In over twenty years of practicing NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and hypnosis in Atlanta, it has been rare that I have needed more than one session to help someone completely eliminate a fear of public speaking. The secret is simple.
A fear or phobia has a rigid structure. Interrupting or interfering with that structure thoroughly enough will cause the fear or phobia to vanish for good. So how does a hypnotherapist discover those structures?
It is just a matter of knowing which questions to ask. People who manage to scare themselves with the mere thought of public speaking are experts in creating their own fears. Usually, it only takes a few questions to determine those experts' methods. Happily, the number of ways of creating those fears are limited.
The person either has to be mentally talking to him or herself or making scary internal pictures. Both of those are actually examples of unhelpful self hypnosis. When a person scares him or herself with a thought, they are creating state of hypnosis because they are responding to thoughts as if they are reality. For example, Sally Sue would think about doing a presentation at work the next week, and get scared even though she was safely peeling carrots in her kitchen at home.
Sally Sue kept telling herself that she was going to be making a fool of herself in front of people and be humiliated. And, she said it to herself repeatedly in a way that was very convincing. And, that is how Sally Sue managed to scare herself and feel anxious for days before every presentation.
Timid Tim mentally saw himself being humiliated in front of a large audience. Of course, he had to run that mental movie over and over again rapidly to ensure the maximum amount of fear. One of the great things about his movie was that there was no ending. Tim just saw the humiliation going on forever. He never finished his speech and went on with the rest of his day in his movie. That simple addition to his mental movie would certainly have helped him feel more comfortable.
To continue creating a phobia the brain has to send a series of signals down a specific set of nerve pathways the same way every time. So, the solution is to simply lead the person into a hypnotic state and have him or her run the mental movie or scary phrase backwards enough times to scramble the habit of using the phobic nervous pathways. It only takes a few minutes of practice to install the new thinking habit, and public speaking just stops being scary.
You may notice that there is no need to find a root cause, or drag up the memory of the first time the person was afraid to talk to a group. Nor, is there any need to explore issues of self esteem, or boosting self confidence. Once the thinking habits are reversed, the fear simply vanishes.
If you would like to learn more about the specifics of eliminating a phobia, there is an in depth description of how to get rid of a phobia or fear in Heart of the Mind: Engaging Your Inner Power to Change With Neuro-Linguistic Programming by Steve and Connierae Andreas. Although the book does not mention hypnosis specifically as a part of the phobia cure technique, it hypnosis is happening none the less. Doing all the steps of the technique will automatically cause someone to go into a very light trance state. And, that that is all the hypnosis needed to eliminate a fear of public speaking for good.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Hypnosis Helps Hot Flashes With Cool Imagery
The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis recently published research showing that hypnosis can be used to dramatically reduce the hot flashes many women experience just before menopause. “This is an interesting finding because it begins to shed light on what is it, specifically, about hypnotic relaxation therapy that reduces the hot flashes,” said Dr. Gary Elkins of Baylor University.
“The finding may indicate that areas of the brain activated by imagery may be identical to those activated by actual perceived events. Consequently, it may be that while a woman suffering hot flashes imagines a cool place, she also feels cool rather than the heat of a hot flash,” he added.
Up to 85 percent of women experience hot flashes as they near menopause.
The Baylor researchers surveyed the 51 breast cancer survivors who participated in a study that used hypnosis as a treatment for their hot flashes.
Of course, this research on cool imagery to lessen hot flashes is no surprise to hypnotherapists, who have been using the technique for some time.
Hypnotherapists have long known that the body responds to the imagination as if it were reality. For example, it is common for people watching an scary movie to jump a little when something sudden happens on screen. We know that we are safe, but our bodies create fear response, and we jump a little.
The value of using hypnosis with cold imagery to lessen hot flashes is that it amplifies the response of the body to the imagination. So, it only makes sense that hypnosis increases the effectiveness of any technique that uses imagery.
Hypnotherapists have also found that in addition to reducing hot flashes, images of cold such as snow, ice, or frost on a winter morning have also been found to be effective in reducing bleeding during surgery, and in helping lessen or eliminate acute and chronic pain for some people.
I practice Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP, which is based, in part, on the principle of utilization. The principle of utilization, simply put, is the acceptance all of the client's own thoughts and behaviors as an expression of their desire to be healthy and happy. So, it was wonderful to see that Dr. Elkins's study used the imagery created by the participants themselves.
Elkins said: “This study supports the idea that the most effective images are those that are generated by the participant themselves, in relation to their own perceptions and life experiences.”
“The finding may indicate that areas of the brain activated by imagery may be identical to those activated by actual perceived events. Consequently, it may be that while a woman suffering hot flashes imagines a cool place, she also feels cool rather than the heat of a hot flash,” he added.
Up to 85 percent of women experience hot flashes as they near menopause.
The Baylor researchers surveyed the 51 breast cancer survivors who participated in a study that used hypnosis as a treatment for their hot flashes.
Of course, this research on cool imagery to lessen hot flashes is no surprise to hypnotherapists, who have been using the technique for some time.
Hypnotherapists have long known that the body responds to the imagination as if it were reality. For example, it is common for people watching an scary movie to jump a little when something sudden happens on screen. We know that we are safe, but our bodies create fear response, and we jump a little.
The value of using hypnosis with cold imagery to lessen hot flashes is that it amplifies the response of the body to the imagination. So, it only makes sense that hypnosis increases the effectiveness of any technique that uses imagery.
Hypnotherapists have also found that in addition to reducing hot flashes, images of cold such as snow, ice, or frost on a winter morning have also been found to be effective in reducing bleeding during surgery, and in helping lessen or eliminate acute and chronic pain for some people.
I practice Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP, which is based, in part, on the principle of utilization. The principle of utilization, simply put, is the acceptance all of the client's own thoughts and behaviors as an expression of their desire to be healthy and happy. So, it was wonderful to see that Dr. Elkins's study used the imagery created by the participants themselves.
Elkins said: “This study supports the idea that the most effective images are those that are generated by the participant themselves, in relation to their own perceptions and life experiences.”
Friday, July 16, 2010
Admitting the Benefits of Smoking is the Key to Successfully Stopping With Hypnosis
In my hypnosis practice in Atlanta, I have noticed some of my clients really struggle with the idea that there could be anything good behind the urge to smoke. Given all the negatives about smoking, it goes against common sense. And, how could admitting to themselves and me that there are intended benefits to smoking be important in their stopping smoking?
One valuable way of thinking about undesirable habits, is that they all have a positive intention. For smokers, one universal positive intention is to make the discomfort of the craving to smoke go away. And frequently, at least on an unconscious level, smokers will come to generalize the sense of relief from the uncomfortable nicotine cravings going away to a sense of relief from all kinds of stressful feelings. That is why smokers will smoke more when under stress.
When a habit has a positive intention, it is easier to suggest that the unconscious mind create more healthy and satisfying alternatives. Would it be more elegant to automatically start with a sense of relaxation in response to sensations of stress, followed by a search for effective and even creative solutions to the stressful situation, for example?
Hypnosis can be used to set up new automatic healthy impulses in response to all of the situations that used to trigger the urge to smoke. It is common for my clients to tell me that instead of always smoking with their morning coffee, that instead they will just relax, and drink a cup. And, then they get on with their day with an occasional random thought of a cigarette, but no urge to smoke.
For those who are afraid to admit that there could be anything positive about smoking, the key is in appreciating the difference between an intention and a result.
For example, some years ago there was an uneducated and sincere man who was punishing his children harshly when they used profanity. He was convinced that they would go to Hell unless they stopped. His intention was to be a good father, and protect his children from harm. His punishments caused the children pain and upset, and were not even very effective.
The solution came from a social worker, who taught the man some more effective and gentle ways to discourage the children from using naughty words.
Accepting the man's good intentions made it much easier to persuade him to change his ways. Starting with the idea that he was a bad person would leave only one choice, which would be to punish him for his harsh treatment of the children. He would have resented and resisted that, and any changes would have been temporary, because he would have not yet learned any new and better ways to prevent the children from using profanity. And, being a good father, he would still feel compelled to save them from Hell.
When my clients realize that an unhealthy and unpleasant habit like smoking is simply an old pattern of behavior that was developed to meet a need, they become open to the idea that they can learn new patterns. We do that all the time. At one time we got around on our hands and knees. Now we walk around on our two hind legs. It is interesting to notice that the old pattern (crawling) did not have to be destroyed for the new one (walking) to replace it.
Accepting, at least temporarily, that smoking has one or more positive intentions opens the possibilities of outgrowing the habit in a natural and permanent way. No struggle, or “giving up” is necessary simply because the unconscious mind has developed better ways to meet the needs behind the urge to smoke than by inhaling slow acting poisons.
Frequently the first step for a hypnotherapist working with a smoker is to satisfy his or her conscious objections to the idea that smoking could have positive intentions. Then it is possible to use hypnosis to set the stage for the unconscious mind to create new healthy habits. After all, the unconscious mind created the smoking habit in the first place. Once it has better choices, it will automatically use them instead, and the client will be a nonsmoker for good.
One valuable way of thinking about undesirable habits, is that they all have a positive intention. For smokers, one universal positive intention is to make the discomfort of the craving to smoke go away. And frequently, at least on an unconscious level, smokers will come to generalize the sense of relief from the uncomfortable nicotine cravings going away to a sense of relief from all kinds of stressful feelings. That is why smokers will smoke more when under stress.
When a habit has a positive intention, it is easier to suggest that the unconscious mind create more healthy and satisfying alternatives. Would it be more elegant to automatically start with a sense of relaxation in response to sensations of stress, followed by a search for effective and even creative solutions to the stressful situation, for example?
Hypnosis can be used to set up new automatic healthy impulses in response to all of the situations that used to trigger the urge to smoke. It is common for my clients to tell me that instead of always smoking with their morning coffee, that instead they will just relax, and drink a cup. And, then they get on with their day with an occasional random thought of a cigarette, but no urge to smoke.
For those who are afraid to admit that there could be anything positive about smoking, the key is in appreciating the difference between an intention and a result.
For example, some years ago there was an uneducated and sincere man who was punishing his children harshly when they used profanity. He was convinced that they would go to Hell unless they stopped. His intention was to be a good father, and protect his children from harm. His punishments caused the children pain and upset, and were not even very effective.
The solution came from a social worker, who taught the man some more effective and gentle ways to discourage the children from using naughty words.
Accepting the man's good intentions made it much easier to persuade him to change his ways. Starting with the idea that he was a bad person would leave only one choice, which would be to punish him for his harsh treatment of the children. He would have resented and resisted that, and any changes would have been temporary, because he would have not yet learned any new and better ways to prevent the children from using profanity. And, being a good father, he would still feel compelled to save them from Hell.
When my clients realize that an unhealthy and unpleasant habit like smoking is simply an old pattern of behavior that was developed to meet a need, they become open to the idea that they can learn new patterns. We do that all the time. At one time we got around on our hands and knees. Now we walk around on our two hind legs. It is interesting to notice that the old pattern (crawling) did not have to be destroyed for the new one (walking) to replace it.
Accepting, at least temporarily, that smoking has one or more positive intentions opens the possibilities of outgrowing the habit in a natural and permanent way. No struggle, or “giving up” is necessary simply because the unconscious mind has developed better ways to meet the needs behind the urge to smoke than by inhaling slow acting poisons.
Frequently the first step for a hypnotherapist working with a smoker is to satisfy his or her conscious objections to the idea that smoking could have positive intentions. Then it is possible to use hypnosis to set the stage for the unconscious mind to create new healthy habits. After all, the unconscious mind created the smoking habit in the first place. Once it has better choices, it will automatically use them instead, and the client will be a nonsmoker for good.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Celebrities Use Hypnosis to Stop Smoking? (Maybe They're on to Something!)
Ellen DeGeneres used hypnosis to stop smoking on her show. Hypnotherapist and entertainer Paul McKenna hypnotized Ellen on camera and she became a nonsmoker instantly.
Contactmusic.com quotes DeGeneres as saying: “I quit smoking! I’ve been wanting to say it but I thought I can’t say, ‘(I quit) yesterday,’ then you’re gonna be, ‘Oh you didn’t really quit then.’ It’s been about two months now and I know I’m done completely.”
Later DeGeneres (as quoted by healthwithhypnosis.com) told McKenna: ”You’ve helped me tremendously and probably saved my life and definitely changed my life. Build up the good things in your life and the smoking will go away by itself.”
Drew Barrymore started smoking around age 10, and has called herself a “smokaholic” according to smoke-free.ca.
Drew successfully used hypnosis to stop smoking, but admits that she is still struggling with the habit. If she had come to see me in Atlanta for my lifetime hypnosis stop smoking program, I would tell her that, “We are not done yet. And, we won't be until you are completely free of cravings.” The reason that the program offers unlimited sessions is that some people need more help than others. Stopping smoking can be more involved for some because they have a more complex set of beliefs and associations around smoking that need to be cleaned up.
Debra Messing, best known for her role as Grace Adler in the sitcom “Will & Grace” got a wake up call from her doctor when she had a nasty bout of bronchitis according to www.celebrities-with-diseases.com. According to Fox News the actress reported: “My doctor sat me down and said, ‘You’re quitting smoking today, period. If you have another cigarette, you’ll be in intensive care.” That warning motivated Messing to stop smoking with the help of a hypnotherapist.
In an interview with The Washington Post in 1999, Messing said that she is doing fine after having stopped smoking cigarettes. She also described “going through hell” in the first week after she stopped. And, it was with the extensive support from her family, friends and colleagues that she stayed a nonsmoker during that difficult time.
As a hypnotherapist, I would spend another session or several helping any client who was “going through hell” after she or he stopped smoking. Discomfort after stopping is simply a signal from the unconscious mind that there is at least one more belief or association that needs to be cleaned up. I do not consider a stop smoking program to be finished until my client is free from cravings or withdrawal symptoms, or unpleasant effects including weight gain.
Contactmusic.com quotes DeGeneres as saying: “I quit smoking! I’ve been wanting to say it but I thought I can’t say, ‘(I quit) yesterday,’ then you’re gonna be, ‘Oh you didn’t really quit then.’ It’s been about two months now and I know I’m done completely.”
Later DeGeneres (as quoted by healthwithhypnosis.com) told McKenna: ”You’ve helped me tremendously and probably saved my life and definitely changed my life. Build up the good things in your life and the smoking will go away by itself.”
Drew Barrymore started smoking around age 10, and has called herself a “smokaholic” according to smoke-free.ca.
Drew successfully used hypnosis to stop smoking, but admits that she is still struggling with the habit. If she had come to see me in Atlanta for my lifetime hypnosis stop smoking program, I would tell her that, “We are not done yet. And, we won't be until you are completely free of cravings.” The reason that the program offers unlimited sessions is that some people need more help than others. Stopping smoking can be more involved for some because they have a more complex set of beliefs and associations around smoking that need to be cleaned up.
Debra Messing, best known for her role as Grace Adler in the sitcom “Will & Grace” got a wake up call from her doctor when she had a nasty bout of bronchitis according to www.celebrities-with-diseases.com. According to Fox News the actress reported: “My doctor sat me down and said, ‘You’re quitting smoking today, period. If you have another cigarette, you’ll be in intensive care.” That warning motivated Messing to stop smoking with the help of a hypnotherapist.
In an interview with The Washington Post in 1999, Messing said that she is doing fine after having stopped smoking cigarettes. She also described “going through hell” in the first week after she stopped. And, it was with the extensive support from her family, friends and colleagues that she stayed a nonsmoker during that difficult time.
As a hypnotherapist, I would spend another session or several helping any client who was “going through hell” after she or he stopped smoking. Discomfort after stopping is simply a signal from the unconscious mind that there is at least one more belief or association that needs to be cleaned up. I do not consider a stop smoking program to be finished until my client is free from cravings or withdrawal symptoms, or unpleasant effects including weight gain.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Real Estate Agents Using Hypnosis to Sell in Australia
Real estate agents have been selling with hypnosis in Atlanta for many years. And, now someone in the press in Australia has noticed that real estate agents are using hypnosis there as well.
The Atlanta real estate agents have been using a conversational style of hypnosis, which is closely related to NeuroLinguistic Programming, or NLP.
Conversational hypnosis and NLP are a far cry from the swinging watches of the movies or the barking dog antics of a stage show. The real estate agents are simply using powerful hypnotic language and ideas to increase the effectiveness of their sales pitch. The agents are not need their customers to close their eyes, and drift off into dream land. Their purpose is to put the customers in a buying mood, and to create good feelings towards themselves and the properties that the agents want to sell.
Of course, all the hypnosis in the world will not make someone buy a one room efficiency for a family of five, or a cluster home in the city if the buyer wants a rural bungalow with a three acre lot and cows mooing romantically off in the distance.
An example of hypnotic language is “embedded commands” which are hypnotic suggestions hidden inside of a sentence. An example might be, “I am not sure that YOU ARE READY TO MAKE A DECISION TODAY.” The capitalized words would be spoken in a different tone of voice, perhaps more slowly, or more loudly to get the message to the unconscious mind, which responds to the different emphasis as if those words are a separate message.
Another suggestion might be offered to someone who truly likes a home, but who has been hesitating. “Since you are in a hurry to get into your new home, I am sure that you will feel a real sense of relief that you can begin planning your move right away, after having made a definite decision by (buy) today.
The agent starts by getting agreement from the buyer by mentioning the buyer's known need to hurry. The words “sense of relief” and “planning the move” presume that the client will indeed buy the home that interests them. And, of course, there is the double meaning of by/buy.
What makes hypnosis effective is more than just the words. The agents have to be in good rapport with the buyers, and to have communicated the suggestions with honest nonverbal signals as well. For example, if the agent says “yes” while shaking his or her head “no” the message will be much less effective.
And, even more importantly, the agents must have noticed the responses of the buyers to their suggestions and then used more of the suggestions that encouraged agreement and the willingness of the buyers to follow along.
So, how can you be certain to avoid being hypnotized into purchases that you will later regret? Simply pay attention to your thoughts and feelings while the sales person is showing you the product and telling you about all the benefits of having it by/buy today. If something does not seem or feel right, just trust yourself and wait until later to fully decide about buying, or not, when you are away from the sales person.
Sales people, including real estate agents, will keep to using the principles of hypnosis from Atlanta to Australia to sell their products or services. Awareness is the key to making good buying decisions, just as it has always been.
The Atlanta real estate agents have been using a conversational style of hypnosis, which is closely related to NeuroLinguistic Programming, or NLP.
Conversational hypnosis and NLP are a far cry from the swinging watches of the movies or the barking dog antics of a stage show. The real estate agents are simply using powerful hypnotic language and ideas to increase the effectiveness of their sales pitch. The agents are not need their customers to close their eyes, and drift off into dream land. Their purpose is to put the customers in a buying mood, and to create good feelings towards themselves and the properties that the agents want to sell.
Of course, all the hypnosis in the world will not make someone buy a one room efficiency for a family of five, or a cluster home in the city if the buyer wants a rural bungalow with a three acre lot and cows mooing romantically off in the distance.
An example of hypnotic language is “embedded commands” which are hypnotic suggestions hidden inside of a sentence. An example might be, “I am not sure that YOU ARE READY TO MAKE A DECISION TODAY.” The capitalized words would be spoken in a different tone of voice, perhaps more slowly, or more loudly to get the message to the unconscious mind, which responds to the different emphasis as if those words are a separate message.
Another suggestion might be offered to someone who truly likes a home, but who has been hesitating. “Since you are in a hurry to get into your new home, I am sure that you will feel a real sense of relief that you can begin planning your move right away, after having made a definite decision by (buy) today.
The agent starts by getting agreement from the buyer by mentioning the buyer's known need to hurry. The words “sense of relief” and “planning the move” presume that the client will indeed buy the home that interests them. And, of course, there is the double meaning of by/buy.
What makes hypnosis effective is more than just the words. The agents have to be in good rapport with the buyers, and to have communicated the suggestions with honest nonverbal signals as well. For example, if the agent says “yes” while shaking his or her head “no” the message will be much less effective.
And, even more importantly, the agents must have noticed the responses of the buyers to their suggestions and then used more of the suggestions that encouraged agreement and the willingness of the buyers to follow along.
So, how can you be certain to avoid being hypnotized into purchases that you will later regret? Simply pay attention to your thoughts and feelings while the sales person is showing you the product and telling you about all the benefits of having it by/buy today. If something does not seem or feel right, just trust yourself and wait until later to fully decide about buying, or not, when you are away from the sales person.
Sales people, including real estate agents, will keep to using the principles of hypnosis from Atlanta to Australia to sell their products or services. Awareness is the key to making good buying decisions, just as it has always been.
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