The Transparent Hypnotist

Photograph by freeparking(cc)

The smell is all newness and potential, grand adventures and long drives. The last congratulatory handshakes from the sales person have passed, my name has been signed to a servitude of paying-off a loan and the keys have been handed over. There is a sense of familiarity in sitting behind the wheel. It feels and drives like my last beloved little car, the one that I have left behind at the dealership. Memories and emotion flow out of me as I drive my pre-owned car off the lot and make it a part of my daily life.

I find myself mourning my old car and feel like I have taken a cherished pet to the animal shelter. I do not know what will happen to it, but I hope for the best. I also know that this is pure silliness on my part - the car had over 175,000 miles on it, was thirteen years old, over-heated in city traffic, needed some extensive repair work and had peeling paint….and yet, I remember the joy of taking it home that first, rainy day. It took me across the the world, or at least it felt like it at times (across the States several times). At other times, it felt like the only friend I had.

Perhaps you are like my partner and wonder about how I have anthropomorphized that vehicle. And yes, perhaps I should be more evolved and not feel the pangs of loss (I do have a beautiful, close-to new car) for a material object, but alas, even years of psychology courses seem to be failing me at the moment. Maybe this falls into the whole “change is hard” category.

I have chosen to share this with you, needing to remember this (so maybe I will not become quite so attached the next time), needing to remember the spirit of my vehicle and show my gratitude towards it for keeping me safe and being as reliable as it was for so long. I hope you will understand.

So today’s question relates to this - do you think of your vehicles as objects of transportation or is there something more to them, something almost intangible that gives them something like an artificial intelligence?

It is Saturday as I type this and I am sitting in the quiet sanctuary of a friend’s house. All of my companions are out and about, but I remain here to relax, read, and type my Sunday Question to you. Tomorrow I am up for one last day hike, starting at sunrise, and ending with a five hour drive back home. Therefore this moment seems most perfect to spend it it with you.

One of my companions who has joined me for the duration of this impromptu trip week, says she is now completely worn-out and wants another week to just recuperate from the rigors of hiking, playing with puppies, and occasionally finding a wonderful catfish restaurant. I can see her point to a certain degree – a change of schedule and such can be a bit tiring. However for me it is totally invigorating. 

So the Sunday Question is – are vacations just that, a break and restoration or are they just the opposite (and why?)

And so I find myself engaged on a road trip. This may mean posts may be a little short and the schedule off a bit.

But in honor of Mum’s Day, here is a question to ponder: in what positive way has your mother influnced you?

Photograph by daveelmore(cc)

Mum is horrified. She says for a person who is invested in healing others, I have single-handedly caused her recent bout with high-blood pressure.

How have I done this (so you do not make the same mistake when dealing with your mother)?

I announced my ten-year goal to the family – I plan to take several months off and hike the Appalachian Trail. Please note - this is my ten-year plan, so I am no where ready to just leave comfortable society behind, shut down the practice and go. I understand that it will take a lot of planning and my success will be in the fine details.

I am sure Mum envisions me, heavy pack, blistered-feet, shivering in the cold, and all alone on this journey. She may have a point even. There are several legends along the trail that involve single matrons making their way across it all alone. But, I shall not be one of them. No, my partner plans to do this with me and several others are thinking about doing it too, or at least doing various parts of the trail with us. So much for solitude.

My ultimate goal with it? I plan to incorporate it into my career. I need to do it once for experience sake, but then I want to lead groups, incorporating hypnotism, positive thinking, and making it an even greater personal transformative process for those who travel with me. Yes, this may play into my abused people program (that has sadly been put on the back burner), but I think it would be wonderful to help those who have related fears (creepy crawlers, height, etc.). And not to mention, I think it would be a wonderful way to start a weight-loss program. It would totally reset old-habits. Anyway, these are just some thought bumping about in my mind.

All this also depends on the state of the Appalachian Trail, though. That is why, on this Sunday Question post, I am taking a moment to tout The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), caretakers of the trail. It is a volunteer organization that does trail maintenance and is a general trail advocate. They have offices and visitor centers spaced out along the trail and provide trail updates to hikers, among other safety concepts.

Here is the thing, CommuniCause.com is sponsoring a charity contest. You can vote for your favorite charity and the winning one will receive a $25,000 social make-over. I of course, am supporting the ATC and encourage you to vote for them, but it does not matter as long as you do vote for whatever charity you feel passionate about. In the case of the ATC, they are already pretty suave with their web site, but I can imagine with the help of $25,00 in the social marketing context, they can provide more hiker services (sounds crazy and insane, but I plan to use an iPhone up there or whatever the current technology provides in ten years) like twittering about the trail in various locations. It can also help them fundraise, which is an important element for a volunteer non-profit.

Anyway, now that I have spoken (written) my peace, what charity are you supporting? Here is your chance to provide even more awareness for your cause.

Image of Atom Eve

The question has finally worked its way into my morning conversation. It sits invisibly upon the table, waiting with all the patience of a cat who spots a fledgling bird in its domain. Birthed from my partner’s lips, the spark of life created from Terry’s guest post yesterday, he looks at me before drinking another sip of coffee.

“What comic book character would you be if you had to chose?” As if I am not a comic character in my own right, drawn from organic, flowery imagery and quiet words of contemplation. Would the media not have it that I already have a comic book super power of manipulation and mind control (yes, my sarcasm runneth over). Perhaps I would be noble and be V from V for Vendetta, but that does not count because I believe that is a graphic novel. Maybe Catwoman (because I may grow old and be that crazy cat woman down the street). Maybe Atom Eve from Invincible (I like that she retires from being a super-hero and goes to do good deeds in third-world countries), but I would do a disservice to her over-abundant-brilliance. Math and science are not my strong points.

My final answer? Well, Terry introduced her yesterday - I would be the Enchantress. In spite of her hypnotic powers, she seems very human, moving back and forth between good and evil ( I wonder if she ever saw herself as evil). 

Now I bandy the question back at you – what comic book character would you be? 

This tardiness is terrible, but with good reason. I an trying out mobile blogging (with an iPod touch app.). It looks like this spring and summer promise grand hypnotism adventures and this is one way to stay connected, though it is slow going currently with one finger typing.

Best to keep this short for now, so here is the Sunday Question (this is more toward the blogging crowd): what do you do when you are going to be away from your blog for a period of time?

Eástre by Jacques Reich

Happy whatever-day-you-are-celebrating. 

Maybe your day began at the crack of dawn with Easter Baskets, dyed eggs, sunrise services, dinner contemplations, thoughts of family and breakfast, religious rituals, or communing with nature. Whether you call today Easter, Passover (or part of it), Ēostre,  Ôstarâ, Pascha, Uskrs, or just another day, I hope the hours find you peaceful.

My coffee cup is almost empty, the hot cross buns are on the rise (I know, they are more of a Good Friday thing, but it is my own tradition to have them on Easter), and my stomach is growling in anticipation. My dinner plans include a cavalcade of green beans, sweet potatoes and ham. All the accouterments of making the meal lay in wait on my counter top. Originally I expected a friend or two to join us, but they are all going to be with their families (I am glad they have families that are close by). So,I am going on ahead with my plans and my partner, along with the cat will enjoy a large feast in the early evening. Weather allowing I plan to go to my local park, sit by its babbling stream and meditate on all things that I feel gratitude toward. I will also meditate on that which seemed more of a hardship lately and try to be grateful for the lessons learned. These are my traditions for the day.

Today’s question is: what are your personal traditions for today?

 
Photograph by calca

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

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

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

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

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

Photography by sandcastlematt

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. That is the sound of one rice cake being devoured.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. That is the word that runs through my mind as I do my Nautilus-based crunches.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. That is the sound of time, clunking and lurching along as continue all of my goals…especially the one in which I am removing excess fat and flab and turning it into healthy, toned-muscle.

On my other blog theunwindingpath.com, I occasionally write about the my experiences of loosing weight. When I first realized I had gained so much, the pounds silently creeping onto my body, I was truly appalled. The incessant whine of pants feeling too tight, odd gaps in anything that buttoned, and the realization that my food choices were not as wonderful as they could be, grew so loud and cumbersome that I had to face reality - I had let something go. Me. Me who is into yoga, vegetables, and hiking. Me. The hypnotist who makes some of her living helping other people lose weight. Other people, not me, are the ones who need help. 

But alas, my vanity has faced itself in the mirror and seen the truth. Now that I am here, I am actually a bit grateful for the overall experience. It is one thing to preach a healthy diet and exercise; it is truly another to go through the process one preaches. It has given me a new appreciation for the challenges of being thin in a world where going to a happy hour means sitting at home or in the office and typing away to one’s social networks. But on the other hand, it has been interesting to read about so many other people’s weight-influenced quests. It feels like support and any sort of support is a good thing. 

I noticed another blogger Dena of Sungrl Loves to Shop has a second blog and like mine other one, hers is going to be about her weight-loss journey. She wrote about it in her post entitled Big Changes. On this other blog, she plans to do weekly weigh-ins and will offer ideas for making the process of losing poundage more appealing. The big thing that she has to offer is camaraderie (which is something I could personally use). So, if you have been keeping up with my journey or are such a journeyer yourself, please stop by Dena’s blogs and cheer her on as well.

Knowing others who are fellow travelers can be a definite morale booster. Weight loss is such a mental thing. My own personal discovery with is that the more positive I am about it, as well as the more honest I am with myself, the easier it is. It is all a mindset. Self-hypnosis has helped me keep with the lifestyle changes I am in the process of creating, so it has been a big part of my successes. But I know that everyone’s philosophies are different. So let us begin a dialogue about it this Sunday.

If you are currently working on weight loss, have lost weight, or are maintaining your weight, what do you feel is the key ingredient for your personal success?

Photograph by It’sGreg

With every tissue that I eventually wad up and toss into the garbage; with every eye drop that pings coolly into my eye and eventually runs down my cheek like a tear; with every sneeze; with every dollop of lotion I use to sooth my chapped nose, I think about my childhood allergist. Actually, I am totally exaggerating here, mostly it is with every eye drop that I think about him. I think about the the various torturous testing regimes I was put through. I think about seventeen years of hours spent in doctors offices waiting for and receiving allergy shots. I think about the hard ball that always seemed to painfully form at the injection site. And then I think of my university professor who was totally grossed out by the fact that during his early morning courses, I perpetually had a runny nose.

These were not my salad days - they were my allergy days. When I became of age to make my own medical decisions, I stopped going to this particular doctor. I had come to loath his existence. He was condescending, insensitive and utterly useless. In fact, I gave up on all allergists because of my years of negative experience with this particular one. Then a few years after I had given up but was still suffered (suddenly having allergic skin reactions when anyone touched me), my internist suggested I see a new allergist in town, who apparently was a little less traditional but was getting great results.

I went to see him (I was desperate). I was pretty sure I would discount his advice. Shots were out of the question (my personal choice). But he did not come close to suggesting shots. Instead he put me on a pill regimen and changed some things in my diet. Miraculously so many of the symptoms I described earlier in this post disappeared and for the first time in my life, I felt relief.

I share this story with you in regard to a comment from my friend Nancy over at the Raging Bear blog left during a recent discussion. Her comment was about having experienced hypnosis in the past and finding it scary. I am glad she shared this with me, but it brought to mind my allergy experiences. This is not the first time I have come across comments like Nancy’s or even comments like “Someone tried to hypnotize me and they could not do it. I cannot be hypnotized.”

Here is the thing - all hypnotists are different and your results are going to be different with each one your try. There are hypnotists out there with whom I find no useful results and there are others who have helped me to realize amazing things within myself (easing an asthma bout, headache relief, working through social nervousness and more). It is very much like my allergists experience. One was completely useless. The other seemed like a miracle worker.

My Sunday question is: have you ever sought professional help (be it medical, psychological, hypnosis, counseling, or any type at all) only to find that the said professional was not particularly helpful (or you had a negative experience with them)? If so what did you do? Did you go to another professional or did you discount the profession all together? And why?