The Quest Continues

A few Sunday's ago I mentioned a friend who wanted me to hypnotize her so she would lose the desire for a mate. Well, she has kept in touch with me, though I have quite refused to do any sort of hypnosis with her other than maybe working on self-esteem and inspiring more independence.

She has been prowling (sorry luv, but that is what it is)the online dating sites (p.s.Michael, you got an LOL from her about your comments on that posting). The latest she is spending some time with is a free dating site called DateHookup.com. So, this afternoon, I went onto the site with her as she wanted my opinion about some of her "picks." Yes, we gals do that sort of thing, you know. It is a pretty easy site to navigate and it offers a unique search idea; that of "date ideas." You can see what sort of dates people are thinking of within certain criteria (location, price, time). No one in our search criteria offered any sort of date that involved hypnosis - I realize perhaps this begins to get into the world of hypno fetish, but it could be fun for two people who are hypnotists to take each other on guided visualizations to interesting places. Just a thought.

The one thing about the site that I do not like is that it is hard to search for anyone with similar interest. Apparently looks, location, age, occupation, political views, incomes, religion, children, drinking and smoking are the main things. That is not entirely fair, they do offer personality type as well. It seems fairly in depth otherwise, but what if one wants to find someone with an interest in hypnosis and that is the most important thing to that person? Not that my friend is that interested in hypnosis, but I thought it was a good point.

In this process, what she realizes is that she does not really know what she wants in a partner. So, I have agreed to work with her a bit on looking inwardly to find some answers. It should be interesting.

A Question of Formality

Here I am, back again, coffee in hand, Cinnamon bread baking in the oven and a few moments to spend with you. As you may be aware, on this blog, we are slowly exploring the various forms of hypnosis. We have covered the concepts of traditional hypnosis and have begun exploring elements within it (that may also be used in other forms of hypnosis as well). One of these elements is the intake form and/or process.

Here is the question:

From your viewpoint what are the most important things a hypnotist should include on the intake form or intake process and why?

The Schedule

Happy weekend, All!

Just wanted to post quickly and let you know that I am heading out spontaneously this evening and will not be around to post to Esoteric Saturday.

Come back for the Sunday Question, though!

10 Questions with Lee Darrow

Location: Chicago, IL

Cyberspace Locations:
www.leedarrow.com
www.livejournal.com/mstrhypno
www.myspace.com/leedarrow
wwwhypnothoughts.com/leedarrow (or is it /mstrhypno?)


1. Are you a full time hypnotist, part-time or hobbyist?

Full-time entertainer, of which hypnosis is a BIG part of the business, so draw your own conclusions...

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

Primarily stage hypnosis.

3. Is there any type of hypnosis you do not do? Why?

Please! A gentleman does not discuss such things! It is indiscreet! ;)

4. Do you use self-hypnosis regularly in your life?If so, how?

Yep! I use it to help moderate migraines, cure hiccups and to deal with stress, when I have the time.. things happen so fast, sometimes! LOL

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

Pick a stage, any stage... or someone's home... or banquet hall... you get the idea.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

There is no such thing as a "typical day" in my life... seriously.

7. Where did you get your training in hypnosis and are you certified?

Mind Sight Consulting, the Baranowskis were my first certifying instructors, but that came late in my career. I have also studied with Steve Lankton, Michael Brown and a whole lot of other people over the last 40 years...

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

The Bryan-san Oriental pressure Point Method (which is a placebo technique!)

9. Worse moment ever in a hypnosis setting that ended up being a valuable learning experience.

When a stage hypnotist I was watching had five people go into hysteria because he was stupid enough to do the "swarm of bees" routine on stage... and all five of them were deadly allergic to bee stings!

10. Any words of advice to potential clients or other hypnotist.

LEARN your craft! Understand that there's more to hypnosis than scripts and techniques, but also understand the psychology of phobias and how to avoid invoking them as well as being careful about your own safety.

To Recline or Not Recline

Is there a perfect chair out there for doing hypnosis? I have begun to doubt it. What I think instead is that there is a perfect chair for each client, and it is luck of the draw if yours happens to be it. When it comes to my trsuty recliner, I have gotten everything from this recliner is perfect. This recliner is too big. This recliner is too soft. This recliner needs to recline more. And oh, I think I will just lie on the floor.

When I was going to school to learn hypnosis, we sat in hard uncomfortable chairs that did not recline in the slightest, and you know, the hypnosis worked as well as any done in the best recliners. (When I was in school, I had to walk fifty miles on bare feet, through snow...)

This had led me to remember my hypno massage I had back in May. It was pretty amazing. So, here is my latest thought - would one of those massage chairs like the Human Touch HT 7450 Zero Gravity Massage Chair be a good for hypnosis sessions? Might it provide a sense of comfort for some and could one time a session to coordinate with the chair's various settings and cycles?

I know I could go to massage therapy school, but it is just not for me, but the chair could be an interesting addition to an office setting. Any thoughts?

Talking Intake

He snickers, skips the questions on page two and hands back my intake form. I glance at it and hand it back, smiling at the skipped questions. He sighs and begins to answer them, every so often moaning about how hard they are. Sounds like an exam, does it not? Hardly. What he is moaning about is answering the questions about what peacefulness means to him or perhaps he does not feel like divulging his phobias.

In talking about hypnosis sessions in general, there are a few things that are fairly basic. The intake form or process is a big part of the session itself and provides a guiding focus for the hypnotist. It sounds elementary and maybe so, but there is an art to the intake. Whether the client fills out the form or the hypnotist ask questions and notes them, this is not just a formality. These questions help clients to pinpoint what it is that they want to work on and gives insight that the hypnotist can use to help in relaxation processes (such as taking the client to their own particular peaceful place and doing so with words that are familiar to the client - their own). Some intakes are more in depth than others. They may ask several potential questions that seem ultra personal, but again they point to clues that the hypnotist can use.

I once read someone's intake that asked specifically about a person's sexual preference. At first it seemed a little like privacy invasion, but the reason for it was sound. Say the client is wanting to work on intimacy in a relationship and part of the session includes focusing on the partner, if the hypnotist makes an assumption, the whole session may be a no go because the partner was described in the wrong sex.

So here are two questions for you out there.

Hypnotist - do you ask enough questions to get a true picture of the client?
Clients or potential clients - do you feel the intake forms you have filled out ask things that make you uncomfortable?

Hypnotist - do not be afraid to ask everything you need to know. Just be ready to explain why it will help you to know the items on your intake form.
Clients - do not be afraid to ask the hypnotist why he or she wants to know something, if it makes you uncomfortable.

Confessions of a Mild Mannered Hypnotist

It is one of those mornings that feels like it has been stuffed down my brain in a most unpleasant way. Yikes. Deadlines and other nasties await me. It is more admin than hypno.

So, I am going off on a tangent from our scholarly talks of forms of hypnosis and am going to take a few moments to indulge another passion. Stop groaning, I cannot help my love of the macabre and movies. It is part of my personality and I am going to free it for a little while.

It all comes down to coincidence. Yesterday, I did a group guided meditation for the general public. I do them for $10 a person, but find I get a lot of past clients who attend. Afterwards, I step out of the room, grab a cup of tea and then return to gabwith whoever is not in a hurry to get back to their lives. Inevitably, what happens is that people use this time to just let go of whatever it is that is bothering them and my office becomes a group confessional.

So, here it is, the new movie Sweeney Todd is about to be released. Well, to go along with the opening, they have released a confessional page where the viewing public (you and I) can record our confessions. That is the coincidence. Confessions. Yesterday, I was the listener to other's confessions and now today, here is this site that does the same thing.

Therefore I have my own confession to make. As I listen to other people's (I am not a Catholic priest, wrong sex and all, nor can I provide any absolution) confessions, I tend to have some various song running through my head that receives a little bit more focus than the words of the confessions But because I do feel a bit guilty saying that, I must scream for contrition and also say that I am not one to work on other people's problems in a group environment and I do view the time period as one where all that is really needed is the venting opportunity. Hence, the website is a fantastic thing.

And as for the songs, now I have the sound track from Sweeney running through my head. My other confession is that as a teenage I owned the album from the Broadway version. What a great story. What great music. And oh swoon, Johnny Depp.

If you have enjoyed my confessions about confessions, you might just find Sweeney Todd on MySpace interesting. You might also want to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site.