The Transparent Hypnotist

It is that time of again - time to start thinking about The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®. With the recent findings in the University of Liverpool’s study on how hypnosis slows down the progress of dementia, many of us would be the perfect team captain. What better way to get the good word of hypnosis out while helping a most worthy charity. There are also needs for volunteers and participants.

For those of you who are not hypnotists, Alzheimer’s is something the will probably impact us all (as I am sure you know). I recently was at a social event and ran into an acquaintance. He pulled me aside and asked if I could help him deal with his father. As it turned out, his father is in the middle states of Alzheimer’s. I mentioned the Liverpool study and of course he was interested, but what he really wanted was a little boost to deal with all the powerful emotions in having the one person he thought he could always rely upon forget who he was. This, to me, would be one of the very worst nightmares.

By supporting the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in anyway we can, maybe there will come a time when people will not have to face being forgotten by loved ones. We can do more than hope. We can be part of the solution.

Photography by Tama Leaver

Good morning, fellow tea drinkers, bloggers, and hypnotists (welcome home for many of you)! Again for those who attended the National Guild of Hypnotists conference, those of us who did not go would love to hear about it. Please consider emailing me at post about it (ellie.blunt@gmail.com).

Well, in spite of the fact that many of us were gathered this past weekend, last week was packed with hypnosis news.

Quote of the Week (think about it)

“Surprisingly, other methods such as acupuncture and hypnosis were used by fewer than two per cent of cancer survivors, even though recent studies found them to be useful in relieving some cancer-related symptoms, such as pain.”

Dr. Ted Gansler in an interview about a recent study about healing practices of Cancer Survivors. (Cancer Research UK)

The Good

Do you suffer from back pain? Hypnosis just might hold some relief for you, as cited by Benson Hoffman. A recent meta-analysis done by this clinical associate of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, showed that hypnosis (among a few other therapies) is a very good tool in alleviating lower back pain. (The Buffalo News)

Erin Wisdom for stjoenews.net wrote a compelling piece on Healing through Hypnosis. In this, hypnotists Kim Frederick and Victor Young were featured nicely.

Though the article is a little on the skeptic side, Hypnobirthing is making its way into India. Sarojini Alva Changkakoti (from Canada) is hosting a workshop in that area. It sounds greatly needed. The article in the Mumbai Daily News and Analysis also quotes a gynecologist there as saying that she has not read much on it in the medical journals. That seems a very Western stance, to me…only going with quantitative research as opposed to a mix of both qualitative and quantitative.

Now for something more fun and a little more giving. If you live anywhere near Tallahassee, Florida you might want to think about going to the The Comedy Zone on August 21 for a hypno show by Rich Guzzi. The show is a benefit for the Crawfordville Pet Adoption Center.

The Bad (as in too cool)

So, the Olympics are upon us. There is the whisper of hypnosis. I would have thought it would be a US or UK team, but it is not. According to the Los Angeles Times, to ramp up more winners, the Chinese are now using hypnosis, meditation, yoga and the like to help easy the pressure of the games. This makes me think of Warf from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He made a good point about gaming - why do we keep score if it is just a game?

Okay, I admit it - I don’t really keep up with college football (American), but I am now hoping to hear that the The University of Nevada’s football team is really good. Why? Oh, come on, you know the answer. Hypnosis - according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The team’s running back’s father is a psychologist, Dr. Brian Lippincott, and helps some of the players with visualization to cut back on some of the playing chaos, helps them achieve patience to not make an unwise, hasty move, and also employs time distortion techniques.

The Ugly

Poor Positive Changes, a hypnosis franchise, has caught the attention of the state of Connecticut, as reported in the courant.com. Last week (as posted here), watchdog reporter George Gombossy wrote an article for courant.com about how one branch of Positive Changes lied and misled the public about their credentials. Now both the Hamden and Hartford branches are being looked into by the Attorney General and the State Consumer Protection Commission.

Photograph by Horst Petzold

My apologies about yesterday. I thought I would have time for the usual loitering, have a cup of coffee, and write in the blog sort of day, but alas, I was called away from the morning reverie before the creative juices stirred from their pipes.

For whatever reason, when I awoke today, the idea of rivalry was in my mind. Could have been a dream or something all together darker within me, but the subject is nagging me and wants to be addressed.  Maybe it comes to mind because I know many of you may be in Massachusetts still and I know how amazing hypno conferences are these days. People are friendly (with the exception of finding that you practice in the same town as they themselves do) and we all seem to get along just fine (okay, there are always a few personality clashes that manifest, but nothing big).

Then I return to my statement that people are great, but first thing everyone wants to know is where you practice. It seems a precursor for connecting. Oh, you are not competition, we can be friends. That sort of thing - codicils on connecting and openness. Strange things, we people are.

I also recall I conversation I had with another hypnotist who had planned to open a practice near mine. He called for referrals and such, and was surprised when I reacted in a friendly way toward him. In my mind the mantra, there is enough business for us all, ran continually. Then he gave me a sob story about having to leave town if he could not generate enough work. Now granted I make a living, but my car is old, my housing cheap and I do not live extravagantly. So, I gave him a pep talk and never heard from him again.

So here is the question, who is your rival and why?

Sorry friends, the transaprent hypnotist has to make a hasty retreat from the blogging world today.  If I told you why, I’d have to hypnotize you to forget it.  LOL.  For those of you at the NGH conference, I hope you are having a marvelous time!!!

See you tommorrow!!!

Location: West Midlands, UK

Cyber Location: http://www.russellhemmings.com/

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

I am a full time hypnotherapist and at teach hypnotherapy at the Bridge College of Clinical Hypnotherapy.

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

Due to work pressures I use self hypnosis every day that allows me to maintain my high work load and it gives my nervous system a rest.

Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I work in a purpose built college with five consulting rooms and lecture theatre.

Describe a typical day in your life.

I will only see three to four clients a day as this gives me sufficient time to allocate to them and in between use our gym every day to get rid of the adrenaline, you have to practice (what you preach.)

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

I qualified with a diploma with distinction at the Bridge College of Clinical hypnotherapy and use direct suggestion,NLP and CBT.

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

When I was a student training I saw a fellow student experience an abreaction and at the time not realizing what was happening I was quite shocked.

Later when working with clients I have been able to draw on this experience many times, the experience has been a blessing in disguise having had the experienced it has prepared me for other abreaction I have experienced.

Any words of advice to potential clients or other hypnotists.

I will never forget the advice I received as a student I was told by a wise trainer, with empathy and rapport, hypnotherapy is a powerful tool but without them hypnotherapy is powerless.

All of the change work that happens at the Bridge has a foundation built on empathy and rapport my advise to any one wanting to learn Hypnotherapy is to develop their empathetic skills along side their hypnosis training.

Excuse me while I get another tissue. Sneezes abound. Good grief!

You know, I thought I was done talking technical stuff, but I guess with running a business in this day and age, it is hard to ignore it. I think it is as much a part of life as was learning to type (which I never learned…but some how picked up) and wishing for a good secretary.

I did something quite fun yesterday and I could not have done it without my computer. In beginning to work with clients in a long distance capacity, I still struggle with phone issues (dropped calls, etc. - by the way, Michael, I think you mentioned Skype…but when I use it there is an echo and it sounds awful. Am I doing something wrong?). I have also learned that I rely heavily on visuals. So, I decided to try video.

Yesterday I turned on my MacBook, logged into iChat, as did my client (Mac users unite) and off we went. The latest MacBooks have a built in web cam. Granted I was tempted to make it look like I was in Paris (Eiffel Tower, thank you very much) but for professional purposes I kept the back ground as my office. Upon our scheduled time, there she was. The audio is very clear (I do use a mic) and the picture quality is good enough to see visual cues). I could see her environment (a bit) and know if there were distractions on her end, see her reactions, and it seemed much easier than just going by sound. It’s not like being in the same room, but it is close.

So, I cannot say enough about the joys of the MacBook. I run everything in my business off of it - my financial side of the business, my blogging fixation, my filing, everything…

Stop grimacing PC people. I accept that Macs may not be for everyone, but neither are PCs. I guess it is like any relationship…sometimes something just clicks and you find the one for you.

Oh…and for those who are thinking about going all Apple, there are various discounts and Apple couponsavailable. There are great deals to be had.

Ah, that’s better. Today I awoke to a feeling of being much more organized. Everything in its place. Everything as it should be. The only glitch seems to be that after making a nice, steeping hot cup of Darjeeling, I am really in a coffee mood.

If you read my post The List is Long from Monday, you will have noted under the ugly section there was one entry and it had to do with the company Positive Changes giving out false credentials. Though I tend to agree with watchdog George Gombossy that this sort of practice is unacceptable - in any business, it was delightful to read a letter to the editor of that particular paper (the Hartford Courant). Written by Diane Ballou, she comes to the forefront as a wonderful champion for hypnosis. She had great results from that particular hypnosis franchise - in both weight loss and pain cessation. Going from a size 14 to a size 8, she lost 25 pounds. She learned to manage her pain as well. She mentioned all this to refute Gombossy’s statement:

“hypnosis has a poor track record in getting people to exercise and change their eating habits.”

In the Gombossy article, he mentioned that the program is bit costly, though I believe it has a weekly component (so a client would attend several sessions). Apparently as a client you also receive a CD and a DVD to use at home each week. In looking at the Positive Change web site, they also offer a guarantee, which I quote:

We at Positive Changes are so confident in the effectiveness of our comprehensive Six-Point System, we offer an exclusive, “no-risk” guarantee of our services.

Your success is dependent upon many variables including your attitude, motivation, cooperation and your attendance of scheduled sessions. Even though human behavior cannot be ethically guaranteed, Positive Changes makes the following service guarantee:

We want you to be delighted with your Positive Changes experience. If at your FIRST PROGRAM SESSION you are not satisfied for any reason and you do not wish to continue your program, we will refund 100% of your money.

Anyway, I am glad that Ms. Ballou had a really good experience there. That is good to hear. Anyone else familiar with this company or had experience with them?

Sources:
The Hartford Courant - Hypnosis Centers’ Credentials Don’t Check Out
The Hartford Courant - Letter to the Editor

Photography by grafixar

You may be happy to know that today I am off my video embedding jag. Instead today is slated to be one of those “get things done” days. My files are in a bit of disarray, the floor needs vacuuming, and every time I log on to post here, there is a reminder message that it may be time to upgrade Word Press (the open source program that powers this blog). And being a hypnotist and not a total technical geek (I mean that in the nicest of terms…I am a bit of a video game geek myself - and if any teenagers are reading this and rolling your eyes at just how uncool I sound, well, remember, someday you too, will be my age), I tend to cringe a bit at doing too much to the blog. It always seems to be one of those task that take much longer than planned (my partner says that about home improvement - what looks like a five minute thing, usually is not). So, maybe after another cup of tea, I will consider the upgrade a little more seriously

Now you have my confession - I am not web geek. And yet, it is surprising how many people ask me for web or blog advice. Again, I am a hypnotist, people (okay, okay, you caught me, I am flattered when you ask for my advice on web stuff…I figure it must mean that I look okay in the cyber world). But I am going to hand off any of the hosting questions to someone else. There are just so many Go Daddy verses the world conversations that are tolerable. But despite their controversial marketing campaigns (though I have hopes that they have gotten better), they are cheap and the tech service has been there round the clock for me. But, I do realize they may not be for everyone so all I can do is assert an opinion on my experience.

But if you really want to know about hosting and not hypnosis, there are web hosting geeks who rate and review various plans. Seriously, they are the Web Hosting Geeks. They review various services and give a run down by price, features and such.

Sigh.

There.

I have said my peace and am now going to turn in my web geek hat to the people who deserve it.

It is good to be a hypnotist.

Okay. Here we go. It has been over a week since I last posted about the going-ons in the world of hypnosis. It has been a busy time.

The Completely Frickin’ Fabulous

A study conducted by the University of Liverpool has shown that hypnosis slows down the progression of dementia. One study group used hypnosis and the other group attended a discussion group. The later showed evidence of decline, while the former group showed improvement.

Hypnosis for duodenal ulcers has been shown effective in helping reduce relapses. After receiving medical treatment for such an ulcer, a group used hypnosis to stop reoccurrences. Fifty percent of the participants did not relapse, where as there was 100% relapse rate for those not using hypnosis. This is according to the medical journal The Lancet (as cited in article by Steve G. Jones for NaturalNews.com).

The Good

If you just can’t get enough about hypnosis or want a basic primer, I suggest you visit Lynn Harris’ story about hypnosis (and studies relating to it) on MSNBC.

I don’t know about you, but I have never really wanted to participate in a hypnosis show (I know, I know…that’s a little hypocritical coming from a hypnotist), but I am fascinated about what the people participating actually experience. Tom Kishen decided to give it a go at Tina Marie’s hypnosis show at the Ventura County Fair. His thoughts and actions can be found in an article for the Ventura County Star.

Think about the time when you were last in pain. Maybe it was a headache or a stubbed toe. How did you handle it? What about for something more chronic? And what about children? Dr. Stefan Friedrichsdorf, Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota, teaches his young patients self-hypnosis to deal with their pain.

Kevin Chappell mentions that hypnosis is a great way to stay motivated for exercising in his article Springing Back From the Workout Blahs on redorbit.com.

Also on redorbit.com, Mark Weisberg has an article that is a compilation of 50 years of hypnosis called 50 Years of Hypnosis in Medicine and Clinical Health Psychology: a Synthesis of Cultural Crosscurrents.

Janet Sanders had a wonderful hypnosis story written about her practice in the Hanover (PA) Evening Sun, as did Cara Gallucci in the The Wellesley Townsman.

Sheila Menon discusses hypnosis and phobias in an article for the star.com.

J. Medicine Hat discusses stage hypnosis with The Columbus Dispatch.

Thom Kaz discusses the art of hypnosis and golf with KTNV. If you ain’t got that swing…

Not sleeping well? Kate Davies discusses hypnosis for sleep issues with the Liverpool Echo.

Afraid of thunder storms? Russell Hemmings is noted as helping Pat Barlow with understanding her phobia of such weather conditions.

Congrats to Theresa Jackson for opening the Wellness Within Center in Greenville, SC.

The Bad (Kind of Cool)

Many hypnotist will tell you that you experience hypnosis sometimes when you drive. It occurs when you do not quite remember traveling from point A to point B, but suddenly you are there. There is a discussion about this and what really happens during such times in Tom Vanderbilts‘ book TRAFFIC: WHY WE DRIVE THE WAY WE DO.

Gossip, gossip, gossip…Courtney Love stays thin by utilizing Paul McKenna’s hypnosis skills.

Here’s an interesting idea - helping people with the stress of performing and working at large festivals (very needed!). PG Coaching is offering courses to help people keep stress levels down from the Edinburgh Festival.

The Ugly

The Connecticut franchise of Positive Changes should be slapped with a wet dish rag for giving false credentials and misinformation to Consumer Watchdog, George Gombossy of courant.com.

A melody lingers in the air of my mind. The words scroll down my thoughts like movie credits. These continue as I write this, as I drink my coffee and think about breakfast. This particular song is a bit disembodied and I could not tell you who wrote it or really what the words portray. It is innocuous, inconspicuous, and I believe it is from the movie Meet Bill.

But I must go back before this particular song began its in inane mind ramble. Let us go back a week or two. I watched another movie (one of many). I was struck by the sound track. It was a sad, mourning sort of compilation, the type that is perfect for a good stress cry in the middle of the day. I thought about buying the sound track because it was extremely haunting.

I stopped myself from making the purchase, though. I knew I would spend hours listening to it, memorizing it, lingering over its poetics, singing along, and letting it fully into my subconscious mind. It would seep in so deeply, it would affect everything - how I viewed the world, my life, and the many moments that are seemingly random. In effect, I would live out the songs. If they were sad and self-destructive, there is a good chance, eventually I would enact something similar.

I used to think my music choices reflected my mood, but I believe they may be more profound. Currently, I am not particularly sad or feeling negative. The songs from that movie do not reflect my life, so the mood theory seems inapt. So, I enjoyed the songs as part of the whole of the movie and let them go.

But that music in Meet Bill was much more upbeat. As I watched it, the riff  that follows through out the movie (the one at the begining of the trailer) is a better fit for my life. I am not falling apart as Bill did, but the sound gives a sense that there is hope. It is mellow but pleasant. No minor cords. And as I watched and listened, I thought, if I had to pick a song to be a soundtrack for my life, it would be that particular one. Granted it is another song (the end song, I believe) that is currently in my mind, but it is the piano rift that sums me up.

With that in mind, what music plays in the background of your life?