The Transparent Hypnotist

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Money. What a complex little word that teeters on the edge of the abyss of hate and the shallowness of artificial love. It is the thread that is woven throughout our day-by-days and as we all know (US people especially) that the thread is fraying. But, I am not going to do a diatribe about the economy. There are enough other people doing that (and some doing it well). Instead, I am going to make the subject more personal.

Sure I could use more money (but couldn’t we all and there is the rub…when is enough enough?), but my topic today is more about receiving money than wishing for it.

For those who own their own businesses or run someone else’s, do you ever notice that occasionally there is some block that you need to overcome but don’t? It is the thing that most other businesses do and use successfully, but for some odd reason you rebel against it? It could be networking, advertising, changing hours, or, as in my case, accepting credit cards. Maybe it is the idea of the fees involved, the complications, the sheer paper trail. I just don’t know. And I am willing to state that I am hypocritical - I use credit cards for most everything and am miffed when someone does not accept them. Go figure.

But, like those in the more New Age lifestyles, I have begun to pay attention to the signs the universe is handing me. And the sign is clear (d–mit). It is not some spiritual awakening concept like be patient with the teenagers at the grocery store for they need compassion, too (well, they do). Nope, the sign says “accept credit cards.” Augghhhhh!!!! No longer do I seem to be able to get away with cash, checks, and pay-me-before-the-session-on-PayPal. Those days are over. It seems to be all about credit card processing.

I spent last week and yesterday, billing clients who came unprepared to pay for their sessions in the ways that I specified in advance. It was not just one. It was several - all in a row.

So, I am curious, how do you all handle being paid for your services?

This is not a problem I can go lightly into, I realize that. I have begun to compile a list of what I would need in a merchant account. These include:

• Minimal fees (none would be fantastic)
• Merchant services that I am not stuck with for a long period (if I hate it)
• Heck, a free credit card machine (after all, the company is making something off my services, I should get a little something something)
• And a free merchant service account

In doing a few moments of research, I discovered that OnlineChecks.com seems to offer these very qualities. Does anyone have any experience using this company? Am I missing anything?

Photograph by david.nikonvscanon

I survived the ghosties and goulies and am back to my normal routine (though the routine seems to change a lot these days). But I do still have a question: is the world so large that not one person reading this blog attended the MidSouth Paranormal Conference?

Anyway…

Onward, my friends. Stepping one foot in front of the other and looking backwards, here is the hypnosis week that passed.

Scientifically Good

Sometimes I think it is hard to wrap our minds around all that one experiences when dealing with breast cancer. One particular outcome for those who undergo surgery is that some experience hot flashes. Well, here is another notch on our belt - hypnosis can help eliminate those hot flashes. A study was done by Baylor University, University of Texas, and Johns Hopkins University. Out of 51 participants, half had five weekly hypnosis sessions and the other had none. The results were that 68% of the people in the hypnosis group had their hot flashes diminished. (Emax Health)

Hypnosis for dealing with depression? You betcha. According to an article in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (last year), hypnosis had a slightly higher rate of helping people deal with depression than talk therapy (Natural News).

The Good

So, let’s pretend for a moment that you are a dentist. Maybe you are the sort who would rather use the power of the the mind than chemicals to control pain and anesthesia. Where would you go to school? Try USC School of Dentistry, which promotes the use of hypnosis and teaches students how to go about utilizing it in their practice. Don’t get me wrong, there are also several dentist who become accomplished hypnotists on their own, but the idea that a dental school is incorporating hypnosis into their curriculum seems like progress to me (Imperial Valley News).

Congratulations to Maureen Bowman for being awarded the honor of calling herself a Master of Hypnosis. This was given to her by the British Academy of Hypnosis (The Sunderland Echo).

Claudia Ricci deserves to be put in this section for a story she wrote that tells about some amazing work done by a hypnotist. However, her purpose for writing the story is to discuss the skepticism that hypnosis faces even when certain medical community members have experiential knowledge of hypnosis. Sigh. (The Daily Gazette).

For those of you who are fans of audios, you might enjoy fm4.orf.at mp3 about hypnosis. It is well done and talks about what hypnosis is and is not. Please keep in mind, this is a Dutch (I think) podcast. There is a touch of the dutch language involved, but most of it is in English.

Photograph katmere

Day two. The MidSouth Paranormal Convention, Louisville, Kentucky. Spills and chills, and British cowboys (spooky).

Yep, a couple of friends convinced me this was the way to spend the weekend. So we just got in the car and drove (and drove and drove…which with the gas stuff going on has been a challenge). Checked into a generic hotel (okay, there was a small fear about bed bugs, but I think it’s all in my head - let’s hope so) and ready to hear some ghost stories. Well, see how well my self-hypnosis to help me with my fear of ghosties goes.

On a hypnotic note, yesterday magician Aron Houdini performed (amazing, but the whole dislocate the shoulder to escape from a straight jacket is gross, impressive, but gross). As well as being a magician, he’s definitely a stand up comedian. One of the things he kept telling those who volunteered was, “close your eyes, you are hypnotized.”

It was an interesting joke - particularly to a hypnotist, but I wondered about the rest of the crowd (not many hypnotists in the room). Why would that be funny to the rest of the crowd?  Did I miss something?

Anyway…

So, there I am (incognito). Where are you on this fine Sunday?

Imagine this: a comfy futon, a cup of hot, steaming cider, popcorn, and Nanny McPhee. No, not a real Nanny McPhee- not like Emma Thompson standing before you, but the movie on your TV. Some of you are probably nodding to yourself, remembering that it was on TV this past week. Sadly, I do not remember the network, I just happened upon it and got absorbed fairly quickly. This is all rather different for me because I rarely watch movies twice, but I even persevered through too many commercial breaks.

I had totally forgotten there was a little mention of the hypnotic arts. Remember? It was right before the children fake a certain illness so they would be allowed to remain in bed for the day. They are already in a bit of trepidation over Nanny McPhee’s abilities to make them do tasks they had no desire to fulfill.

One child proclaims:

I worked it out.
She’s a trained hypnotist.
That’s how she made us do those things.
Don’t look directly at her
and she can’t hypnotize us.

The scene moves on, and sure enough there is phenomena that causes the children to regret their choice to feign an illness.

Hypnosis, eh? Bang goes that theory.

Cute. Totally silly, but cute. I have been thinking about these little bits of ideas and at first my sometimes over-sensitivity to misguided thoughts about hypnosis began to feel the itch of irritation. But it faded as quickly as it stung. And I realized it might be a better portrayal of the hypnosis phenomena then I credited it.

With the idea that in hypnosis, you do not do anything that goes against your being, the children did not experience hypnosis. Therefore because Nanny McPhee used something other than hypnosis on the children to exert her will and teach the children needed lessons, it was not hypnosis as all.

Bang goes that theory.

Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Cyber Location: www.mygentlebirth.com

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

Part time for others, Full time on myself!

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

I teach Hypnobabies Hypnosis for Childbirth classes.

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

So far I’ve only done hypnosis for childbirth, but look forward to expanding
in to other areas.

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

Absolutely. Stress/Anxiety/Pain management, Weight Release, Peaceful Sleep.
I also hypnotize my kids if they are stressed or can’t get to sleep.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I teach classes in a room with several couches on which my student relax.
There are windows so it never gets very dark, but I do turn off the lights.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

I spend the mornings and evenings dealing with routine things with my two
kids and husband, and spend most of the afternoon with my 3 year old. After
everyone is in bed I watch TV, then do a hypnosis session before going to
sleep.

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

I took a home study course from Gerald Kein. I am not yet certified.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

Directed anesthesia, and nausea release. For simple stress situations when
I just need to encourage deeper relaxation, I use progressive muscle
relaxation with a light moving down the body in waves from the top of the
head to the tip of the toes. For my children, it’s taking them on a virtual
walk through beautiful scenery. So, fabulousness depends on the situation
:o)

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

One of my students (the Dad) assumed he wouldn’t enter hypnosis, so his legs
were not in a fully supported position. They ended up falling off the
table. :o) So now I make sure everyone is fully supported, and not touching
anyone, even if they don’t “plan” to enter a hypnotic state.

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

The more you practice, the easier it gets to tailor the experience to meet
your needs.

Lounging back on the couch, no inhibitions about my bare feet resting upon a coffee table (yes, teacher I would sit like this at home), the conversation turned to the ever-encroaching coldness of a mountain morning. The fact was that my peers and I were cold. The heat had not been turned on in the house and the coffee cups, a source of fast heat, had rapidly cooled to room temperature. Now, I am sure you are saying, “Silly girl, Ellie, go put on some socks.” Ah yes, that would have helped. The problem was all my socks were dirty and I was not so desperate to put on a pair that had already done their foot warming duty.

The morning was cloudy so there was no patch of sun where I could rest my frigid appendages and I would have had to share the smidgen of it with ten others.

“You know, I once new a person who through hypnosis thought herself a decent tan. Really. The hypnotist was working on relaxation with her and she visualized herself lying in the warm sun of a Brazilian beach. When she was back in normal consciousness, she had a nice, healthy tan - there was even a tan line where her watch blocked out the imaginary rays,” said one of my pale faced peers. My first thought was not about the reality of being able to manifest such a change, but rather, would such an exercise cause skin damage. Does a hypnotic tan involve harmful UV rays? Just a thought, but I digress.

My pale faced friend continued, “Well, I immediately thought I would try it. No luck. I just got hot and sweaty.”

Bingo. Hot and sweaty would be a nice reprieve for those of us not completely prepared for wintery temperatures. Another peer volunteered to do a group hypnosis session for feeling warmth.

Becoming even more comfortable, I was lulled into a hypnotic state. There was no cold. There was not hot - just a mellow me. Did she take us to that warm, perfect-bodied Brazilian beach? Nope. We were guided into a sauna experience, eucalyptus included. Our bodies relaxed in the moist heat or that was the general consensus. Then I became aware of a noise, a wheezing, a gasping sound. I came out of the experience and the sound came with me. Was it me? Was I having an asthma attack? No. My breathing was fine. As my eyes accustomed to the dim light of the cloudy day, I looked around the room. Our leader had her eyes closed and seemed to be guiding everyone through her experience, oblivious to the here and now. Did no one else hear the wheezing?

Then I spotted my pale faced friend. She indeed seemed to be struggling with her breathing. As I debated internally about what to do, she opened her eyes, got up and left the group. I followed her into the kitchen where she was got a drink of water. By this time another from our group had also arrived to see if she was okay. As it turned out, she had suffered from terrible asthma as a child and someone suggested she try a moist sauna to help her open up her lungs. It did just the opposite and today she had gone back to that experience. My other friend thought quickly and did a rapid induction (with her permission) and took her back to a time before the incident when her breathing was normal. Her breathing returned to normal. The wheezing stopped and he gave her suggestions to continue breathing well.

When we all reconvened, our guide was mortified to say the least. We discussed what had happened.

The hero of the day spoke up, “Maybe you should have guided us into an Infrared Sauna.” Then he laughed.

“What’s an Infrared Suana?” someone else asked, getting us a bit off topic. It uses the idea of radiant heat to heat the body rather than heating the air. It could be a much more positive experience for those who deal with asthma. He went on to discuss the far infrared sauna he had thought of as an investment for his health. He listed off some of the positive affects of such a thing, but broke it down to the base element - sweat. He is a believer that sweat detoxifies the body. He had ideas about meditating in such a suana and also getting the sweat factor.

Then the conversation moved on and everyone had ideas about how the breathing incident could have been avoided. My pale friend had it right, though (in my opinion). Rather than indulge in blame, avoidance and general negativity, she looked at the bright side. Maybe she needed to release something that involved her asthma. She would give some thought to that. But then she also said she had learned a lot about saunas and that was a good thing.

Photograph by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

As a daily blogger there are times when the words are painfully squeezed out of my person. They do not always flow as well as one might hope. Lack of sleep, a sense of hurry, and general worries can get in the way. And then there are times when there is so much to say that I feel carbonated, bubbly and ready to overflow. I seem to be going through such a week. My schedule here on the transparent hypnotist is full. I had today’s post ready to roll off my tap, tap, tap, typing fingers and then an incident from yesterday began to barrel through the other words, impatient and unable to wait its turn.

Yesterday between clients, I stopped by a local coffee shop. It was the sort of place where if you want a simple cup of coffee (just coffee, no foam, please), you are provided with an empty cup. Then you are required to go to a stand of coffee containers and choose your variety - regular or high octane. I usually chose a flavored sort as my partner does not appreciate the subtle hints of goodness derived from the flavored type.

So there I am, filling my cup quietly and a woman walks over next to me and refills her cup with hot water for another cup of tea. At first I am rather oblivious. This sort of encounter happens frequently, everyone minding their own business. Then my elbow is nudged. I look over and there she is, a ball of pure energy, a whirlwind of clothes and motion. She fills her cup and struggles with the little (evil) containers of cream. I catch her eye and she apologizes for accidently nudging my elbow. I smile and tell her it is okay. Yet, during this momentary interlude, she has not stopped moving. She is trying desperately to get the peel-able lid off the creamer and in trying not to squirt it out of the packet has sloshed hot water everywhere.

“Just trying not to squirt you,” she says with exuberance that does not fit the occasion. Her energy fills the tiny nook.

As I gather myself and my cup of coffee (really, I like it black), I say in passing, “Seize the day.” I do not normally say such things as an exit line, but it seems the only graceful way to exit. Then she stills. Totally. The energy is drawn within and her flurry ends. She looks at me, really looks at me.

“But then we have to consider the word ’seize’ and what that really means.”

Good grief. I walked out of that coffee shop and pondered her statement. I am still pondering it (apparently). When I said it, it came about because of her exaggerated gusto, but I suspect she was thinking of the nuances of meaning behind the word.

I looked up the definition of ‘seize.’ The first few ways of using it are a little toward the negative:

Seize - take hold of suddenly and forcibly : she jumped up and seized his arm | she seized hold of the door handle.
• capture (a place) using force : army rebels seized an air force base.
• assume (power or control) by force : the current president seized power in a coup.
• (of the police or another authority) take possession of (something) by warrant or legal right; confiscate; impound : police have seized 726 lb of cocaine.

Then we come to:

• take (an opportunity or initiative) eagerly and decisively : he seized his chance to attack as Delaney hesitated.
• strongly appeal to or attract (the imagination or attention) : the story of the king’s escape seized the public imagination.
• formal understand (something) quickly or clearly : he always strains to seize the most somber truths.

And I feel better. This was where I was headed with my comment. Seize can be positive (as in any from of carpe diem).

As I continue to ponder the word ’seize,’ I begin to wonder how we actually communicate with one another. With so many meanings and agendas it is a wonder that we ever have a meeting of the minds. Or is the meeting of such minds something that goes beyond our verbals surface. Is the meaning really something that is understood in a more complex, non-verbal way? I know there are levels to communication (gosh knows there are hundreds of words written on the subject daily), but sometimes, it is a wonder that we click at all with one another.

The music surrounded me and I was not lost. There was no surrender to the external rhythm, no movement within my soul. Instead I stood there, mountain air flowing around me, the morning begging for something more from me - a letting go, a freedom needing to be experienced. I tried to give in and be a part of the moving on, listening for the beat and trying to express it. Nothing.

This experience happened the Monday before last during a morning movement session at my retreat. I pondered about it at the time, watching all the others writhing about without inhibition on the grand porch. Was it inhibition? No. I have always been the type to be the first on a dance floor, even if it meant dancing alone. I just could not find the flow. And I realized that I had become static in life - more rigid than normal in my routine. Sure I walk or do Yoga most days, but both of those have become more internally centered than externally experienced. I go within, work on breathing and relaxation when I engage in it. Not that this is wrong, but to come out of it and experience the world around me suddenly seemed incredibly odd when called to do so and I am not so happy about it.

So, to sooth my inner dancer, ragging at the lose of external connection, it is now time to expand my horizons and make some changes within my exercise practice. Sure, I could use self-hypnosis for motivation, but at the moment I am startled enough to find I need to reengage, so that should be enough. I spent yesterday looking for movement type classes, but I kept coming up with excuses not to sign-up. Bad timing, what about my knees, too far away, and the protest kept flowing. So, then I thought about DVDs and the inner protest was silent. Videos and like have always been a great inspiration to me for trying new things. It is how I began my yoga training (from a month of video, I joined a class, received private lessons and now am mostly on my own).

Movement. Action. Flow. Those are the key words for me. Whoa. There is one more - groove. I need the music. I need to feel my body and mind lost in the groove of motion and sound. And this thought led me to XFLOWSION, trainer Eric Paskel’s combination power yoga, martial arts, and ah yes, sweet music, dance. Live band (well, when they filmed one of the DVDs), surround sound, and the idea of toning up some of the stubborn softness that the walking and yoga never seem to touch. It sounds doable, dare I say it - even fun.

Maybe you are wondering why I am sharing these thoughts with you on a hypnosis blog? Several reasons, really. First, I promised to share with you some of my consciousness experiences from last week’s retreat and this was definitely a consciousness where I need to reconnect. Second, I am setting an intention here by allowing the words out of my head and onto the blog. As hypnotists we are often stuck in the mind and it is good to occasionally pay attention to the body. The third point is that hypnosis practices often include the idea of creating a health body. If we just listen to what our body really wants (going past the couch-sitting-I’d-rather-sleep thoughts), we can reach our goals. We can use exercise to relax (gosh knows I go there with yoga), to feel alive, and to be moved.

Perhaps at some point, I will reengage the unwinding path blog and see how the Xflowsion series of DVDs, books and audios do for me. I will keep you posted.

Photograph by mr.beaver

My morning rituals have gone astray. I put on the kettle for tea, fed the cats, and began to think about this post. Then the kettle whistle blew and I took it off the stove burner. I fumbled for a tea strainer and put in a teaspoon of Jasmine tea and thought about having leftover cake for breakfast. But instead, I went back to my email. Soon I realized I needed a sip of tea. I went back to the cup and what to my surprise, there was no tea. I had not poured the water through the strainer and into the cup. Oh woe!

Now I have it together and the refreshing scent of hot tea lingers beside me. All is well. So, while I was retreating last week, the hypno world continued to revolve. Funny how that happens. LOL.

The Scientifically Good

A recent study was conducted by the Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway about “the effect of a standardized hypnosis treatment used in general practice for patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP)”. The results of the study indicated that those who received the hypnosis support for dealing with their pain improved, as opposed to those who did not receive hypnosis support. For those who are curious, the hypnosis was done once a week for 10 weeks. Each session lasted about 30 minutes and utilized relaxation techniques, ego-strengthening, and increasing one’s own ability to release their own pain. (7th Space Interactive and ClinicalTrials.gov).

Two other studies have been completed to explore the use of hypnosis in helping with gastric issues. The first was done to see if hypnosis could increase gastric acid. It did (by 89%). The second study was to see if hypnosis could be used to decrease gastric acid by allowing the participant to focus on relaxation rather than hunger. This also worked with levels becoming 39% lower. (Natural News).

The Yin Yang Effect

Hypnosis was the subject of an article in Vindy.com. It was very positive about hypnotist Auggie Ruggiero’s practice. However, there was a quote from Dr. Harvey Kayne that was fairly negative, though it attempted to give a reasonable spin on hypnosis. To me, it sounded like another slam from a threatened counselor who fears to use it for a number of reasons (doesn’t take as long as talk therapies, fear that people who are not qualified in hypnotherapy are doing it, yahda, yahda, yahda). The quote reads:

“Right now hypnosis is very, very out, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful for some people,” he said. “If you look at the literature, I’m sure you’ll probably find that hypnosis is about as effective as anything else, but not superior.”

The Good

But before I can get all out of shape over a psychologist’s quote, I came across another psychology-based person - Lisa Smith who owns Cre8tive Solutions. The South Florida Times did an article about her hypnosis practice. This article mentions that crux of our profession - most people see the medical world for lifestyle or behavioral changes, rather than hypnosis. She hopes to change that (as most of us do).

Dr. Tom Smith was diagnosed with cancer and had the experience of seeing such a disease from the other side of the operating table. However, in the process he began to use self-hypnosis, which really helped him. His story was published in the Lancashire Telegraph.

Sometimes I think the most interesting stories come straight from the hypnotist who has used hypnosis to help themselves. Natural News has published an excerpt from an interview with hypnotist Tellman Knudson and his use of hypnosis to help those with Attention Deficit Disorder.

For those of you who have missed the notion for using hypnosis to help you through the child-birthing process, there is an article about it and Caroline Stewart’s ideas as a practitioner in the Times Colonist. She is located in Canada.

Charlene Ackerman works with phobias. You might just find that she has helped someone just like you…read the article in the Janesville Gazette. The writer, Marcia Nelson, also had Ackerman work with her son on releasing a fear of needles. She wrote a separate article here.

The Bad (super duper cool)

Sam and Max, the video game is coming to the wii in October. The first game episode features a hypnosis conspiracy. (File Factory Games).

The Poll

The Aliens have landed. With 17% of the poll particiapants stating that they were aliens, it is hard to believe that there is not another species among us. :)  The poll asked about encounters. Though 47% of the participants would want to remember an alien encounter, no one responded to actually remembering such a moment. Granted 17% perferred not to remember, 10% did not believe in alien abduction and 7% did not believe in aliens, and 7% said they had been abducted but cannot remember.

Morning totally disappeared on me. I am not so sure how that could have happened, but let us pretend that I have just crawled out of bed, turned on the tea kettle and am settling into the day.

Well then - good morning!

Sigh. Ah well, it was a worthy try. I am drinking ice water and doing laundry. Cheap Jeans are rattling around the inside of the washing machine as if they were as high and mighty as a designer pair. And now you know how I dressed at my retreat for the past week. My white linen trademark suit remained in my closest at home and I let my hair down (both figurative and literally - though my hair is not so long) while away.

Discount clothes and mole skin notebooks were the standard items that remained with me like a very beloved baby blanket. I sat on the ground, lounged in trees, and wrote life manifestos for the week, finding a new consciousness in letting go. It did not matter if I even bothered with make-up. Granted I do a lot of hiking on weekends and do not fuss with the feminine during such expeditions, this was one of the first times I can ever remember feeling comfortable enough with my peers (other hypnotists and psychologists) to not care so much about the superficial me.

And I received an interesting compliment, one that might have mortified me in my public persona.

“You are so lucky - I wish I could wear Teen Clothes and get away with it.” This comment came from my roommate, an older lady, who was fairly conservative in her dressing. My eyebrows rose up in consternation.

“I don’t mean that badly. You look fine, but it has been years since I could squeeze into skinny jeans,” she said quickly and asked me where I bought my black jeans (Heavenly Couture - and yes they are having a denim sale at the moment - jeans for 13.80).

All this lead me to the realization about how clothes are so utilitarian in creating our persona’s image. I am still the same me - Ellie Blunt - professional hypnotist whether I am in linen or jeans, yet the clothes become uniforms that define us and how we are perceived. In my suit, people are more aloof toward me, but all in all, treat me fairly respectably. In my retreat clothes, though people may not have immediately have thought professional, everyone talked to me and told me of all their problems because I was less professionally formal.

So this leads me to today’s question - what roles do you play in life and how does your attire affect these roles?