The Transparent Hypnotist

Maybe there was a time in your life when you wanted to change something. Maybe you were able to use sheer will power to make the change a reality such as giving up an addiction (smoking, caffeine, or the big dogs - drugs, sex or even  rock and roll).  But what about the changes that did not come so easy or seemed to be just outside of your grasp? This is where hypnosis becomes the tool for manifesting those change sin your life. And the thing is, hypnosis is not just one tool. There are several - self-hypnosis (the basis of all hypnosis), suggestion work, client centered hypnosis, regression, and parts therapy to name a few. The latter acts as follows:

The negotiator enters the space. On one side, there is the problem. On the other side is the one who needs certain things to happen for one’s well being. Both sides state their points and the negotiator makes sure both sides are truly heard. One side presents a desired outcome, the other takes this into consideration. This element is tweaked, that idea given up, and after the process, change happens. This is the mental world that Roy Hunter inserts himself - negotiator, hypnotist, trainer, extraordinaire.

One of Roy’s biggest claims to fame is the book he wrote,called Master the Power of Self-Hypnosis. With a background in sales, and the soul of  trainer, he became a distinguished member of the hypnosis community providing a valuable resource of hypnotic methods. His text books and training methods are often used in many schools for teaching the hypnotic arts. He also became a member in the International Hypnosis Hall of Fame in April of 2000 (for his writing prowess). In 2004, St. John’s University awarded him with an honorary doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy.

I did not know any of this when I met Roy. He was selling his books at an National Guild of Hypnotists conference, but for all I knew, he could have been a friend helping sell the Roy Hunter books. Almost walking past his table, he caught my eye and said hello. Feeling obligated to at least look at the products in his booth, I picked up the book Conflict Resolution: Introducing Parts Therapy. After looking at the table of contents (and several pages of the text to be sure it was not academia speak), I realized this was one of those kismet moments. This particular book seemed to address all my needs for helping a certain client. I bought the book (and Roy autographed it) and consumed it immediately. I looked up his other books (and those of his hero Charles Tebbits). When I felt confident enough, thanks to his well explained methods, I gave parts therapy a shot with my client. I became the negotiator for the conscious and subconscious parts of the client’s mind. With this technique, we broke through the client’s block in healing his chronic pain.

By the time I finished Conflict Resolution, I realized I had learned an awful lot. Not only did I gain experience from his knowledge and methods, as well as new techniques to help my clients, I learned more about the subconscious mind. I had tiptoed around so much, fearful of not saying the right words or even really understanding how the subconscious worked. Sure I had lots of theory to help explain it, but it seemed completely mystical and like a delicate, fine, blown-glass figurine. Handed the wrong way or even breathed upon, it could break. Yes, it is delicate, but thanks to Roy, I know better how to handle it. I can communicate with it (within myself and others) and know I have a way to conduct a responsible, helpful dialogue.

His theories and knowledge and the ability to disseminate it all make Roy Hunter one of my personal heros. He explains self-hypnosis in a way that many could really find beneficial. He explains hypnotic techniques in a way that can help a number of hypnotists help others. Roy Hunter’s work goes beyond the man behind the books, it is carried on through the work of others.

Resource:

Roy Hunter’s Web Site

Author’s note: This post is part of a group writing project called Heroes of Healing and is the brain child of Jenny Mannion. Please visit both sites.

There is really nothing too esoteric about today’s post. I know, I know, I promised another Mesmer moment, but it will wait. Instead, I would just like to give a head’s up about the upcoming week. It is another week of Guests post. Exciting stuff!

So here is the run down:

• Michael Raugh will be covering tomorrow’s Sunday Question, as well as posts for Monday and Tuesday.
• On Wednesday, Gary Noble with share his thoughts on Dr. Cannon and the Great White Lodge Psyche Lamp.
• Thursday feature’s a new personality to the blog - Mark Scher. He is not a practicing hypnotist, but he introduced me to Erickson’s ideas. Hmmm…
• Friday’s 10 Questions will be with Terry O’Brien, who will also do an inspired piece on vampires and hypnosis.
• And Frank Murphy will cause more speculation with the Sunday Question.

I may pop in and out, as I am on travel for the duration. Please comment on the post and encourage our bloggers. I’ll release the comments whenever I get a chance.

Here is to a great weekend and week ahead.

Well, I just could not get it together today for another 10 Question for Hypnotists, but never fear there are some interesting ones lurking in the future.  They will begin again next Friday.

So today, I thought I would follow-up on yesterday’s posting. An interesting phenomenon occurred.  No one commented (not that that is unusual), but instead, I got several emails. First, for those who took exception to it, thank you for being kind enough to email me and discuss it, as opposed to publicly airing any grievances.  I am extremely appreciative.

But, here is the scary thing - several people said they had felt similar things, about being critical of the (US) government and how they are afraid if they share their opinions, it might somehow turn out badly for them. Words have a way of haunting us.

This leads me to a comment from a friend (you know who you are) who was a little disappointed with the post because I did not cite it or give specifics about why I feel the way I do.  But, if you will recall in the post, I mentioned I would not be citing anything, just sharing my feelings with you. In transpersonal psychology there is a lot that is said about ways of knowing something, usually intuitively.  There are no sources for my opinions, just an amalgamation of reading conspiracy theories (which spread negativity like wildfire) and such, in addition to my own thoughts about the country I have chosen as my own. I do not as yet think things are terribly dire, but I could see how they could get there.  My post is merely to serve as a warning, that we need to be careful and hang onto the ideas that made this nation fabulous. They are not to be squandered.

With that said, thank you to all who did email your thoughts. As I said, I was torn about posting yesterday as I did, but like hypnosis - change only happens if you want it to and I believe we can influence the future in positive ways.

And tomorrow, as this is not a political blog (we were only joining in the collective Bloggers Unite Day) we will return to our regular posting.

Today I was going to rail about governmental mind control and human rights. You know, stop bad governments from using mind control techniques on its people. I figured it would tie into theme of the blog since we have covered ideas about mind control and how they are not hypnosis. So, I sat down with the last bit of Irish Breakfast tea and began to look for sources. What I found instead were conspiracy theory pages, some very poorly designed and written diatribes, and some that there so well done, I could not tell if there was or was not evidence to support the claims.

Then I caught myself and was appalled at my behavior. I do not have to write a piece with research information that is well documented. I do not have to have “expert” quotes embedded in this. Instead, I need to write about human rights from my own experience and knowledge.

So, I visited Billy Warhol’s blog billiondollarbaloney.blogspot.com, where he has posted a piece entitled Shut the Hell Up!! - MSNBC Keith Olbermann to President Bush!!. Before I go on, let me phrase that my Nan raised me to never discuss politics, religion or sex in public forums. Just listen, she said, you will learn much about other people and they will never notice that you have not said a word. I have pretty much lived by this and find it hard to break out of the mold.

However, I found myself conflicted today. I have my own opinions about Keith Olbermann and I do so want to express them. However, after a morning of being ensconced in conspiracy theories, I have found myself wrapped and tangled in something more than my upbringing. I found myself tangled up in a pervasive sense of fear. Now in my line of work, I have always thought of fear as the enemy. It gets in the way of progress. But now, I am wondering if I am not wrong to feel apprehensive.

Do I exercise my human rights, those that the US Constitution empowered us with, especially the right to free speech (and by the way, do we even have a constitution anymore or is it just boat for tourist to visit)? Do I dare flex my mental muscles even with thoughts that might not fit a fascist government? Might Orwell and his big brother know what I really think? And if so, what will become of me? Will my blog get fingered and red marked, monitored by men in black, and one day, an ordinary day, while I am posting and drinking tea, will they burst into my house, and take my mighty keyboard away and throw me into some dark, wet , hell hole until I have been brainwashed and speak their language? That’s what those conspiracy theories say.

Or maybe, just maybe, I am already suffering from subtle manipulation or brainwashing. Perhaps it has creeped in like an uninvited guest that looks vaguely familiar so we do not ask it to leave. Somehow instead of feeling proud of our individual rights, something has caused a certain questioning of what is safe and what is not. There is that fear again. I do not believe its pervasiveness really has much to do with a few pages of negativity that I read this morning. I think it is more than that. You read about bloggers being arrested for being critical of their governments in the Middle East. To those who do not live in oppression, maybe this seems insane (well, it is insane), but how far away are really from that? Evolution can go one of two ways - forward or backwards. Will democracy fail and will we all find ourselves in such a world where we live in a tangible state of fear? This would be devolution.

And am I part of this decay process? By censuring my words, my thoughts and brushing them away like crumbs from my granola bar, am I am allowing myself to be controlled by fear, whether caused by inherent paranoia or a true threat? If it is paranoia, then this whole post is crazy. If it is real…

Here’s what it all comes down too - is the fear indeed a threat? Perhaps you are saying, my Ellie, you have an active imagination (true, true), but we now seem to be in a world where human rights seem to be faltering. Even in Mother America, supposed land of the free, do we take human rights for granted? Can we afford to do that?

And I will now begin to stop this babbling brook of words and as they slow to a trickle, perhaps you have read between my lines and gotten the message. Maybe not. Maybe you are wondering what I really think. Old habits die hard (thank you Nan). Caution is the word of the day, but Mr. Olbermann, today you are my hero.

I had meant to mention this sooner, but May 15, 2008 (tomorrow) is Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day. It is a day when many bloggers gather together to address a cause that needs attention and now is a time when human rights need to be considered. I am not so sure what I will blog about, but I suspect there is plenty.

To learn more or to participate, visit Blog Catalog to join.

Also, feel free to list your blog in the comment section here if you are participating. A little linky love can go along way.

Yesterday, a sad, sad, sad, thing happened here on the transparent hypnotist.  No, you will not find it in the comment section (yesterday’s comments rocked, by the way).  It was one of those behind-the-scenes things that can happen on a blog.  As you may be aware, I participate in a program called Entrecards.  It is a great way to get your blog noticed and to read many other great blogs.  The premise is that you build up so many credits by dropping cards so that you can use those credits to buy advertising on other’s sights.

But yesterday, I saw a blog I thought would be the kind of blog that I should advertise on.  Sadly (yes, get the tissues ready) my ad was rejected. Why, you may wonder?  It was rejected because the blog’s owner does not believe in hypnosis and therefore cannot endorse my blog.  I am not criticizing her. I appreciate her honesty and her integrity of only putting what she believes in on her own blog.  In fact, I suspect, she is a rather brave girl.

But, it is still sad that there are people who fear hypnosis.  Or perhaps she has tried it and it was a bad experience or it did not work as quickly as she would have liked. I get so wrapped up here that I forget that there are those out there who could still use a dose of education about how hypnosis works and all that.  And on the other hand, it is a good reminder that our work is nowhere near finished.

I was all set to just go with that, but then more yicky news pinged into my email.  In Atlanta (hang in there Josh), apparently there was a rapist who just went to jail (yea). The first article I read about it mentioned that he was a hypnotist.  So, I thought, great.  Here we go - more reasons for people to be afraid of hypnosis.  Crap.

But…interestingly enough, the media is not all evil on this.  Many have reported that this guy posed as a hypnotist (how do you pose as a hypnotist?) and a therapist.  Those whom have brought charges are both in their teens and were apparently were seeing him for coaching (that really sucks, too, as many of us consider ourselves coach).

In sipping the Darjeeling, I guess what it all amounts to is that there are good people and people who veer off from the good path. If you read other news, there are other rapists out there who are lawyers, doctors, insurance companies (wait, I mean insurance representatives) and blue collars. Perhaps I am just over sensitive on the usage of the word hypnosis.

It is all just so frustrating sometimes. Sigh.  My tea has gotten cold.

Source: 11 Alive News

How it gets to be Monday so fast, I will never know. Today’s task here at the Transparent Hypnotist is to embark on a little Spring-cleaning. Rather than sweeping up with a broom (okay, a shovel), I am going to spend some time adding some functionality to this blog. A lot of it will not be noticeable to you, my dear reader (spam filters on the comments and things of that nature).

But there will be one thing you can help me decide on and that is Zookoda.com. No, it is not a mobile phone that features animal sound ring tones. Rather, it is an email subscription service that will allow you to receive an email every so often from me (it could be daily, weekly, or monthly - I am probably opting for monthly), which summaries the past month’s posts on this blog. Hence, this may be more spring-cleaning for you as well. With such a function, it consolidates everything in one neat email. This is great if you are only a sometimes reader.

For bloggers, this is a way to create a subscription base of visitors you know who want to read what your posts. It allows people to sign-up and keeps track of who does what with the email (including click-through rates and unsubscribers). According to the specks of Zookoda, the email can match the blog’s look and here is the big one - it is a great way to reach mobile readers - you know the ones - they read all their email on their mobile devices, phones, iPod touch, and such. As a blogger, you can also opt to schedule broadcast (the newsletters), so that it happens automatically. Nice. Oh, and did I mention this service is FREE.

As I continue my clean here and a magical button that say “subscribe to the transparent hypnotist newsletter here” appears, now you know what it means. Now please lift your fingers from the keyboard so I can dust there.

You are probably here either because you have an interest in hypnosis, self-improvement, small business or entrecard (I’d love to know if there are other reasons). Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy your company, but I must, yes, I really must diverge here for this post. I know, I know, it goes against the basic rules of having a niche blog, but it is something I really have to do.

Fellow bloggers, there is a dark sickness among us.  We must not suffer its antagonizing forces against our humble attempts at entertaining in the blogisphere.  What am I talking about, brothers and sisters of the cyber world?  I am talking about rip-off artists. I am sure some of you know a more technical name for it, some trendy, bloggy name, but let us call it what it truly is - ANNOYING with a capital Y because those of YOU who do it should be hit with a wet rag.

How does one know the enemy?  It comes in the form of comments on your blog.  Usually it looks a bit suspicious, maybe it repeats what you have said in your post (verbatim), maybe it says “look at the interesting post I found” and when you click on it, it shows your posting on another blog, or it could be just a URL that is left as a comment.  The evil part of it is that when you follow this suspect link, it takes you to another blog, usually one where you have not the slightest idea who is posting to the blog.  And there it is - your post on their site.  And to be fair, it does link back to your blog when you click “to read more.”

I cannot give you the psychology behind these happenings (if you would like to expound on it, please do).  And though it may seem harmless, it could affect your search engine optimization. From what I have been told by outside sources is that the big, blue G does not like this sort of thing and may penalize you, innocent though you are. And we do not want that, do we?   Not to mention the copy write issues, and those are your rights, brothers and sisters.

So, what can we do about it? Well, at first I tried adding several links back to other posts on my blog, which seemed to help a bit.  Then I noticed these, these wicked sites just cut out and used the unlinked passages.  So, enter Creative Commons.  You will notice it on the right column. So, brothers and sisters, if you do not have a copy write statement on your blog all ready, you might consider going creative commons. Protect yourself anyway that you can.  Will this work?  I have no idea.  But it certainly cannot hurt.

Peace be with you.

Last week on The Unwinding Path, a post or two dealt with the making lists of marketing ideas. This has to be the most stressful part of my business (probably yours as well), but it is never ending. That is marketing, not making lists.

One thing that has helped on the marketing front has been social networking. You meet all sorts of people and can gain an audience quickly. The only thing is, I suspect, you might want to be fairly swanky in advertising to these people - not over do it, but do not remain silent either.

Then there came Buzzfuse, which I have tried out to help get the word out about my free guided meditation I did earlier this month. Buzzfuse is a site to help one market their products, writing, audios, or anything cyber-real really. There is a free component, which I have signed up for and you can see the results on my free, guided meditation page. The goal of this marketing site is to expand the reach for your product, provide an interactive audience experience (a rating system), help you understand your market better, and maybe provide an opportunity to make money. On the free side, I signed up, put the widget on my page that I want promoted, and am at a stand still at the moment. It wants my Gmail friends’ email address to market my product to them. Before it goes any farther, it wants ten addresses. I really wish it would use my Stumble friends or those on Blogcatalog, rather than my contacts on Gmail.

Rather than just doing this, if you would like to be included in my Buzzfuse friend list, let me know and I will gladly add you. In fact, Entrecard people, if you provide your email in a comment on this posting or message me through Entrecard with your email, not only will I added you to my friends on Buzzfuse, I will give you 25 entrecard points for doing so. It would be good to move forward here.

You are probably here today in expectation of the “10 Question” segment I normally run on this day. Call it mixed karma or other things happening in the universe, this segment will return next Friday. It has been one of those weeks (months) were things are connecting in a way that has nothing to do with my preferences.

And for those keeping up with my obsessively, time draining cat story from yesterday, she made it through the night (a terribly cold one), but no kittens as yet. I bought her one of those NASA space heater things - it is silver and reflects body heat back. You put a blanket over it and it helps to keep the animal warm. When I fed her this morning and put my hand in the little house I made for it, it still seems fairly cool in there.

I was reading Wangbu’s Hulga blog this morning and found a phrase that I thought was quite sufficient in describing how I feel (though I am still on the over emotional and worried side) about this cat. The phrase is Hopeful Resignation. It is described in terms of a dying lung cancer patient, and though my problem is far from this, the phrase embodies it all. Normally I always try for acceptance, but I think this is probably a very close relative to it, maybe the part one gets to right before acceptance.

Anyway, I will leave you with those thoughts - but with an addition - I think I may delve a little into a form of hypnosis a bit later, time providing. A nice discussion on animal hypnosis might be fun, don’t you think?