The Transparent Hypnotist

I am buying a pair of rose colored glasses (seriously). As it gets harder to look at the world (of my finances) through the glare of my contacts, feeling the gunkiness of allergies and that unpleasant stuck sensations that blur the vision - I wear torric lens so they need to move, I really think a pair of rose colored glasses would be just the thing. Maybe I should say cheap rose colored glasses, that would be more accurate.

I used to have this wonderful vision (well, I take that back, I was born with amazingly awful eyesight), but I used to have this wonderful optimism that life would be just groovy - all the time. The vision included proverbial white picket fences - me independent of any corporate establishment, prospering in my self-owned business, being part of a community where people would wave when they crossed your path, hot coffee 24/7, decent beer, and cool nights with soft, warm clothes that would go by so fast that I would need a retirement game plan before I knew it. Some might dare to call me naive. At university, I was often told that my idealism would eventually fade as I grew up, but being a bit of a rebel, I held on to it. In fact I am still holding on to it, though I fear I have been holding it so tightly that there are imprints of my fingernails on my palms, permanently. Sure there have been times when the optimism waned and the idealism propelled me forward (think Desert Storm and 9/11). I guess the idealism has propelled me quite far since 9/11, but I find I could really use a boost of energy to keep it going.

Then an interesting client walked into my life, one who was literally wearing rose colored eyeglasses. Here is the fun part - the client is of the male persuasion. When I asked abut his glasses (they were sooo cool), he told me he was an ergonomic engineer and had been looking for the perfect color combination that would protect his eyes from the evils of the atmosphere (my words, not his) and would make reality a little brighter. He felt there must be something to the rose colored glasses cliche, so he studied color-theory and the glasses came into being.

So, I asked him if seeing the world through rose colored glasses improves his daily life or the way he sees it. Apparently it does. It gives life a fascinating tint, he claims.

As I went over both my business and personal budget last night, lamenting the lattes that I have given up (need the money for gas to get to the office) and I thought about how nice it used to be to walk to the coffee shop near my office and indulge in the steamed milk. As I thought this, my partner was in the next room, huffing and puffing as he began his daily work out ritual at the house, as he now claims the gym membership is too costly (and not convenient enough to justify the gas expense).

Maybe it is time to get a pair of rose colored glasses - cheap. Maybe it is time to see the world in new colors.

Art by Eddi 07

Good morning! Seriously. I mean it. Good morning. Grab your coffee, tea, orange juice, or maybe even a Bloody Mary (that one’s for you, Jack) and lets look at the riveting world of hypnosis that is going on around us, even as you read this.

First, Josh Houghton, occasionally seen here as a guest postie, he invited me to do a guest post for his blog What’s On My Brain. My subject was originally women and hypnosis, but I swayed a bit on the idea. I hope you will visit his blog and check it out.

An interesting definition of hypnosis:

[Hypnosis is] ‘an altered state of consciousness’; a form of sleepwalking where our mind is influenced by another (the hypnotist or practitioner)

(Natural News).

The Good

Cheers to Peter Hummon, a computer science graduate student at Princeton University. He has started a hypnosis club on campus to help spread awareness about the value of of hypnosis (The Daily Princetonian).

Good Interviews with:

Patrick Coleman who works on phobia relief along side the dental and medical world (NewsOK.com).

George Houguez who talks about self-hypnosis (Asia One Health).

The Bad (Cool, real cool)

Are you going to be in Alexandria, LA on October 25? If so, you might want to check out The Incredible Boris, a motivational hypnotist (thetowntalk.com).

Or maybe you will be in London (ah to be in England…)? If so, Stef Juncker will be performing at the Alexander Playhouse the same weekend (The Daily Dispatch).

Some might find this controversial, but as you are probably aware, I am all for using hypnosis as a tool for creating whatever positive change you desire. If it means getting in touch with your feminine side, especially if you are in the process of changing sexual orientation, then so be it. To learn more about Feminization hypnosis, Mark Goodworthy wrote a story about it that was published in The Canadian.

Hmmm…

The Daily Orange ran an article about hypnosis, centering aourd weight loss issues and the success of one of Mark Briggs’ clients. Most of his quotes are informative, but the article also quotes a mental health counselor who uses hypnosis. Most of her responses are interesting, but I do hope she was a bit misquoted…

The Getting Over A Broken Heart Poll

Time seems to be the big healer with 71% of our participants choosing to let time take its course. And good for you - 24% said they would give hypnosis a try in the getting-over-it process. Then there was the 12% who choose the little more aggressively-challenging paths - six percent said they would seek revenge and the other six percent would look for the rebound. Glad to see those numbers are the lower percentage (maybe we really are evolving). Twelve percent chose “other” methods. Wonder what those are?

And that’s that. Enjoy your Monday! Seriously!

Photograph by hlkljgk

Every now and again the bright lights, smell of make-up, and the urge to wear outrageous clothes gets under my skin. For awhile it feels really good, but then the reality of getting up on a stage and performing feels like a rash. The lights dim, the make-up perspires off, and the clothes seem garish. So, for the five minutes that getting into the hypnosis show biz venue seemed like a good idea, the refreshing sensation of carbonated pleasure, turns flat and all I want to do is go back to the world of putting dysfunctional puzzles together.

Yet, after reading so many of the answers from the Friday 10 Questions, I think there is something truly worth while in learning stage techniques of hypnotist. So, the question is where does one start?

Do any of you have any strong feelings about classes you have taken in stage hypnosis? I would love to hear them. Any words of what to look for in a class or things you liked or did not like?

Is anyone else feeling the effects of this roller coaster we call weather? Burr and shiver! But the coffee feels particularly nice. I am even hoping to go in search of a corn maze today!!! I love those things.

Last night my partner was looking for new games to play on the Xbox (he was inspired by Jack’s comment from yesterday’s post). What he found, though old news, is still worthy of an Esoteric Saturday. This is totally wonderful and one of the most fun uses of hypnosis I have come across in the media. When Xbox launched its game The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, it was targeted at a very youthful audience (pre-teens). The Official Xbox Magazine wanted the game to be reviewed by someone from that age group but alas, good journalist with great gaming skills are a bit hard to come by for that age group.

Yes, here is the interesting part - Buena Vista games had the Deputy Editor of the magazine, Mark Robins, regressed back to age ten. Then he was able to experience the game through the eyes of the intended market. Mark Howe was the hypnotist who did the session.

I cannot seem to find a copy of the review, but from all indications, this little PR stunt was successful.

Source: www.gwn.com

Cyber Location: www.kevinlepine.com

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

Hypnosis is my full time living. I travel all over the world doing my show which is not only comedy but also demonstrates how hypnosis affects us.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

Ninety-nine percent of what I use the hypnosis for is entertainment and demonstrations. With as often as I travel it is very difficult to work with patients.

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

I refuse to ever do (age) regression. If someone wants to go back to a sensitizing event in their life, I can take them there but I don’t not have the psychological training needed to help them once that it revealed. I would much rather recommend a full time therapist works with hypnosis.

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

Yes, for reducing stress.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

My work setting ranges from a hotel banquet room to multi-million dollar theatres with crowds ranging from 100-2000 people.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

Lets look at a fun week. Wake up Friday morning at 10 am, drive three hours to a corporate event on the west side of MI. Shake hands and do a meet and greet for my corporate sponsors from 2pm-5pm. Set up my show for a 7:30 start time. Perform until 9 pm then answer questions and talk to people until about 10. Drive back to Detroit to get on a 5 am flight to Vegas for an 11:30 am show at the Wynn. Repeat as needed. A lot of running but I really do love it!

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

I was Certified as a hypnotherapist in 1997 by Dr. Kieth Russell at the Michigan Holistic Health Center. For anyone thinking of become a Hypnotic Performer: GET CERTIFIED. I cannot stress that enough. GET CERTIFIED. You are working with people and their individual minds. GETTING CERTIFIED will prepare for so many situations and create a better show for you, your volunteers, and your audience. GET CERTIFIED.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

Every suggestion I make is based around “and you will feel good for having done this”. I make sure my volunteer is enjoy themselves by adding that concept to all my suggestions which I find makes them want to participate all that much more.

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

I was once booked for a major corporate gig. The client had previously hired a magician and was under the impression that I did ‘walk around hypnosis’ going from table to table at the banquet. We fixed it and did the stage show but wow did I make sure my agents were VERY clear about everything after that.

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

1) GET CERTIFIED — not a weekend class a full course.
2) Treat your volunteers with respect. They are the stars of your show and they agreed to come on stage and help you. Treat them well.
3) Don’t try to be an expert in an area your not. You will be found out. If you don’t know something admit it and find a way to learn.

As I drove home last night from a networking function, the harvest orange moon guided my way. It was one of those phenomenal moons that makes one want to pull over and just gaze at it, or drive home, get a mug of hot cider and sit on the porch to watch it as it watches us. Normally I am inspired by such moons, remembering past decades (you thought I was going to say past lives, didn’t you) and how there always seemed to be such a moon on my horizon of transformation.

And so I awoke this morning, not feeling inspired, just very, very tired. I slept soundly and for eight hours, so I am not sure what is the cause of this sluggish feeling (I ate a raw vegetable dinner, laced with almonds). I could easily crawl back under the covers and sleep another eight hours. Maybe this too is a moon effect - some ancient memory in me recalling times when I would have spent the night awake doing mysterious and mischievous rituals and then slept through the sunlit hours.

I do know, this is a time of transformation for myself. Something new is just up ahead and I do not know what it is, but I remain optimistic. My last retreat into the mountains opened up some inner doors and here I am sometimes restless, sometimes exhausted. My clients often speak of these side effects of change. When they have experienced and accepted the suggestions for what it is they are seeking to change, I often hear about great nights of sleep or a certain restlessness. Now I join them.

So, my task for the day is to get the energy to continue planning my office’s Halloween party that I mention a few weeks back. I decided to take Michael’s advice and go with just a disco theme and we are converting my yoga studio into the disco…I have a friend who has agreed to be a bouncer and do the archaic Studio 54 thing (though I suspect most people on the guest list will have no problem getting through the door).

Halloween Costumes. Now the question is what am I going to wear? (Yeah, I am a woman and that’s that). The costume cannot be too slinky (this is my business so various venders, associates, the law firm downstairs, and clients are invited)…Currently the image at the top of this page is where I am currently headed (unless someone can give me a boost). It fits my personality, no too outrageous, but funky. Enough people will be shocked to see me out of my suit. And I love the yellow boots, maybe a pair of swirly glasses and I should be set. Any thoughts?

“Right focus brings about reality.”
Buddha

How wise this quote is and I suspect all the hypnotists out there reading this are shaking their heads in agreement at how appropriate these five little words are in our profession. Reading this, it sounds like the perfect quote for a hypnosis posting about change. Indeed! But today, rather than talking about my hypnosis experiences or some concept related to self-help, let’s blur the lines and join the Universal Consciousness.

Today is Blog Action Day 2008. The topic is Poverty. And so, I bring your attention back to the quote at the top of this posting (by the way, I bumped into it on the blog Inspiring Quotations and was very much inspired). Right focus brings about reality. The question becomes what reality do we seek? Do we wish for an end to concepts such as poverty or do we find it a must that some of society is made of those that “have,” while others must be “have nots.” If you chose the later concept, now ask yourself why you think this way? And if you did chose that, I invite you to step out of your box and move beyond it. Do I think we can end the idea of poverty? I do not know, but I hope to be part of a solution that allows the maximum amount of people to prosper in ways that are beneficial to them and the universal good. Do I prescribe wealth for all? Yes, but not necessarily the idea of having as much materialism as one can stand. Instead I prescribe a wealth of peacefulness, happiness with one self in the greater scheme of things, and the wealth of good will that accompanies helping others.

Okay, I am off my soap box for the moment and sitting here ready to roll with a good old fashion brain storming session. The question at this point in the posting is now what can we, as hypnotists (or anyone) do to create focus to create a less poverty ridden reality? Those in the hypnotic know are pointing their fingers at this sentence, probably thinking, “Duh!!! All we need to do is keep doing what we are doing - helping people create another potential for themselves.” Excellent. All the hypnotist out there, give yourself a pat on the back and continue reading.

Next question: is it enough to do what we have been doing all along? Maybe so. Maybe not. What more can we do to ease some of the poverty burdens of the world? Sure, we can donate to organizations. But we ourselves are not immune to the current economy, which makes donating extra funds a bit more difficult. I have heard two recurring themes recently from clients. Gas prices have caused people not to come out to things like weekly group meditations. The economy also makes people cut back on ideas they consider unnecessary and often the first thing people cut out is anything that could improve their own life, like hypnosis. There is that awful mentality of “money is tight and I do not have the money to spend on hypnosis for smoking cessation” (which makes no sense at all because they are not giving up the cigarettes that quickly cost as much as a session). So, do we give our services away and if so, how do we make living? As my partner would say, “brain surgeons do not give away free surgery, why should you give away hypnosis?”

But, doing what we do best, we can occasionally share it. Here are my ideas on how we can help:

• Do hypno shows for charities that provide resources for those suffering from poverty.
  Do a group session fundraisers for above charity.
• Pick a day and donate your earnings (or portions of your earnings) to the above charity.
• Create a hypnosis audio with proceeds or a portion of the proceeds going to the above charity (or one days sales).
• Do a group session for those who live at homeless shelters.
• Heck, do a free group session for the local community (we are all feeling the economic strain).

I am sure there are many more ideas out there. If have any you would like to share, please feel free to comment here. Also, if you are doing any of these things and want a shout out, please mention it.

And for today, my gift to you is the quote and the sage advice from it - right focus brings about reality.

His voice, electronic and tin sounding, floated through the air  around the house. It would repeat itself, sometimes stopping in mid-sentence. It annoyed me. The clacking of the typewriter also annoyed me. Each hit of a key unnerved me more and more. And like the rebellious teenager I was, I turned up the volume on whatever glam band was on the radio. This of course, after a while, annoyed my mother, who was at the heart of the typewriter clacking sound. But my mother knew exactly how to deal with me. She came into my room, not bothering to knock as I would never have heard the sound, strode over to the the radio, did not turn it off or lessen the volume, but instead plugged in my head phones and handed them to me. Then she walked back to the upstairs home office where she and my father cloistered themselves for eight hours a day.

The effect of this was maddening to the confrontational angel I had become. It also produced a fabulous sense of guilt and remorse once the anger subsided. So, into their sanctum I marched and there was just my mother. She was transcribing my father’s dictation onto clean, white paper, now marred with not the rabble I had heard, but with the lines of coherent thought. My father, not a particularly good one finger typist had found that by recording his reports, he and my mother had a more peaceful working environment. No more wasted time with short hand for her or long hours of him having to re-say what he thought he had just said. As far as my mother was concerned, this concept was a blessing.

After that seemingly unspectacular encounter, during their working hours I respected their need for quiet. But I recently realized how much those years of my mother’s typing for my father affected me.

Now, in my grown-up incarnation, I audibly record all my hypnosis sessions. I do this to have a record so I can go back and refresh my memory on the session if the client returns. I also use those recordings as a personal learning tool, much like an actor scrutinizing his performance through video tapes. And I also have the recordings for the client if they have any questions. The problem with this system is that there are times when listening to audio takes more time than I would prefer. I have to fast forward and rewind to get to sections that provides information I need. It would be so much easier to have them transcribed. Skimming only takes a few moments and the answers would be right there.

Yet, I have never had my sessions transcribed. I remember vividly the hours my mother spent transcribing for my father. It was a full time job. There is no way I could afford such services at this point in my career. It is luxury (and no, my mother refuses to transcribe for me - these are her dessert years, she tells me). Then I looked for software that might transcribe my sessions. Most were not so compatible for the Mac or were extremely expensive (again the luxury idea enters my brain like the glam rock that I head-banged to as a teenager).

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed several blogs talking about the Dragon (no, not the road with umpteen-million curves). I like dragons, faeries, witches, warlocks, and talking trees, so of course, I read several of these posts. It seems there is a new transcription software out there called Dragon Naturally Speaking. At first, I dismissed it - only PC-based, so I thought. Oh, but I was wrong. It is Mac compatible. In this case Dragon Naturally Speaking is a recognition engine (that which recognizes the words) for the product MacSpeech Dictate (that which does the transcription). According to the web site, this product types three-times faster than most humans. So, I gave it a go on with Dragon’s typing speed test! YIKES!!! I will not share with you my accuracy or time (both were extremely humble provoking). The program has a reported 99% accuracy rating with the ability to everyday in every way, get better and better (LOL). The question is how well will it do when transcribing the soft hypnotic mumble of clients who are within a trance?

Okay, and the tech junky in my soul actually is intrigued with the potential to be able to use my computer verbally, rather than using keystrokes or the mouse. Wonder if it would do the motion work for dropping entrecards? Ah, the potential…

So, will I truly follow in my Da’s footstep? Will I eventually have a home office, do dictation, and argue with a sullen teenager. I sort of hope not, except for the dictation part.

Art by Eddi 07

First, I would like to thank Michael Raugh for guest posting yesterday!!! If you have not read his Sunday Question, please do. It is about asking clients to provide a credit card number when a hypnosis session is booked. Both he and I would love to hear your thoughts on it - this includes other health modality practitioners, doctors or general thoughts.

And then of course, feel free to read the rest of this post. These are the things happening in the hypnosis and general community…

Scientifically Interesting

Drat! I just forgot what I was going to write on this particular line. No, wait, I have it. Scientific American recently published an article about how hypnosis affects the brain - specifically in terms creating memory loss. Now granted, this sort of post-hypnotic suggestion works well for those who are highly “hypnotizable” - or in my thoughts, those who respond very well to a particular hypnotist’s suggestions. But brain scans have helped scientist understand more about memory and how it functions.

Finally!!!

The New Zealand medical community is urging their anesthetists to be more aware of the effects of their words on patients (get rid of the negative “This is going to sting” and replace it with the positive aspects of healing). They are abdicating courses in learning about how the subconscious mind deals with ideas. The press release mostly discusses helping clients deal with needle phobias. US doctors should take note as well. Oh and what about that which is said while a patient is having surgery…that would be really helpful to promote healing. (Scoop Health)

The Good

Some might say that healing from physical pain is much easier than mental pain, especially the pain that comes from the demise of a relationship. All those various assorted, nagging pains - that which is missed, the new let down, change in general…well, here is a novel thought. In helping release the pain (or even hatred), hypnosis might be a way to ease the heart ache. Makes sense to me. (ibnlive.com)

Or maybe that pain has turned into depression or maybe you are just depressed in general. Yes, you know where I am going with this. Hypnosis. For those who are unipolar with depression, Dr. David Spiegel suggest that a ten week course of hypnosis sessions might be just the thing (Philippine Daily Inquirer). Hypnotist reading this - what do you think about this time line? I have personally had success with less sessions…

Good Interviews

Mark Darlington has a new radio show all about dispelling the myths about hypnosis. The show airs on Wrexham FM. (Evening Leader)

Rena Greenberg discussed weight loss hypnosis with TampaBay10.com.

Kevin Lepine, comedian hypnotist was interviewed for Metromix Detroit.

The Bad (As in Kinda Cool)

Are you inspired by the lives of rock stars? What about their significant others? How about their ex-significant others? If so, you might be thrilled to learn that Jo Wood (ex of Rolling Stone Ronnie) is planning to quit smoking via hypnotherapy. We wish her well with that! (The Daily Mail)

In Malaysia, self-hypnosis is becoming very popular (nst.com)

The Ugly

Maybe you have seen the mind tricks of Derrin Brown. Maybe you have read about thieves using hypnosis to steal from banks, convenient stores, and groceries. But the ugly idea has reared its head agin. This time the idea that one can use hypnosis for robbery is discussed in a general article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Interestingly enough the article discussed a little hypnotic history between Charcot and Bernheim - Charcot saying it is not possible to be hypnotized to do things against one’s will, Bernheim stating the opposite…

The Ghost Poll

For the past two weeks the Transparent Hypnotist’s poll question asked about beliefs in ghosts. The believers rallied at 82%. Then we have the six percenters. Six percent are non-believers. Six percent believe they are figments of the imagination. Six percent are waiting for more evidence.

When Ellie mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she was considering taking credit cards in payment, it struck a chord with me.  I was pondering the same option.  Unlike Ellie, though, my driving issue wasn’t the problem of billing clients I’ve already seen.  I looked to plastic as a potential way to ensure that clients who book a session will actually show up.

Smokers seem to be the worst for this.  I’ll get the phone call, go through my “sales talk” about the effectiveness of hypnosis for breaking the cigarette habit, and book an appointment.  A distressing amount of the time, it ends there — appointment time comes, the client doesn’t show, and almost uniformly the contact number I have goes unanswered.  Are they having second thoughts?  Was I insufficiently reassuring in the phone call?  I don’t know; what I do know is that I rearranged my life (because I practice part-time, at home) and allotted two hours to someone who didn’t keep their end of the deal.

One answer, which many hypnotists and other professionals use, is to have a policy of charging clients something — either the full fee or a fixed amount — if they fail to cancel within 24 hours and don’t show.  Such a policy has no teeth, of course, unless you have a way to get payment in a way other than in person.  Which led me to investigate the possibility of accepting credit card payments.  After much looking around, including the firm Ellie mentioned in her post, I settled on New England Payment Systems (they offer a special rate and terms for NGH members) and signed up.  In a few days I’ll have a shiny refurbished credit card terminal in my home office and will be able to offer my clients the option of MasterCard, Visa, or Discover if they like.  And, if I collect the necessary information in advance, I can adopt a no-show charge policy.

Which leads to a question … in fact, to The Question.  I’d like to get your feedback on what policy you have, or what policy you would use in my position.  My inclination is toward something like this:  New clients are required to provide a valid MasterCard/Visa/Discover at booking.  If a client fails to keep an appointment without canceling 24 hours in advance, a $50 no-show fee will be charged to that credit card.  The no-show fee may be applied to a rescheduled session within 30 days of the missed appointment.

So please, give me your thoughts:  What policy do you have, or would you have, for charging clients who fail to keep an appointment without canceling in advance?

(And thanks, Ellie, for allowing me to co-opt the Sunday Question today.)

<MR>