originated by Émile Coué almost a century ago.

Affirmations are ideas packaged into neat phrases that are used for the purpose of self-improvement. They are typically used as meditations just before sleeping or immediately upon awakening. The theory is that the idea will act upon the subconscious, causing desired changes. This effect has been produced and replicated hundreds of times in clinical studies.

But what if your affirmation isn’t working? It might be because the exact wording doesn’t match your suggestibility. Suggestibility varies greatly among all of us, so when it comes to affirmations, one size does not fit all. Not even close.

Are you the type of person who bristles when being told what to do? If so, it’s possible that your subconscious will reject a direct suggestion. However, even if your subconscious resists authority, there’s a way that you can present it with new ideas that it will accept readily.

Think of your subconscious as a child of about 10 years old. Even a stubborn child can be motivated—it’s all in your presentation. If you let a child think they came up with an idea on their own, they’ll probably jump all over it. Keep in mind that approximately half the population is very OK with authoritarian affirmations (direct suggestions), and can accept them at face value and get results, no problem.

How can you determine your own suggestibility? That part isn’t so simple for the uninitiated, but it’s possible. If you are highly empathetic or sympathetic, if you can easily imagine physical sensations in your body, and if you are usually outgoing and eager to converse, it’s likely that you will respond to direct suggestions. Conversely, if your emotions don’t translate quickly into physical sensations, or if you tend to have difficulty connecting immediately with someone else’s emotional state, it’s likely that you’ll have more success with indirect suggestions.

Coué’s affirmation above is a direct suggestion. If you don’t have success with it, change it to an indirect suggestion and try it again for a week or so. Here are some examples: “Every day, I can get better…” or “It’s possible that every day, I am getting better…” Does your subconscious require a super indirect suggestion? Here you go: “Every day, in every way, I can give myself permission to allow myself to consider that I am getting better and better.”

Remember, your subconscious mind doesn’t analyze or evaluate, it just does what you tell it to do when you’re speaking its language. So try your affirmations as both direct and indirect suggestions, and see which one works better!

Happy New Year! Time for a change?

How’s it going? How was your holiday season? I’m in touch with quite a few people who had their share of stress over the New Year’s holiday. I wish I could get them into my office for 2-3 sessions because I know I can give each of them a great tune-up! It’s now the New Year, and millions of people are eager to change a whole bunch of things in their lives.

As we long for change and new beginnings, we also resist change at some level. People who resist change manage to hang onto the old, reject the new, and repeat their previous experiences with each new season and setting.

Most of your behaviors are automatic, or subconscious. These include bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and blinking—plus a range of unwanted behaviors. How do you know which behaviors are automatic? Simple: they are the ones you can’t explain. You simply don’t know why you can’t stop or replace them with behaviors you desire. Sometimes you make up reasons and excuses such as, “I was raised that way,” or “I’m just too old to change,” but deep down you know that the subconscious desire is too strong for you to change with just plain willpower.

Your subconscious is the part of your mind that has always paid attention and never sleeps. It has learned many lessons, and it likes to act on those lessons at all times. Unfortunately, the subconscious also learns lessons that might not be good for us.

Over the years many of us learn to over-eat, for example. We learn to rely on any number of quick fixes and mood-altering situations. If you can relate to this and are having a devil of a time reforming your behaviors, welcome to your Subconscious Mind! It’s where your hidden desires demand to be satisfied. It’s an amazing and wonderful place. I know, because I work there full-time.

There’s another way: Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is a way into the subconscious in order to remove unwanted behaviors, alter your Life Script, and improve general wellness.

Hypnosis is science, although it seems like magic. In the hands of a skilled, educated professional working with a motivated client, the results are fascinating. When you succeed with hypnotherapy, you understand the infinite power of your own subconscious wisdom, and you recognize that you are powerful. At the moment that your conscious desires and subconscious capacity for learning align, you become unstoppable! Right now, whatever condition you are in, I assure you that your internal resources are abundant, and they are accessible to you.

Hypnosis is commonly known to work wonders for people who want to quit smoking or lose weight. It’s also great for reducing stress and anxiety. Did you know it can help you re-write your Life Script? Yes, you can change your subconscious expectations of how much you earn annually, general health and conditioning, even the kind of people you will attract into your life. You can use hypnosis to improve your golf game, heal faster from surgery, and deal with grief. The subconscious, while in hypnosis, is ready to learn new lessons and change the course of your life.

If this sounds hard to believe, it’s because you’re thinking about this with your conscious mind. Your conscious mind is the part that reasons, analyzes, and uses willpower. Your subconscious, on the other hand, only does what you tell it to do—when it opens up for learning.

For a professionally trained hypnotist, the process is simple, short term, and highly effective. We can help you unlock your subconscious, because we have the keys to the front door.