Hypnotic Thoughts.

The Biggest Loser Gets Mean

Last night's episode of "The Biggest Loser" was a fantastic study in how people have limiting beliefs.  It was also a great example of how they can overcome them.

The Biggest Loser isn't just a show were people lose weight; it's a competition.  One contestant, Tracy, really brought out that element last night.  She earned the right in the challenge event to choose which individuals would weigh in and represent their teams.  When weigh-ins came, she chose who she thought the weak link would be.  This meant that she could guarantee that she and her partner would not be up for elimination.

When it was all said and done, two teams were faced with elimination.  Sean and Antoine, and Daniel and Shay.  And at a time when the competitive aspect of the show was dialed up, Sean and Antoine did something completely non-competitive; they told the group to vote for them to be sent home.  The reasoning was that Shay, more than any of them, needed the support of staying on the show.  Antoine and Sean both felt that they could continue their weight loss at home.  The group agreed to this, voted them off, and Daniel and Shay got to stay.  

It was a beautiful, selfless act inspired by a selfish, competitive act.  Pretty cool.

The saddest part of the show, for me, was listening to Shay talk about why she needs to stay on the show.  She's got no support at home.  She's got no confidence.  At that point in the show, she had already lost 39 pounds, yet she felt that she didn't have the resources to continue losing weight if she went home.  Now that's a limiting belief. 

Sean and Antoine, on the other hand, had seen what they were capable of, and had shed their limiting beliefs.  Home was where their weight had ballooned, yet now they felt confident that they could go home and still lose weight.  And they did.  The follow-up videos showed that both Sean and Antoine have lost significant weight since returning home. 

So much of what we achieve is a result of what we think we can achieve.  When we change how we think, we change how we behave.  The Biggest Loser provides good examples of that every week.

Optimistic Women Live Longer

Research on nearly 100,000 women published in the journal Circulation finds that pessimists have higher blood pressure and cholesterol.  Optimistic women had a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up.  It's yet another example of what we seem to understand intuitively:  your attitude affects your health.  Yet many people don't really take an active role in shaping their attitude toward a more positive, healthy outlook.

You have the opportunity every day to practice optimism.  Even when things are really challenging and life is throwing you some major curve balls, you can respond in an optimistic way.  For some folks it takes practice, but that's a choice that you can make. 

The Terrifying Side-Effects of Nicotine Gum Use

I just got a call from a potential client who quit smoking five years ago, but is still using the nicotine gum.  She said she spends almost as much on nicotine gum as she did on cigarettes.  Since I'd never had a client like this before, I started searching online to see if others have had this experience.  What I discovered shocked me.

Askapatient.com is a website that seeks feedback from people who have used various medications.  It lets them share their experiences so that others who may choose to use them can have some idea of what they might experience.  Here's the page for Nicorette.  People are reporting hair loss, acne, stomach discomfort, and tooth decay.  There were 254 ratings for Nicorette, and the overwhelming majority of them were bad.

If you want to stop smoking, you shouldn't have to lose your hair and your teeth to do it.  That's a crazy compromise!  Hypnosis gives you a chance to get rid of this habit without any physical side-effects.  Use the power of your mind to give yourself the healthier, happier life you're seeking.  Find a qualified hypnotist in your area and consult with your physician before starting any new treatment plan.

Fewer Than 8% of Americans at Low Risk for Heart Disease

The most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that less than eight percent of Americans are in the low-risk category when it comes to potential heart disease.  The NHANES program is a four-decade attempt to evaluate the country's health by conducting surveys and physical exams with a rotating sample group of about 10,000 Americans.  The most recent data is from a group studied from 1999-2004.

Investigators focused on people in the 25-to-74 age group and evaluated five different risk factors for cardiovascular disease: blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking history, obesity and diabetes. To be considered at low risk, subjects had to have a blood pressure reading of 120/80 mm Hg or lower without the aid of medication and a cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL, also without drugs. They had to be nonsmokers or at least former smokers, not be overweight or obese, and never have been diagnosed with diabetes. 

Yup.  Less than eight percent.

And it looks like it's only going to get worse.  According to a 2008 survey by the CDC, 32% of American children are now overweight or obese.  As these children grow up, they're going to be high risk candidates.

The numbers are terrifying.  Don't let yourself be a statistic.  Take control now, and start improving your health.  Talk with your doctor.  Make a plan.  Get healthy.

What's the Value of "The Biggest Loser"?

I don't really follow reality television, but I've heard a lot of buzz around "The Biggest Loser" so last night I watched the premier of the new season.  By the end of the first half-hour I was hooked.

This show is what reality TV should be all about.  Real people with real problems trying to overcome real obstacles to fix them.  Good television is really about telling a good story, and on TBL you get 16 stories.  Every person in America is going to be sympathetic to at least one of those contestants.  They are real.  Imperfect and unpolished.  It's the opposite of everything else you see on reality TV.

As you watch these people go through not just the workouts, but the medical exams and the testing, if you're carrying extra weight yourself you inevitably start to think about how it might be affecting you like it does them.  When you hear them being so open and honest in their confessionals, you start to get emotionally invested, and before you know it you're thinking, "Alright, I gotta' do something."  That may be the greatest value of this show; it inspires others to action.  You can see it just by visiting Twitter and using "biggest loser" as a search term.  People are tweeting about the show and discussing how it's making them want to get themselves together.

I'm going to keep following this show.  I think there's something to be learned from the experiences of the contestants.  If you haven't watched the show, give it a try.

Andrea McLean Used Hypnosis to Beat Chocolate Addiction

One star of the British TV show "Loose Women" has posed nude for a photo shoot in which all her racy parts are covered in chocolate buttons.  The photo recreates the look of the "American Beauty" promo photo that used rose petals.  "Loose Women" is the UK's version of "The View."

Andrea McLean said in an interview with Closer, "I'd always had sugar cravings and have been a huge chocolate-lover since I was a teenager. I kept a supply of bars hidden in my bedroom to satisfy my addiction."  After meeting with a hypnotist, she has stayed clear of her chocoloate habit for three months, now.

Hypnosis offers relief for a wide variety of cravings and addictions.  Always consult with your physician before trying any kind of new treatment plan.

Call me, Jake Delhomme!

It was not a good Sunday for Jake Delhomme.  He completed seven out of seventeen pass attempts and threw four interceptions.  He also fumbled the ball once, and that fumble was picked up and run in for a touchdown.  He was actually benched in the third quarter, but his replacement was injured.

It would seem that Delhomme's terrible playoff performance from last year still owns some space in his head.  In the last game Delhomme played in before Sunday's season opener, he threw five interceptions and lost a fumble, so now in two games he's thrown (gulp) 11 interceptions and lost two fumbles.  13 turnovers in two games!

This is hard to believe for most folks who follow football, knowing that Delhomme was just given a contract extension that included $20 million in guaranteed money.  One would hope that such a gesture would be the confidence booster a quarterback might need from his team, but apparently it's not enough for Jake.  Perhaps it just dialed up the pressure that much more.

How does this happen to an athlete?  Delhomme led his team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2004, and even though he lost that game, he threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns.  This is a veteran quarterback with all of the necessary skills. 

Jake Delhomme needs hypnosis.

It's that simple.  He's got something crossed up at the subconscious level, and he needs a hypnotist to help him re-wire his reactions and thoughts.  Hypnosis is a GREAT tool for athletes.  Increase confidence, increase focus, clear away distractions.

You know where to find me, Jake.

Kanye, Serena Could use Hypnosis for Anger Management

Saturday night saw one of the most bizarre conclusions to a match in U.S. Open history as Serena Williams lost on a deducted point for verbal abuse of a line judge.  On Sunday night Kanye West stormed the stage at the VMAs, took the microphone from Taylor Swift as she was giving her acceptance speech, and vented to America about how Beyonce Knowles should have one the award instead of Swift.  While some would argue that West's action was just a publicity stunt, both incidents serve as examples of how celebrities, like all human beings, can lose their cool.

Anger has a way of driving people to irrational behavior.  When we fail to control our anger, we put ourselves and others at risk.  Anger is a natural emotion, so the goal should not be to eliminate anger completely, but to experience it only in circumstances which truly call for anger, and for the display of anger to be appropriate and controlled.

Take for example Serena Williams' outburst at the U.S. Open.  If she did foot-fault, then anger is appropriate if she's angry at herself for the mistake, but to take it out on the judge is just wrong.  If she didn't foot-fault, then being angry at the judge for the bad call is appropriate, but it has to be communicated in a more appropriate way.  Calling the judge a bitch and telling her you want to shove the ball down her throat?  Not appropriate under any circumstances.

It would be easy to try to defend Williams by saying that her behavior was "in the moment" and out of her control, but that simply isn't true.  Our brains process information so quickly that even in a moment like that, she should have been able to catch herself and restrain her comment.  She had already been warned once for smashing a racket, so the anger was present before the comment.  This is often how it works.  We feel the anger well before we do something we will regret.  There has to be a mechanism for saying to yourself, "Ok, step back and chill out, here.  Get control."

Managing your anger takes practice and mindfulness.  If you want to learn more about this, read "Anger:  Wisdom for Cooling the Flames" by Thich Nhat Hanh.  Through attention and practice, you can learn to reduce the anger in your life and to control anger when it does arise.

Four Shows in Four Days. Why I love Stage Hypnotism

It's that time of year when colleges open for the fall semester, which means I end up traveling around quite a bit to do shows for them.  I just finished four shows in four days and traveled to three different states.  Every year something memorable happens during this week of activity, and this year was no exception.

Friday I drove to Potsdam, New York for my first-ever appearance at SUNY Potsdam.  They had a great crowd and the show was fantastic.  There were a lot of people in the audience (I always ask at the beginning of the show) who had never seen stage hypnotism before.  I love this, as it means that I get to be their first experience.  Thanks so much to Ruth and her crew at SUNY Potsdam for giving me that opportunity.

Saturday I drove back to New Hampshire for my annual appearance at Saint Anselm College.  It was my sixth year in a row at St. A's, and I always have a killer show with them.  The students there just bring tremendous positivity and fun to the stage.  I think the highlight for me was the young man who became a pirate.  When I asked him what he was looking for, he replied "scoundrels."  Loved it.

Sunday I hopped a plane to Baltimore for my annual visit to Goucher College.  The show was in their new, very impressive Athenaeum building.  I had to look that word up.  Turns out an athenaeum is a place where books are available (I know, kind of anti-climactic, right?).  I guess they couldn't just call it a library because it is more than a library.  It has a fitness center in it, and classrooms, and a performance space.  It's kind of like the swiss army knife of buildings, for them.  Enjoy your Athenaeum, Goucherites.  It probably cost a gadgillion dollars.

Sunday night I left the campus and returned to my room at the Sheraton, where I stay each year when visiting Goucher.  I turned down the bed, shut off the lights, and climbed in, only to discover (by LAYING in it, mind you) that the previous occupant of the room had apparently urinated in the bed.  My immediate conclusion was that housekeeping did not change the sheets, but simply re-made the bed, therefore not noticing the soaked sheets.  What was Sheraton's response to all this when I called the front desk?  They moved me down the hall and gave me a coupon for free breakfast.  I have to admit that I kind of expected more.

Monday I flew home to New Hampshire and drove to New England College.  NEC is another school that I've gone to for six straight years, and I was sad to not have my usual strong show with them.  I think part of it was that I was tired from not sleeping well after my incident in Baltimore.  I really felt bad driving home.  NEC has always been good to me, and I'm peeved at myself for delivering anything less than a stellar show for them.

Even though it's been a hectic four days, I love being able to do what I do.  To travel around, meet new people, and share the experience of hypnosis with people is such a privilege for me.  To go someplace new like SUNY Potsdam is so fun, and to return to schools like St. A's, Goucher, and NEC is a genuine honor for me.  I really believe I have the best job in the world.