The Transparent Hypnotist

You may now be happy to know that the postings are live again. That’s right - I am back in blogging land with a cup of coffee in hand. However, there is a part of me that feels I am still in the ether, floating and disassociated from the norms in my life. Once everything from my retreat is processed, I am sure I’ll share, but for now, I am in just begining to feel the floor beneath my feet.

So alas, no Esoteric Saturday today as I find my way through tons of email and other fun things.

Location: Ireland and Spain
Cyber Location: alangilchrist.com

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

Full time for 24 years.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

Fast track Hypnosis. For more info on this go onto my web site alangilchrist.com

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

Past life regression. People have enough problems in this life!

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

Yes, I use self hypnosis after a busy day. Also all my children were born under hypnosis.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

Main office in Belfast Northern Ireland Large with desk, black reclining chair plus audio equipment also a waiting room. Also I do clinics at hotels throughout Northern Ireland. Spain- main centre is in Cabo Roig at a beauty salon called “A Spot of Beauty” plus clinics in Catral, Guardamar, Loa Alcazares

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

10am to 10pm every day in Northern Ireland, every other week Then fly home to Spain on a Monday then start work on a Thursday. Following Monday back to Ireland.

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

Institute of Analytical Hypnotherapists.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

Fast Track Hypnosis plus Laser Therapy for Stopping Smoking in under 30 minutes.

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

None

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

If contacting a Hypnotherapist, check that they belong to a professional organization. If in doubt, check with your G. P. (particularly if you are on medication) that the therapist is known to them, or treated any of their patients.

There is no reason why anyone should put up with something ‘inside themselves but outside their control,” provided they are prepared to devote time, effort and self discipline to be free of their problem.

Art by Neville Longmore Abstract Artist

Did you actually think I would give away the powerful secret of how to hypnotize yourself? LOL. Ah, so naive.

Sorry, I could not resist. It would not be my style to take away business from the profession. However, I am working on putting together an “Ellie’s Favorite Five” self-hypnosis courses, sites, instructions or mp3. I’ll run this in the next week or two, so, if you do offer such a product and want me to consider listing it in my favorite five, feel free to send me information (ellie.blunt@gmail.com). Yep, I will publish other people who give it away. LOL.

What I will do is tell you why you should at least try a hypnotist before diving in and doing self-hypnosis on your own.

Here is the list of why you should see a hypnotist first:

• To know what it feels like to experience hypnosis.
• To learn special techniques a particular hypnotist may use to help you enjoy the benefits of hypnosis (they may give you a trigger word or concept to help you enter a hypnotic state easily).
• To help you know how a hypnotic suggestion works (and ways in which your suggestions will be more accepted by your subconscious mind).
• They make make you an audio that will help you obtain the consciousness needed for suggestion work.

Photography by gotco collective

“I can do it myself,” pouts the three-year-old to the doting parent, insistent on spoon feeding it. Sure enough, given enough patience and a little diligence (and dab from a clean washcloth), the toddler manages not only the words, but in getting the spoon into its own mouth without wearing most of the contents.

For a moment, imagine your subconscious mind as that little tike, hypnosis is the spoon, and suggestion is the substances. Yes, you can do it yourself. Just like putting that first spoonful of mashed peas into your mouth, you can feed yourself hypnotic suggestions.

The above is part of the patter I use when I begin to teach clients self-hypnosis. My other hypnotist friends maybe smiling knowingly (or have their own wonderful or similar metaphors). Many practitioners of self-hypnosis are probably also smiling in that same knowing way. For those of you not in the know (knowing now), self-hypnosis is a pretty amazing and powerful tool.

Here’s the principle behind self-hypnosis - you put yourself into a state of consciousness (call it relaxation, meditation, trance…) where conscious suggestions can be accepted by the subconscious mind.

For those who are now a bit lost in this mumbo jumbo, the idea of the self-hypnotic state is one where your mind is so relaxed or open (or occupied) that suggestions (the changes you want to make) are accepted without much censure or criticism from the part of you that is normally critical, logical or analytical.

Sounds just like regular hypnosis, doesn’t it? Or are you stuck on the idea that a hypnotist has to get you to the point of accepting the suggestions? A good hypnotist knows it is you - the client, the participant, the reader - who gets you to the point of accepting the suggestions. A good hypnotist guides in the process of getting you there and can help you work on creating suggestions that are more easily and readily accepted by the subconscious mind.

What I am getting at is the concept that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis for the very reason mentioned above. You get yourself there. You chose to go there. You allow it to work. The big difference is in how you chose to get to the point that mind will accept the hypnotic suggestion. You can go to a hypnotist (which of course I strongly suggest), you can listen to audios, or you can learn to get there yourself.

So, wondering how to get there (or what I’m about to say to do this)? Take a deep breath in gentle reader, exhale and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Photography by melisdramatic
(This is not Micheal’s family family - just an illustration for the post)

by Michael Raugh

It was Labor Day weekend, so as usual the clan Raugh gathered to put flesh to fire and enjoy the delicious results.  This year the gathering was at my house in Laurel, MD.  As an extra treat my brother John was in town with his wife and family to join us.

Various bits of beasts were grilled and enjoyed.  As day turned to evening we sat around my family room catching up and playing with my brother’s adorable daughters, ages three and 11.  So I was a little off guard when John’s father-in-law, Harry, turned to me and asked, “So you hypnotize people, huh?  How does that work?”

Hypnotists get that question, or a variation on it, often.  I rolled off my standard nonchalant answer, but instead of settling the question, it begat more:  how do you know if someone is in trance or not?  What can you do with someone when you hypnotize them?  How do you learn to do that?  And then, from Harry’s wife, “Can you show us how you do it?”

I fumbled for an excuse, but before I could put it to words, a family friend who was with us volunteered herself, took a seat in the corner camp chair, and announced she was ready to be hypnotized.  Okay, I figured, why not?  I dropped into voice and did a simple, permissive, Ericksonian induction followed by the famous balloon test.  Her arm rose gracefully and I let Harry push down on it to feel how rigid it was.  Harry was so impressed that when I brought my friend out of trance he took the camp chair and said, “I gotta try this.”

In for a penny, in for a pound, right?  So I did a Dave Elman induction on Harry and gave him a self-induction trigger so that he can go back into trance whenever he pleases.  Next, John’s 11-year-old daughter wanted to try; I did an instant induction, dropped her safely into the camp chair, and demonstrated the Brian David Phillips “happy finger” technique.  That led to more mini-sessions with my son Ben, Harry’s wife Sue, John’s wife Barbara … everybody wanted to play.  The highlight of the evening was probably when Alex, my 3-year-old niece, climbed into the chair, held out a finger, and asked me to make it a happy finger.  I obligingly stroked her finger and Alex completed the game by closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep.  Did I mention she’s adorable?

By the time everyone had had their turn it was after 9pm.  We said our goodbyes, which were heavily laced with appreciation for the fun they’d had in their brief trances.  My family has known since early in my training that I was taking this path, but this was the first time I’d practiced it openly in front of them.  It was fun.

Maybe you are just skimming this (like a good entrecarder) or maybe you read my posts faithfully, however, this morning, I am not sitting here, drinking tea and typing this. Actually I am somewhere on a retreat in the Appalachian Mountains and will be for a few more days. However, my prerecorded posts should run-like-I’m-not-even-gone.

So, to keep things on track this week, let’s look back at the past week of hypnosis news.

The Good

Maybe the above video should be in the “Super Good” or “Super Cool” heading, but it is for sure my first mention. Our own (yeah, I claim her) Debbie Lane, hypnotist extraordinaire was recently interviewed on Tampa Bay’s Channel 10 about the subject of emotional eating. The interview also mentioned her blog. It is a must see!!! Way to go, Debbie!!!

Fiona of the thisisplymouth.co.uk answered a reader’s question about dental phobias by recommending hypnosis.

The theacorn.com ran an informative article about Michele Kopulsky and hypnosis. She is located in Agoura Hills, CA.

Evi Shaw also wrote an article about hypnosis for gosanangelo.com. She mentions the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy. She is located in San Angelo, TX.

The Bad (as in interesting)

Every now and again, hypnosis is recognized in its ties to Scientology. Michael Tilse has an interesting discussion of both (and how to help someone leave the faith) on www.nolanchart.com.

The Ugly

This time, it isn’t so much something upsetting about hypnosis, but something that is uncomfortable and yet thought provoking. I wasn’t a blogger who reminisced about 9/11. Others did it very well. One such writer, Bruce T. Duncanson, wrote a poem called It must be “Traumatic Hypnosis” for opednews.com. It is not a pretty little poem, nor is it reaming with sentimentalism, but it is worth a look. My thought is that the ideas expressed in the poem are more toward “mind control” then anything really hypnotic.

The Upcoming Schedule

Just wanted you to know what to expect in the next few days. Tomorrow we have a guest post by one of our regular’s - Micahel Raugh. Then we will launch back into a long-over-due relook at the forms of hypnosis and begin discussing the idea of self-hypnosis. On Friday, we will have 10 Questions with hypnotist Alan Gilchrist. Feel free to leave comments if you have something you want to say or discuss. We will be totally live again on Saturday.

Good grief. The vampires really were at it last night. I feel so old. Even thinking about beginning to party at 1 am, seems tiresome to me these days. The odd thing is that said vampires were also out at day break (going to church - ha) and are currently washing their cars in the parking lot. How easy it is to isolate one’s self from humanity; it is the return that makes it so much more difficult. I have been so sheltered in my little country house. I am not used to life in the big city.

So, as I am not completely at my most awake, I’ll try to make the Sunday Question concise. One of my reader’s sent an email asking if I had ever submitted a proposal for doing at talk at the National Guild of Hypnotists conference and if so, did I have any words of wisdom about doing this. I do not. Nor have I submitted such a proposal for any conventions. I know some of you reading this have done talks at conferences and have gone through the procedure.  We would love to hear your thoughts on it.

The Sunday Question is - what are the key elements needed for submitting a proposal to do a talk at a conference?

I am alone - truly alone.

I sit here in this purgatory of silence, drinking my coffee, a lone survivor of the night. Everyone around me is sleeping the sleep of the dead. Last night the vampires came out and lingered on the porch of the neighboring townhouse (I am visiting a friend), lingering and allowing their wild, unadulterated (college kids with no adult supervision) nature echo in the nonexistent wind. The sound crashed heavily in the darkness. And so, here I am on this Esoteric Saturday feeling drained (and bitter about the loss of hours of sleep that I will never get back) of that vital life force that will allow me talk of being mesmerized, hypnotized…

Maybe the vampire idea runs through my mind because of the recent other Esoteric Saturdays that were laden with blood-sucking hypnotic fun. After last night, those who live in the night seem less inspired to me. So, to get my romantic notion back, I sought more vampire company, but alas the sun is out and again…I am alone, alone in the Vampire Chat. The cyber room echos with the sunlight of morning, all must be back safely behind their coffin-lined firewalls.

And yet, in this cyber world, the world where light can be blocked out, are there no insomniac vampires to discuss the hypnotic vampire eye lock induction that will pacify my lack of sleep? The format of the chat room seems easy enough to navigate even for those of us running on something other than the normal night’s rest. Even the interface is quiet and not offensive to eyes such as mine…and yet…I am alone.

Maybe they do only come out at night…

Location: Hampton, NH (USA)
Cyber Location: www.atlanticcomplementary.com

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

Full Time

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

No

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

No. But, I don’t do it as entertainment.

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

Actually, yes, I use a method of self hypnosis that I learned from Cal Banyon called
“Seventh Path” to keep at my best.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I have peaceful space in Hampton, NH in the same building as my husband’s
dental practice. People love the energy which is very relaxing.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

Because I have seen the huge value in hypnotherapy and wish to enrich the
lives of more people than I could see privately, I have produced and am
marketing a series of relaxation CD’s for various purposes. Some promote
wellness by reducing stress, changing habits, and increasing positive
expectations. Other are more for medical use such as coping with cancer and
preparing for surgery. So, much of my time is spent in marketing these and
leading group sessions at the local hospitals. Cancer and Diabetic Support
Groups love this work.

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

Yes, I am certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists. I studied at the Boston
Center for Hypnosis and with Cal Banyan.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

I’m not sure there is only one. I look for results and answers from the subconscious. I love
conversing with the subconscious, which is so wise.

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

A women came to me for smoking cessation and her subconscious must have waited a long time for an opening to be heard. She spontaneously regressed to a traumatic event in her past. It was quite
a surprise, but I learned to honor and accept the client’s timetable.

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

Hypnosis is a wonderful tool. It is simple, safe, cost effective and oh so powerful. I love what I do. The changes in people are able to make are just huge. I love what I do and am so glad to have this opportunity to
impact lives.

It loomed up before her like an albatross of doom, metal screeching, lights a jumble of randomness and oh, the screams. Those terrible screams made her want to turn and flee for her life. And she did run, grabbing each child’s hand and racing as far away from the terror as she could go…without leaving Morey’s Piers amusement park. The screaming? That was mostly in her head, mingled with the noise of thrill seekers on the giant ferris wheel.

This past summer, I wrote about a friend who was extremely phobic over ferris wheels. The above paragraph was how she originally described her encounter with the famous ride. For most people this is not a big deal - how often do you a ride a ferris wheel in your life? It is not a normal everyday experience. But, my friend is not one to be cowed by anything, so she planned her family beach vacation around Morey’s Piers just to deal with the phobia and a session we had right before the start of her holiday. You might be thinking that her phobia had to do with heights or some such thing, but it actually had its roots with something even stranger. Apparently as a child she had watched a television program about unsafe carnival rides and it had really affected her.

Like all hypnosis sessions, the success of dealing with the phobia meant that she would have to do much of the work herself (not just letting my wrap my voice fingers about her subconscious mind and jostle a few concepts, but she would have to be an active participant). This meant she researched Morey’s Piers (she chose it hoping I would come along for the Disney Radio shows - I was unable to do so). She talked to the park’s safety people - she may have even looked at schematics for the rides (I don’t know this for sure). Once she felt certain that there were many safety features in place and the ride would be safer than getting in the car to drive her child to school, we worked through the phobia.

She finally wrote me an email last week to talk about her trip (she did not give me permission to publish it). The interesting thing was that she talked more about how delighted she was with the resorts in Wildwood, NJ and the hospitality her family received. She said it was more like going to Disneyland than going to the pier carnivals she had played at as a child (or in her case, feared and avoided). There were still cotton candy and silly games, but it was a great place to take the family (okay she also mentioned that with the Piers’ weekly specials, it was much cheaper than other vacations of that variety). Her words were about the organization behind the park, how helpful they were and how their web site is a true reflection of how they do things there (she actually did use the site to book the whole trip and found they had great deals on accommodations).

She mentioned little about the ferris wheel, so much so, I wondered if she had actually tried going on it or was this a polite way of avoiding telling me that she still needed to do more work with the phobia? Then there it was at the end of the email

“I don’t know why that ferris wheel was such a big deal - it was rather anti-climatic. It was a soothing ride with great views, but really benign.”