If you follow my instructions...

'nother cup of coffee. The dregs of the ever-burned tasting Starbucks.

There is an echo in my head reverberating from a few recent clients I've had. And these words are - I'm not sure I was hypnotized because I was trying to hear what you were saying.

But lets step back a few paces. One of the important elements in the concept of a person being hypnotized is his or her ability to follow basic instructions. If you were a newbie to hiking and I was your experience guide over rough terrain, would you heed my directions for safe passage? One would seriously hope so. If you have spent your money investing in my skills, would you not pay attention and do as I asked? Hypnosis is the same. When you go to a hypnotist, it is important to follow his or her instructions for the best experience. Hopefully this is addressed in the initial conversations or pre-talk before you are sat in a recliner and the induction begins.

The inductions, part of the hypnosis process that help your mind and body relax (we'll save this for another day), is where it is important that you follow instructions to the best of your ability. There are times when you may be asked to focus on a concept such as counting backwards and concentrate as much as you can on that while the hypnotist continues talking. At this point you will probably be asked to no longer pay attention to the words of the hypnotist but to think about or focus on the task you have been given. Sure you'll probably hear the hypnotist's voice and words periodically, but you need to be more concerned with the task. It will help you out in the long term. Chances are (or should be) that all the hypnotist is saying in the background are words about the suggestions, modifications, and/or changes you both discussed. Trust me, you probably won't be missing anything as wonderful as the next "This American Life" - though in a sense, your subconscious mind will hear something even better and manifest what it is you are trying to accomplish.

Other hypnotist, feel free to join in.

Why would one ever be a hypnotist?

There is a simple joy in being a hypnotist that stems from many sources. My personal motivation is the idea of helping others. Everyday life is often more complicated than it ought to be, so if I can contribute and help someone with positive change, well then I feel as though I have really done something. It goes deeper than this though, it's not really that "I" have done something, but that I've helped others do something for themselves.

If you are a hypnotist reading this, here's a chance for discourse: what motivates you to be a hypnotist?

A Little Saturday Fun With Max and Sam

It's Saturday, a day sorely needed. So rather than being complete ho-hum serious I thought I'd take a peek at interesting references to anything hypnosis.

That brings me to Sam and Max and the evil Lincoln robot. I could go into a long description about this and what it is (comic book characters and video game), but I won't. Rather I though I'd piece in a description about their latest game as quoted by www.bit-tech.net:

Still, the quick lowdown plot wise is that some mysterious and as yet unmasked over-arching baddie has been using hypnosis to try and achieve world domination throughout the first season. As a result of their attempts to rescue the nation from a hypnotic Abe Lincoln robot in episode four, Max the maniacal rabbit has been installed as President because of him immunity to hypnosis.

Oh dear, such a powerful tool as hypnosis in the wrong hands...

Today's Coffee and Being on the Level

Today really isn't a coffee day, it seems more like a cup of Constant Comment Tea...and maybe a slice.

Now let me level with you about hypnosis and get a little deeper. Our relationship is ready for that, is it not?

Yesterday we (the royal we -you and me) talked of being in a state of hypnosis, but like everything, that can be detailed a bit more. My clients look at me in a hazy way and wonder what I mean by gauging their level. Hypnotist gather trance information based on how deep a person is in terms of relaxation. For various types of hypnosis different levels are helpful though most work can be done on lighter levels, concepts like creating an anesthesia effect require deeper levels.

There are several scales that hypnotist can use. You may hear words like Arons, LeCron, Stanford, among others. I tend to go with Arons because it is short, simple and sweet (and is also what several of the certification organizations use as a standard). In this, there are six levels :

• Catalepsy or relaxation- we often check this by asking you to open your eyes, suggesting that you cannot, and if you cannot, well then, there you are.
  
• Arm Catalepsy - this is done by asking you to hold up an arm and suggesting you cannot lower it, and one can stay with this arm lift without exertion. You may feel heavy or like you are floating.
  
• Number Block (aphasia) - this is checked by taking a common number out of the counting structure and it seems as though the number never existed. Partial amnesia happens here.
  
• Glove Analgesia and Amnesia - This is where you may feel pressure, say if you were pinched hard, but not the pain.
  
• Positive Hallucination - You could see and hear things that are not really there but that have been suggested.
  
• Negative Hallucination and Anesthesia - Well, you would not see things that are really there when given the suggestion, and this is where you would feel no pain.
  

Pretty nifty. And you may wonder how it is that the hypnotist is not controlling you. It's fairly simple. You allow the suggestions and in these states, you are there because you want to be there for your own benefit (as long as you believe it as so). This is the point when I tell clients that the more comfortable they are with me the better. If there is an inkling of distrust, it will be harder (but no impossible) for them to relax and accomplish what they came to accomplish. And an important thing to remember is that at any time you can come out of hypnosis on your own. If something does not feel right or the suggestion is one that goes against your notions, you'll come right out of it. This means that you retain an awareness, even if it feels like you have zoned or tranced out.

Well, my cup is empty and the day is upon me. Happy Friday to all.

Please feel free to ask questions or add to this is you are a hypnotist.

Also please note that the tea cup picture came from http://www.designedtoat.com/tea_time.shtml.

A Cup of Coffee - and about the state of hypnosis

Grab a cup of coffee and lets talk about what I do. And now - a short primer about the expectations of the hypnosis experience...

They come into the office, a little wide-eyed, unsuspecting of what they are truly about to encounter, all with a vague notion about the concept of hypnosis. Some come wanting to rethink or reframe, some come out of curiosity, some come looking for inner truths, and some come to prove that hypnosis is just a lark (which for them it will probably be a self-fulfilling prophecy and waste of money). They wonder if I will pull out a pocket watch and tell them they are getting sleepy. Some will not make eye contact with me at first.

So we sit for awhile, sometimes with a cup of coffee or tea, and we just chat. Maybe they go into long explanations of why they are here,maybe they don't. And though I always ask what they expect, many are often surprised by the reality. I patiently explain the misconceptions, but all in all I think it is hard for people to grasp that hypnosis has nothing to do with someone else, particularly a hypnotist, taking over the reins of the mind. What it involves is something a kin, if not actually, to various states of relaxation where redirecting the conscious mind in a way that quiets it a bit and allows the subconscious mind, the inner mind, the mind that controls concepts that you don't think about like breathing, the beating of your heart, to hear what it is that you want to accomplish - the suggestion worked through by you and your hypnotist.

And of course, being in a hypnotic state differs for everyone. Some times people remember everything, some feel like they are alert most of the time, some feel like they are day dreaming, some feel like you do when you drive from point A to point B and have no memory of the road between the two points. It's different for everyone. But never, Never, NEVER do they go through a zombie-like phase where I remote control them (though that might be a fun thing to do in a hypno show). Being in a state of hypnosis is most often like being a in a completely mellow state.

But now my coffee has grown cold and the first of the day's clients has arrived.

If The World Were Ending...

...what would you do? Would you continue to drink that morning can of pop, finish another cigarette, go to work? Would your life continue as it is until the end, bitter or not?

I say - Yes. Yes, I would continue as I am, doing what I love best and spending quality time with those I love.

What brings this on? I have continued to check my post on the alien forum. Some poor, sad soul wrote that my question about alien abduction hypnosis dieare irrelevant because we are doomed to extinction. True perhaps in the way that from the moment we are born, we begin the dying process. But never the less, here we are, another breathe to take, another chance to "be". Everything can change in a moment, so I suspect, so could any potential extinction on our part.

Anyway, with that out of my system...what is it about the Internet and anything one can comment on that brings out the monsters within? (Maybe it isn't out of my system.) Who knows if the person who replied to me is serious (but if everything is irrelevant because its about to end, than it will only fuel the fires of self-perpetuation) or just very sad, but that's not even a bad comment - perhaps a cry for help? But I continue to read other topics and what seems to inspire dialogue are more vapid and rather lame (I won't say childish because I won't insult the intelligent children I know). Much seems to run away from the original topic. Why do we do this?

Now I'm done with my rant. Perhaps we'll talk tomorrow of ships and things, and ceiling wax and other paltry things...

The Fruits of a Sunday

Yesterday's Internet research (yes, I know...always consider the source) for alien abduction regression was interesting and confirming.

What I learned:

• I'm not so much into conspiracy theories or its more interesting to watch or listen to others who do.
• It is possible that my quest for a certain list of questions to ask clients about their abduction experience to ascertain legitimacy is mostly in the realm of conspiracy theory.
  
• The said questions, if there are said questions, they may be the standard regressionist questions that are non-directive, non-leading, and are meant to help the client in NOT creating false memories.
  

I wrote to Bill Foster of www.abduct-anon.com about this and here is his answer:

Excellent question! Your suggested "list" is the exact reason I do not recommend hypnotherapists who are, supposedly, "well-versed" in the subject matter. After all, if you are worried about having undiagnosed cancer and you go see a "cancer specialist" is that person not pre-disposed to assume you have cancer?

Experiencers who only vaguely know they are missing time or feel something unusual has happened in their lives may well NOT have had an abduction.

I think a list of questions is a terrible idea in that it leads the experiencer to answer what the therapist presupposes happened. i.e. "Those aliens you are looking at are the grays, right?" Our therapist could only ask us: "...and then what happened..." and knew that our answers were our own experiences, not coached.

Finally, think of it this way. You are giving therapy to a woman who had been molested in childhood. Do you ask: "Was it your Father, Uncle, Brother, neighbor or friend?" Or, do you let the patient simply tell you who it was?

I have also brought this question up on two different Google groups. In a hypnosis group no one has responded. In the alien abduction group, I have received two responses at this time. One telling me there is no such thing as alien abduction and the other response is someone counter-attacking this remark.

So, Bob Fuller, you get my most helpful person on the subject award!!!

Alien Abduction and The Day to Day

In addition to being requested to do general hypnosis (can you really use hypnosis to stop smoking, melting off the poundage, and gee I hate biting my nails - and please note, I am not belittling these issues, these are my daily bread and butter), I occasionally am asked to help with a few other problems, such as remembering what happened to a person during a believed alien abduction. This is my latest request and I am preparing for it.

It does not matter what I believe or do not believe, I am just a mental hiking guide in this case. What matters is that my client feels pretty sure that they were abducted by aliens, but can't remember any of it and feels that if they could find out the truth, then much would be explained in their life.

Normally, I would do regression (which means NO leading questions and things that an unbias reporter would ask, such as when, where, why, what, how, and who) and that would be that. However, I opened Pandora's box by contacting a few people who research alien abductions. I have been told that there is a specific set of questions one must ask to gain some validity of the experience. Perhaps my education is lacking, but I never got a specific set of questions to ask in such cases. I've been told that there are certain "facts" that are not public knowledge that one should address. Hmmmm. Also, the people I contacted told me they were not regressionist and therefore did not have the questions in question.

So, that is my current quest, finding this set of mystery questions. If anyone out there has any idea about this, it would make my day to know more. Ah, if only I could find Mulder.

Who Are You and Why Are You Reading This?

So here you are and here I am. Now that we have established this, the next question is who are you and what brought you to my little domain of consciousness? Seriously. I want to know.

And fair is fair. I’m here really because of an article I read in Wired Magazine called The See-Through CEO (April 2007) and it’s all about the new buzzword – Radical Transparency. The premise is that companies let their hair down along with most of their inner workings and make it all known to the world or any one who cares…and this is good for business. I’m a hypnotist; not marketing exec. or even a CEO (sole proprietor, thank you), but I figured it was worth a shot. So here I am. And as I go, I’ll blog about the daily “ins and outs,” the issues, the problems (you can share in my hair-pulling out experiences), my triumphs, my questions and my answers. And we’ll see how it goes.

So, go ahead, take a deep breath, open your eyes and here we go.