The Transparent Hypnotist

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 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).

Photograph by j / f / photos

A tired sort of morning that threatens to become afternoon a little too quickly seems the fate of the day as I type this. However, as I am in a new location with high-speed internet and my faithful laptop, I could barely let the week pass without comment on the hypnoworld happening around us.

The Good

Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, CT gets my seal of approval. They have gone completely smoke-free, but in doing so they implemented programs to help their employees with smoking cessation. Hypnosis was just one of a number of programs they provided to their new non-smokers (Greenwich Time).

For those whose companies are not so quick to help with smoking cessation, consider taking a vacation to stop smoking. The Royal Yacht Hotel in St. Helier, Jersey features a three session way to become a non-smoker through guide Bryce Alford, who uses life coaching, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), NLP, and hypnosis. The writer reflectioned on his experience with Alford (The Times Online).

There is a name among modern hypnotists that one cannot miss when studying hypnosis and that is the name Dave Elman. Hypnotist Martina Finnerty has written a concise piece about Elman’s idea of the Critical Factor, which is the part of you that inhibits the changes you might want to make (The Guardian).

Congrats to hypnotist Paul McKenna whose book I Can Make You Thin was listed as one of the nine self-help books of the year by the New York Daily News.

Made a New Year’s Resolution? Maybe you should reconsider. Hypnotist Michael Dimas has an interesting point of view on this (www.kswt.com).

And I would like to salute the following hypnotists who did something for World Hypnotism Day this past weekend. These are the items that found their way to my inbox.

Georgina Cannon - www.thestar.com

Debbie Lane - www.tampabay.com

Kathryn McGlynn - www.telegram.com

Diane Mitchell - www.recordcourier.com

Doug Meacham - www.theoutlookonline.com

Merron - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Seth-Deborah Roth - www.insidebayarea.com

Jerry Valley and Tommy Vee (www.eagletribune.com).

Roger Willard (www.ldnews.com)

In His Own Words

Max Kirsten on Surviving and Thriving in 2009 (www.timesonline.co.uk).

Good Interviews or Articles about Other Hypnotists

Sean Flanagan of Dublin, Ireland (www.independent.ie).

Betty Labbate of Bradenton, FL (www.bradenton.com).

Kathryn McGlynn of Worcester, Mass (www.telegram.com). (This article was actually about her participation in World Hypnotism Day).

Photograph by scalespeeder

Slept in my own bed last night, I did!!! I am even drinking coffee from my own coffee maker - beans ground in my own grinder. The cat sits purring beside me.

But by the door, my suitcase awaits its next leg of the journey, refreshed with clean clothes hot from the dryer. However, this trip is one in which I believe I will be able to continue my morning posts. Let us hope so.

And because I have been craving a return to some normalcy, here is a look back at recent happenings in the hypno world.

Quote of the Month

The belief that “hypnosis is evil,” for example, is a hypnotically-induced belief usually programmed into somebody by an authority figure in a competing belief system that sees hypnosis as a threat to their own authority.

Natural News

The Good

Congratulations to dentist Dr. Mike Gow for being named Britain’s top dentist at the Dentistry Awards 2008. One thing that helped him get this award is hypnosis. He uses it with patients who have dental phobias (The Sunday Mail).

Congrats also go to Jamil Qureshi on the publication The Mind Coach. Jamil has an interesting background that involves hypnosis and psychology, along with performing (Swiden Advertiser).

In her own words - Jennifer Parman Johnson, hypnotist in Fairfax, VA (washingtonpost.com)

The Bad

What do you do if you realize you have lost a span of memories? Do you get upset, wonder about your military job and if something bad happened during that time? Do you wonder if you were abducted by aliens? Such horrors were the experience of Niara Isley. In an interview with Bruce Burgess from UFO DIgest, her story is a compelling one of aliens and conspiracies. It all began when she realized she had lost a time span of memories during her military career and used hypnosis to recall it. It is horrifying and thought provoking.

The Ugly

With the upcoming New Year changes, articles are beginning to pop-up like one found on the web site www.whnt.com warning against scams. This one mentions specifically to watch out for hypnosis in regards to promising help with weight loss. In many ways, this is not too bad an idea, just that it could have been handled better. Hypnosis is not going to make you magically lose weight - that is true. A few suggestions for weight loss or even client-centered hypnosis that gets into more depth is not going to do the trick for you if you continue to consume food that is not conducive to good health; if you continue to sit in front of the tv or computer day in and day out with out exercise or if you refuse to make a few needed lifestyle changes. What hypnosis is going to do for you is help you with the mind set needed to make needed changes. It can help with craving control, motivation to exercise, or to make healthier choices. Oh and kudos to Lois who commented on the article!

Photograph by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

The morning sun has not blazed the sky with any interesting colors as yet. It is damp and dark like the time right after twilight. Perhaps another cup of tea is in order. Maybe another teaspoon of honey with that cup of tea would be reasonable as well.

There is good news this morning, the Transparent Hypnotist is now under the 100,000 mark on Alexia (even though the big blue G slapped me down to a 0). So huge thank you to all who visit this site.

Well, let’s start the weekly wake up with hypno news.

The Good

I do not know how many times I am asked the question, “Does it really work? Will hypnosis make me a non-smoker?” Inevitably I answer with an affirmative smile and depending on my mood, “No, you will make you a non-smoker. Hypnosis will help you with the process.” Then the conversation gravitates to questions about what hypnosis is like or even what it is like to be a non-smoker. There is a lovely article on www.beliefnet.com about one non-smoker’s experience with smoking cessation hypnosis that really speaks to such questions.

Finally something positive in the world of law and hypnosis. Newswest9.com in Texas recently ran a story about their local law enforcement who use forensic hypnosis to help people remember details about crimes. It is advocated by Sheriff Gary Painter.

Wanting to change a habit? Kanta Bosniak, life coach and hypnotist, in an interview with WFMZ-TV gives a few pointers about the 21 days it takes to create or break a habit.

The Bad (Kind of Far Out Cool)

Sometimes I feel fairly conservative in my own experiences, especially when one gets into the some of the psychic or paranormal events. For instance, I have never had an out of body experience (OBE). I am not against such things and now, based on an article in Natural News, I may rethink the idea of inducing such an occurrence. Apparently some researchers have found that OBEs induced hypnotically can have therapeutic value.

And then there are the alien abductions. Regressive hypnosis (no leading questions please) can often help people deal with ideas that they were abducted by aliens. One such story is that of Joyce Updike, who through hypnosis recalled her abductions. The hypnotist was Dr. Leo Sprinkle. This is all chronicled in the book Aliens Among Us by Ruth Montgomery (The North Platte Bulletin).

Image by Matt Britt

Auggghhhhrrrrr.

Wait.

JOY! Finally!!!

The internet connection is back. I am reconnected and am able to get my daily fix. The morning just was not right. I was all set to do my usually Monday routine. I had a nice cuppa Constant Comment and a piece of left-over apple pie (it is Monday and pie for breakfast is not a bad way to begin the week - I am going backwards today, beginning with desert) ready to consume as I opened the laptop to begin this post.

No connection. Deep sigh.

I tried this and that. Nothing. I took a shower. Still nothing. Just as I was about to call a friend to post my issues for me, the connection happened and here I am.

Without much ado, I present you the latest news in the hypno world.

The Good

During my recent camping trip, I must have complained a bit about being too cold to sleep. The results of that caused several people in my group to declare that they have trouble sleeping in ordinary circumstances. Do you have trouble sleeping as well? Hypnosis is a great way to get past sleep issues and find relief. Lorraine Fisher wrote about her positive experience with hypnosis in dealing with sleeplessness. Her hypnotist was Philip Batchelor (Greenwhich, UK). (The Daily Mail)

Good Interviews or Articles about Other Hypnotists

Marc Bachrach was interviewed by the San Jose State University Spartan Daily Newspaper about his recent performance there.

Stephen Gaudet, a hypno performer from Saint John, Canada is now touring. (The Telegraph Journal)

Tracy Holwagner, clinical hypnotist and owner of Self-Empowerment Center (Fargo, ND) was featured in In Forum Business.

Jim Tubbs-Galley of Transzzzzformations, located in Reading, UK, was featured in Get Bracknell.

The world, dark as it still is as I write this, is cranking along. In the hypnosis world, not much has pinged into my inbox since I did an update last Wednesday. There was one really good interview with hypnotist Kathryn L. Maxham, from Westminster, MA, in the Worcester Telegram.

So to start our week, let us center our attention on another Blogger’s Unite Day. If you are wondering why I have been posting a few posts in the last few months about Blogger’s Unite Day, it is because the program has gone monthly. Today’s topic is World Aids Day. How odd it is to think about the progression of HIV through time and how the younger generations, waiting in line for their own maturity, have not known a world without AIDS. I do remember a world without its threatening tentacles destroying homosexuals and now the drug-user populace, and other loved ones. But, life has adapted. We have adapted and it is just a part of how we think - some of us protecting ourselves, others choosing Russian Roulette.

To learn more about AIDS prevention, treatment, and research, visit these links:

• Learn the Link - from the NIDA
• blog.aids.gov

On another tangent, I would really like to make a mention of Mike Golch and his blog Rambling Stuff. He is a fellow entrecarder and has faithfully stopped by here everyday for the past two months, even though he is not a hypnotist (as far as I know). A few months ago, I actually began to pay attention to my entrecard statistics. Rather than just listing my top droppers, I have begun sending tokens of credits to those who drop everyday for a month (I know what a big commitment that is). I wanted to do something extra nice for those who do it for consistently for longer periods, so this is how I am beginning that process. Thanks again, Mike.

Photograph by katmere

Though it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and all in the house are prepared to feast tomorrow (a hypnotist, her partner, and a cat), I am pretending that today is Monday. I have been remiss in my scheduled blogging posts, but some would say being too predictable is not a positive. LOL. So, here is what has transpired in the world of hypnosis since I last blogged about it.

Good

Everyday there seems to be a proliferation of people who mention that they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Crohn’s Disease (sometimes I wonder if these are not fad diseases similar to the likes of ADD - I am not saying people do not suffer from them, but sometimes I think there is a rut and its easy enough to foist people into categories for quick, cross-your-fingers-and hope-it-works treatment, but I digress). Like so many things out there, there are various ways to treat the problems. One can do medication, diet changes, and of course, hypnosis. For those of you reading this that suffer from the symptoms of IBS or Crohn’ (or are just curious), US News and World Report did a wonderful article on using hypnosis for treating both IBS and Crohn’s.

How odd our preconceived notions can be. They tell so much about a person - for instance how little I know about hypnosis in Iran. According to Presstv.ir, rather than having a mother-to-be use hypnosis in the birthing process, Iran now has had two successful cesarians under its belt using hypnosis for anesthesia. Bravo!

But, let’s not forget about using hypnosis to help with non-cesarian births. We have mentioned using hypnosis for birthing practices many times, but there seems to be momentum gaining on this particular hypnotic genre. NBC Augusta

And we can also talk more about the trademarked hypnobirthing with Lasi Leavy, a certified doula, and a childbirth hypnosis instructor with Hypnobabies. Learn more about this program by reading the www.readingeagle.com article.

Congrats go to Daniel Araoz, a practicing psychoanalyst and internationally known author who helped shape the “New Hypnosis,” a treatment model using both psychoanalysis and hypnosis, who just received the title of Senior Professor at at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.

The Bad (as in super cool)

This category is usually reserved for news about celebrities using hypnosis for smoking cessation, weight loss, or even in creative pursuits. Now the tables are turning, and I find myself writing about a celebrity who has become a hypnotist. Catherine Hickland of One Life to Live has been studying the art of hypnosis and has just done her first comedy hypnosis show. Very cool, Catherine! (media.www.asuherald.com).

Odd or Controversial

Let’s go back in time a bit, perhaps to February 1980. We are at the University of Alabama. There are two young, female college students. One shoots the other in the back of the head, twice. Now we have one dead college freshman, and another who has not been convicted in those 20 years. Now 47, Jamie Kellam Letson has been arrested for the murder. For years police have pointed at her with suspicion, until now when they finally arrested her. But that is not what has caught my attention. Instead it is a reference to hypnosis - that the detective tried to have Letson hypnotized because:

“A lot of times under hypnosis people will tell you something they wouldn’t tell you otherwise,” he said. “I wanted her to go under.”

So, he had her hypnotized by a doctor, who ended the session abruptly without giving a reason for the conclusion. Interesting statements all in all. This is another myth that seems to float around out there - that hypnosis can be used as a lie detective sort of test. In reality, when people are in a hypnotic state, they can lie very convincingly. Sure in some cases (not many any more), some people use hypnosis to remember details, but that is different than trying to get someone to “tell you something they wouldn’t tell you otherwise.” I suspect the doctor in the case had many reasons to stop the hypnotic process (al.com).

Abortion - the USA’s dirty little dark side, something still not to be talked about in good company. However, a certain study done in Canada found that hypnosis helps reduce the pain of having an abortion. The ramifications for this are substantial, but in a good way. If hypnosis helps reduce the pain in this procedure, it may help reduce the pain involved with other gynecological procedures that are extraordinarily painful (doctor.ndtv.com).

Good Interviews with Hypnotists

Lisa Cairns, hypnotist for Newcastle’s St Oswald’s Hospice in Tyneside, is currently working on her PhD, which involves a study on using hypnosis to help control symptoms in patients with motor neurone disease (www.chroniclelive.co.uk).

Rona French of HArmony Hypnosis in Hilton Head, SC (www.islandpacket.com). She discusses waking hypnosis.

Peter Mabbutt, Director of Studies at the London College of Clinical Hypnosis (www.brudirect.com.)