The Transparent Hypnotist

(Guest blogger:  Michael Raugh)

Friday night at the annual NGH convention is always show night.  Three stage hypnotists put on shows for the entertainment of the attendees and their guests.  This year the performers were Tommy Vee, Nadeen the self-styled “Queen of Hypnosis,” and Dan LaRosa.  Tommy Vee and Dan LaRosa were both well-known performers that I’d seen before, so my group (myself, Julie, and two of my sons) got tickets for Nadeen, the 8:30 show.

The show was interesting.  Nadeen was clearly nervous, as I think anyone would be with people like Dr. Dwight Damon and Jerry Valley in the audience along with some 450 other hypnotists and their guests.  Her format was something I’ve never seen done before:  a tribute show.  Nadeen borrowed routines from several famous stage performers past and present such as the late Ormond McGill, Tom Silver, and Jerry Valley (gutsy with Jerry in the audience), gave a short introduction to each discussing the original hypnotist, and then performed the routines in her own style with a nod to the originator.   I won’t say that the performance lived up to the “Queen of Hypnosis” tag but it was certainly one of the more memorable shows I’ve seen lately.

After being up late socializing it was hard to get moving for an 8am session on Saturday, but somehow I managed it.  And I was glad, because the session I’d chosen was Communicating Under Pressure by Faith Wood.  Faith has a smooth, dynamic style that is easy to listen to and a great sense of humor.  The session focused on communication skills when either you or the person you are seeking to communicate with is under emotional pressure.  Real-life examples and Faith’s style made this a very pleasant and informative hour — just what I needed to start the day.

Next I moved on to another session I picked because I know, like, and respect the presenter:  William Mitchell’s How to Make Posthypnotic Suggestions Stick.  William gave lots of practical advice backed up with examples from his practice, including a recorded interview with a smoking cessation client in which she talked about being surprised by the effects of some of the posthypnotic suggestions he’d given her.

After that came a two-hour paid seminar that I’d chosen from Scott McFall called Inductions of the Masters.  Scott comes off as something of a renegade and seems to enjoy it that way.  His style is to throw out a statement intended to challenge the audience’s beliefs (for example:  “People have all kinds of misconceptions about hypnosis.  Don’t mess with that — we spent hundreds of years creating them!”) and then back it up with evidence or experiential stories to prove his point.  It made for a fun and fascinating two hours, in which Scott called out specific qualities or statements of legendary hypnotists and discussed why they worked so well.

After a lunch break I had two more sessions to attend.  Wil Horton’s Inside Secrets of Elite Trainers contained insights into making more memorable, interesting training presentations and was well worth the time to attend.

The highlight of the day, though, was my last session:  Hypnotist, Hypnotize Thyself! with Gloria Constantas.  I have a lot of admiration for Gloria because she always challenges me to think differently and to really examine what I believe and why.  This session took the concepts from her Verbal Impact presentation that I’d attended in 2007 and advanced them a step farther into a discussion of how we as hypnotists can — and should — be helping ourselves through our own self-talk and the use of the basic principles of self-hypnosis.  It was a pleasure to be in Gloria’s audience again.

Tonight most of the attendees will be taking part in the formal banquet and awards presentation.  Not me; Julie and I are due for some together time.  I’ll do a wrap-up installment tomorrow when the conference is over.

<MR>

(Guest blogger: Michael Raugh)

Yes, it’s been a long dry spell at The Transparent Hypnotist.  Things have been quite busy, personally and professionally, for both Ellie and me.  Ellie was not able to make the NGH convention this year, so I thought I’d post a few reports while I’m here for the benefit of those who aren’t here.

This year’s theme is “Join the Leaders.”  I’ll have to ask some people who saw Dr. Damon’s keynote for highlights because I missed it.  (Why do they schedule it for 8am Friday, anyway?)   My session choices this year are a mixture of basic skills, marketing (a major weakness of mine), and things that either look like fun or feature presenters I admire and enjoy.

The day started with a session on Abreactions given by Marx Howell.  Marx’s field is forensic hypnosis rather than therapy, so his approach to the subject is quite different from what I’m used to seeing presented.  Often in therapy we seek to cause an abreaction as part of the process of resolving inner conflict; Marx works exclusively with victims and witnesses to violent crime, though, and as a result is more focused on protecting the client from that emotional trauma while eliciting information reliably.  He had a lot of good points on how to avoid an abreaction if that’s the goal.

Next up was Marilyn Gordon’s session on Hypnosis And The Internet.  I have to say this was a disappointment to me.  Marilyn is very well known and respected within NGH, but it became painfully obvious early on that she was presenting on a topic that she barely understands herself.  Gloria Constantas was sitting with me in that session and got to see me wince repeatedly as Marilyn tossed out inaccurate web terminology and asserted that “right-brained” people have a hard time understanding tech.  I would attend another Marilyn Gordon seminar without hesitation, but not if the topic is in any way related to technology.

Next came play time:  Joann Abrahamsen’s session called Gimmicks, Gizmos and Gadgets.  Several years ago I took a similar session, then given by Laura Amoroso, and it was so much fun that I wanted to see Joann’s take on it.  She brought out a suitcase full of various toys and demonstrated how they can be used as induction props.  Several were simply novel eye fixation objects, including a plastic ‘magic wand’ with a flashing pink star at the tip and an hourglass.  Joann also demonstrated an auditory induction using a pair of Chinese singing balls and a kinesthetic induction using a pair of soft, squishy stress balls.  It was a nice way to close out the morning.

After lunch I have Joann Abrahamsen again for a three-hour paid workshop all about inductions.  Admittedly this falls squarely under “fun” on my selection criteria, but every hypnotist knows that while we may have a couple of go-to inductions that we tend to use the most it’s always good to experiment with more.  A hypnotist who knows, and can confidently use, a wide range of induction techniques is more versatile and therefore better prepared for that eventual client who just needs something a bit different for the best experience.

More as it happens.

<MR>

As I write this it’s just a touch under two months until the annual National Guild of Hypnotists Convention.

I spent some time recently looking over the convention catalog, which is posted on the convention page of the NGH website.  A few of the one-hour seminars caught my attention and I thought, in the absence of a Friday 10 Questions, I’d draw some attention to them for the benefit of those who plan to attent (or who are maybe trying to decide).

• Marx Howell will be doing a lecture on regression techniques with an eye toward avoiding traumatic abreactions.  Marx’s experience with forensic hypnosis (using hypnosis with crime victims) makes him an expert on that and I know from past seminars that Marx is an outstanding presenter, so I’m looking forward to this.
• Joann Abrahamsen is on the schedule with her annual “Gimmicks, Gizmos and Gadgets” presentation.  I love this seminar!  Every year Joann shares the latest in toys and gadgets she’s discovered that, whether intentionally or not, can be used very effectively as hypnosis props.
• Bernard Yam will be exploring the scientific side of hypnotism, discussing FMRI technology and its implications to how we view … well, everything.  I attended his seminars last year and enjoyed them both.
• My favorite presenter of all time, Gloria Constantas, presents “Hypnotist, Hypnotize Thyself!” about using hypnosis on ourselves.  This will be an absolute must see.
• These two really surprised me:  Philip Holder is holding a seminar Friday called “Put the Pizzazz Back In Your Sex Life” in which, according to the blurb, he will discuss using hypnosis to help with better and more satisfying sex.  Then on Sunday, Sharon Stidham presents “Not Tonight — I Love You, But I Have a Headache — Zen & The Art Of Middle Aged Sex” which pretty much says it all right there. Anything remotely about sex has been taboo with NGH for years, so I hope there is a strong turnout for these.

Mind you, those are just a few picks that jumped out at me from approaching two hundred possibilities.  There was also the usual contingent of things that strike me, at least up front, as of dubious value or credibility.  Hypnosis to cure allergies?  There are seminars on past life regression, on whether or not to believe in PLR, and now there’s one on “Lives Between Lives” — which seems to say that there are lifes in between the past lives!  I’m a pragmatist when it comes to that sort of thing, but I’m sure they will be well attended.

And of course it wouldn’t be an NGH convention if there wasn’t also a collection of old stand-bys:  morning yoga and chi kung, seminars on how to conduct seminars, and of course “How To Prepare A Winning Convention Proposal.”

Since I’ll probably be busy this weekend and may not get a Sunday Question posted, let’s close with one:  Are you planning to attend the NGH Convention in August?  What seminars do you plan to attend?

<MR>

Today is International Women’s Day. Are you celebrating? Did you even know about it? I did not until I saw it posted on www.bloggersunite.com and as a supporter of that platform, I could not let today go by without a mention.

Perhaps you are like me and wonder what International Women’s Day is all about, so I will quote directly from the Blogger’s Unite site:

Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother’s Day and St Valentine’s Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

So, are you wondering if my partner was ready with a Happy International Women’s Day card, flowers or even reminded me to locate my voter’s registration card? Nope. Instead he tends to celebrate me on everyday sort-of-days. This morning he brought me coffee in bed, along with my laptop so I could blog. Currently, he is napping next to me, wondering when I will be done with today’s post so the day can progress. But I am lingering on sites such as www.internationalwomensday.com trying to figure out the true meaning of IWD. Perhaps because I live in a free society, I do not have as much appreciation for such days, hence a reason to count my blessings and write this post. Yet, when I visit the links on the dedicated sites for this day, I see lots of articles comparing women to men. We (women) are not acknowledged as much, we make less money, and several things that make me believe we are not so far removed from the women depicted in the Mad Men Series.

What IWD has really made me realize is that in general I do not compare myself to others in the whole “women verses men” debate. Maybe at some juncture it will seem more relevant to me, but currently, I consider myself a blogger (a lady blogger in description, but a blogger in general). I am a hypnosis advocate (not a female hypnosis advocate, but hypnosis on the whole). I am a writer (not a female writer, but one with a perspective that is uniquely mine). I am glad to be part of the female sex (and am quite comfortable with what that means), but I also am grateful that there is the male gender. I am appalled at any sort of inhuman treatment whether it is a female or male being downtrodden or even an animal.

Granted I often talk about creating a non-profit for helping abused women regain some self-esteem and that is definitely a bit sexist on my part. But maybe, just maybe, that is wrong. Maybe I should amend it to abused people in general.

If we want a world full of equality, I do not think we can fight for one sex (or even race) over another - we need to have it all the way around. There is no “more equal” than something else, only greater or lesser than. Maybe we should spend our time bringing the systems all around us up and equalizing it as opposed to making it a competitive “greater than/less than” idea.

Just my thoughts. For this Sunday Question: what are your thoughts about International Women’s Day?

Happy World Hypnotism Day!!!

Today is a really big day for the hypnosis community. It is a day when we all get together to help educate the world about the positive aspects of hypnosis. Granted everyday is World Hypnotism Day here on the Transparent Hypnotist, but I feel a pang at the idea that I am still on travel and this post is the only contribution I am currently able to make.

For those who are interested in learning more about this momentous day, you can visit www.worldhypnotismday.com. They offer downloads, information, and a listing of events going on all over the world. You might just find an event in your area.

Therefore, my Sunday Question is – what are you doing for World Hypnotism Day?

Hello.

You have reached Ellie Blunt, the transparent hypnotist and I am out of the office for a few days.
Stay tuned and keep reading. The schedule for this week is as follows:

• Tuesday, December 23 - You Always Remember Your First Time with Kate Beaven-Marks
• Wednesday, December 24 - The First Time with Pete Hummon
• Thursday, December 25 - Ellie’s Thrice is Nice - Relaxing Meditations for a Peaceful Christmas
• Friday, December 26 - 10 Questions with Dan Elliott
• Saturday, December 27 - Esoteric Saturday with Terry O’Brien

Photograph by vlidi

My head is still a cotton ball and today the words are not flowing. Usually even on the worse, most tired days the words tumble from my typing fingers onto the blog post. Not so at the particular time. All I want to do is just crawl back in bed and wake up to a nose that allows for breathing and a head that is not pounding. 

This means that I need to write about something positive, something slightly in the future, something to look forward to - something hypnotic and refreshing…I have got it - the Global Hypnosis eSummit. It is happening from March 13 -15, 2009. And it is happening in your own home, on your own computer. No need to make travel reservations, lug suitcases around, and be enticed by hotel bars (bars that might have really good Clam Chowder…). The eSummit is the brainchild of the Hypnothoughts.com community and will feature 99 hours of hypnosis education with seminars geared for the general public and experienced hypnotist. 

We even know a few of the presenters:

• Lee Darrow
• Paul Durbin
• Roy Hunter

It all sounds pretty wonderful. The only downside is that the NGH says they will not accept this eSummit for continuing education credits. 

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.

Photography by springm

Here I was, all happy and ready to go on with this post, gunpowder tea (living it large today with a teaspoon of honey in it) beside me, and I discovered that I had made a terrible error. Yesterday I mentioned that Blogger’s Unite Day was today. How nice that would be if true, but I am a day late. It was on November 10 and according to my calendar, today is November 11. However, I am going to pretend I do not know that yet and blog about it just the same - you know, worthy cause and all that.

The theme chosen for this particular Blogger’s Unite Day is Refugees United. This is a non-profit that helps refugees stay in touch with their loved ones via the internet. There is no cost involved and one can look or post messages on the site without having to give location or identity information. People can be identified through various markers - nicknames, scars, and so forth. I have to admit, I was not familiar of the site until yesterday, but what an amazing thing. Imagine if you were exiled from your loved ones and there was no safe way to let people know that you are okay - no phone calls, no emails, no blog post, no Twitter…that disconnect would be horrifying.

When I think about the concept of what a refugee is, I see images in my mind that conjure up homeless encampments in Darfur and places I have never personally experienced. Words like poverty also come to mind. Then I had to wonder if I really understood the true definition of refugee. According to the dictionary on my computer, a refugee is:

a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

This definition is much more encompassing than I had given it credit. Salman Rushdie was a refugee (if you do not know who he is, look him up). The Dali Lama was a refugee. All those people whose homes were destroyed by Katrina (well, not so sure you can blame a little ol’ Hurricane as opposed to corrupting and antiquated systems) - those people were refugees.

And then it becomes even more personal. Many of my clients are refugees, not in the strict definition sense, but they are people often looking for a refuge. Refuge is defined as:

a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

In many cases it is not a physical thing or condition that causes them to be a refugee, but instead their pursuant is a mental thing - be it a block, a bad habit, or a disturbing thought pattern. They come to me in search of a more peaceful place to exist internally. And whether we do traditional hypnosis and suggestion work or a more client-centered form of hypnosis, that which brings them to me - the trouble - exist in the same place they seek shelter. Only by facing and dealing with the trouble can they be truly free. The refuge is within themselves.

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

Dali Lama

I have known both refugees who flee from themselves and from some physical, political, or tragic source. Both may parish in their journey or in the end the journey becomes a legacy to move forward, no matter what conditions.

For those on that journey, may you find the peace within to make yet another step forward.

“Right focus brings about reality.”
Buddha

How wise this quote is and I suspect all the hypnotists out there reading this are shaking their heads in agreement at how appropriate these five little words are in our profession. Reading this, it sounds like the perfect quote for a hypnosis posting about change. Indeed! But today, rather than talking about my hypnosis experiences or some concept related to self-help, let’s blur the lines and join the Universal Consciousness.

Today is Blog Action Day 2008. The topic is Poverty. And so, I bring your attention back to the quote at the top of this posting (by the way, I bumped into it on the blog Inspiring Quotations and was very much inspired). Right focus brings about reality. The question becomes what reality do we seek? Do we wish for an end to concepts such as poverty or do we find it a must that some of society is made of those that “have,” while others must be “have nots.” If you chose the later concept, now ask yourself why you think this way? And if you did chose that, I invite you to step out of your box and move beyond it. Do I think we can end the idea of poverty? I do not know, but I hope to be part of a solution that allows the maximum amount of people to prosper in ways that are beneficial to them and the universal good. Do I prescribe wealth for all? Yes, but not necessarily the idea of having as much materialism as one can stand. Instead I prescribe a wealth of peacefulness, happiness with one self in the greater scheme of things, and the wealth of good will that accompanies helping others.

Okay, I am off my soap box for the moment and sitting here ready to roll with a good old fashion brain storming session. The question at this point in the posting is now what can we, as hypnotists (or anyone) do to create focus to create a less poverty ridden reality? Those in the hypnotic know are pointing their fingers at this sentence, probably thinking, “Duh!!! All we need to do is keep doing what we are doing - helping people create another potential for themselves.” Excellent. All the hypnotist out there, give yourself a pat on the back and continue reading.

Next question: is it enough to do what we have been doing all along? Maybe so. Maybe not. What more can we do to ease some of the poverty burdens of the world? Sure, we can donate to organizations. But we ourselves are not immune to the current economy, which makes donating extra funds a bit more difficult. I have heard two recurring themes recently from clients. Gas prices have caused people not to come out to things like weekly group meditations. The economy also makes people cut back on ideas they consider unnecessary and often the first thing people cut out is anything that could improve their own life, like hypnosis. There is that awful mentality of “money is tight and I do not have the money to spend on hypnosis for smoking cessation” (which makes no sense at all because they are not giving up the cigarettes that quickly cost as much as a session). So, do we give our services away and if so, how do we make living? As my partner would say, “brain surgeons do not give away free surgery, why should you give away hypnosis?”

But, doing what we do best, we can occasionally share it. Here are my ideas on how we can help:

• Do hypno shows for charities that provide resources for those suffering from poverty.
  Do a group session fundraisers for above charity.
• Pick a day and donate your earnings (or portions of your earnings) to the above charity.
• Create a hypnosis audio with proceeds or a portion of the proceeds going to the above charity (or one days sales).
• Do a group session for those who live at homeless shelters.
• Heck, do a free group session for the local community (we are all feeling the economic strain).

I am sure there are many more ideas out there. If have any you would like to share, please feel free to comment here. Also, if you are doing any of these things and want a shout out, please mention it.

And for today, my gift to you is the quote and the sage advice from it - right focus brings about reality.