Hypnotic Thoughts.

How are hypnotists like Emeril, Rachel Ray, or Bobby Flay?

I was a guest speaker for a group of educators last night, and in the course of my presentation I talked about self-hypnosis.  I always explain to folks when I get invited in to speak that they don't have to go to a hypnotist on a regular basis; they can learn to hypnotize themselves and save a lot of money.  Whenever I say this, there are some funny looks around the room.  People tend to think of hypnosis as something that you have done to you rather than something you do yourself.

The ability to hypnotize is a skill, like the ability to cook.  If you're a lousy cook, you have two choices: have other people cook for you, or learn to be a better cook.  Which is easier on your wallet?  As much as I might like to eat at Emeril Lagasse's restaurant every night, I don't think it would be a fiscally responsible decision on my part.  But I could buy one of Emeril's cookbooks and learn to cook like him for a fraction of the cost of eating at his restaurant seven days a week.  The same idea applies to hypnosis.

If you buy a reliable book on self-hypnosis and practice the methods it describes you'll be pleased with how many different things you can do for yourself.  The more you practice, the easier it will become to put yourself into a hypnotic state and give yourself a nice relaxation session, or boost your confidence, or change your eating habits.

If you have something you really want to get help with quickly, rather than wait for yourself to develop the necessary skills in self-hypnosis, then it certainly is a good idea to find a reliable professional in your area.  While I enjoy cooking at home, every now and then I'd rather let Bobby Flay do it for me.  Professionals who devote themselves to their craft have a lot to offer, and we should make use of their wisdom and experience.  The point is to not let yourself become dependent on outside resources when you do have your own resources that you can sharpen and improve upon.

Looking for a good book on self-hypnosis?  I always recommend Adam Eason's "The Secrets of Self-Hypnosis."  It's written in plain language and covers the topic of hypnotism quite thoroughly.  With some proper study and a fair amount of practice you could be self-hypnotizing in less time than it takes to learn to make a four-course meal.

Performance Enhancing Drugs no Match for Hypnosis

Reports today surfaced that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez are both on the 2003 list of professional baseball players that tested positive for banned substances.  Baseball fans across the country have shared their disbelief or "I told you so" comments.  The issue of performance enhancing drugs just won't go away.

Few people discuss the role of consistency in professional sports.  Athletes, by nature, garner attention for their physical size, speed, and strength, but few are spoken about for their ability to consistently produce game after game, year after year.  Mental toughness, the ability to focus in the moment of performance, and an athlete's ability to create a mind state in which the body can work freely and efficiently are every bit as important as how fast they run, how hard they throw, or how much they can bench press.

Whether it's an individual sport like cycling, or a team sport like cricket, there are examples of how hypnosis has helped athletes increase their achievement using only the power of the mind.  The list of professional athletes who use hypnosis is way longer than most people realize, but the list of professional athletes who don't is still much larger.  And that's too bad.

The Power of Suggestion: Understanding the Mob Mentality.

An article in the New Scientist suggests that the tactics police use to manage large crowds may actually create more problems than they solve. "Research into how people behave at demonstrations, sports events, music festivals and other mass gatherings shows not only that crowds nearly always act in a highly rational way, but also that when facing an emergency, people in a crowd are more likely to cooperate than panic."

While this makes sense to me, I can't help but think of the student gatherings I witnessed while working at a state university in which student mobs damaged public property and engaged in lewd behavior.  While most gatherings remain peaceful, there are some in which trouble is almost a certainty from the moment the group forms.  The New Scientist peace suggests that the "mob mentality" might actually be a myth, but my first-hand experiences say otherwise.  There are some dissenting voices in the article, and it's a good read.  Be sure to check it out.

How do you get "lost" in a good book?

When I explain hypnosis to people, I often use real world examples that many people can relate to when trying to explain what trance is like.  One that I use regularly is the feeling of being "lost" in a good book.  You know that feeling?  When you get so wrapped up in imagining the story that you are reading that you actually check out from the real world that you are in?  You may lose track of time, or someone might talk to you and you don't even hear them.  It's in intense focus on your reading experience, that's for sure.

Now some researchers think they understand a little better how the brain makes meaning while reading, and it seems that it does so by using some of the same parts of the brain used in processing real world experiences.  One example given in the piece is that when subjects read about a character doing something physical, the part of their brain that controls physical movement became more active.  You can read the whole article here.

There's so much, still, to understand about the mind and how it works.  Things we take for granted every day, like reading a book, have inner workings that we still don't completely comprehend. 

Israeli Health Ministry Asks Hypnotists to Stop Past-Life Regressions

When I chat with people about what I do as a hypnotist, about one out of every five people asks me if I do past-life regression.  I tell them that I do not.  Some leave it at that, while others ask "why not?"  This article is one example of why.  And the video below shares some of my other thoughts on the topic.

Paul Ramsay to Present at Hypnotists' Convention

Thousands of hypnotists from around the world will gather in Marlboro, Massachusetts August 7, 8, and 9 for the National Guild of Hypnotists' annual convention.  The three day convention will feature a wide variety of seminars and workshops designed to help professional hypnotists increase their skills and knowledge.  Board Certified Hypnotist Paul Ramsay will be presenting at the convention on the power of blogging for hypnotists who want to promote their profession and their practices.

Ramsay, who has a Master's Degree in Secondary Education, taught high school English and worked in student affairs at the University of New Hampshire before venturing into hypnotism.  For him, being in front of groups is nothing new.  "Even in high school I was naturally comfortable MC'ing talent shows or pep rallies.  Then I was at the front of the classroom as a teacher, and today I perform for hundreds of people at a time all over the country.  Presenting at the NGH convention will be a fun way for me to share what I know with my colleagues, and hopefully help them broaden their interests and promote themselves more effectively.  I'm honored that the convention organizers chose me for this year's gathering."

Blogging is over a decade old, but has risen greatly in popularity over the past few years.  Recently weblogs have been overshadowed by social media like Facebook and Twitter, but Ramsay maintains that blogs are still the best way for small business owners to promote themselves.  "Social media does have a powerful place in our culture right now, but blogging still has plenty to offer, and over time it can evolve.  You aren't limited to just text-based blogs.  You can post audio and video, as well, so you have the opportunity to create your own multi-media powerhouse that shows what you are all about and what you can do for others with your products and services."

Ramsay hopes to draw a big crowd at the convention, which has typically not focused on technology, but this year is making a push to educate its members about social media and Web 2.0. 

FDA Recommends Ban on Percocet, Vicodin

Two of the most popular painkillers in the world are Percocet and Vicodin.  The FDA recently recommended that both drugs be banned because of the damage they cause to the liver and for their potential for overdose.

Both drugs combine acetaminophen with a narcotic.  Acetaminophen is an ingredient in Tylenol and Excedrin, and is known to damage the liver in high doses.  The FDA panel also noted that patients who take Percocet and Vicodin over long periods of time have a tendency to increase the dosage in order to get the same pain relieving effect.

Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, a toxicologist from the New York University School of Medicine who served as the panel’s acting chairman, said experts had been warning of the dangers of combination painkillers like Percocet and Vicodin for years.

Hypnosis has been clinically proven to provide pain relief with none of the side effects or risks of these other drugs.  Whether a person suffers from chronic or acute pain, hypnosis can turn that pain off.  It's sad that so many people are risking the damage to their livers and the possibility of overdose when a completely safe alternative exists. 

If you suffer from pain and want to get relief without these risks, consider finding a Certified Hypnotist in your area and consulting with that person.  Always consult with your physician before making any changes in your health situation.

Study Suggest Swearing May Help Deal With Pain

Dr. Richard Stephens and his team at Keele University in the UK have published the results of a study that suggests that swearing actually lessens pain.  Stephens asked participants to submerge one hand in nearly freezing water for as long as they could while repeating a curse word. Later the participants submerged the same hand again, this time repeating a word they would use to describe a table. When people were cursing, they kept their hand in the water for 40 more seconds than they could otherwise.

While such a study may justify some of your past moments of bad language, I wouldn't use it as a license to crank up the cursing just yet.  Certainly there are better ways to deal with pain.  Try hypnosis!  It's a proven method for managing pain, and it won't get you nearly as many nasty looks.

Stage Hypnotism is Being Marginalized by Those Who Benefit From It.

Ask anybody on the street what they know about hypnotism, and you'll most likely get a reply about people on stage clucking like a chicken or barking like a dog.  The most common stereotypes about hypnosis are the image of the volunteer as a powerless victim and the hypnotist as some kind of voodoo master, bending the wills of his subjects to his every command.  Even the most educated folks tend to know little about hypnotism and what it's really all about.

Stage hypnotism has a long history, and these stereotypes are mostly derived from the early part of that history when hypnotists created the persona of being powerful and mystical.  Magicians did the same thing.  Part of drawing a crowd back then was having people believe that you really had some kind of unique ability or supernatural quality.  People didn't buy tickets for something fake; they wanted something real and astounding.  Today it's widely understood that magic shows are just an illusion, yet many people still believe that hypnotists have power over their volunteers, and there's a level of fear for some people.

As the members of the hypnotism community who practice consulting hypnotism (also called hypnotherapy by some, personal coaching by others) strive to make hypnotism a separate and distinct profession, there is also a growing movement to distance themselves from stage hypnotists.  Many practitioners believe that stage hypnotism gives the broader profession a bad name.  Some would even go so far as to suggest that stage hypnotists should be excluded from some of the professional associations. 

I absolutely understand the concerns that my colleagues have with how the stereotypes associated to stage hypnotism get applied to consulting hypnotism, as well.  However, from a broader perspective I would assert that stage hypnotism benefits the profession more than it harms it, and those same professionals who wish stage hypnotism would just go away are taking for granted the benefits they get from it existing.

As a stage hypnotist, I travel all over the United States.  I perform for audiences as large as 600 people.  When I perform, I always do a brief educational talk before I start the show.  I explain the myths and misconceptions about hypnotism, talk about the benefits of being hypnotized, and share some of the ways that people can use hypnosis to increase their wellness.  Basically, I do a little live commercial for hypnotism at every show.  At almost every show that I do, somebody comes up to me after the show and asks a few questions about how hypnosis could be used for a specific need they have in their life.  I answer that question to the best of my ability, and then I tell them how they can find a certified hypnotist in their area.  I'm generating leads for colleagues that I don't even know.

Now the counter-argument is, "Yes, Paul, but every time some other hypnotist does an 'R-rated' show or some inappropriate act in their show they're scaring away people and making our profession look bad."  It's a faulty argument, though, as it's not really about stage hypnotism; it's about poor professionalism.

We live in a culture that values entertainment.  There is no better way to impress people with the potential of hypnotism than a stage show.  When people get that "wow" factor from seeing a live show that is appropriate and compelling, done in a classy way, they are going to leave that show more open to the possibility of using hypnotism in their own lives. 

I've sat through meetings at conventions and trainings on several occasions where people didn't know that I perform stage hypnotism in addition to consulting hypnotism, and when it finally came up in conversation their body language would change, or they would get that disapproving look in their eye.  These people don't understand the potential that stage hypnotism has to promote the other side of our profession. 

We need more stage hypnotism, not less, but we also need to put more peer pressure on our colleagues to conduct themselves in a manner that properly represents our profession.  When we see inappropriate and unprofessional behavior, we need to speak up.  That is the truest sort of professionalism.