The Transparent Hypnotist

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…

Excuse me while I get another tissue. Sneezes abound. Good grief!

You know, I thought I was done talking technical stuff, but I guess with running a business in this day and age, it is hard to ignore it. I think it is as much a part of life as was learning to type (which I never learned…but some how picked up) and wishing for a good secretary.

I did something quite fun yesterday and I could not have done it without my computer. In beginning to work with clients in a long distance capacity, I still struggle with phone issues (dropped calls, etc. - by the way, Michael, I think you mentioned Skype…but when I use it there is an echo and it sounds awful. Am I doing something wrong?). I have also learned that I rely heavily on visuals. So, I decided to try video.

Yesterday I turned on my MacBook, logged into iChat, as did my client (Mac users unite) and off we went. The latest MacBooks have a built in web cam. Granted I was tempted to make it look like I was in Paris (Eiffel Tower, thank you very much) but for professional purposes I kept the back ground as my office. Upon our scheduled time, there she was. The audio is very clear (I do use a mic) and the picture quality is good enough to see visual cues). I could see her environment (a bit) and know if there were distractions on her end, see her reactions, and it seemed much easier than just going by sound. It’s not like being in the same room, but it is close.

So, I cannot say enough about the joys of the MacBook. I run everything in my business off of it - my financial side of the business, my blogging fixation, my filing, everything…

Stop grimacing PC people. I accept that Macs may not be for everyone, but neither are PCs. I guess it is like any relationship…sometimes something just clicks and you find the one for you.

Oh…and for those who are thinking about going all Apple, there are various discounts and Apple couponsavailable. There are great deals to be had.

by Gary Noble

I was at a used book sale the other day, and I came upon an interesting item titled “The Training of the Will” by Johann Lindworeky, S.J. So I picked it up and was amazed as I read the contents listed inside the front cover. WOW, I thought, this should prove interesting, very interesting. So I decided to show you the list in the table of contents. Note: this not all-inclusive. See if these topics wouldn’t interest you too:

1. The Psychology of Will.
1. The Act of Will.
2. The Will and Movement of the Body.
3. Our Purposeful Action.
4. Concerning the Power of Intention.
5. The Strength of Will Power.
6. The Motive Force of Will.

2. The Pedagogy of Will.
1. Evaluation of Specific Proposals for Forming the Will.
2. Reasons for Coue’s Success.
3. Right and Wrong ways of Thought Control.
4. Practice in Self Control.

3. The Specific Tasks.
1. Formation of Will Power.
2. Acquisition of will power.
3. The Formal Process of Making Resolutions.
4. The Content of the Training of the Will.

4. The Complete Task.
1. The Limits of the Training of the Will.

And of course, Practice Suggestions.

These chapter titles and headings would suggest a very interesting read. It would appear there are some chapters on education and some chapters about practice. The truth is, in my opinion, there‘s not much in any of these chapters to interest even the most avid hypnotist, let alone a layperson.

The guy that wrote this tomb was Jesuit Friar Johann Lindworsky. It’s said he was a pioneer in the psychology of the Will. He wrote several works, but none as famous as this popular book he penned in 1929. There are those in the Catholic community who feel this is the finest example of scholarly writing about The Will ever published by one of their own. They would have you believe you have the ability to control your Willpower through the practice and conditioning suggested in the book.

I have not found this to be the case. Of all the books I’ve read, this one is by far the most difficult to follow and understand. Although the chapters are laid out in a concise manor, and the topics follow the headings, the reading is such that you are taken away from the subject matter and thrown into a whirlwind of gobble-de-gook gibberish. The way he writes is difficult to follow, and I’m not sure weather or not Fr. Lindworsky himself can make a valid argument for the subject inferred by the title of the book.

The book begins with the obvious statement: The art of willing has interested the mind in all ages. And goes on to say: I must admit in advance that I am not able to point out an altogether simple means of training the will. Furthermore, I cannot assert that success will result from the application of my method…

He does have some feelings of superiority tough, which are portrayed by his statement in the first chapter: Here, beneath this surface rock, gold is hidden; dig of it, doing your level best, and you will surely find all you need for your life. If however, you wish to become a great man among those who will, a kindly genius must guide your hand so that you begin digging at the right spot and find a very rich vain.

His work is filled with questions, in almost every sentence, which he finds difficult to answer himself. He begins early in the first chapter telling about the child, the young person who should have access to training his will. This must be done by his teacher, not harshly, but with a firm and guided hand. There are written illustrations that prove to be highly questionable as to their practical applications in the real world.

Volition then becomes the subject, and is followed throughout the book. As you may be aware, volition and will are both very similar subjects. They even have similar definitions. Wikipedia defines willpower and volition thusly: Willpower is the colloquial, and volition the scientific, term for the same state of the will; viz., an “elective preference”. The need to bring volition into the text is brought on by the need to test subjects for their ability to retain the training that is to follow. Testing the will is almost impossible, says Lindworeky. Although the act of will has various forms of expression.

He does make a valid argument for “The Theory of a Necessary Preceding Image of Movement”. There is no movement without a preceding image of the movement. If, however, such an image of the movement has been formed, the movement will follow of itself, if no inhibition appears, because the nervous excitement radiates from the center of sensation, which is activity in the formation of the image of the movement, to the motor center of the brain by which the muscle is moved.

The second chapter of the book was, for me, the most informative. Titled “The Pedagogy of Will”. It begins: After having acquainted ourselves with the nature of volition, we need only apply our findings to the various problems of the training of the will in order to develop a pedagogy of will. Simply stated, pedagogy means, “to teach”. Thus we need only learn to teach willpower, and as you can imagine, this chapter will teach us how to do that. If only it were so simple.

The first heading in this chapter shows promise though. “Evaluation of the Specific Proposals for Forming Will”. Now we’re getting down to business. The first sentence reads: Hypnosis and suggestion, including autosuggestion, are not infrequently named among the means of influencing and forming the will. He goes on to define suggestion, autosuggestion and continues by telling a little about the theory of hypnosis. Then he tells us that suggestion is morally admissible. Thanks Johann.

Continuing into this chapter you will find some mention of hypnosis. “Hypnosis Not an Education Procedure” talks about the process of hypnosis being available to qualified person only, and not to the teachers of young men. He continues with: Hypnosis can be applied only to the cure of nervous disturbances or conditions which have developed on the basis of neurosis. It must be used only by an experienced physician, when in the judgment of a conscientious expert no other remedies are available. On the other hand, hypnosis can never permanently remove a passion. Even if it temporarily removes the stimuli originating in the organism; e.g., the stimulus to drinking, and even if for a short time it diverts the mind from dangerous goal, it, nevertheless, is ineffective if it is not supported immediately by positive moral education. Finally, it cannot achieve the main task of education, the inculcation of the high ideals and values. Accordingly, all means which approach the hypnotic procedure must be discarded in self-education as well as in the education of others.

So much for the future of hypnosis. This guy was out to squash any thought of the practice of hypnosis as we know it today. Thank goodness he wasn’t well read in the outside word. He had created his “guide” for use in the Catholic community, and it has not been widely distributed for many, many years.

There are some who may be interested in reading this book, but be prepared for a lot of double-talk. Most of the sentences start out with a question, and then occasionally the question is answered. It is a trying tomb. It can be purchased at will on the Internet.

I have, I think, found the true essence of the focus of this book. Several weeks before finding this “gem”, I had been learning the practice of Hypnotherapy. The schooling was not difficult, but it taught me a number of things. The most important was to believe in myself. This sounds simple, but it’s more involved then most people think. I hadn’t become accustom to believing in myself. I took what I did, and what I thought, for granted. I thought everyone did. Not only did they take me for granted, they take themselves for granted. Life was simple. But I learned in those few months of training than we need to believe in ourselves, and in others.

Although there were no classes on self-appreciation with the instructions, it was something I figured out on my own. And another thing I figured out was how powerful the mind really is. I’ve learned that I could change myself. Sure, I could hypnotize other people, but the simple fact is, and more importantly, I could change myself.

I’ve started using a short saying that I repeat over and over again to myself. And I found it works. In fact, it works quite well. I‘m not saying it will work for everyone, but it works for me. I repeat my saying over and over, and what I say will begin to happen. This positive force is mentioned in The Training of the Will. I found it in several places. It’s not as obvious as it should be, but it’s there. I’m not surprised at finding it in the book, I’m just amazed at how prevalent it is. Of course, as I read it, I didn’t pick up on it right away because the author leads you to believe that it takes someone else to do the training. This is only half true. The teacher is important, but not nearly as important as the student. The student must be shown he has the ability to change himself.

Something I remember reading in Harry Arons book “New Master Course in Hypnotism”

Can also be found in The Training of the Will. It says, When the Will and the Imagination Come in Conflict, the Imagination Invariably Wins. These are words to live by.

Walking in down some ubiquitous isle in the grocery store last evening, I noticed a woman talking to herself. She was definitely having a one sided conversation about her latest doctor’s appointment. Being polite, I did not stare, but I could not help hear her words. I suspect if I had had the results of her latest scan, I might have begun talking too myself as well. As a few more people drifted into the isle, they were not so polite. Some did stare at her. I suppressed my smile. It is interesting to see in this day and age that technology has not infiltrated every nook and cranny

“Rude,” a man murmured as he reached over me to get a box on a shelf above my head.

“I beg your pardon,” I asked startled.

“Talking on the phone in the middle of a grocery store. What is America coming, too?” Ah, so maybe technology has infiltrated. I did not have the heart to tell him long before the mobile became ingrained in our heads here, the Brits were doing so…or so it seemed.

There was a part of me that was a little late in arriving at the idea of usinghref=”http://www.mobilebloc.net”>wireless headsets, but with the ever changing world, my need to travel and convenience in general, I have embraced the idea - a bit. I still do not like having a phone with me when I run errands. It is nice to get away from it sometimes (I do keep one with me for emergencies). But with so many states requiring hands-free talking when driving, it is a must. I can just imagine being lost on some dark road, using the phone for directions without the headset and being pulled over. Yikes.

But, I have fully embraced the idea at the office or on travel. For the phone sessions or consultations, it is amazingly wonderful to use wireless phone headsets. No more grinding the phone against one’s ear or getting an arm cramp. During a session it is amazing because it is close to life…one is free to move without encumbrances. Note taking no longer means cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder (my massage bills have gone done).

The biggest problem I had when looking into purchasing one was sound degradation. There is a whole world of static and “can you hear me nows” out there. The one I have ended up with is the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset. It is an ear bud sort of deal and relatively unobtrusive. It slips into your ear and you are ready to go (though an ear clip would be nice). The sound quality is very clear, but you do have to watch out for background noise. If you drop something, the person on the other end hears a crash. The other really positive thing is I believe it amplifies to a degree. There are times when doing client based hypnosis, that the voice responses I get are very soft. I have no clue what my client has said. I do not seem to have this problem when doing phone hypnosis.

On the other side of this, I beginning to believe that any phone hypno client needs to have one as well. I am not picky about brand, but just the idea of a handsfree set. There is a whole ball of wax without it…the phone dropping or slipping, etc.

Will I take my handsfree set out of the office and embrace it in my life in public facilities? Probably not. If people like me, trying to mind their own business, get the gist of a stranger’s doctor visit, using it in such instances does not seem like such a good idea.

Maybe it was at an NGH conference or maybe it was at a small business women meeting, but the words have haunted me since. “When you open your own business, you no longer are doing what you embarked upon (being a hypnotist in my case) originally. Instead your profession is ‘business owner.’ If you want to pursue a career doing what you are passionate about, you should work for someone else.” Wow. Needless to say, my passionate side has railed against this. Not that many people “hire” hypnotist to work in their companies. So, that means we begin the process of becoming business owners. However, I still insist I am a hypnotist first

But a business owner I am as well. Not only am I a hypnotist, but I am an office manger; I delve into public relations; put on a book keeping hat; and am a marketer. Oh, and I also am a janitor at times. Sigh (not about being a janitor, though - sometimes mopping the floor is a great way to meditate).

Today as I look down my to do list, it is time for me to reorder my “branded” tools - cards, stationary and that sort of fun stuff (okay, I do enjoy good stationary). I already know from where I am going to order these things - Vista Print. Like so many others, a few years ago I was lured in by their inexpensive (but good quality) business cards. At first, I did not expect much, but since I have been using them, they have responded immediately to any questions or technical problems I encountered. Their products even arrive in a timely manner.

True story. A few years ago during a hypno conference, I ran low on business cards. I knew my stash at the office was also minimal. I still have several days to go because I was taking a few courses after the convention officially ended. I got on the phone and called Vista Print. I placed an order for more of my cards, expedited delivery and they were there in two days. Amazing.

Anyway, I need to order some “personalized note cards.” I send these to clients after I meet with them (and such). Currently mine have my logo on them, but now, after Tuesday’s post, I am wondering if it would not be better to have my picture on it. Ah, the simple joys of being the one to make all the decisions.

It is not just a New Year’s Resolution. It is an everyday thing - this quest for self-perfection. Always the weight watching, the proper diet, could I be a better person,am I getting enough exercise, should I be more fluent in another language, could I sleep better and the list goes continues to amass.

So here it is, the first day of the rest of my life with a new iTouch (the new baby in the long line of Apple products). You might be saying to yourself, “What does this have to do with self-betterment?” And, as you can imagine, I am going to tell you.

As a professed user of self-hypnosis, visualization, meditation, and the Internet, the iTouch is not just a tool, but a proper partner for life’s little adventures. Its graphic interface (sweet little icons) and touch screen technology make it extremely easy to use - intuitive, one might say. That’s the visualization part. Then there is the expansive sound that come through the little white ear phones, perfect for listening to both self-hypnosis audios or meditation sounds. And because of these ear phones, it means it is completely individualized, or in other words, your partner is not forced to pick up the suggestions for weight loss or the Russian word for Hello when you play your audios on the house sound system. It is also extremely light weight and portable, so it can go anywhere you go - the top of an isolated mountain to explore consciousness or a library to look up the latest in self-help books. The light weight design makes it pocket, purse, or laptop case compatible. And, if you ever wondered what your finger print resembles, you need only to touch its shiny body and there it is. (Some might say this is not such a great feature - but you can judge a book by its cover, yahda, yahda, yahda).

But, I digress. This is the first day of the rest of my life with my new iTouch companion. As always, I had my coffee, but this time with a twist. Sitting on the back porch, I slipped the headphones on and began the day with a soome Louie Armstrong and also read through my favorite blogs - yes all on the iTouch at the same time thanks to the Wi-Fi feature. Now you may be wondering how one reads websites with the little screen. Basically, you tap what you want to read and it zooms in and enlarges the image or text. Didn’t even need the reading glasses.

Once properly caffeinated, it was time to advance to a higher consciousness with a kindness guided meditation that I downloaded directly onto the iTouch. Easy peasy. A deep breath in, a search though the Apple Store for a free podcast featuring guided meditation. A deep breath out, download completed (maybe not quite that fast) and I was in that meditative state of graceful awareness.

From this point on, I decided to get the blood pumping, the body moving. What better time to learn to tango? A short perusal through the cyberworld’s youtube videos and I had the visualization all worked out in no time. An ebook lead me step by step through the beginnings of the dance. Note to self - when leading a tango with an imaginary partner, do watch out for walls. They can be quite painful.

While cooling down, I switched over to an audio book and began Russian lessons (I like the way the language sounds). The cat was not moved when I began practicing the words out loud.

And soon enough, it was time for a short afternoon nap. I have been wanting to try out a self-hypnosis audio on sleeping better. And that too was an easy download. I got all comfy on the bed and began the audio. Soon enough I began the process of letting go, slipping into a light alpha state. However, I was not to remain alone in this endeavor. The cat, sensing a quiet peacefulness in contrast to the harsh resonate sounds of the Russian lesson, joined me on the bed as well. They say animals are in a constant alpha state and are drawn to humans who access it. Perhaps this was the case?

And so we settled in, slept soundly, and here I am, writing this homage to the iPod Touch. It isn’t just for your teenager, the studious college student, the hip 20 something. It is a true companion in a quest for self-betterment and peacefulness.

Want to know more about the iTouch? Visit Apple’s iTouch webpage for more information.

One of my dearest friends, who has just received his certification in hypnosis(NGH), lives in California. A recent phone conversation between us became a brain storming session. He is one of those souls who got into mental health and addiction counseling because he felt the angry bite of drug addiction. Chasing dragons grew tiresome for him and he spent a few years in various programs and treatment centers, and this made him weary. What turned his life around was, you guessed it, hypnosis. Since then he has been devoted to hypnosis and preaching its good word.

In looking at the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Blog | California Criminal Attorneys Law Blog, I was pleased to find their posting on how they deal with their clients who have drug related offenses. They work toward getting the client treatment as part of the sentencing as opposed to just allowing clients to be thrown into jail. There may be cynics reading this who smirk at the idea (I have a few clients who went this route, thought rehab was a joke, but the eventually ended up at my doorstep looking for help).

On a side note, the above mentioned blog is interesting because it does not rely on legaleses to get their points across. It is written for the “everyman” and is quite informative. That is the positive thing about the blogisphere, it makes complicated subjects more understandable and in the case of the blog in question, it makes the lawyers seem less intimidating. (P.S. the above photo is the lawyer who writes the blog).

So, in talking to my friend, he was such a person who did avoid jail time and embraced the recovery process. In our brain storming, it became really clear that he should make himself know to lawyers. How often we forget that they might refer clients our way. We got lost in the whole issue of regression hypnosis somewhere. But there is so much more we can offer, such as being part of the addiction cessation processes, anger management, and probably much more.

A few Sunday’s ago I mentioned a friend who wanted me to hypnotize her so she would lose the desire for a mate. Well, she has kept in touch with me, though I have quite refused to do any sort of hypnosis with her other than maybe working on self-esteem and inspiring more independence.

She has been prowling (sorry luv, but that is what it is)the online dating sites (p.s.Michael, you got an LOL from her about your comments on that posting). The latest she is spending some time with is a free dating site called DateHookup.com. So, this afternoon, I went onto the site with her as she wanted my opinion about some of her “picks.” Yes, we gals do that sort of thing, you know. It is a pretty easy site to navigate and it offers a unique search idea; that of “date ideas.” You can see what sort of dates people are thinking of within certain criteria (location, price, time). No one in our search criteria offered any sort of date that involved hypnosis - I realize perhaps this begins to get into the world of hypno fetish, but it could be fun for two people who are hypnotists to take each other on guided visualizations to interesting places. Just a thought.

The one thing about the site that I do not like is that it is hard to search for anyone with similar interest. Apparently looks, location, age, occupation, political views, incomes, religion, children, drinking and smoking are the main things. That is not entirely fair, they do offer personality type as well. It seems fairly in depth otherwise, but what if one wants to find someone with an interest in hypnosis and that is the most important thing to that person? Not that my friend is that interested in hypnosis, but I thought it was a good point.

In this process, what she realizes is that she does not really know what she wants in a partner. So, I have agreed to work with her a bit on looking inwardly to find some answers. It should be interesting.

When I was little, I used to stay with my Nan. Every afternoon around 3 pm, she would plop me on her couch (with all sort of comfy pillows and a quilt) and then she would tuck me in for a nap while she had a quiet cup of tea all to herself. Not one for appreciating naps at those early ages, I knew well enough to keep still. It would allow me to be with people again much sooner. So, I would watch the old grandfather clock that stood by the doorway, its gold pendulums going back and forth and forth and back. I would wait in anticipation of the chimes (loud bongs) and sure enough I would fall asleep. I still can fall asleep with the ticking of a clock.

So after dealing with a few children clients, I have begun to wonder if doing an eye fixation induction utilizing a grandfather clock might be helpful. Sure it is like the pocket watch and pendulum inductions, but why not? It is subtle part of the decor, so it becomes more friendly. Would relaxation start to happen on its own, if you, as the hypnotist were to let these clients get comfortable, alone in your office, where the focal point is the grandfather clock, standing there majestically?

My other idea is that the interval chimes could act as a deepener. That might depend on the chime. So, I have been looking up chimes at and found a blog entry on it at clocksblog.com. From there I was referred to 1-800-4clocks.com. They apparently carry all sorts of Howard Miller grandfather clocks, of which some of these have sound files attached. I have to admit, I was a little thrilled to see that there are some clocks that are still cable driven. I had expected them to be long out of date. The clock that I am most attracted too is one such type, the Howard Miller Newell Grandfather Clock. It is simple, clean and would not look to “homey,” yet would catch the eye. But, that is aesthetics, and I am concerned with the sound. The only sounds I could find were of Westminster Chimes. They are fairly classic. The clock I like mentions it has “bim bam chimes,” so I cannot tell if that is the sound it makes or if it is Westminster. This is the one thing that I wish was a little different about the site, but maybe they are in the process of adding more sounds?

Maybe I am getting too hung up in the details, but I think such a clock would be a nice touch for an office and a great induction (and maybe deepning tool, too). Have any of you out there tried this?

Now I am confused. I had always thought the Catholic Church accepted hypnosis (wasn’t that back in ‘54?). So now I find that they do not have an official stance. According to one of their publications they warn their flock against the abuse of magnetism and hypnotism, but “want to leave the way free for science.” Okay, they really are not panning hypnosis, but warning against the abuse of it (abuse - as in they cannot say bad things about it or not to over indulge?). LOL.

I am off on this jag because I just read an article on Catholiconline.org, the Diocesan News called Church has no stance on hypnotism, but urges all to beware of abuses. This is by Susan Brinkmann. She gives a history and a definition from the Britannica
(which sounds like it was written by L. Ron Hubbard). Then she goes after past life regression. Well, I believe everyone is allowed their opinions and we have gone over this. She quotes Moira Noonan (interesting person), which may have to be a whole different discussion (the concept of Ms.Noonan, I mean).

Now, it has been said that I may be perpetrating myths about hypnosis by discussing mind control,but this is blatant…Here is the quote:

“Not all forms of hypnotherapy are dangerous …,” Noonan continues. “What makes it risky is that a person under hypnosis has surrendered his will and is utterly open to suggestion. So you must know the background and belief system and training of anyone who provides you with hypnosis therapies.”

You know the part I am railing against - the surrender of will. But I will say I do agree on some level with her last statement. I think that is part of gaining rapport.

Just thought I would share what the Catholics (and people like me) are reading…