The Transparent Hypnotist

Location: White Rock, BC
Cyber Location: www.vanceromane.com

1. Are you a full time hypnotist, a part-time hypnotist, a professional who incorporates hypnotism occasionally in your other practice, or are you a hobbyist?

FULL TIME since 1971. Part time since the 1960’s.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnotism?

SMOKING CESSATION, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, STRESS MANAGEMENT. Other areas occasionally.

3. Is there any form of hypnotism that you do not practice and why (i.e. entertainment, past-life regression, pain management)?

No areas outside my expertise, or those best handled by physicians or psychologists.

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

Yes, dental, including tooth extraction; stress management, sleep, energy, motivation, etc.

5. Describe your hypnotism office or work setting.

We use about 1500-2000 square feet overlooking the ocean for computers, a recording studio, storage of books and recordings, etc.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

I usually start off the day with some stretching, a little time on a weight machine, checking email. Most of my time is spent working with my office staff planning seminars, recordings, speaking to clients, researching hypnosis and related areas in my large hypnosis and mind power library with books dating back to the 1800’s. The rest of my time is spent visiting cities across Canada with seminars, with time set aside for family.

7. Where did you get your training in hypnotism and are you certified by any organization?

At age 9, I began reading everything I could find in the library on hypnotism, as I found the area of study fascinating. I attended many hypnosis courses and workshops including Maurice Kershaw in 1969; Dr. Freda Morris; Dr Gilligan and Dr. Carter in Ericksonian Hypnosis, and many, many others.  Dr. William Bryan, Jr.M.D. was also very influential in my training. I also attended many NLP courses. I have completed programs as a certified master hypnotist and hypnotherapist. I am a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, for many years, and have attended some of their conventions, as well as have been a guest speaker there.

8. What is the most fabulous hypnotism technique you use or prefer?

I find the Dave Elman methods combined with direct suggestions and indirect Ericksonian hypnosis to be most effective.

9. What was the worse moment you ever experienced in a hypnotism setting that ended up being a valuable learning experience?

I was about 13, and had just hypnotized a couple of school friends. They would get in a fight, and I would just snap my fingers and they would drop to the floor. I decided to implant a post hypnotic suggestion to Helmut that when I said the words “Spanish Armada”, he would instantly drop into hypnosis. It was very late at night and I whispered very quietly to Vince about “Spanish Armada”. I was very far from Helmut, but somehow he heard this. When I got home, the phone rang. Vince said that Helmut had gone back into hypnosis. I had to go back to Vince’s home to arouse Helmut from hypnosis. I was scolded by my parents for the late phone call. I quickly learned that the subconscious has a lot more sensitive hearing capabilities than the conscious mind.

10. Do you have any words of advice to potential clients or other hypnotists that you would like to share?

Ask your hypnotist about his experience in the area you wish to work upon, and with hypnosis in general, his training, and stay in touch with your inner feelings of comfort to work with that person. As for hypnotists, do not make promises like you will lose weight FOREVER. Do not treat medical or psychological conditions unless you have training in that area, you are a physician or a psychologist or working under referral. That includes depression. Be quick to refer people to the appropriate professional. Do not expect to get rich with hypnosis. Very few do. It should be a passion for the field and to help others. When I started hypnotizing in the 1960’s, it was rare to see any women in the field. Now there are many gifted women working with hypnosis. It was also rare to find any hypnotist in the telephone book. Now there are many. It is good to see those changes. Everyone should learn the priceless gift of self-hypnosis.

Photograph by spotrick

A few weeks ago, I was looking over the National Guild of Hypnotists’ Code of Ethics (yes, we most certainly have one) and their terminology guide. It has been a long while since I became certified, created my Client Bill of Rights, and actually gave any of it much thought. In writing a paper about hypnotism, I decided to peruse the proper terminology guide again. I have become very lax about something and I fear it may have created some confusion, especially regarding the 10 Questions. There are two words that I think many of us tend to use (or not) interchangeably – hypnosis and hypnotism. They actually are not the same thing or synonyms, if you will. I think the NGH sums it up nicely, so I will quote directly from them:

Many practitioners casually refer to their profession as “hypnosis” and this is improper. “Hypnosis” is the state the client is in when he or she has been “hypnotized” by a “hypnotist” practicing “hypnotism.” 

From now on I plan to be better about the usage of these words. And I am also changing the wording of the 10 Questions, even though the premise of each will remain the same. They are as follow:

1. Are you a full time hypnotist, a part-time hypnotist, a professional who incorporates hypnotism occasionally in your other practice, or are you a hobbyist?

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnotism?

3. Is there any form of hypnotism that you do not practice and why (i.e. entertainment, past-life regression, pain management)?

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

5. Describe your hypnotism office or work setting.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

7. Where did you get your training in hypnotism and are you certified by any organization?

8. What is the most fabulous hypnotism technique you use or prefer?

9. What was the worse moment you ever experienced in a hypnotism setting that ended up being a valuable learning experience?

10. Do you have any words of advice to potential clients or other hypnotists that you would like to share?

Also, I would also like to take moment and again remind my readers that I do very little editing of the 10 Questions, preferring to keep the tone, the phrasing, and the words unique to each participant. Please note that if I am given permission to use the answers exactly as received, I make no changes, even when words are left out or the grammar is wrong.

Source – The National Guild of Hypnotists’ Code of Ethics

Art by Rakka

A little while ago, a message was left on my answering service. The voice, feminine and almost childlike but with a lilt that suggested a few years beyond adolescence, referred to me as Ellie, not Ms. Blunt. The connotations of that message indicated that she knew me and needed my help. As I put on water for tea, I admit, I racked my brains trying to figure out how I knew this person. Sure, it would mean a new client, but how did I know her?

On the consultation day, in walked one of my various bank tellers. What surprised me is that she knew that I was a hypnotist. It was not as though she randomly chose me out of the phone book. After the office niceties (would you like a cup of tea?), I had to ask her how she knew I was a hypnotist. Now for those of you who are very clever and think that she was a very astute teller (which it turns out she is) and looked at the details on my checks and deposits, think again. Everything is in my name - Ellie Blunt – and that is it. Her answer was that she had heard me conversing with someone in line while waiting my turn. It apparently was another client who had told me he was doing well, but had also mentioned enough to let everyone around us know that he had been to me for my hypnotism services.

Call it a jolt of inspiration, call me late to the party, but some of the ideas behind Guerilla marketing have been tapping me on my subconscious shoulder since that moment of discovery. If one can get a client from a miscellaneous conversation at a bank, what if one carried it farther? With the printing of personal checks or even business ones, being relatively inexpensive, does it not make sense to use checks and deposit slips as potential marketing tools? If you used a company like VistaPrint, you could get something eye catching and noticeable (not your standard safety checks) that convey your message, be it a blog or a business. You could put your logo on the check or you could use a design template from the printing company that would match your business cards, brochures and stationary (if you do not have your own designer). Sure, your checks might only hit a few people, but it would be a consistent thing and that helps build brand recognition and consumer trust.

Photograph by 92wardsenatorfe

Quotes of the Week

Hypnosis is like taking an old floppy disc out of the brain and replacing it with a new one – from hypnotist Gerard Kelly in an article on www.westmeathexaminer.ie.

I do comedy hypnosis shows. If you have inhibitions, I relieve them. I get willing volunteers to join the stage where they undergo a series of relaxing suggestions. Once they are hypnotized, we bring down the house with comedy – from an article on yumasun.com about hypnotist Tyzen.

That’s why I am recommending a psychological behavioral approach to weight loss. I’m saying forget about the food. All the naturally thin people eat chocolate chips, pizza, cheese, all of the forbidden foods, they just don’t eat them to excess. Why is that? It’s because they feel in control around the foods – from hypnotist Paul McKenna in an article on www.wwltv.com about his hypnosis weight loss products.

Our mindset is everything. Life may be bumpy, but it’s important to remind ourselves that there’s a positive side. It’s important to laugh, to sit back and … relax – from hypnotist Gregg Pruett in an article on www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com.

Through hypnosis, Covington tries to find and re-program the subconscious reasons for our behavior. But she says it doesn’t work if the patient isn’t willing in the first place – from an article on www.11alive.com about behavioral therapist Jane Ann Covington.

“It’s an alpha state of mind, a dreamlike state, similar to the feeling you get before you fall asleep,” he said, “where I can plant positive suggestions for change at the subconscious level” – from an article on www.2theadvocate.com about hypnotist Barry Wolfson.

He describes hypnosis as a natural psychological process of directed attention that provides access to the subconscious control functions of the mind - from Michael Hidalgo in an article on www.2theadvocate.com

The Good

• Sorry smokers, but there is even more cause for you to consider stopping your bad (BAD) cigarette habit. The US has just implemented a tax increase on cigarettes. For hypnotists (non-smoking ones), this is a large opportunity to help those who no longer want to pay the excessive fees for smoking. There have been numerous article about this, but I will cite winknews.com.

• In being an advocate for hypnosis, I think one of the biggest ways to go about that is to be truthful. By itself, hypnosis is not an easy miraculous thing that will instantly fix your issues. There are many forms and techniques - it is not just one thing. That is why last year I began a series of posts called “forms of hypnosis” and have begun “the tool box.” Many things can be resolved through hypnosis, but depending on the hypnotist, the techniques, and the client, it sometimes needs a little boost (be it another session, another form of hypnosis, a dab of NLP). In an article on lakeplacidnews.com about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the viewpoint of Dr. Gabriel Koz, he mentions using hypnosis to help a veteran walk again. It was successful at first, but as the sessions conitnued, it lost its effectiveness. But Koz knows why that occurred:
  

  I had not dealt with his underlying need to be paralyzed

• Debbie Gisonni is doing a four part series on hypnotherapy for the examiner.com.

The Bad as in Kind of Cool

Hypnotists having crazed fans. That is interesting and strange. I cannot imagine…but apparently Icelander hypnotist Sailesh deals with the craziness of being a celebrity:

According to Sailesh’s Web site and illusionist Reza Borchardt, Iceland contains some of Sailesh’s biggest fans. He requires constant security, and they even stand outside his door at night protecting him from fanatics. He had the top-selling documentary DVD in Iceland, as well – from an article on sdsucollegian.com

The Ugly

What if you went to a college, worked hard, and graduated with your degree. Then you find out that the administrator of the college committed fraud in reporting that the college met accreditation standards, when indeed it did not. Does all your learning immediately disappear? Does it mean that the people you have helped since receiving your so-called degree vanish as though it never happened. Does it invalidate your hard work? That is what Bill Stiles is dealing with since earning a degree from LaSalle University, which was shut down by the FBI. All this came to light by reporter Alan Jennings for an article on wpxi.com. I cannot help but feel bad for Stiles.

Call me trivial, call me real, but if you are here at this very moment looking for an update to the hypno world news, you are on the right blog. I should say you are on the right blog but during a crunch time for the hypnotist who writes this blog. Morning arrived and upon opening my eyes to the world, life has excellerated. A splash of tea, a bit of toast. I should be wearing jogging shoes, not heels.

It is warm out in the world and I find I am ready for the hopefulness that spring brings. My clothes are not. My somewhat infamous white linen suit is hanging on the shower rack, smelling of lavender and mothballs (one can never be to careful). It also no longer fits me as I would have preferred (well only if magically it would fit my frame). Close to losing ten pounds at the moment, it sags a bit in unflattering ways.

So, dear reader forgive me, as I race out to Sears for their clearance sale (75 - 80% off, which is happening from now until April 18, 2009) featuring clothes from the winter and fall. I have my eye on a nice little set that was featured this fall (see above). As I am still in the process of losing more weight, I just cannot bring myself to buy anything full price.

Depending on the time, I may return to the hypno world news a bit later or tomorrow. See you soon.

 
Photograph by calca

In my Friday 10 Questions, I often ask for personal experiences. I believe these offer a richer dynamic to the interview because it shows a personal side to the interviewee. Perhaps those of us reading the interviews can connect with those words (or disconnect as the case may be). Now I understand that there are some people out there who feel this compromises their privacy (or their client’s privacy). 

This makes me aware of one thing, I need to disclose something more to you. I keep my business site and such very separate from this particular blog. The client stories I tell on it, though true, consist of a few detail changes to keep the client identities private. I have actually had clients read about themselves and not quite recognize their description. So, for those of you who are concerned with my client’s privacy, please know I would never compromise them. 

But the feelings and such that I share with you are very real. I often find myself, especially when revealing the more personal matters in my life, wanting to keep them closed off from the persona you see. But, I believe that it is important to shed a light on my career and how I live life as a hypnotist. Some can relate, some learn, and some will walk away shaking their head. That is all okay. Transparency. 

I once took a course in counseling and my professor felt that by sharing some relivant personal stories with clients, this was an exceptional way to help the client relate and be more open to sharing their true thoughts. It is also another way to give advice without lecturing or putting someone on the defense. I have embraced this.

But my question to you today is: when dealing with a professional, do you want to relate to them and possibly connect or is there another experience that helps you more? If so, what is it?

As I type this, it is actually Thursday and I have just finished scheduling 10 Questions with Kathleen Connolly (it ran yesterday). She brought up some good points and I believe everyone’s philosophies are valid. Her ways of approach just differ from mine. Such contrast make life interesting. However after posting it, I needed something a bit lighter to follow and so I looked up hypnotized in youtube.com and came across this – Fleetwood Mac’s Hypnotized. It seemed most appropriate. This stanza seems to resonate:

Now its not a meaningless question
To ask if they’ve been and gone
I remember a talk about north
Carolina and a strange, strange pond
You see the sides were like glass
In the thick of a forest without a road
And if any mans ever made that land
Then I think it would’ve showed

And now I smile as I leave you this fine, positive Saturday. I will be back in the cyber world soon.

Location: Charlotte, NC
Cyber Location: acumeans.com

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

I am certified in clinical hypnosis by the American Society of Clinical
Hypnosis, the flagship organization for licensed healthcare professionals.
Hypnosis is a treatment modality/technique that I employ in a clinical
setting. I do not consider it to be a hobby. Knitting and jogging hobbies.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnosis?

Clinical hypnosis - in my 15 year of clinical experience, 7 of which are in
hypnotic and trancework, I’ve never heard of “types of hypnosis”. If your
asking under what circumstances do I use hypnosis and trance work - it
ranges from behavioral to psychodynamic concerns.

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

I’m not certain what you mean here - clients “do hypnosis”, hypnosis is
their experience, not mine.

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

Yes.

5. Describe your hypnosis office or work setting.

I am in private practice - my setting is professional, inviting, and
comforting.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

I run a private practice. I manage both clinical and business sides of the
practice.

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

I received my training via the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and am
certified by that organization.

8. Most fabulous hypnosis technique you use?

I don’t use language like “fabulous” to describe hypnosis - I believe it
dumbs down, overpopularizes, and commercializes a clinical, professional
technique.

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

I don’t disclose what may be construed as sharing private, confidential
information about my work with clients. As a licensed clinician, I abide by
the laws and ethics of my profession.

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

Clients - use a licensed practitioner. Too many clients are triggered in
trance and lay hypnotists are not sufficiently trained to manage potential
complications. Others - avoid using hypnosis with out sufficient training
in the psychobiological sciences; it puts clients/consumers at unnecessary
risk.

As he spoke about the break-up, he looked off into the distance, eyes looking a bit upward to the right. Before his eyes began to leak with painful tears, I handed him a tissue and let him talk.

“Why did she leave me?” he asks, “Why?”

I pause and let the silence speak for me. He blows his nose.

“Why do you think she left?”

What followed were actually a few words I would rather not repeat on this blog. They were mean, showing the rough edges of his anguish. That alone spoke volumes. The amount of blame that issued out of his statements was hard to hear, even for me.

Once that tirade had petered out a bit, I asked, “What was your role in the loss of that relationship?”

His eyes again looked faraway, this time focusing toward a point to his upward left, “My role was that of being betrayed. She was sleeping around with other people.”

Before he could launch into another diatribe, my inner adviser suggested I ask, “Did you ever sleep with anyone else during your relationship?”

He shifted in the chair, again looked up and left, finally denying it. I even detected a slight nodding of the head during his denial.

He never saw it, but I actually smiled inwardly at this, realizing that indeed there might be something to NLP eye cues. These are based on the difference between memory and what is created (the right is remembered, the left is created). Notice the chart above. The eyes look one direction when remembering and another direction when creating content. But the truth for me was not in whether he was lying about his faults in the break-up (we would explore some of that during his hypnosis experience), but in how he processed information.

This is what Mark Pummell was talking about in his answer to his favorite techniques:

…always try and ally to patient’s dominant sense modality…

Why is it important to know about a client’s way of processing information? Well, if a person is not visual and you use guided imagery, well, the client is left behind and usually frustrated. You need to know if a person is more visual, auditory, kinesthetic so that you can help them process the information you give them during the session. If you want to take a client to a pleasant day at the beach, if they are visual, they will get more out of visual descriptions: you see the waves lapping against the shore. If they are auditory: you hear the sound of the surf as it comes and goes with the tides. Or if they are more kinesthetic: you feel the warm of the sand under your feet and the coolness of the water as it playfully laps against your toes. Also, kinesthetic is interesting because it can also encompass thinking. This would be: you think about what it is like being on a beach. Think about the experience of sand, surf, and sunshine.

In early NLP (neuro linguistic programming) circles, the above eye cue chart was thought to help practitioners understand how their clients accessed information - visually, audibly, kinesthetically. However, several studies have been done that seem to show this methodology is not completely accurate. But it is fun to play with (codicil here - this method is for entertainment purposes only).

Now the question becomes how do you tell how a person processes information. Stay tuned. We will continue this discussion in a day or two (after tomorrow’s 10 Questions).

Sources:

Eye Cue Chart
Kevin Hogan’s NLP Research Project

Photograph by  .mands.

It is April 1st. There is talk of Entrecard being awarded a defense contract and I think I too should announce some monstrous thing here on the the Transparent Hypnotist. The cat is meowing at me as though she has ideas like telling the world that I am forever leaving the human hypnotism industry to work specifically with cats who want to be hypnotized. Her other suggestion is less enlightening. I should give up hypnosis all together and become a cat food manufacture (I suspect if I knew much more about cat food, just opening a tin of it would be harrowing).

So what to do about this April Fools Day?

Sigh.

I will merely think about it like a child looking wistfully at the impulse candy displays beside the checkout in the grocery store. I will let it go and enjoy the antics of others like those creative souls behind entrecard. I had a session yesterday and had enough trouble with the barrier of expectation (control issues, she just could not believe she would remain in control…no matter what I showed her and she experienced). It reminds me that no matter how mischievous I ever feel, no matter what day lurks about on the calendar, I need to keep what I do, yes, that would be hypnotism, on a good par with its realities. No joking around (without a million and one codicils).

Today in loo of said antics, I will instead continue my tradition of thanking my readers for sticking with me (ads, sponsors and all). Also thank you to the entrecarders who faithfully drop your cards here. Even if I lurk on your blogs without comment, please know that your words are being read and enjoyed.

Special thanks to ik.my/blog/ (thoughts of ik), that is a web site idea kind of blog who also offers the very handy service of shortening long urls andImamKhalid, a web tech sort of blog. Both dropped their cards here everyday for the past two months! Special mention goes to Mr Soleh’s Outburst, who in honor of dropping his card here everyday for four months has a special place on my blog roll this month.

Also, a huge thank you to Carly at confoozled.com for sending me an Amazon gift card! I won it for participating in her survey.

Even if I am not participating in April Fool shenanigans, if you see any good ones, please feel free to leave a comment. I still enjoy a good one…