The Transparent Hypnotist

Here I am, copper magnet bracelet on my wrist, drinking an organic Peruvian coffee, health insurance afraid, and with a sore wrist.  I suspect the tendons are inflamed so I am pushing out thoughts of carpel tunnel.  I might have over done it in Cyberville last Thursday.

I have spent the last several nights using self-hypnosis for the pain, and visualizations for healing.  It seems to be working quite nicely. I think I will give it a bit more of a rest, though in a few moments.

So, here we go for the Sunday Question:

If you use self-hypnosis, how has it affected your life?

Today is moving rapidly long and here is it an Esoteric day. So what to write about today….hmmm. Well, time is short so I thought I would share this awful joke. It is truly awful (but not so far from the truth for certain people). It comes from the Jokes Gallery:

A woman comes home and tells her husband, “Remember those headaches I’ve been having all these years? Well, they’re gone.” “No more headaches?” the husband asks, “What happened?” His wife replies, “Margie referred me to a hypnotist. He told me to stand in front of a mirror, stare at myself and repeat, ‘I do not have a headache, I do not have a headache, I do not have a headache.’ It worked! The headaches are all gone.” The husband replies, “Well, that’s wonderful.” His wife then says, “You know, you haven’t exactly been a ball of fire in the bedroom these last few years. Why don’t you go see the hypnotist and see if he can do anything for that?” The husband agrees to try it. Following his appointment, the husband comes home, rips off his clothes, picks up his wife, and carries her into the bedroom. He puts her on the bed and says, “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” He goes into the bathroom and comes back a few minutes later, jumps into bed, and makes passionate love to his wife like never before. His wife says, “Wow! That was wonderful!” The husband says, “Don’t move! I’ll be right back.” He returns to the bathroom and then goes back to the bedroom, and round two is even better than the first time. The wife sits up and her head is spinning. Her husband again says, “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” With that, he goes back into the bathroom. This time, his wife quietly follows him and there, in the bathroom, she sees him standing in front of the mirror, saying, “She’s not my wife. She’s not my wife. She’s not my wife.”

Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Cyber location: www.hypknowsis.com

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

I am a professional part time. I work Weds and Sundays a therapist, and as a university lecturer and researcher the rest of the time.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

Yes, Active Metaphor Therapy. This comprises Metaphor modeling, cognitive modeling and various eclectic forms of visualization. But I also use a lot of directed direct suggestion.

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

Regression. Because it is a sham. The ‘memories’ people tell you are not memories, they are metaphors for how the client perceives their problem.

Hypoanalysis. Ditto, a sham. The whole Freudian view of ego, id etc, is nonsense, along with wanting to kill your father and all the rest of that bizarre menagerie of weirdness.
Relaxotherapy. Telling people to imagine being in a field full of lovely flowers does not do anything for the client. I am yet to understand how this will help people stop smoking or forget their mother.

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

Constantly. I particularly reserve some time on Saturdays to go into trance and let my mind roam free. Sometimes I do a bit of mental modelling, a bit like lucid dreaming, to see what comes up. This is a source of many of my original therapeutic metaphors. My trancing consists of lying in an armchair and doing a breathing induction until I dissociate. I them work on whatever image or body feeling comes into awareness.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I have a large detached house. I live in the upper part and have a suite of rooms on the ground floor. One is the consulting room, one is my office and one is a waiting room. There is also a separate bathroom just for clients. The consulting room has one large comfortable leather recliner armchair, and an upright chair for me. There is no desk. The chairs are along the corner of a coffee table. There is box of tissues and a glass of water.

I record all sessions. The room is very simple, with some small tables and a potted plant. My university qualifications are framed on the wall behind the client, and there are two large maritime prints on the wall behind me. The room is very small to give a sense of intimacy and personal attention. The room is fairly dark. I use natural light during the day and a 40w lamp at night.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

I normally do not have more than five clients per day. Each client is scheduled for one and a half hours. I find I cannot get anything useful done in less time than that. Even then, I often run over time. I normally see a client only once. Although some have returned as many as seven times as they repair their original problems and allow other issues to emerge. I do not take any kind of intake information. The first thing I do is to ask the client to write down their name and address on my clipboard. I use this time to examine the client as they write. I note their fingernails, their clothes, their hair and assess their general demeanor. Then throughout the session I watch their body language, both when speaking and when in trance. I do not start induction until their body language tells me they are relaxed and comfortable with me.

My first question is always “And what do you want to have happen?” I listen intently to everything the client says, especially in the first 90 seconds. I also listen to how they say it and note any metaphors they use. (I believe the whole NLP preferred modalities VKA idea is nonsense, by the way). If you listen, really listen, and do not interrupt or try to diagnose, people will tell you exactly what is wrong with them, and usually what the origin is, even if they are not aware of it themselves. If they tell me they want to lose weight, win the Daytona 500, get it on with their spouse, unalienate their children and improve their book keeping I ask then “If this session could fix only one thing, what would that one thing be?” Frequently the answer is not any of things they put on their list. If the client has come for some poorly defined thing, like ‘a fear of traveling’ I ask about how they experience it, what their upbringing was like, and keep on asking and listening until I have got a clear idea of what their problem really is, and what I am going to use to tackle it. Occasionally this can take the whole session.

I am a big fan of Rogerian empathy. Whatever the client brings is fine with me. I just keep asking, ‘Why?’ until the client gives it up. Nobody knows the problem better than the client does, and so I do not offer solutions or diagnoses or theories or anything else. The client will tell me what is wrong and how he wants it fixed. Once I am clear what the problem is, I select one of the therapy tools in the toolbox. I have no preconceived ideas of what works for what. I have used metaphor modeling, cognitive exercises, direct suggestion, behavior modification and free style visualization and combinations of all of them all for smoking, depending on how and why and where and when the client smokes. You cannot use the same tool for everybody. They experience their problem in their own unique way, and deserve a unique solution. If the client comes for a well-defined problem like smoking or nail biting, I have a set of questions for each problem that I refer to to make sure I have covered everything. I aim to identify the client’s beliefs about themselves, about their problem, and the resources they have. I always quietly fish for evidence of depression or other common problems that may be underlying their behavior and emotions. I always ask for examples of success in their life, and weave that into the hypnotic wording. Once I have identified the actual problem, the solution is fairly easy. I then apply the right tool and create an individualized therapy plan and start.

I do very simple inductions, using just breathing. I always do an eye catalepsy to test for trance, and use that to convince the client they have a special power to change. I always finish with a barrage of direct suggestions based on what they told me at the start. Then I usually do a convincer where I get the client to clench their fists hard, and then ‘let go’ of their problem. I am the type of hypnotist who goes into trance with the client so I get quite emotionally affected with some clients as I create the metaphors they need to hear. I feel quite drained at the end of some days.

After the session I enter the client details in my database of sessions, and note the main points from the interview, the targets of the therapy, and what it was I did. If the session was particularly memorable I will transcribe the session and type it up. I often revisit old cases and think through what else I might have done. After every session I write up a section ion the database that asks ‘What could I have done better with this client?’, ‘what did I learn from this client?’ and a section that asks ‘What did I do differently that I could use for other clients?’. This is my way of ensuring continuous quality control. Often at the end of a session that I thought was innovative I ask the client what they thought worked or had a particular resonance for them.

I then contact the clients in a few weeks to see how they are doing and use that feedback to improve my sessions.

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

I trained with a small training agency in NZ. It was probably the best available in the country, but looking back with what I know now, it was pretty superficial. I am not certified. I am an academic and I apply the rules of academia to everything I do. I question, dispute and ask for proof. When you do that, most of hypnotherapy falls apart. 95% of what is taught and believed in hypnotherapy is rubbish. Most of the certifying agencies are run by a bunch of unqualified amateurs masquerading as ‘experts’ to people who know even less than them. Most of the certifying agencies are scams to either promote and market a particular school, or are there for people desperate to put letters after their name. I am not a member of any of them. Which is not to say I do not believe in qualifications, I do. After I did the hypno course I went back to university and took a bachelors degree in psychology at a real university with real exams and real professors, not the ’send now for your PhD’ type that the hyno-industry is infested with. I am current writing my thesis on ‘The use of metaphor in therapy’ for a research Masters degree. I aim to have it finished in about two months. After that I want to do a second PhD, in hypnosis this time. I have to say that having been in this business for many years now, I am deeply unimpressed by people whose only ‘qualification’ is a CH or diploma in ‘clinical’ hypnosis or other such nonsense. I have every sympathy with professionals who denigrate us.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

Dragon slaying and the principles underlying it.

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

When I was starting out I had a woman who had a fear of flying. Her husband was totally fed up because they could not go on holiday ever (NZ is an island 3000km from the nearest land). She was afraid of losing her marriage. At that time I was a believer in NLP and tried to elicit the client’s way of representing. To find out if the client was primarily auditory I would usually ask ‘what was the last thing your mother said to you?’ and watch their eyes. This woman was late middle age so I reckoned her mother might be dead and I didn’t want to open up anything. She was from the Philippines, so I thought she is likely a catholic and comes from a big family and would have lots of brothers and sisters.

So I asked ‘And what was the last thing your sister said to you?’

And the woman collapsed and wailed…. ‘How did you know? Oh God, I am cursed, aren’t I? This is God’s punishment, isn’t it? I knew it! But how can you tell?’ and kneeled down and held onto both my hands like I was priest or something. It turned out the last thing her sister said, was on her deathbed, when she begged my client to look after her daughter when she was gone. And my client hadn’t. She emigrated and left her back in the old country. The client was in total awe of me, that I could read her mind and got the reason with my first question. After that, as far as she was concerned I could walk on water.

So I did a quick Gestalt session and got her sister to forgive her, and I then hypnotized her and gave her a lovely visualization of flying in God’s pure skies with her husband, clean and safe. I got a postcard several weeks later.

And I don’t ask that question any more.

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

Practice, reflect. Practice, reflect. Try something different, reflect. Practice reflect. Go back to start.

Yesterday, a sad, sad, sad, thing happened here on the transparent hypnotist.  No, you will not find it in the comment section (yesterday’s comments rocked, by the way).  It was one of those behind-the-scenes things that can happen on a blog.  As you may be aware, I participate in a program called Entrecards.  It is a great way to get your blog noticed and to read many other great blogs.  The premise is that you build up so many credits by dropping cards so that you can use those credits to buy advertising on other’s sights.

But yesterday, I saw a blog I thought would be the kind of blog that I should advertise on.  Sadly (yes, get the tissues ready) my ad was rejected. Why, you may wonder?  It was rejected because the blog’s owner does not believe in hypnosis and therefore cannot endorse my blog.  I am not criticizing her. I appreciate her honesty and her integrity of only putting what she believes in on her own blog.  In fact, I suspect, she is a rather brave girl.

But, it is still sad that there are people who fear hypnosis.  Or perhaps she has tried it and it was a bad experience or it did not work as quickly as she would have liked. I get so wrapped up here that I forget that there are those out there who could still use a dose of education about how hypnosis works and all that.  And on the other hand, it is a good reminder that our work is nowhere near finished.

I was all set to just go with that, but then more yicky news pinged into my email.  In Atlanta (hang in there Josh), apparently there was a rapist who just went to jail (yea). The first article I read about it mentioned that he was a hypnotist.  So, I thought, great.  Here we go - more reasons for people to be afraid of hypnosis.  Crap.

But…interestingly enough, the media is not all evil on this.  Many have reported that this guy posed as a hypnotist (how do you pose as a hypnotist?) and a therapist.  Those whom have brought charges are both in their teens and were apparently were seeing him for coaching (that really sucks, too, as many of us consider ourselves coach).

In sipping the Darjeeling, I guess what it all amounts to is that there are good people and people who veer off from the good path. If you read other news, there are other rapists out there who are lawyers, doctors, insurance companies (wait, I mean insurance representatives) and blue collars. Perhaps I am just over sensitive on the usage of the word hypnosis.

It is all just so frustrating sometimes. Sigh.  My tea has gotten cold.

Source: 11 Alive News

Yesterday we talked a bit about licensing hypnotists and both Craig and Michael responded with not seeing a need for such action.

But Craig brought up an interesting point about having worthwhile testimonials. I think this goes hand in hand with word of mouth communication.  Both can be really helpful, but here’s the rub for me. Testimonials. If real, they are fabulous. Unfortunately, I have seen many hypnotists who have a ton of testimonials and they are not real.  Actually, let me make this broader.  I have seen many businesses that have tons of testimonials and wonder about the truth of those statements. I have known several businesses to make them up.  So, on a personal level, I never give much stock to them and I cannot believe I am the only one (Craig, I am not saying you cheat, I just know others who do).

So, is there some way to know if they are real?  Many of my clients, for instance, who have written testimonials, do not want me to put their full name because often what they say in the testimonial is not something they want the public to know.  Do you tell by the sincerity?  I know this is totally negative on my part, but it has always been a quandary to me.

Every now and then hypnosis gets a little caught up in the whole “should it be licensed” thing. I was sure we talked about it here last year, but I cannot find any mentions. It is a subject that always seems to be an under current on our consciousness (okay, I am speaking for me, maybe not the whole universal consciousness of hypnotists everywhere)

See the thing is, for those not familiar with hypnosis in the States, we are not licensed. I am hoping that one of my hypnosis friends will chime in with an elegant reason for this. Instead what many of us do instead is become certified by an organization (I believe many of those you read here are National Guild of Hypnotists people). With this we have to go through hours of practice and testing before we are certified. We also have to maintain continuing education credits. It is all for the good. We have a code of ethics and a client bill of rights.

Enter those who are licensed and do hypnosis such as psychologist, doctors and the like. Please note that I am showing no disrespect here at all. I think there is room for both of us, and I am definitely glad several members in the professions who are licensed see the value of hypnosis. I do believe they help legitimize what we do. Apparently, though, in the land down under, a few have issues with whom can practice hypnosis.

So, lets take a brief look at South Australia. Though I cannot find a decent source on the licensing of hypnotist (I find many who say they are not licensed), there was an article on their ABC news that their government is thinking about deregulating hypnosis and psychometric testing. Nice how those two are put together in this. In my mind, they seem very different. Apparently this has a lot of people up in arms (I can see the testing being a problem - if anyone can administer the test, without an impartial scorer, it could be used against people in an unsavory manner). And the South Australia’s Psychological Society is all up in arms about this. They say deregulation can have “dire consequences.”

Interesting. Is it the testing or the hypnosis that will have dire consequences? Why are these two subjects, testing and hypnosis, lumped together?

Source: ABC News

How it gets to be Monday so fast, I will never know. Today’s task here at the Transparent Hypnotist is to embark on a little Spring-cleaning. Rather than sweeping up with a broom (okay, a shovel), I am going to spend some time adding some functionality to this blog. A lot of it will not be noticeable to you, my dear reader (spam filters on the comments and things of that nature).

But there will be one thing you can help me decide on and that is Zookoda.com. No, it is not a mobile phone that features animal sound ring tones. Rather, it is an email subscription service that will allow you to receive an email every so often from me (it could be daily, weekly, or monthly - I am probably opting for monthly), which summaries the past month’s posts on this blog. Hence, this may be more spring-cleaning for you as well. With such a function, it consolidates everything in one neat email. This is great if you are only a sometimes reader.

For bloggers, this is a way to create a subscription base of visitors you know who want to read what your posts. It allows people to sign-up and keeps track of who does what with the email (including click-through rates and unsubscribers). According to the specks of Zookoda, the email can match the blog’s look and here is the big one - it is a great way to reach mobile readers - you know the ones - they read all their email on their mobile devices, phones, iPod touch, and such. As a blogger, you can also opt to schedule broadcast (the newsletters), so that it happens automatically. Nice. Oh, and did I mention this service is FREE.

As I continue my clean here and a magical button that say “subscribe to the transparent hypnotist newsletter here” appears, now you know what it means. Now please lift your fingers from the keyboard so I can dust there.

Since feeling righteous this week and sermonizing, why stop now? LOL. After much contemplation, I may have walked down the road of some negative stuff yesterday (well, it was a negative subject that I started with) and it is time to get off that path and return to normal mode of being more positive or at least giving it a spin. You practice what you preach and all.

But, as I said, why stop the sermon now? Why? Because it is time for the Sunday Question and I will give you the opportunity to preach if you desire.

For hypnotists: Has there ever been a time when a client has asked you to help him or her by using hypnotic suggestion for something that might normally seem morally wrong to you - and have you done what they have asked and if so why?

For non-hypnotist: Have you ever considered changing something within you that will allow you to win, even if it means negatively affecting your competition, and if so, what is the change and why would you do it?

These are not condemning questions, but ones that are more consciousness based.

Do we have any golfers out there? Me. Oh no. Nope. Ellie does not ruin her perfectly nice walks in the country by chasing after a tiny ball she can barely see upon the landscape. LOL. Actually, I am all for golf, anything that gets people outside, breathing clean air and taking their mind off stress is okay by me.

So, on this perfectly spring day (for those where there is snow, just pretend it’s warm and sunny), let’s talk about golf and hypnosis. We have Jack Nicklaus who uses visualization and Tiger Woods who could be the poster child for self-hypnosis. None of us could question their success (I suppose there might be a few who insist on being obstinate).

This comes to mind with the recent publication of Black Ops Golfer™, the book by Bill Gladwell and Malcolm Phoenix. Speaking of obstinate, here is a quote from their press release:

Black Ops Golfer™ (BOG™) turns these practices on their heads and instead uses covert hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming™ (NLP™), and mind control techniques to sabotage the performance of fellow golfers.

Lovely. How to add more negativity into the world. Now granted, I have not read their little manifesto, but this particular line in their public relations turns me off. I would rather win anything by playing fairly and doing the best job that I can, as opposed to using underhanded techniques that only show how low I have sunk in humanity’s muck.

But, I suspect this little statement that I am objecting, too, is probably hype. I suppose it would appeal to those who are desperate to win or to control freaks (they do use the word ‘mind control‘). Or perhaps, it would appeal with reverse psychology as well - people may want to read it to know what sort of manipulations their opponents may try to use against them.

Anyway, Gladwell and Phoenix, consider yourself slapped with Ellie’s proverbial wet rag for not helping our cause. Covert hypnosis, my a-s.

Cyber Locations:
www.emcpodcast.com - The Realm of Bliss podcast
www.niteflirt.com/LadyRuetha (adult site)

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

I am part time for now, but as of the first of next year hope to go completely full-time.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

I specialize in two forms. The one for the “mundane world” is childbirth hypnosis, but the one I do more than that is erotic hypnosis.

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

I haven’t done anything stage-wise yet, but I’m not ruling it out for the future.

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

I use it for many things, from my own weight management to relaxation to more esoteric applications. It’s a fantastic tool, and I think any hypnotist not using it needs to examine exactly why they’re not.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

It varies, from private childbirth classes in client homes to a small trailer office on my property.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

At this point, or ideally? Right now, it involves getting up at 5am to make the day job, working that, family time or class time, and then private erotic phone sessions. I’d like that to be a bit less rushed!

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

I am certified, but I prefer not to specify the certifying body since I do erotic work.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

I use too many to pick one. A lot of my work is done by phone, so I tend to use a lot of imagery, though.

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

I was doing a fantasy role-play with someone and he reacted badly to water. I learned quickly how to detect and deal with abreactions, especially when I am not present physically. I also learned that my own calm is the best tool I have in those circumstances.

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

I don’t know what the big fuss is about ADD clients. They’re *easy.* It always boggles my mind when I see whole-day seminars on dealing with them.