The Transparent Hypnotist

With a past week where most of the hypnosis email pinging in was about Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus losing his memory (hypnosis apparently did not help restore it), it was a wonder that anything else found its way to my notice. A side note though - the fact that the Bjorn Ulvaeus press releases made it into the papers is an interesting look at the PR that is going into the new feature film Mama Mia! Good for them for keeping it in our consciousness in creative ways.

The Good
Think back for a moment - going back to your earliest memory of visiting a dentist. Were you scared? Was it traumatic? Oddly, all I remember about mine was the nasty flavor of an orange fluoride treatment (it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it). But what if dentists started doing it right - soothing offices, nice dentists, calm receptionists, cartoons playing, and add a side of child-hypnosis, you might have the makings for a non-harrowing first time dental experience. This is what www.toothbeary.co.uk does to help children through their first time. Kirsty Robinson wrote about taking her son there for the Daily Mail.

In the Shields Gazette there was a lovely article about hypnotist Michael Laybourn and why he switched from nursing to hypnosis.

The Bad (so cool)
Hypnosis as a fountain of youth. I love it. I am so there. LOL. Well, hypnosis as a physical body fountain of youth is what hypnotist Janice Taylor suggests for avoiding wrinkles. Apparently Doris Day, MD at the New York University Medical School has found hypnosis may just be useful in fighting the aging battle.

The Unsatisfying
Ah, finally…past life regression pops up in an article in the Ann Arbor News. I am not sure who authored the article - it is not easy to find. Anyway, it is almost even a satisfying article - almost. The end veers off like a pebble that randomly gets thrown off an embankment. I say this because it almost culminates with my point of view - that past life regression is an excellent doorway into the subconscious. I think this is the important part of this sort of experience. To me, the least important thing in past life regression is if it is real or not. And that is where the article ends, with the author showing doubt about the reality of it. Very unsatisfying.

Good gosh, it is well into the afternoon. Yes, I slept in - really slept in. The transparent hypnotist went out last night and no, do not finish my sentences with thoughts of glamorous and expensive alcohol followed by some way too expressive coffee blend. The reality is that I went to visit a friend of a friend (with first friend). The interesting thing about the evening (which went until early morning) was that everyone there, but me and my partner still smoke. They do not just have a cigarette outside on the deck, they go whole hog and lite up in the house. Wow. It has been a long time since I have seen an ash tray in use. I thought they had become archaeological relics.

Before this I had almost forgotten that there are people who really do have cigarettes well enmeshed in their lives. Maybe I have become out of touch. Of course I still have the client who comes to me for smoking cessation, but I have become used to being in a relatively smoke free environment.

The aftermath for me and my partner is that we both feel hung over (and there was no alcohol to be had last night), smell like a bar, and I feel like I am exhaling nothing but carbon monoxide. Food taste awful, the coffee is bitter, and my lips are chapped. Not ever being a smoker, I wonder if this is what it would be like to take up smoking without the desire to do so? Is this how it starts out for the person who is sucked into smoking because of peer pressure? Or is there more to it? I hear of a nicotine rush, but it must be all that to get past the rest of unpleasantness. No, that is not the Sunday Question, but if you want to talk about it or answer those questions, I would love to hear your thoughts.

There are times when, as a hypnotist, I guess I become a little blind, especially to smokers (many of clients who come in to stop smoking seem really angry about the decay of societal acceptance for the habit). Empathy about the reality of cigarettes gets lost in the psychological notions that I hear about from smokers. I forget the true experience (or the aftermath). I know there are pre-talks out there that depend on the ugliness of the physical impact of smoking and how you gain good health when ceasing the habit. But, I admit last night was a wake up call. I get what it like to not enjoy food to the fullest. I would miss the real taste of coffee (good grief, what must tea taste like?).

With this in mind, my question is, what do you do to keep yourself grounded when dealing with people or clients and their problems? Do you need empathy or is it just their beliefs that are important? How much does your subconscious mind play in your success with people?

As I sat placidly sipping coffee and going through my email, one caught my attention in a jarring way. It sort of felt like the sharp, cold, steel feeling of chomping down on tin foil. My heart actually sped up and I realized how attached I have become to this blog and its contents

There it was - someone else doing 10 Questions. Was this an odd pingback? Was this another one of you fine folks republishing my Friday segments? I will answer this questions in just a moment. For this second, I just thought it was odd to actually feel something a bit unpleasant. It is not as if I invented the interview or the 10 question idea. In fact it came from another blog that does nothing but 10 question interviews of other people. Am I opposed to other hypnotists doing interviews? Not at all. The more we can spread the good word, the better.

So, rather than letting my imagination totally run rampant before enough caffeine hit the blood for rational thought, I read the email. It turns out that the Burlington Union does a 10 question interview in its entertainment section. Excellent. This time, they did an interview with hypnotist Paul Gustafson. It is actually a great interview.

So much for bitting into tin foil…this was much closer to taking a sip of a decadent latte.

Location: West Vancouver, BC

Cyber Location: www.MindClickPartners.com

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

I am a full-time Clinical Hypnotist, but also maintain my license as a
Registered Nurse.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

I have not yet specialized my practice. Perhaps that time will come, but
right now I enjoy seeing clients of all ages, walks of life, and for a wide
variety of issues. Clients come to me to for emotional issues like
fears–public speaking, of dentists, flying, spiders, heights and the like.
Others seek help for overwhelming feelings like anger, sadness and guilt.
Physicians refer their patients to me for diagnosed physical issues like
chronic pain, cancer, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), skin conditions,
fertility, childbirth preparation or high blood pressure. Then there are
those clients who come to see me for self-development and life improvement.
These are individuals who feel a bit stuck or limited in some area of their
life and want to break through those limitation and barriers and make things
better. This might be the business man or woman who wants greater
confidence, work success, ace their job interview, increase their earnings,
or make better decisions; or the athlete who want to improve their sports
performance, learn faster and increase their focus. Having said all of this,
I have a ’soft spot’ for my fertility and childbirth preparations clients as
that was my area of educational and clinical specialization when I was doing
direct care Nursing. Also, as my corporate clients increase, I will find
myself doing more off-site workshops in the areas of worker wellness and
development. This is an area I like a lot because I spent 16 years in the
corporate world and feel very comfortable there.

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

I do not set out to do past life regression. Sometimes my clients go there
while hypnotized, and in that case I deal with what the client presents as
that is what the subconscious mind served-up and must need attention. Some
of my clients believe in past lives and others do not. I always ask my
clients about their beliefs are so that I know what their frame of reference
is. Sometimes clients with no stated beliefs in past life ‘pop’ back into
what appears to be a past life. This surprises and fascinates them. My
clients often ask if the past life experience they just had was ‘real’. My
reply is that I don’t know if past lives are ‘real’ or a ‘made-up’ construct
of their mind and that it doesn’t really matter. What I do know is the
experience they just had in my hypnosis chair is real for them. I meet my
clients where they are and we deal with whatever the subconscious mind
brings to conscious awareness.

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

I do self-hypnosis every day. I use a variety of self-hypnosis methods and
pick and choose depending on what I am personally using it for. I have been
doing self-hypnosis for almost 30 years. I learned the process from a book.
I teach all of my clients some form of self-hypnosis so they can reinforce
the work we do in the office and have a tool they can use anytime they want
for the rest of their life. I encourage everyone, if they cannot manage
anything else, to do at least 5 minutes of self-hypnosis everyday for the
amazing health benefits of evoking the relaxations response. Twenty to
thirty minutes per day is better, but I understand that not everyone feels
they can manage that every day.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I have a wonderful space. I love where I work and the minute I saw my space
I knew it was perfect for me. It was a former sports equipment store, which
I totally remodeled to suit my practice. It is a modern space and decorated
in soothing colours. At the front of the space, I have this amazing store
front with a street presence. This is the reception area of my office with a
sitting area and shelves for the retail items that support the work I do and
the development of my clients. Beyond the store front is a large, roomy
group meeting space where I hold my workshops and have guest workshops. This
meeting area is outfitted with a projector and screen, a place for
refreshments, tables, comfortable chairs for hypnosis and allows groups of
14. Finally near the back of my space is my private therapy room/office.
This is where I work with clients 1:1. This room is outfitted with a large
desk, some chairs for the pre-hypnosis review and a reclining lounge chair
for the actual hypnosis.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

I can only see 4-5 clients on any given day because each of my sessions is
85 minutes in duration. I make time in my calendar to see clients Mondays to
Friday from 1000h to 1700h and try to keep Saturday solely for workshops and
other tasks involved in running one’s own business. I also run workshops
several evenings during the week. My corporate client base is developing so,
as my corporate clients increase this will decrease the number of individual
clients that I can see. Much of my corporate work requires me to be onsite
conducting workshops. I strive to have a balance between these two types of
clients. So, as you can see, none of my work days is ‘typical’. I have a lot
of variety in my practice.

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

I was trained at The Institute of Clinical Hypnosis in London, UK. That
course is accredited by:
The Hypnotherapy Society http://www.hypnotherapysociety.com/
The General Hypnotherapy Register
http://www.general-hypnotherapy-register.com/
The General Hypnotherapy Standards Council http://www.ghsc.com/

Since this training I have done numerous continuing education trainings in
the UK and North America. I maintain membership with the National Guild for Hypnotists (NGH)
http://ngh.net/ ; the Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (BC)
http://www.hypnosis.bc.ca/

I also maintain my Registered Nursing license with http://www.crnbc.ca/

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

This is a tough question…there are so many great techniques. I would have
to say the affect bridge to age regression is a very powerful and useful
technique. It is an integral part of the 5-Path process I use in my practice.

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

I would have to say the cell phone is a big interrupter. I have my clients
turn off their phones, but still had this one client that didn’t turn it
off, but kept it on vibrate. This client had a persistent caller and after
the third vibrating call the client’s eyes popped open and they began to
search around for their phone. I got him to settle back into trance and
continued, but now I know to emphasize to turn the phone completely off and
also to routinely make the suggestion that all outside sounds just serve to
deepen their trance.

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

My advice to clients is that the only way to get the life you want is
through growth; growth means change; everyone naturally fears the unknown
involved in change; but the way out is through and hypnosis is the best way
through. This is why I say MindClick Partners is ‘the way to change’.
My advice to hypnotists is to continue to study widely across other
disciplines as this will inform you practice and to continue your hypnosis
training for as long as you practice.

How do marriage counselors do it - go on daily working with couple dissension?  Is there a class one takes in dealing with some of the ugliness that can occur or is it a process of desensitization?

In my Friday 10 Questions, I always ask people about their worst hypnosis session and how it turned into a valuable learning experience. I might have just had mine the other day. It was not so much the hypnosis aspect or trance work that was the problem, but the time before we actually went into my session room. I will not say this was so much of a pre-talk, as this was a returning client who has scheduled several sessions to work on various things. So this was not the client’s first time in the office.

She always brings her husband along and wants him included with everything (a whole ‘nother scary story). So, as I joined them in my waiting room and was getting ready to take her back to the session room, I asked the polite, “how is it going?” This met with a tad bit of hesitancy, but she answered it in a usual greeting.

“So, what do you want to work on today?” She looked wide-eyed over to her husband and I felt the inkling that something might be a miss.

“Anger management.” Well this seemed helpful and thought out. But without going into the total details, it went from a pleasant conversation to disaster in less than five minutes. Basically, she wanted to “disable” the buttons he seemingly pushes that set her off. He took this very badly, not realizing “he” would be the subject of a session. I can see how that might be upsetting. But, it seems admirable that she wants to work on such a thing - can’t change the other person and all that. Well, with her trying to explain herself to him, it got ugly. He exploded and walked out. I told her we could reschedule the session and that she should probably go deal with her husband. She agreed and left. Then I heard it - the scream fest out in the parking lot.  I am not sure I mentioned this before, but my office is in a business district. I share a building with four other offices who have people coming and going at all times.

And what did I do?  I sat there at my desk like an idiot, hoping it wold just blow over.  The argument increased. I had to do something, but what? Just going on instinct, I grabbed a box of tissues and two bottles of water and headed out to the site of the battle. I think I totally startled them by just handing them the water and tissues. Thank goodness. They stopped arguing at high decibels and I did not have to say anything.

Instead they headed back up to my office with me. They both decided to press on. But all I had to do was again ask her the question, “can you give me a goal you want to work on?”

Nothing she could say would pacify him. It started again (but a little more quietly). I think she could have said she wanted to work on smoking cessation (she does not smoke) and he would have taken it to heart. At that point, I got up from my chair and looked at them both.

“Basically, I am going to give you five minutes to decide what you want to do. Both of you need to remember that she is my client and it is her issues I am working with today. You both need to be on the same page about where this is going. I really think we should reschedule.”

And so I went into my office and had a cup of coffee. She came in shortly after. I asked if she would be better off doing this on her own, but she looked terrified and said he would not let her. Again I asked if she wanted to reschedule but she said they were okay now.

And so it seemed to be.  It was as though I had imagined the whole episode. He was polite and seemingly the ever supportive husband.

Sigh.

We are off to running start today.  Are you? Anyway, still wanted you to know that I am here (even if you won’t take part in the weekly poll…). Thought I would just let you know that I sent a general email to the National Guild of Hypnotists asking them for their point of view on the whole erotic hypnosis issue.  I asked if they were black balling people who speak at other hypnosis conferences and why?  I think it would be great if they would respond, though they seem slow in doing so.  I know they are getting ready for a conference, but this little correspondence should only take a few moments. So, NGH leaders…if you are reading this, please respond!

“He falls asleep on me,” she told me, “All I have to do is start telling him about my day and he falls asleep. Am I that boring? I listen to him and he has no life. I can stay awake.” These were the words of a recent client. She came to me for other reasons, but these comments stuck with me.

“Is this at night?” I asked, thinking about my own personal experience with people falling asleep during my late night sermons.

“No, it’s all the time.”

“All the time?”

She nodded, “All the time. I don’t even have to speak. He could be cooking dinner and down he goes. He once fell asleep in the shower and hit his head pretty badly. Woke him up, though.”

Narcolepsy, I wondered.

“Has he been to the doctor for this?”

Again, she nods, taking another sip of tea, “Yeah, they gave him pills, but he doesn’t like to take them.

Oh dear. Granted I do not know that much about narcolepsy, but it sounds fairly dangerous, not to mention a potential creator of low esteem for those around who do not understand. But, I know several people who prefer not to go the pill route these days (okay, so I can even relate).

Oddly, she did not ask me if I could hypnotize him for this. Instead, she wanted to know what I thought she could do to be more interesting so he would stay awake. And of course, I explained that I am not a doctor and cannot really give her any advice in his area of afflication, but she could ask him if he had been diagnosed with narcolepsy. Then she could research it herself and understand it. She muttered something about having a hard time remembering such big words (that’s another story).

Well, it did make me wonder what sort of options are out there for people with narcolepsy. Though I am not so sure it would work for the narcoleptic, but it just might, I found a neat little device called the Nap Zapper. You wear it behind your ear and it senses when you are about to doze off. It then provides a gentle alarm to help you wake up. Granted, it is sold in places that sell Keychain mace, but it is an interesting notion. Actually, it would be a great tool for long distance drives (I have one coming up here again). Hmmm…

And I am ever reminded of the mad tea party from one of the Alice books, where the dormouse keeps falling asleep in his tea cup. Interesting when someone is not on your wave length. I mentioned this to my client - that she must sometimes feel like Alice at the mad tea party. She looked blankly at me and noticed her cup was empty.

Did last week go on incessantly for anyone else? It seemed never-ending, yet productive, so all is well. So here we are saying Hello to a new week full of potential!!! But before we totally let go of yesterday, let’s take a look at what happened in the hypno world last week.

The Good
Bernadine Coady decided to be her own anesthesiologist. This trained hypnotist (18 years), used self-hypnosis to undergo investigational knee surgery (arthroscopy) in a private orthopaedics and spine specialist hospital in Peterborough (UK). This is the third time she has used self-hypnosis for anesthesia.

Fear of flying? The Calgary Herald posted a wonderful article about the fear of flying and ways of dealing with it. Hypnosis is of course well talked about in this article as a possible option for handling with such phobias.

The Star offers a few tips and thoughts on self-hypnosis.

Mike Bishop gave a witty interview about his comedy, stage hypnosis to the The Times-Mail.

The Bad (as in cool)
Hypnotist Anastasia Stephens for the U.K.’s Independent wrote about several ways hypnosis can improve one’s life - including citing a study the showed hypnosis indeed could increase breast size.

The Ugly
There are all sorts of allegations in the Armenian elections that Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian used mass hypnosis and NLP techniques to fraudulently win the recent election. I don’t know what to say about this…it seems ridiculous. Here is the quote:

In an interview with the daily “Aravot” published on Tuesday, Hovsepian insisted that many of the opposition demonstrators were hypnotized by Ter-Petrosian’s and other opposition leaders’ use of words such as “fatherland,” “family” and “we’ll win.”

There is the earthy scent of a clean world, slightly acidified, but fresh, as the rain hits the ground.  The screen doors are open and there is also the smell of biscuits backing in the oven. Despite the lack of sun, it seems everything is becoming all brand new  (I was reading E.E. Cummings last night).  And the world is right at this particular time.

Yet this same wondrous day would be different if the smell was of fried grass, browning in the drought, nothing baking, and the canned scent from the air conditioner pumping away.

Since Friday I have been paying attention to smell and how it affects the rest of the senses. We all do this. I still smile at the results of my last hypnosis session and how scent played a major role in it. I have always been a bit weary of using scents in the office other than helping get rid of the musty smell.  You never know who is going to be sensitive to what. Even my candles are not particularly smelly. But I have come to think there might be a place for scent in hypnosis.

Here’s the question:

Do you use scents (candles, aroma therapy, etc.) in your practice and if so, how do you utilize it?  Have you had good results?

Yesterday in the mail I received a RenuzitTriScents scented oil air freshener to try out. Rather than putting it in my house, I took it to the office (where it was duly needed - it tends to get a bit musty smelling over night). So, rather than candles accentuating the air, I let this little piece of plastic do its thing. I clicked the oils in place, plugged it in and basically forgot all about it.

My last client of the day came in and happily we were off on a mental journey. As a deepener, it just felt right to take her to a seaside scene, and the motif more the ever tied the session together. It was incredibly vivid.

After the session my client commented on the fact that she could actually occasionally catch the changing smells of the beach - the good smells. I nodded, smiled and thought it was interesting to have someone with such a good perception of the olfactory.

It was not until it came time to shut the place down for the weekend that I discovered the external cause of my success. After unplugging the stereo, computer, and lamps, that it became apparent. There it was in my session room - the Triscents. Pleasant smells were coming from it, no more chemical than the sprays I often use. Looking at the packaging, I noticed it was the Seaside Breezes Collection - relaxing waves, beach breezes, and ocean oasis. Now I am not sure I could distinguish between the three, but the scent automatically changes every 45 minutes. Apparently it must have changed during the session.

I am sure many people use scent in their sessions, but this is the first time I have actually integrated it (go subconscious go!). It is amazing what odd household items can become props to heighten the hypnosis process.

By the way, if you are game to try it, there is a coupon at www.triscents.com for a started kit like mine.