The Transparent Hypnotist

Art by  Eddi 07

One of the ideas about hypnosis that bubbles my passion is the connect of its flexibility – that it is not just one formula-based solution. Though I do know some hypnotists who just use scripts (often memorized but scripted none-the-less), it is the hypnotist who has a full toolbox of techniques that make them most helpful (in my humble opinion). When I started doing 10 Questions for Hypnotists, I sort of had this naive idea that I had touched on most hypnotists’ favorite techniques somewhere along the way. I was delightfully surprised to see that my knowledge is cursory and that there is still so much more to learn (thank goodness).

When looking at Cindy Locher’s answers to my 10 questions, she mentioned one of her favorite hypnotic techniques - Circle Therapy. I admit, I know knowing of this “circle therapy” and she inspired me to learn more. In fact I was so inspired, that I have begun looking at the past responses to that same question and thus will implement “The Tool Box” as a regular feature on this blog. At first I believe it will be like “Ellie’s Favorite Five” in that it will happen when the spirit moves me. At some point I do see it becoming a regular feature.

So on to circle therapy. This is what Cindy said about it:

I love releasing the negative emotional energy around people’s fears and anxieties using the “Circle Therapy” technique taught at HMI. It allows them to have such an immediate sense of relief.

Circle Therapy
Well, I am all into release processes. So what is Circle Therapy? Basically, it is used for the elimination of fears where the cause is known. There seems to be a caution in every source I have seen about this process, so please keep that in mind. In other words this is not for handling phobias, just fears and anxiety. This is not a regression method, but a form of desensitization, though some hypnotist take the person to the actual source where the fear was first experienced. Once the fear is encountered hypnotically, suggestions are given for a more positive emotion or feeling like relaxation. The idea is that relaxation and anxiety are inharmonious and one will supersede the other - one opts for relaxation and the cessation of the anxiety (of course).

How Circle Therapy Works
Basically, the client is induced (put into a deep state of relaxation - remember our friends alpha and delta) into a hypnotic state. The the hypnotist suggest that the client experience the fear or anxiety and then adds the suggestion to do something like exhale the fear, inhale relaxation and deepen the hypnosis. Suggestions are given to help the client deal with the fear, so that the fear becomes less. One hypnotist has the client open his or her eyes at this point before repeating the process. This process continues and the it becomes more and more difficult for the client to continue experiencing the fear. Words such as “the more you try to feel the fear, the harder it becomes to do so and instead you find yourself becoming amused…” With this the hypnotist guides the client to exchange emotions. Instead of fear, they feel amusement.

Many clients will show some sign of an abreaction (cringing, tears, jaw clenching, etc) when they experience the fear, but the goals is to have this reaction subside into a smile or something positive.

And here I have to put a disclaimer. I am not an expert in circle therapy and know only what I have read. This posting is meant to stimulate your interest so you will continue to explore this on your own (in other words do not hold me liable for it, as this is just a discussion).

If you use circle therapy or have any thoughts about it, please consider this an open forum to discuss it.

Also, Paul Durbin offers a wonderful explanation about circle therapy at http://www.durbinhypnosis.com/releaseanxietyfear.htm#(4)%20CIRCLE%20THERAPY:

Sources:

Photography by lilivanili

Every now and then my fancy gets sparked by some technical toy. I crave a pleasant interface, good design, user compatibility, and something to make me marvel at the wonder that is man (man in the human sense, not just gender). When I did yesterday’s news round up, I came across the 404 podcast, which interviewed hypnotist Paul Ramsey. Paul actually stopped by this blog as well and left a comment about the induction he did on the show using an alpha-theta machine. First, let me say that the induction results were very impressive. Using a standard step-down deepener, he gave his participant a suggestion to bring the feeling and effects of Novocain to his mouth. Then he had the participant speak and one could hear the Novocain in his voice. I know this is nothing unusual for hypnosis, but since the alpha-theta machine was used, it was interesting to witness the results.

Apparently the machine uses flashing lights and sound frequencies to induce an alpha and theta state of mind, which is appropriate for hypnotic suggestion. Awhile ago, I had posted about making a home-made version of an alpha-beta, but it was called The Dream Machine. It was used in the context of helping people have lucid dreams. I had almost forgotten about it, until I saw the 404 podcast. It is nice to see such a device used in straight (technical hypnosis, hmm…another form of hypnosis?) hypnosis.

Before I get you too enamored with this device, if you have not read Paul’s comment from yesterday, it should be considered:

The 404 targets a tech-savvy audience, so I brought along the alpha-theta machine thinking it would interest them. It was fun to demo it to them. I haven’t used it with a client in over three years. It is good to use with clients who can’t stop analyzing what you’re saying as you’re doing your induction. For average clients, though, I favor an Elman induction, quick and simple.

Okay, so he favors the voice approach, but the gadget is still cool. I think the idea of using something that blocks out visual reality and focuses sound is interesting. It may play into the myth that hypnosis needs a quiet, non-chaotic environment, but I often wonder if it is not be worth-while to have such available for clients. I have had a few clients who have eventually come back to me and told me that the brightness of my session room (day light) or the sounds of the offices around it were distracting, even though they were given suggestions for those ideas to help them relax even more. I sometimes think totally removing certain people from reality in every way may lead to a more satisfying experience.

Just my thoughts for the day. And darn it, I want one of these machines…

2009 snuck in quietly last night. No blowout of champaign, just a satisfying pop from the release of the cork and a toast among loved ones. It was most peaceful.

And now here is morning, cold and alive, sparkling with potential. I shall rest today (i.e. probably read up on some psych books I have been trying to catch up on) and tomorrow shines before me, as I continue my personal quest to evolve.

I am not alone in wanting to evolve (thank goodness for that). It can be a very busy time for hypnotists, helping people with their new year’s resolutions (if you are a hypnotist who does not spend half of December and January on travel). In my own way, I wanted to give you a taste of what self-hypnosis is all about, so I present you with another of Ellie’s Favorite Fives. The following links will lead you to other hypnotists or resources that offer ways in which you can learn self-hypnosis. All are free except for one.

Ellie’s Favorite Five Self-hypnosis Resources

1. How to Perform Self Hypnosis through www.wikihow.com. I believe this was written by Conrad Raw (a short video is included) and it is very basic and straight to the point. It provides 10 easy steps.
2. Self-Hypnosis Tutorial from Bog Cooper Transformations. This site offers a couple of approaches and resources including scripts that you can record yourself and play back to yourself, downloads, and a bevy of information.
3. Self-hypnosis with mindtools.com. This site offers several suggestions in how to put yourself in a hypnotic state and as well as working with affirmations.
4. How to Do Self-Hypnosis with ehow.com. This site offers twelve steps to a relaxing hypnotic state.
5. The Secrets of Self-Hypnosis Masterclass with Adam Eason. Have you been inspired by the above links? Here is the daddy of all self-hypnosis programs. Now granted Adam is a friend of mine, but I have to say after previewing his masterclass on self-hypnosis, talk about all inclusive. It is an audio program (23 audios, I believe) and will cost you, but Adam is brilliant in his instruction. This is the sort of thing for those who are truly serious about learning how to harness the power of self-hypnosis. But you do not have to take my word for it. You can download two of the audios to preview it for free.

Still here? I appreciate your loyalty in reading all the way through, but what are you waiting for? Go try out at least on of the links and let me know what you think. Happy New Year!

P.S.

Adam did not pay me to promote his self-hypnosis program (none of these sites did). Just though you should know.

by Terry O’Brien

Three years ago, I won a copy of the online game GuildWars. I didn’t examine the game for a month or so, figuring I didn’t have time for an online game, but the box artwork and some of the things I saw about it online convinced me to take a further look. Little did I realize what I was going to get myself in to.

What I soon discovered was a very richly visual and literary world. The setting is lush with vivid locations, fascinating characters and interesting storylines. (And, during the semi-annual holiday events, several of the locations get a holiday-themed makeover.) The artwork convinced me to look closer, but it was the character generation system that convinced me to stay.

The character generation system is based on professions. Each profession has special skills or spells available only to them, plus the option of having a secondary profession to compliment the primary profession. There are six basic professions in the main game and two each in the later expansion campaigns: some are familiar to anyone who has played any kind of fantasy roleplaying games, others less familiar.

And one profession that immediately attracted my attention: Mesmer. Not many roleplaying games, online or not, allow for the opportunity to a spellcaster to specialize in casting primarily hypnotic-themed spells. I just had to try this game out.

The first thing to do was create a character. The game allows several dozen variations in creating a unique character appearance based on the campaign setting. The original campaign, Prophecies, is more traditionally Western European in nature, so characters from that campaign will have Western features. On the other hand, a character from the Oriental Factions campaign will have oriental features and their armor will have oriental accents, while a character from the Mediterranean and Northern African Nightfall campaign will be of darker skin and have more tribal appearances. In all my time playing, I have yet to find another character looking exactly like any one of my four different characters. Having multiple options for armor sets and colors and weapons also helps.

Since the Prophecies campaign was the only campaign available at that time, my first character, Shiarra Draega, is definitely European in appearance: female, tall (for a woman and her profession) with red hair and pale skin. Her face is slightly triangular: I admit I was trying for a Fae appearance. That her hair is pulled back into a bun, with bangs across the forehead and a few curls escaping in back, was the best choice I had at the time, but it fits with the overall image I have of Mesmers as control freaks.

Then I started playing. The game starts beginning players in a bucolic world, where they are recruited by their kingdom to maintain the watch over the barbarian, cat like Charr to the north. Most of the missions here are to acquaint players with their characters and how to manipulate them. Once that is done, the real story line begins.

The Charr overrun the kingdom and the people are forced to flee. Through that flight, they meet with various people, some of whom we help, some of whom we later learn were using us for their own advantage, and one who was the ultimate instigator of the troubles. The characters must grow and learn to overcome their adversaries to restore a semblance of order to their world. Essentially, that is the storyline throughout the whole game, in all three campaign worlds and the one expansion.

Over the past three years, I have taken Shiarra through all three campaigns and the one campaign expansion. And I’ve have a great time. I like the interaction between players during the game (even if sometimes they act like total idiots) and appreciate the visual and literary effort the creators have put into the game.

But enough about the overall game. What you’re probably wanting to know more about are the Mesmers.

Because Mesmers, as might be expected, cast mind magic spells, they are subtle spellcasters. In fact, they have few visibly manifesting spells at all. They cause enemies to destroy themselves through their domination magic or cause them to suffer debilitating hexes through their illusionary magic while using inspiration magic to control spells and manipulate magical energy. As such, a good Mesmer compliments their allies and defeats their opponents in quiet but extremely effective ways. About the only thing they cannot do, however, is actually control an enemy into fighting for them, which is kind of a good thing, because opponents have access to the same spells and abilities as the players. In fact, that’s sometimes the way to acquire new spells is to defeat someone with that spell and perform a capturing ritual to obtain it.

Mesmers are also specialists in understanding how magic works. Their profession understands magic so well they can take shortcuts during casting, thereby casting their spells much faster than any other spellcaster. That understanding also gives them several spells that interrupt rival spellcasters’s spells or cause the spells to overload or backfire. Interrupting spells is probably a Mesmer’s greatest asset to any mission team.

One thing that people will soon notice is that Mesmers are extremely attractive. Mesmers have at least the second-most flamboyant looking armor sets of all the professions (the image above is my character’s first set of elite armor: I think it looks more suited for the bedroom than the battlefield.) Also, all professions have a dance routine they can perform on command: female Mesmers do a Flamenco style dance while the male Mesmers perform an Irish step-dance. And, if you find someone who bought the deluxe edition of the game, their character’s hand movements will be accompanied by trailing sparkles of light, adding quite a mystical flair to the performance.

A lot of beginning players tend to dismiss Mesmers, mainly because they are so subtle and less showy than other professions, plus being difficult to master, so they are less prevalent in the game than many other professions. However, a good Mesmer can be a great asset for just about any mission. Their ability to cause opponents to harm themselves can take down some of the toughest opponents who specialize in dealing lots of damage to lots of opponents at once: Shiro the Assassin in the final “boss” in the Factions campaign, and has a special ability that can be a Total Party Killer, but with the right Mesmer spells on him, he winds up killing himself instead.

If anyone in GuildWars wants to whisper me, my primary character is named “Shiarra Draega”. Plus, if you’re a Mesmer without a Guild, you’re welcome into mine, named (of course) “Look Into My Eyes”.

Art by Eddi 07

So this is Christmas. The day has finally arrived and here we are, together again. I wanted to give you something special this year, so I originally thought an Ellie’s Favorite Five Guided Meditations would be perfect. However, it was a harder task than I thought (apparently I am really picky). I wanted to find free ones that would not obligate you to anything for downloading the MP3s. With some time constraints, I had to go with three (and one does require you sign up for their mailing list). But all three of these are wonderful. They feature peaceful music, soothing voices and an overall pleasant experience.

After downloading these, you will get set aside time for each when you know that you will not be disturbed. You can sit in a chair, in a traditional meditation pose, or in any sort of resting position that is comfortable.

1. Relaxing into Healing from Meditation Oasis. Mary Maddox, your guide into the realm of natural healing has a soothing voice that helps you travel to the place within where healing awareness is needed. Awareness is the basis of this meditation. The link is to Mary’s blog post about this, but it also includes the download link. It is about 19 minutes.
2. Mountain Top by hypnotist Kerie Logan of Empowered Within. Kerie guides you through a relaxing journey around the natural landscape of a mountain top. This last about 13 minutes.
3. Kelly Howell of Brain Sync offers an inner journey meditation. Its very restive and worth the sign-up. This last 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Photograph by Erik Kolstad

I regularly give public talks on hypnosis and mentor new hypnotists. As a result, I’m always telling and retelling these two stories:

FIRST TIME HYPNOTIZED: The first time I was hypnotized, I was scared stiff. I should explain that at the time, I had just founded my own hypnosis practice group in the hopes of learning as much as I could from experienced hypnotists. I’d only ever read about hypnosis, never really seen it, let alone experienced it or tried it. In the group’s very first meeting, there was an awkward moment when one of the hypnotists said, “So, are we going to get some practice in, or what?” I figured that if I wanted my group to be a success, I’d better be the first volunteer.

I fully expected that my brain would go into a fog, my thoughts would fade away, the hypnotist’s voice would boom over the loudspeakers of my mind, and I’d be doing and saying things without having any idea of what was going on. Despite that, I followed the hypnotist’s instructions. I remember feeling very tranquil and lethargic, still expecting my brain to go off-line at any moment. At one point, I guessed the hypnotist must be trying to get me to relax a little before he rolled up his sleeves and really zapped me with full-blown hypnosis.

And immediately after that thought passed through my head, the hypnotist said, “Congratulations! You’ve just reached the state of deep hypnosis.”

I was STUNNED. I felt unbelievably relaxed and pretty good all over… but THIS was deep hypnosis?!? I knew I could open my eyes and walk away at any moment. The revelation was a thunderclap of insight for me.

Since then, I’ve been hypnotized by expert practitioners, hypnosis instructors, Las Vegas stage hypnotists, and many, many others. But I’ve never been afraid of being hypnotized since.

FIRST TIME BEING THE HYPNOTIST: I also remember the first time I hypnotized someone myself. By that point, my practice group was only a few weeks old. I’d been tranced myself more than a few times by that point, plus studied the more experienced hypnotists when they performed inductions. I was anxious to do an induction myself.

Still, I was nervous. Though I’d studied my induction scripts like an actor preparing a monologue, I wasn’t certain I knew what to say. What if I sounded like I didn’t know what I was doing? What if I screwed up the instructions? What if I couldn’t improvise? What if I did improvise and then I picked the wrong wording?

My first subject was a good-natured fellow, an experienced trance subject and who was quite encouraging. “Just go for it,” he told me.

After a little more coaxing, I did. The whole procedure felt awful; I stammered, I hesitated between sentences wondering what I should say next, I kept tripping over my own wording then apologized for it… and worse. The entire induction took about fifteen minutes, which didn’t include the two false starts. When it was over, I felt just horrible.

But my subject shrugged off a lot of my own negative reactions. “I wasn’t much better when I first began hypnotizing,” he told me, “but you still got me into a pretty decent trance. Nice work.”

I was pretty surprised. Despite all my rookie blunders, I’d still hypnotized someone! It felt good.

Photograph by modomatic

Vegetables and fruit - now there is an expletive for you. Dirty words. Bad words, especially when you do not have a diet full of them. You end up like me, on the rug with yet another cold. And gosh, darn it, it is all my fault. I have been “too busy” to eat well these last few days and my diet has lacked the essentials to keep my immune system in shining-knight mode; the mode where that knight fights against contamination of the evil yucks.

Please do not mistake this for a complaint. I am totally to blame and I do know better. But I share it with you because I am human. Living in ones head is not always helpful. And today I am blogging from the comfort of pillows, blankets and bed, which means a low key work day for me.

With that in mind, I am working on my upcoming weight loss group support system that will be in full-swing in January. We will meet monthly, but I have been considering sources of support that would be more consistent for those who spend a great deal of their lives online. Sure I could creates forums and such, but why recreate the wheel?

Therefore I will share some of the resources I am suggesting. One is a site called LIVESTRONG.COM. It is much like a standard social networking site, but it is all about having and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and runs like a support group. Basically it uses the “dare” principle - daring each other to maintain healthy habits. You accept or create a dare and report on it as you go. The site also includes things like a Body Mass Index calculator, calorie counter, and food journals. It basically allows you to track your progress. The site is through Demand Media and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Maybe…just maybe I will put the dare out there for more intake of vegetables and fruits (when I am up to getting out of bed and traveling to a store).

Visit LIVESTRONG.COM.

Photograph by fredericknoronha

The scent of polluted air hits your nostrils as you power your window down, squinting at the small type on the menu board.

“I would like a [insert your favorite fast food here],” you say to the detached and anonymous voice that has asked you for your order.

And when you finally pull up to yet another window, exchange cash for a paper sack of cardboard, condiments, and what-nots, do you relish in the ease of consumption? Do you think to yourself, “Wow. I love fast food. This is great?” Maybe so. Maybe not. Maybe you chose to fill the void of an empty stomach with fast food, not because you enjoy it so much, but because it was easy. It beat standing in a kitchen contemplating vegetables and fiber and the process of making a most tasty (and hopefully more healthy) dinner.

Easy. How much of our lives are consumed with making choices based on ease? Ultimately it may not be the right choice, but it was the easy one. And maybe you are thinking as you read these words, “Well, Ellie, there is nothing wrong with making life easier.” But the truth is - is easy really better for us?

Many people try hypnosis because they are looking for an easy answer to a problem. They think they will just mindlessly and effortlessly make the changes  that I suggest. But that is not the way it really is. There is a sort of mindfulness about the hypnotic process, which involves both conscious and unconscious work. You have to be consciously committed to making a change before you even consider hypnosis. And what hypnosis does is not make something necessarily easier, but it simplifies things. It narrows down options (rather than greasy fries, you now find yourself wanting the crunch of a carrot); it can clarify a path that is more beneficial; it allows release that can simplify emotional feelings.

This all comes to mind, not based on a hypnosis experience but a decision I am in the throws of untangling. There is the easy way, which might be as satisfying and healthy as eating fast-food or there is the other path - more complicated, but more promising. Rather than making things easier in the short term, I think it may be more about simplifying my life, concentrating and focusing on what is really important. Go for the goal and make the journey important. That is what I would tell a client.

It is one of those mornings where I cannot seem to get warm. The heat is on and I am bundled up. It is not even cold outside. I am drinking green tea (gunpowder, thank you very much) and I just had a left over scone from the weekend. But, I am still really freezing.

I finished last week’s apple fast and am pretty happy with it over all. I am glad I did it and I think I will continue to do one a couple times a year. You can read the summation here.

And now to warm up a bit. Let us get our blood flowing with a look at what is going on in our hypnoworld.

The Good

Michael sent me this article, via Julia from the New York Times. It is called The Possibilities in Hypnosis, Where the Patient Has the Power. You just have to like an article with that sort of title. It starts right off the bat with the idea that a few people who went to a hypnotist for various reasons came out of the session believing they had not been hypnotized (which happens) - BUT - (here’s the juicy part), it did work. Either they stopped smoking, lost their fear of flying or any number of things. This one is definitely worth the read.

With a title such as Hypnosis no sure way to quit smoking, you might think I would be tempted to put this under the “Ugly” section, but I am trying to remain honest here and indeed this is the best spot. Dr. Michael Craig Miller of the Harvard Medical School answered a question about using hypnosis for smoking cessation. He speaks honestly about it, presenting ideas about how it can help, but also mentioning the other side of the coin - that it is not a magic remedy.

Good articles about Specific Hypnotists

Diane Carlin located in Louisville, Kentucky. (www.whas11.com)

Scott Lewis located in Maui, Hawaii. (www.mauinews.com)

Kevin Hurley, performer who is visiting Mississippi today. (www.reflector-online.com)

Beth Keil located in Wilmington, DE. (www.communitypub.com)

Upcoming Events

Are you blogging tomorrow? If so, are you going to blog about Refugees United? That is the theme for tomorrow’s Bloggers Unite Day.

If you are in Brookline, Mass, join Avinoam Lerner on November 13, for a discussion on the benefits of doing self-hypnosis (www.wickedlocal.com).

November 20 is the Great American Smokeout. Thinking about quitting the ciggy habit, why not give it a go on this big day.

November 27 - Karen Green will discuss the realities and the myths of hypnosis at the Caledon Public Library in Caledon, Ontario (www.caledoncitizen.com).

photo by .betty b. on flickr

It’s early evening as I write this, and I still have no idea what to blog about today.  So I’m blogging about not knowing what to blog about.

Which reminds me of an induction I wrote some time ago called “Think of Nothing.”  It goes like this:

I wrote it as an exercise, but the result turns out to be a surprisingly effective induction.  There are elements of confusion and it engages the imagination well enough that it seems to work for a broad group of people.

The lesson in there, I suppose, is that sometimes even when you have nothing to say, it can be worth saying it anyway.  ;^)  Fortunately this ends my watch, so you needn’t fear you’ll be reading my grocery list tomorrow.

<MR>