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Click on Title to view the complete Article UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES (YOU WANTED WHAT TO HAPPEN ????) A man purchased a cat at the local pet store. The cat, never having been housebroken, would do his business on the man's carpet. Not wanting a litter-box in the house the man was determined to housebreak the cat so every time the cat went to the bathroom in the man's house the man would rub the cat's nose in the mess and throw the cat out of the window and into the yard in an attempt to teach the cat to do its business outdoors. After a few days a behavioral change had in fact occurred. The cat still crapped in the house but after doing so it would jump out of the window. PAST LIVES AND THERAPY Do you believe in reincarnation? Perhaps you have a sense that you have lived before… or perhaps you think it’s all part of a vivid imagination. Whether or not you believe in past lives doesn’t matter from a therapeutic standpoint. What matter’s is whether or not your client believes. BRIEF THERAPY AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE / PRACTICING FOR A BETTER LIFE Over the past 3 or 4 decades many clients and/or patients have been held hostage in long-term therapy. This has been in great part due to the prevailing mindset of the “Pop-Psyche Community” that focused on feelings rather than perception and behavior. Certain schools of thought within the psychological community have affectively protected themselves from criticism by committing to absolutely nothing in terms of what is, or is not, positive and productive behavior. THE POWER OF NOTHING In Taoist philosophy (Lao Tsu / Tao Te Ching) it is said that “a truly good man does nothing yet leaves nothing undone. A foolish man is always doing yet much remains to be done”. As hypnotherapists, we know one thing that will prevent significant depths of hypnosis from occurring (possibly any hypnosis at all) is if the client “tries” to be hypnotized. In fact, one of the most difficult concepts for people in western culture to understand is that of “doing nothing”, yet for hypnosis to be most effective, this is exactly what we need. BELIEF IN PAST LIVES The key to knowledge and wisdom is keeping an open mind. Many years ago, when I first studied hypnosis, I was not a believer in the authenticity of past lives. I conducted past life regressions for people but qualified my work within this philosophy… If a person believed that their problems were rooted in a past life, and I could help them resolve their issue(s) by utilizing that belief, then I would work with that belief system as a tool (whether I believed in the theory or not). ORIGINAL THOUGHT In my hypnotherapy practice, people often come to me with the goal of being able to better open up to their creative and intuitive powers. As well, my Kung Fu, and meditation students, are often looking for ways to expand their horizons and to gain the ability to look at life from many different prospective. There is one simple concept that I relay to them all. Original thought can never be achieved with the conscious mind. PROCESSING INFORMATION Everyone knows (unless they grew up under an eggplant) that men and women process information differently. Irrespective of the “pop-psychology” of the last few decades where some therapists and researchers would have you believe that most male/female differences are primarily acquired through socialization, the fact is that there are social, biological, and evolutionary reasons why men and women process information differently. To attribute these vast differences to socialization alone (or for that matter WHAT IS MAINSTREAMING and WHY SHOULD WE CARE We are all best served when we do our part to make hypnosis and hypnotherapy an accepted and viable option in the eyes of the general public. To my amazement there are still those who would rather keep things as they have been in the past (although the majority in our profession do recognize the value of becoming more mainstream in the eyes of the public, the wellness community, and the medical community). THE MAINSTREAMING of HYPNOTHERAPY (The Path to Success and Acceptance) So you want the public to see you as a true "PROFESSIONAL". Perhaps some of my observations and opinions will give you food for thought. Maybe I can inspire you to look deeper into what causes the general public to view a profession as being legitimate. I BELIEVE I CAN The core principle of hypnotherapy is to create a heightened state of suggestibility in order to introduce positive suggestion. These suggestions will then facilitate positive changes in attitude, behavior and perspective. The ability to help your clients succeed in accomplishing their goal(s) depends significantly on your client’s faith and trust that these changes are not only possible, but also likely. FORGIVENESS AND MOVING FORWARD Will clients and/or patients benefit from forgiving those who have done them wrong. Frequently people with anger issues, self-esteem issues, fears, etc. are harboring resentment and anger toward someone who they perceive has done them an injustice. Many therapists tell their client or patient how important it is to “Forgive” that person, in their own mind and/or heart, so that they can move past their anger. The idea, supposedly, is that the client or patient will feel better about themselves by rising above their feelings of anger and that of being a victim, by letting go of the anger or resentment they harbor for that person. I would suggest to you that this concept is only true in part. FEAR (Working with anger management part 2) The old saying, “We have nothing to fear except fear itself” is so often true. Fear can cause us to stop short of our full potential. It is fear that is often used as an excuse not to “raise the bar” on what we are willing to try. It is fear that is the primary root of anger. [Note: Although anger rooted in fear is often displayed as anger toward another person or persons, the anger is usually anger at one’s self that is then directed to or transferred to another person.] It is important to realize that although virtually all anger has its roots in fear, not all fear results in anger (you can have fear without anger but it is rare that there would be anger without an element of fear.) EXPECTATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT Today we live in a society that provides more “stressors” than perhaps at any time in history. This is especially true here in the USA with the recent terrorist attacks and related safety concerns. Absent of effective coping skills for dealing with stress both our peace of mind, as well as our physical health, can be negatively impacted. We know that stress can reduce the effectiveness of our immune system. That being true, it stands to reason that good coping skills for dealing with stress can enhance our immune systems. There are a couple of important issues that should be addressed when helping clients or patients to better manage stress. PRIORITIZING For your hypnotherapy client/patient to receive maximum benefit from your suggestions, it is essential that suggestions be given in the best possible order. During the intake, a therapist should be gathering information that will allow him or her to construct a therapeutic plan and to formulate suggestions that will be meaningful to the client/patient.........
HYPNOSIS FOR HEALTH, FITNESS AND MAX PERFORMANCE THE POWER OF THE MIND To those of us who have been involved in hypnotherapy, health and fitness, the martial arts, and/or any ancient or modern healing art, know how incredibly powerful the mind is. A person's perception, mental attitude, faith, and confidence often mean the difference between victory and defeat, health and sickness, and sometimes, life and death..........
QUALITY THERAPY In the past 35 years or so I have seen alternative wellness modalities come from relative obscurity to the brink of being accepted as mainstream. In the past 15 years I have watched the field or hypnotherapy rise from being stereotyped with images of Count Dracula, to being viewed as a respected profession. One of my goals is to inspire those practicing hypnotherapy (and other alternative wellness methods) to present and conduct themselves in a professional way...........
ESTABLISHING DIRECTION We as hypnotherapists are "navigators of the mind. It is our job to guide a client or patient toward accomplishment a pre-determined goal. The process is simple........
TIPS FOR DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE SUCCESS I am frequently asked how I keep my practice so busy. Each year I see hypnotherapists and holistic practitioners go in and out of business. Often they have the skills of their profession (hypnosis etc.), but no skills in running a practice. This is one of the reasons that I require an internship from my hypnotherapy students. They not only experience first hand the therapeutic aspect of running a successful practice,............
KUNG FU THE FORERUNNER OF HOMEOPATHY HOLISTIC HEALTH AND HOMEOPATHY Alternative health and wellness modalities. A new way to a healthy lifestyle. Not so… they have been with us for centuries. The fact is that the general public is just now rediscovering them.......
HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM ALTERNATIVES IN WELLNESS Decisions, decisions… HMO’s, conventional medical plans, new drugs and treatments, how about "Alternative" methods of health and wellness ? As we approach the new millennium, there has been an increased awareness of alternative health modalities and an increased interest in holistic health. These alternative methods of wellness are nothing new. What is new is the mainstream acceptance that has been developing in recent years......
CONSOLIDATING RESOURCES / SIMPLIFYING I love my work as I am sure most of you do. No matter how much you love what you do you must, of course, be able to make a living at it if you want to do it as a profession. One way I have found to maximize my efforts is through a multipurpose brochure. With a brochure like the one I will describe, you can help both your clients and yourself . You can reduce your workload and decrease your chance of "Burn Out" from wearing the many hats that self employed professionals must often wear......
PREPARING CLIENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL REGRESSION THERAPY CLIENT PRECONCEPTIONS We, as professionals in the field of hypnotherapy, are well acquainted with the terms and tools of our profession. Due to our comfort level based on our knowledge of hypnosis and hypnotherapy it is easy for many of us to overlook how others outside of our profession may perceive those things that we relate to as normal daily activity.........
WHAT THE HECK DOES “DEEPER” MEAN? PERCEPTION In hypnosis and hypnotherapy we frequently hear the phrase “go deeper”. Have you ever stopped to think about what that phrase means to the clients/patients you are working with. Perception about virtually everything in the world is different from person to person........
HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS WITH HYPNOSIS NOT ALL WEIGHT LOSS IS HEALTHY Hypnosis can be a powerful tool in the battle against the bulge. It is important however to have knowledge about how the body works in regard to weight loss in order to assure that your client/patient will lose weight in a healthy way. Not all weight loss is conducive to health and wellness. You want your clients/patients to lose weight and feel great.........
OBJECTIVITY IN A PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE THE DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS The desire to help others is something to take pride in. The difference between a layperson with the desire to help others, and a therapist with that same desire, is the trained ability to direct that desire in the most productive way. It is the ability, through education, training, and experience, to put emotional “reactions” aside and to do the job you have been asked (and paid for) to do........... |
Copyright by Dr. Philip Holder & Institute of Hypnosis Sciences Inc. 2002-2007