The Transparent Hypnotist

Photography by TruShu

Huge sigh - exhalations of needing a new breath or air, frustration and silent prayers. My mum is undergoing some some minor eye surgery today. As to what she is actually having done, I am not sure. One family member says it is one thing, she says another. How hard it is when you listen to everyone’s filter on what it may or may not be. I tend to to believe my mum’s version where she says this is just preventive, but must be done or she may go blind (love that last little codicil).

I have had a few days notice on this and after the irritation of having to travel again so soon after my month long hiatus, I am thinking more productively. It occurred to me, in the dull mass of mind that I am a hypnotist. Right. Maybe I can do something. Now is the perfect time to share what I do. So, I asked my mum what she thought about using a little hypnosis for healing after the surgery. She is totally into it. Excellent! Not allowing me to directly deal with her doctor, she has been the middle man in asking him what would be the least invasive way for me to provide hypnosis for her. The positive thing is that he is not closed to it, not open completely open, but the word “No” never entered the conversation. He did say I could not give her an mp3 player where she has to have both ears covered. He will need to give her directions. My hope is to have it on when she is given anesthesia (could not quite get there to do that with hypnosis), but it would be alright having it played before she comes out. If all else fails, I suppose I will do it before she goes to have the surgery.

It should be interesting and I will keep you posted, but that may not happen until next week. I probably will not be able to get easy access to the internet while I am being her recuperation partner. Yes, I wrote this yesterday before beginning my travel, but do visit here anyway. I have some fun stuff coming up. Here is what the week’s schedule looks like:

Thursday - An interesting auction is happening that involves some hypno and magic items.
Friday - 10 Questions with Jamie Johnson
Saturday - An Esoteric Saturday with Terry O’Brien about an interesting character named Walford Bodie
Sunday - Well, you will just have to come back for the Sunday Question, won’t you!

Please think healing thoughts toward my mum.

In light of a new year, new goals, and a renewal of personal hope, thanks to John Monty and his blog post yesterday, I became aware of the code for embedding the presidential inauguration into my blog. I know this is no where near a political blog, but back a few month’s ago when Michael was blogging for me, he mentioned an article about Obama and hypnosis, so it is not so far fetched to present this. If indeed there were hypnotic suggestions that we succumbed to and ended up voting for him, well, today is the fruit of that particular labor.

So for those of you without TV, radio or stuck somewhere, but do have internet, I give the presidential inauguration:

(Queen Fabiola shaking the hand of dr. fil. Paul Kempeneers )

In looking back at the past week of notices that arrived in my email, I must admit to a certain relief that there was nothing ugly to report. Yes, of course there are those out there who relish the ugly, but I am not of that ilk (or do my best not to be). Maybe that makes me bland. Maybe it makes me less sad. But, it was good not to be tempted to put my notions into practice, notions that we should not condemn others until they are rightfully proven guilty. I would like to say after they are proven guilty we should act compassionately towards them, hoping they will find enlightenment and use their issues to become better people. I know, I sound naive and it is much harder than it sounds and sometimes the healing process takes awhile before we can do that later (if ever). We grow, they grow…maybe.

Go ahead, roll your eyes. Take another swig of luke warm coffee and continue slogging along with the hypno world.

The Good

You know hypnosis is not just for the everyman, it is for royalty, too. The matriarch of Belgium, Queen Fabiola, recently under went surgery for a thyroid problem and used hypnosis as anesthesia. She had this done at the University Hospital of Liege, which called the hypno procedure hypnosedation. Accordingly, they have used this method 4,000 times (www.monstersandcritics.com).

Good Articles About Other Hypnotists

Musically minded Mark Pummell is both fascinating as a hypnotist but also for his prowess’s in sound engineering or recording. He was interviewed in the Shanghai Daily.

I Can Make You Thin star Paul McKenna, a hypnotist who can make you feel jealousy one moment (if you are a hypnotist) and have you thinking “brilliant” the next, had a lively piece done about him by Sarah Hampson of www.theglobeandmail.com. I am beginning to think his book is a must read.

Judy Dean of La Porte, Indiana has a wonderful business called the Spirit Within (thenewsdispatch.com).

The Bad (as in kinda good, kinda bad)

Trying to sell something? Trying to get that person in front of you to make a purchase? Would it not be nice if you could instantly hypnotize them to buy your product? Ah, the myths (how we so love them) - making someone else bend to your will. Yuck. However, there are a few NLP type things you can try that might help the sale go more towards your liking. A recent article in the www.examiner.com provides some suggestions for using NLP and hypnotic suggestion to your benefit. These concepts are from the book Power Persuasion: Using Hypnotic Influence to Win in Life, Love and Business by David R. Barron and Danek S. Kaus. Before you get all hot and bothered by this, let me remind those who are not so experienced with hypnosis, you only do what you are inclined to do. If indeed you are at a car lot (as the example given in the article), you are probably inclined to buy a new car or at least desire one. So, you are not being terribly manipulated into buying one. You are just being encouraged to do so.

Photograph by tradica

Ah, there is water that comes forth out of the tap today. Life is good. Long ago I learned I could do without a lot of creature comforts (you know my love for hiking), but the one thing I never I forget is the joy of the advent of hot water. A perfectly wonderful camping trip can be in motion, but if I find only cold water in the showers, there is always a moment of feeling miffed. It is one thing to be at a back country site that offers no facilities (or a glorified out house) but a totally different thing to be in one that purports to have amenities. But I digress.

Wait.

Maybe I do not digress. Maybe this should be the theme of this post. I had another in mind, but perhaps it is not quite time for that one. Maybe since having water at all was a bit of an issue yesterday and today I am feeling such gratitude for being able to enjoy a hot shower and an easy pot of coffee, I will stay on that theme. Perhaps it is a bit off topic from hypnosis, but that which is tangent to my life (as in hot water) is part of living and breathing hypnosis.

If you are at all keeping up with my progress with a few goals for 2009 on theundwinginpath.com (via 43things.com), you might have read my post about meditating and finding deep understanding about the loss of a recent grant. My meditation practice is much like self-hypnosis. I set an intent for it and allow my subconscious mind to provide answers that I seek. I have found relief from that disappointment and learned quite a lot. I have become grateful for the lesson. I know have more time in my life than I thought I would have, for the grant would have meant a fair amount of work in a schedule that seems intimidating at times.

In the end I am grateful for time - time spent well, time spent enjoying the feel of a hot shower, grateful to get back 200 hours in my life, creating a new potential for something more wonderful.

Now on this contemplative day, my question to you is: what things do you feel a sense of gratitude for that you might not have thought you would feel grateful for in the past?

Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

The temperature read minus three degrees when I first woke. So, I did the only sensible thing and went back to bed. Seriously. Then with loud screeches from a hungry cat, I could not longer put off another cold day in paradise. I had been so proud of myself, not really checking in and commenting on this cold spell the south is enduring. And I really was not going to post about it, but when I went to fill the coffee pot, I realized my morning would shift a bit. I turned the cold metal steel of the kitchen sink in the direction that normally provides me with watery substance. The absence of liquid created a silent hollow, enough to make the head throb in frustrated pain. Let’s try it again, I thought. Maybe I did something wrong. Nope. So, I awoke my partner, thinking that perhaps I had suffered a stroke in the night and had lost the cognitive ability to make coffee. He trudged out of bed and to the sink. It appeared that he used the same water turn-on technique as me. I held my breath thinking perhaps it would be better to have suffered some mental issue so that I could have my morning coffee. Alas, he was unsuccessful. Our pipes froze last night. The cure? Just enough bottled water in the house to make coffee (thank goodness for small miracles).

And so, I sit in bed typing this, my cup of morning goodness at hand, and the pungent odor of twenty-four hours of non-deodorant time. My hair is matted with styling gel and I find myself wishing I had some super human power. No – better. I wish I had magical witchcraft abilities. I would say a few words of poetry and presto - hot water for all. (No, I would not forgo the pleasure of a shower and do away with that task of washing through magic).

According to NPR, I might just qualify as a witch (when I was first learning hypnosis I had a mild idea that when creating hypnosis scripts, I was indeed inducing magic). Granted I am making a leap here - with an NPR story and endowing myself with characteristics ascribed to witchery. Apparently, Lithuania has hired a hypnotist (and maybe a Reiki practitioner), Vilija Lobaciuviene, to help those who are sadly lagging behind in their debt repayments. As far as I know, she does not actually call herself a hypnotist, but a self-styled witch who uses tools such as hypnosis and the bio-energy field to help heal those who have been psychologically, negatively impacted by the economy and debt.

Well, Lithuania, I am impressed!!! And I mean no insult to any practicing witch by remotely comparing myself to such ideas, but hey, we all know about Harry Potter and who has not, just for an instance at least, wish they had a few magic powers available to one’ self?

Hmm maybe Vilija will be as willing a participant to an interview as was Alex Robinson.

Side note: The water is back on!!!

Sources (for the Lithuania stuff, not my water):
WTOP
NPR

Location: Salem, Oregon
Cyber Location: www.empoweredwithin.com

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

I currently work part-time.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

I specialize in Intuitive Clinical Hypnosis. I prefer to utilize many different techniques as well such as guided meditation, breath work, NLP, metaphors, and imagery. I have found many treasures by incorporating these different tools to my practice. Why not just straight hypnosis? People have different comfort zones and prefer having more options when it comes to personal empowerment. We have to remember the journey the client is embarking upon is for them. We are only the guide.

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

I will not do stage hypnosis because I find it insulting to the profession.

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

I have used self-hypnosis in my life from time to time. I have found help with insomnia, personal change, relaxation, and overcoming my fears. Since I enjoy learning different modalities, I like to try them out on myself. The curiosity of the art still gets the best of me at times.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I have a home office and the setting is very relaxing. The space is comfortable for working with clients one-on-one.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

Well I have a 10-month old son and he takes up a lot of my time. My day really varies depending on the number of clients, online orders, mailing our products, etc. I will say that my day is VERY busy with very little sleep.

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

I have training from various organizations. I first got my training from Positive Changes Hypnosis. I was trained in Psycho-Linguistics, mind of labor, mind over cancer, weight loss, stop smoking, pain management, personal change, and alcohol free. I feel that was the best place to start because I was able to work with hundreds of clients. It was a great learning experience. Currently, I continue to be a professional certified hypnotherapist. I am a member of the following: National Guild of Hypnotists, AAPH, AAH, AIH, ABH, and IRPH.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

I really enjoy NLP and metaphors. I have also discovered that when you work intuitively one-on-one with a client you get better results. It seems more personalized and it’s exactly what the client needs to hear/see/feel. All I can say is clients love it and get it! It’s a great rapport tool as well.

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

The worst and saddest is when I had to refuse a client. The husband contacted me because he wanted his wife to stop smoking and she did too. When she came into my office, I discovered she was dying of terminal cancer. If she stopped smoking, it would save her about 2+ years of her life. What was so sad is that she really did not want to stop smoking after all. She still “needed” it. Plus her husband drove her nuts and it made her smoke even more. I could not force her to change and it was her last vice. It gave her pleasure and a time to escape. She still loved to smoke. So, I had to talk with the husband and of course he cried. It was so hard see and hear this man’s pain. He really loved his wife.

In this profession you want to help people and I had to give him my personal/professional advice…free of charge. This did not make my employer happy because he was ready to pay $1,000 on the spot. What it taught me is to be true to yourself, honor the client, be a friend when a client needs one, clients do not = $, you do this job because you love it (rich or poor), and honor yourself. Later I spoke with the potential client and she told me that she was very appreciative of my not taking her husband’s money, being supportive and giving them both some good advice about her situation and health condition.

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

I do have advice for both and it may conflict. So here it is.

Advice for the Clients: I have some great advice in picking a hypnotherapist.

1. You have to like the person you are working with and find their voice pleasing. If you don’t have this match, it does not work very well.

2. You have to trust and feel safe with the person you are working with.

3. I would suggest for men to work with a male hypnotherapist when it comes to sexual issues and women to work with women. It is all about “each” party feeling comfortable.

4. Listen to your gut. A person maybe good at selling you, but not good at hypnosis.

5. Get client testimonials! This is a must! If you feel the need to call a past client to get the clarification you need, do it.

6. A hypnotherapist may have a many degrees and years of experience, but may not still be the right match for you. Age and education does not mean you will get great results. The reason why I say this is I had a client who “refused” to work with me because I was too young and did not have enough experience. I did her initial evaluation and took all her personal information, but she did not find me qualified enough.

Then one day the receptionist scheduled this client with me by accident. She was not pleased and was ready to reschedule. Against her better “judgment”, she decide to try me out. After the session, she thanked me. She was thrilled and she apologized for judging me. Later she even had me remake some of her Cds from other hypnotherapists. The saying is, “You cannot judge a book by its cover.”

7. As people we are like onions. We may have layers of issues and stuff that needs to be peeled away. Sometimes it takes patience and dedication..

8. There may come a time during your journey of personal change that your bad habit does have a positive underlining intent. Here are some examples: the weight may serve a purpose, the habit keeps you safe, the behavior prevents you from getting hurt, etc. This is when you will need a NLP parts therapy technique.

9. Phoenix to Yuma: This is something Abraham-Hicks has talked about several times. Let’s say you are traveling in your car from Phoenix to San Diego. You have your road map, its 500 miles and you get into your car. You drive about half way and for some reason your road map is not correct. You are stuck in Yuma. Where is San Diego? You will either do two things. You will either keep on driving “forward” to arrive in San Diego or you will turn around and drive back 250 miles. So many of us get half way to the goal and end up turning back around. Stay committed to yourself on this journey of self discovery. You will hit road blocks, but they will be wonderful empowering lessons of personal change.

10. Know when to take pat yourself on the back. At times we are too hard on ourselves. Focus on your accomplishments, instead of what you have not achieved.

Advice for the hypnotists:

1. Do your job because you love it and it makes your heart sing.

2. Know when to accept a client and when to refuse a client.

3. Study different modalities and techniques.

4. Practice hypnosis. If you have never done it and got positive results for yourself, you should not be in this business.

5. Listen! Communication is the key. The more you know about your client, the better you will be of service.

6. A client may come to see you for one specific condition/issue, but if you listen well enough you will hear the layers that need to be removed before you can get to the core issue.

7. Take GOOD notes! This will assist you later on. I would also recommend reading back your notes to the client. They will know you “did” listen to them and care.

8. If you do not have client testimonials, get some. Do some free work with your friends and family.

9. Be open minded to work outside the box of expertise. In order to better understand that statement, I will give an example. I had an online potential customer contact me about helping her with her addiction. I have training in this area, but NOT that specific drug. I did the research and I felt I could help her. At this time my husband did not believe I could do it.. This was a strong addictive drug, yet it worked! She gave me a wonderful testimonial and it truly saved her life. So be brave and go outside the box!

10. When you feel stuck with a client, use the sandwich approach. This approach has helped me in all areas of my life. The bread is the positive and you use “I” statements. The meat is the issue at hand. There will be times when you can use this technique with your clients and get the results you are after.

After seeing the hypnosis panels in Too Cool To Be Forgotten, I was completely and pleasantly surprised at the honesty creator, Alex Robinson depicted in the sequence. It seemed to mostly show an honest portrayal of the hypnosis process, which is often no so typical for fiction projects. Well, needless to say (and for the two post I have already done on this) I am intrigued. Was Alex another hypnotist with a day job as a graphic novelist? Was he a closet hobbyist? Imagine my surprise when he sent back his answers to my questions.

Without further ado - my questions with Alex Robinson.

Q: What was your inspiration for creating Too Cool to Be Forgotten?

A: My 20-year high school reunion was coming up so that time of my life was on mind even more than usual. I thought it might be a good opportunity to do a story about it, and try and wrestle with my experiences and feelings about that time. I also happen to love time travel stories so it seemed a natural excuse to try my hand at that, too, but I didn’t want it to be a typical time travel story, I wanted it almost to be more of an emotional time travel story.

One thing in my mind as I was doing the story was that I also wanted it to sort of be a metaphor for the process of therapy. I will admit to having spent some time on the couch, and I think it’s fascinating that many times you’re dealing with things that happened long in the past. You’re powerless to change the fact that things happened but you can change the way you think or feel about them. Also, a lot of times what gets you to therapy is not necessarily what you wind up dealing with: you could go because you’re having problems at your job but when you dig around your psyche you find out that you’re actually angry at your parents or whatever. I don’t want to give anything away about the story but the protagonist, Andy Wicks, has a similar experience.

So given that, the sort of twin purposes I had in mind, I wanted Andy’s time travel experience to be less technologically oriented, and hypnotism seemed like a good way of handling that.

Q: Have you ever been hypnotized by a hypnotist and if so what did you experience?
Was the hypnosis portion of the book based on your own experiences (and if so please elaborate)?

A: I’ve never been hypnotized–at least not that I can remember (haha, a little hypnotism humor there!). I have thought about it, in the therapy context I mentioned before but never really pursued it. I will admit to some skepticism about the idea in that the mind is a staggeringly complex thing, and all the stories you hear about recovered-memories being closer to suggested-memories and all that.

Q: What sort of research did you do for the hypnosis portion of the book?

A: I’m embarrassed to tell you that I did no research. I had a very casual familiarity–I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “knowledge”–I’d picked up from TV shows or documentaries or whatnot but to me it was more of a plot device than anything else. Since there was the fantasy element of time travel I didn’t think it was too important to try and make the hypnotism realistic–of course, if I had known that actual hypnotists might be paying attention I might’ve paid closer attention! Basically, I tried to portray it more as a kind of medical procedure rather than something like stage hypnotism, which I guess could’ve worked, too, for the story purposes.

Q: Are you a hypnotist?

I have been known to put some people into altered states of consciousness when I ramble on but I don’t think I can legally call myself a hypnotist.

Q: Do you use hypnosis for any of your creative pursuits?

I have not, though it’s an intriguing idea. As I said, I think the mind is an amazingly powerful and complex thing, and the idea of being able to somehow tap into some unknown potential or improve yourself is exciting. But I’m somewhat wary in the same way I’m wary about people’s claims about LSD, how it will change you somehow and I’d be worried I wouldn’t be able to “go back”–if that makes any sense.

Visit Alex’s web site at www.comicbookalex.com or his publisher at www.topshelfcomix.com.

This past Saturday’s esoteric post inspired me to go farther with the topic. Alex Robinson, graphic novelist extraordinaire turns out to be completely fascinating and open to discussions with fans (what a relief since the hypnotist behind Dilbert was not nearly so forth coming). Alex allowed me to interview him and post some of his panels. I am splitting this into two post because the panels run long. Tomorrow I will run the actual interview. But for now, enjoy Too Cool to be Forgotten…

Want to read more? Check out Alex’s publisher Top Shelf Comix. The story continues there.
Also, visit Alex’s web site, www.comicbookalex.com to see what other things this creative soul is doing.

Photograph by e³°°°

My intention for this post was to bring a little light hearted fun into this realm with an interview I did with graphic novelist Alex Robinson. However, a bit of really bad news pinged its way into my consciousness first thing this morning. I would be remiss not to mention it, and alas - how I feel about it.

Yesterday in my run down of news in the hypno world, under the category of ugly, I mentioned Stephen Lee Kristi, who was charged with counts of inappropriate sexual conduct. He allegedly did this to female clients (and a couple of his employees) while they were in a state of hypnosis.

Unbenounced to me while I was diatribing the story, Mr. Kristi had apparently committed suicide. His body was found at hotel by police this past Saturday. Concerned about him, his wife had called the police and told them of her worries and that he had gone to a hotel.

I cannot express enough sympathy for all who are involved in this. I cannot image what Mrs. Kristi must be feeling at the moment, let alone those who brought the charges against him. Now mind you, I do not condemn those who brought the charges up, but I cannot help but imagine some of the things they must be dealing with currently. The whole thing is bloody awful.

I also have mixed feelings about the writing involved with this sort of case. I do not exclude myself from this for I did make mention of it and put it under my “ugly” category (are my hands stained with blood now?). Today I cannot help but wonder what purpose reporting such a case before the final verdict occurs serves. He had not been to trial yet. The articles just say he was accused of the crimes. I lament the lack of innocent before being proven guilty. What are the purposes of reporting a crime before the trial happens? Is it so others can get involved (oh, right, I went to so and so for hypnosis and he must have sexually molested me, too or I went to so and so for hypnosis and know without a doubt so and so would never do such a thing)? I am sure there is more to all this than I could ever know, but why do I even need to know about this until he is or is not proven guilty? Perhaps, Kristi used video to record his sessions (I do for my own protection) and it shows up on those? But still, he had a right to a fair trial.

Now I am left shaking my head. I am rethinking the whole “ugly” section of my blog. Maybe I should not publish such things until the trial is said and done? What do you think?

Source: http: www.timesrecordnews.com

“I’m late. I’m late,” said the March Hare.

Well, I am not technically late in posting this, but I have had such a productive morning that it feels like the day has passed and I am starting another one.

I have been in an odd mood since a bit after New Year’s. It has been a mix of melancholia, tiredness, skepticism, and a few more ugly emotions. And as I would tell a client, I tell myself - that is no way to be. So, I am turning myself around. I spent the morning with myself as a scheduled client. Yep, I put me in the appointment book and I have recently completed my session with me. For those who are curious about what I did, I used a recorded induction (just a basic progressive relaxation sort) and an ego strengthening script. Now I feel pretty darn good. Sometimes, going back to basics really helps.

So, Hello world! And the hypnoworld responds with the following recent events.

The Scientifically Strange
Recently dental hypnosis has been a topic here on the Transparent Hypnotist. My new year started off with a friend who wanted to try hypnosis for her dental phobia (but was talked out of it by her boyfriend) and then we had Mike Gow, a dentist who uses hypnosis (thus winning a prestigious award for his efforts). Now there has been a study done by University College London that combined laughing gas and hypnosis. The study shows that:

People are more suggestible under the influence of gas. This suggests that dental patients may benefit from being coached to relax while undergoing sedation.

To me, it seems a little redundant, since one of the side effects of hypnosis is relaxation. But I suspect this is actually a good segue for people who have issues with hypnosis. It allows them the comfort of a chemical compound to help them relax (thus they do not have to do it themselves) and the benefits of hypnotic suggestion. Any thoughts? (Times of India)

The Good

Sheena Williams wrote a beautiful story about one man’s journey of becoming a smoker, ending with a successful smoking cessation through hypnosis from Ann Richardson at Triapolis Wellness Center in Copperas Cove, Texas. It really is a lovely bit of writing (Killeen Daily Herald).

Good Articles about Other Hypnotists

Claire Hazlewood and Kevin Orchard of Birmingham, UK offer weekend workshops to help people maintain control over their weight loss goals. Before the workshop, they offer a free “taster” for those who have questions (Birmingham Post).

Connie Kvilhaug of Billings Hypnosis in Billings, MT talks about smoking cessation. (Montana News Station)

Mary Ellen Ott of Avon Lake, OH talks about the benefits of relaxation and hypnosis to achieve New Year’s goals (wkyc.com).

Another World Hypnotism Day Article

John Tomlinson - (abclocal.go.com)

The Bad (in sort of cool)

Plumber, psychic, astrologer and hypnotist. Now that’s an interesting career choice. Yes, I say choice and not choices. Merlin Jacobsen from Merlin Jacobsen Plumbing and Heating in Utah offers all those services, as indicated on the sign on his vehicle. Well, why not? (The Park Record).

The Ugly

Sometimes it seems like those who are in professions to help others are the ones who need the most help (before you freak out on me, I sometimes include myself in that category). Take for instance Stephen Lee Kristic of the Oklahoma Psychological Center, who is accused to groping four women clients while they were under hypnosis. It never feels good to read such reports and I often think, why must such people tarnish hypnosis in this way? Anyway, for those using the services of the OPC’s other personnel, remember not to judge everyone based on this one person’s failings (NewsOK.com).