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"You are just fooling people to feel better", he said!
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
Here’s an experience that I want to share with you. About two weeks ago I was conducting a seminar on Stress Management for a company. During one of the breaks, I was approached by a very well-dressed, articulate man, with an extremely determined look on his face. He told me that he was a corporate trainer and stated that what I was teaching was not “reality”. I asked what he meant by that statement. And he responded, “You know as well as I do that all the people here are really being fooled into feeling better”. The statement took me aback momentarily. I was so tempted to say, “I’m sure that you don’t mean ‘all’ the people because you are leaving the two of us out of the scenario”. “George, hold your tongue”, I thought. This would have sounded like a “smart alec” response, and I was certainly not about to share my “Blink”. How do I get myself in these situations anyway? It’s been said that, “We attract what we project”. So maybe it’s because I absolutely “love” a good debate.
I’ve mentioned in previous ezines, that when dealing with a perceived verbal attack by someone, I instinctively step into “second person” as quickly as possible. This enables me to better understand a person’s motive. Naturally, it’s just my perception of their motive, but it helps soften any of my potential defense mechanisms. The corporate trainer said, “Fooled”. By definition “to fool” means to “deceive, trick, or dupe”. Was I really fooling these people? And what if I were? They were learning a lot of useful techniques, feeling good and having fun. Shouldn’t that be what’s important? I asked “Mr. Corporate Trainer” whom I’ll call “Joe”, what his specialty was, and not surprisingly he said, “Stress Management”. Gee, I just love having a learned critic in my class – NOT! This man did appear to be very articulate, and seemed to have a great deal of knowledge and experience, so I decided to have a good, healthy interaction.
“Joe”, I said, “This is a program in stress management, something in which you are an obvious expert. What would you say stress actually is?” Joe said, “Stress in something unresolved. That’s the professional definition”. I just loved Joe’s added “stamp of authority”. It almost seemed a bit condescending. I answered, “With all due respect Joe, something unresolved can be stressful, but it’s not stress. According to Dr. Hans Selye, considered by many to have been the world’s leading expert on stress, stress is “response to change”. And since the only thing that is constant is the “certainty of change”, we’re always experiencing some sort of stress, be it eustress (good stress) or distress (bad stress). Dr. Selye also said, “The only time we’re not responding to stress is when we are dead”. I guess that makes sense. Dying is “a change” but “dead” is “dead”! Joe began listening.
“I’ve been telling the people in the class that there are two types of people: ‘racehorses’ and ‘turtles’. If you're a racehorse, please realize that you have to run. If you're a turtle, make sure to stay out of their way. Where is the fooling in that?” I continued, “And Joe, there were some statistics gathered by life insurance companies to help discover the main causes of cardiovascular problems and heart failure. It was an eye-opener for me when the research showed that 40% percent of people worry about things that never happen; 30% percent worry about things they cannot change; 12% worry needlessly about their health; 10% worry about petty and unimportant things; and only 8% actually worry about real problems. Joe, you mentioned the word, 'fooling'. What do you think is causing 92% of people to worry and stress out so much? They are being 'fooled' by themselves”.
I continued, “The subconscious mind doesn’t differentiate between reality and fantasy. This is easily seen when someone is terrified while reading a horror novel, or watching a horror film. I’ve had many a sleepless night because of a movie I watched.
“While on the subject, let’s discuss dreaming a bit. The main functions of dreaming are learning, memory enhancement and coping with traumatic experiences. Freud said dreams were wish fulfillments. Jung believed that dreams restored psychic equilibrium. They made up for the deficiencies we had in our life. In the Gestalt view dreams showed us in a concise way where we were in relation to ourselves, to society. Every image in a dream is an alienated part of yourself that you projected on to that image, therefore the goal is to reclaim all those parts and to synthesize them into the whole.
“A nightmare occurs during REM sleep. And what happens when a person has a nightmare? They usually ‘freak out’. Yet, they’re completely safe, but their mind didn’t know that. It was ‘fooled’! By the way Joe, only humans, mammals and birds have REM sleep.”
Joe looked at me and said, “You’ve obviously done your homework George, and you seem to be OK with fooling people to make them feel better”. “Joe”, I answered, “A day represents 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. How much of that time do we actually spend in true reality? There are always four realities, your reality, my reality, the social reality, which is the fusion of all the you's and me's on the planet, and the reality of the basic nature of the universe. All realities change, except the basic reality. The idea of successful living is having a personal reality that is in agreement with the basic nature of the universe. Have you noticed that when you are on a path, be it spiritual or practical, which is in keeping with universal harmony, life seems to be easier and much more enjoyable? The 'Law of Belief' tells us that whatever one believes with feeling or emotion becomes their reality. The 'Law of Expectation' tells us that whatever one expects with confidence becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The 'Law of Attraction' teaches us that we inevitably attract into our lives people and situations in harmony with our dominant thoughts. Hence everything that is in our lives we have attracted because of who and what we are. Nobody likes to be fooled, but if someone is fooled into believing that they can change their lives for the better and that they deserve more than a humdrum existence, don’t you think that they’d enhabce their ability to attract more wonderful things into their lives? You call it ‘fooling’. I call it ‘perceptual shifting’.” Joe and I have since become friends.
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Using the MBIS(TM) Method with the Performing Artist
© 1997 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
Some of you know that I was a fulltime professional musician and taught music at Five Towns College and York College of the City University of New York, before I delved into a fulltime hypnosis career. So this stuff is very close to my heart. The market has never been greater for work in this field. This includes working with actors, dancers, vocalists, instrumentalists, comedians, the list is endless. Virtually everyone in one of these fields eventually falls into a slump, and you as a hypnotist, are there to help. The MBIS ™ Process is actually a hypnotic ritual that I developed about 18 years ago.
Performers have often spoken of “a sense of power,” occurring at the apex of the peak performance experience that transcends their ordinary levels of ability and that seems to come from outside them. They have often described how at moments of peak performance, they felt consumed by the momentum of the performance itself, as though they were acting automatically, their minds and bodies like instruments perfectly tuned to the moment. They describe how the actual performance itself took over, and how they became perfectly and totally synchronized within it.
A well-know British surgeon of the last century, Sir James Paget, once timed a piano performance of a “Presto” (a very fast musical composition) by Mendelssohn. The pianist played 5,995 notes in four minutes and three seconds, or more than 24 notes per second. No that’s pretty fast! But there’s much more. Each note required at least two voluntary movements - lifting and pressing - as well as the side-to-side movements required for change of direction. Dr. Paget estimated that no fewer than 72 distinct actions per second were required. Wow!
Another researcher reported that a five-note trill or tremolo can be played at a rate close to 80 notes per second. He calculated that a musical rendition requiring the playing of 20 to 30 notes per second may involve 400 to 600 separate motor actions. What’s even more extraordinary is that all this can be done while the performer considers the overall expressive musical quality of his/her playing. Are you impressed yet?
Unfortunately, for most performers, “peak performance” is a relatively rare occurrence. Even the best musicians, dancers and actors sometimes fall into what is called “a rut.” Mind/Body Integration Systems ™, or MBIS ™, helps artists create a better representation of their mental processes, hence unleashing a more consistent creative energy flow.
When a performing artist (vocalist, instrumentalist, dancer, actor, etc.) comes to me for help, they’re usually not looking for heavy therapy. They just want to perform better. They want to gain a better sense of focus and be totally in the moment when performing. They want their bodies to respond perfectly. They want to enhance their technique, be more expressive and more creative. Their problem might be buried in their past experiences, and they might benefit from various regression and uncovering techniques, but MBIS ™, is not an overt from of therapy. Its effects however, can be very therapeutic.
When utilizing the MBIS ™ process with an artist, I usually do not mention the word “hypnosis” unless they bring it up. I tell them that I’m going to help them create a closer union between their minds and bodies. I say, “Technique is simply a series of brain-inflected movements - the mind directs and the body obeys. It would be wonderful if these systems worked in perfect harmony and one could complement the other. If you want to increase your technical facility, you have to effectively integrate the two systems. Now I will show you how this process works.” I then instruct them to close their eyes and focus on the feeling of their hands, and ask them to tell me when one hand begins to feel different from the other. I don’t share the following with the performer/client, but anytime anyone focuses on their hands, one hand has to feel different from the other because they are two different hands. At this point I’m just trying to get them to concentrate and develop a little more sensory acuity. When they begin sensing that one had does indeed feel different from the other, they become aware that some process is beginning to take place. The mental expectancy factor has now been created.
When they begin sensing that one hand is indeed feel different than the other, they become aware that some process is beginning to take place. The mental expectancy factor has now been created.
I then asked them to open their eyes and tell them that we are now going to begin the actual mind/body integration. At this point I use a modified version of a finger-spreading hypnotic induction. Without any mention of the word "hypnosis," I say, "I would like you to set up straight in the chair, feet on the floor. Now, take your right hand and holding out about 10 to 12 inches, even with your nose. Look at the middle finger and concentrate on your fingers spreading and jerking and pulling further and further apart. Spinning and jerking and pulling further apart. Further apart, just as though there are little wedges being placed between your fingers. Fingers spreading and jerking and pulling further and further apart." I tell them that they can try to stop the spreading physically, but their minds are so powerful that any physical effort to try to stop the spreading would only cause the fingers to spread even more. I remind them that the power of their own mind is creating this effect and that it's part of the integration process. I then tell them that the power of their imagination will cause their hand to begin to move involuntarily towards their head. I tell them to focus on their breeding and to nod their heads when they feel expand. "With each and every breath that you inhale, your hand has a tendency to move closer and closer toward your head. The magnetic attraction is getting stronger and stronger with each and every breath that you inhale." I progressively expand their experience by utilizing their own spontaneous behaviors, and associating behaviors with the development of their experience. I tie in their ideo sensory responses and ratify each segment of the process. I then tell them that when they ask you to contact (their hand finally touching their head), the initial stage of the integration process has been completed. What I am doing is teaching them to follow directions and helping them become more receptive to suggestions for creative technical and artistic enhancement.
The dynamics of the MBIS ™ process include:
- Restricting the client's field of conscious involvement by keeping that part of the mind occupied.
- Developing a set of expectations by utilizing an MBIS phenomena.
- Reinforcing the set of expectations through an enhancement of that phenomenon.
- Setting specific behavioral artistic goals.
- Establishing specific and MBIS cues for their elicitation.
- Overcoming negative thoughts and feelings.
- Redefining who the artist is and how he or she sees him/herself.
- Applying specific strategies which lets the full magnitude of their available resources color their performances.
Obviously, this is a form of disguised hypnosis. Whether or not to share that information with them that day is a decision I made near the end of the session. Hypnosis is openly discussed during successive sessions.
In the reported study, actors who used hypnosis and those who did not appeared in character before a group of judges. Judges gave consistently better ratings and higher transformation scores to those who used hypnotic enhancement techniques.
Source: “Hypnotic transformation: Three studies of theatrical role playing.” The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 1988, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 249-255. Read the article: http://www.intuitive-connections.net/2003/hypnosischaracter.htm
A great example of how hypnosis helped skyrocket an actor's success was the case of Sylvester Stalone, and the success of his blockbuster movie, "Rocky". My hypnosis mentor, the ledgenday Gil Boyne, helped Stalone gain and maintain the confidence to follow-through on selling, and acting in his world-famous movie. Gil also helped Dolly Parton, the Number 1 country singer of all time, famed actress Lily Tomlin, and many other stars.
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The strength of any person is in his/her flexibility.
© 2004 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
I know that in last month's issue, I said that the February ezine would feature "Repressed Memories" and "Past-Life Therapy". There are times however, when things happen that spark a need to be addressed, and to forgo what was planned. Such is the case in this issue. So I will leave the discussion of "Repressed Memories" and "Past-Life Therapy" for a future issue.
I experienced something during the end of January that I feel needs attention for the benefit of all people involved in the Healing Arts - the aspect of "Synergy". I had a heated discussion with an NLP Trainer. Perhaps, it was actually a debate. He claimed that NLP was much more effective than “simple hypnosis” (his words), and said that he used NLP exclusively! “How can you compare Mapping Across with Submodalities to giving basic suggestions to a hypnotized subject?” he asked. “Then there’s the aspect of Anchoring – Chaining and Stacking. And what about the Visual Squash and the Fast Phobia Cure?” he continued. “In typical 18 or more-day NLP trainings, only 2 days are usually devoted to hypnosis. Obviously, NLP is much more important and involved,” he demanded.
I did everything I could to control myself from grabbing this guy by the neck and screeming, "Wake up!" I usually do my best to go into “second person” when discussing (debating) something with someone. What could this person be thinking, feeling, seeing, and what could be his/her motivation, outcome, self-talk? This NLPer was obviously very adamant about his convictions, and didn’t show any signs of flexibility. He must have been suffering from amnesia, because he seemed to have forgotten the NLP Presupposition, “The element in any system with the most flexibility will be the controlling element and have the greatest influence” - the Law of Requisite Variety. He was so rigid that our more than two-hour debate didn't even make a dent in expanding his thinking. He would say things like, "I've seen so many so-called 'trained hypnotists' work who couldn't even utilize effective hypnotic language," and "Give me a person with a problem, and I'll solve it without even knowing what the problem is. What hypnotist could do that?" This guy was so wrapped up in himself, that when I sarcastically said, "I really admire your humility," he answered, "Thank you, I'm not the bragging type." This guy was completely clueless, and didn't realize that "all communication is hypnotic", thererfore hypnosis permeates all the healing modalities! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get him to change his mind, and it's sad that he embarced his limitations displaying perfectly what the Father of American Psychology, Abraham Maslow said: "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail."
I’ve always believed that to do good change work, you need both hypnosis and NLP. After all, it’s common knowledge in the field that NLP is a “synthesis” of modalities that include the brilliant work of master hypnotherapist, Milton Erickson. And the key word here is “synthesis”, a combination of separate elements to form a cohesive whole. So for that matter, why not add EFT, Reiki, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Massage, Shiatsu, Music Therapy, and even Pet Therapy, etc. Synergy or synergism has to do with the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that of the separate effects of the individual agents. You’ve heard the expression, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” For example, if each of two politicians is able to gather one million votes on their own, but together they were able to get 2.7 million votes, their synergy would have produced 700,000 more votes than their individual, independent pull. In the world of busness, a financial benefit that a corporation expects to realize when it merges with or acquires another corporation refers to a corporate synergy.
This also holds true for any therapeutic change work. You can never have enough tools in your pocket. The above NLPer I spoke with is limiting his choices, hence limiting his effectiveness. Why fight over whether NLP is better than hypnosis, or visa versa, or for that matter any of the healing modalities. They complement each other, strengthen the effectiveness of each other, and frankly, help keep you from getting bored.
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"Hypnotherapist" or "Hypnosis Consultant"? The choice is up to you!
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
I am often asked about the uses of hypnosis in the corporate sector. So let me tell you what I've experienced. Hypnotherapists who are so attached to the word "hypnotherapist" could find that it may not open too many doors in the corporate arena. There’s been a “buzzword” in the field of hypnosis for a number of years, and that word is “hypnosis consultant”. It might have stemmed from the New Jersey law that required hypnotherapists who were not licensed as mental health practitioners to change their title to “hypno-technician” and/or “consultant in hypnosis”. What term you use depends on the laws in your state, and specifically how you want to want represent yourself. I like terms like “peak performance consultant”, “hypnotic sales consultant” and the above “buzzword”, “hypnosis consultant”. In my experience, many business people are not looking for actual therapy (they often already have personal shrinks), but rather simply want to gain a winning-edge in the careers. This is not to say that they don’t need therapy, but if I approached them as a hypnotherapist, they would have looked elsewhere. The other fringe benefit is that doing hypnotherapy can at times be extremely draining, while hypnotically educating, motivating and programming an individual is often extremely uplifting. Personally, after doing one of these sessions, I feel like I’m ready to take on the world!
Consulting is not a recently-developed profession. It most likely began as a needed support service to tribal chiefs and others of the earliest societies. We can imagine the first primitive human who learned how to sharpen a point on a wooden stick and make an early spear soon being besieged by others to learn how to do the same.
Individuals in all walks of life find a greater than ever difficulty to deal with modern complexities without the help of experts. Companies hire consultants to train their staffs. Executives hire consultants to help with countless tasks, including dealing with the overwhelming issues of stress. Since hypnosis has proven to be the most powerful modality for human change, the need for hypnosis specialists grows daily. I’m presently a hypnosis consultant to three CEOs and numerous executives.
So what does it take to be a good hypnosis consultant?
First and foremost, you must be a good listener. This is a “no-brainer”. When I do a hypnosis session with someone, they’re usually surprised that in my programming I summarize, chronologically and in detail, virtually everything that was uncovered during the session. “You much have an incredible memory George.” “No! I listen!” But I listen in pictures. It actually becomes a movie for me.
This reminds me of a story former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed telling. This story demonstrated how little most people listen. He said he tried sitting in his wheelchair at White House receptions and greeting each visitor or pair of visitors with his typically brilliant smile, a warm handshake, and a murmured, "How do you do. I've just murdered my grandmother." Not a single visitor or guest ever turned a hair, because no one really listened. They simply did not hear what he had said. They heard only what they assumed he had said or should have said.
The “hypnosis consultant” pays attention to what people are saying. I mean really pays attention!
The hypnosis consultant is able to analyze signs, indications, and /or symptoms of a problem. I just love it (Not!) when business executives say things like, “I don’t really have much time, so let’s skip all the small-talk and get right to the issue”. “Hey Mr. / Ms. Executive, do you expect me to be a mind-reader?” Or they might say something like, “You don’t need to analyze what I’m doing or not doing. I just need you to motivate me”. “Yeah, let’s ‘Rah Rah’ for the next twenty or so minutes. That’ll do it!” If I say things like that, I always say them in a joking manner, and do my best to turn the discussion into a short informal conversation. This is my opportunity to get a better perspective on what’s really going on in their lives. How they manage and/or juggle family, work, leisure, hobbies (if any), and any possible spiritual affiliations, gives me possible “red flags” that could contribute to their difficulties.
The hypnosis consultant identifies the problem.
Discussing the executive’s priorities and potential set-backs, gives me clearer indicators of what the actual problem is, and what needs to be adjusted, modified and/or changed. I keep asking myself, “What’s the bigger issue here?”
The hypnosis consultant synthesizes a solution or an approach to a solution.
One of the “buzz words” in the business world of problem-solving has been “appreciative inquiry”. This approach emphasizes that problems are often the consequence of our own outlook on a situation. That is, if we look at something as a problem, then it becomes one. Using “Appreciative Inquiry”, we identify our best times about the situation, or similar situation, in the past, thinking about what worked best then, and in our mind’s eye, visioning what we want in the future. We then build from our available resources to work toward our vision. Gee, isn’t that what the “not-so-secret”, “The SECRET” that has millions of people so excited, is all about? Plato said it best when he said, “We become what we contemplate”. This echoes what IACT-IMDHA’s CEO, Robert Otto often says, “We move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts”!
Effective hypnosis consulting also requires one to express an image of expertise, competence and authority. In addition, one should have competence to make effective presentations, in person and in writing. And one should have an ability to interact productively with a client, gaining the client's respect, and creating a relationship of mutual likeability.
I talked about some of the ground-breaking corporate work I was involved in using hypnosis in the July 2006 issue of “The Hypnotic Edge” ezine. This was in the early 1990s.
Today, the opportunities are 100-fold.
Here are some keys:
- Assess the image you must project and project that image.
- Gauge your prospective clients’ needs, including how they perceive their needs and problems.
- Convince the prospective clients that you are exactly what they are looking for.
- Make as many prospective clients aware of you and your availability to help them overcome their problems and expand their opportunities.
In keeping with the above, another area that you might consider exploring is that of Focus Groups. Focus Groups are used in many marketing arenas. Product manufacturers use them to help develop and assess new products, or brand extensions. Businesses of all types use focus groups to help them understand and evaluate how satisfied their customers are with the products and services they receive.
“A paradigm is a set of rules that establishes or defines boundaries and tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be successful.”
"A paradigm shift is a change to a new set of rules."
In the study of paradigms, several things will be learned. First, people’s perceptions are influenced by the paradigms within which they operate and people resist change because they are so good at their existing paradigms.
As a hypnosis consultant you are expected to be well equipped to be a “paradigm shifter”.
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Using Music to Enhance Your Hypnotherapy Sessions/Presentations
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
The great psychic and healer, Edgar Cayce, stated that "sound" would be "the medicine of the future." In order to see the future, we sometimes have to look to the past. Music, for the ancients, served to create balance, harmony and health, and to alter moods and behavior patterns. Our ancestors knew that everything in the universe is in a state of vibration, and metaphysics teaches us that we are a microcosm of the universe - that we have all energies within us. Every cell in our bodies resonates sound and can respond to any other sounds outside our bodies. Over the years, there has been a continual rise of programs on the market that are going back to the roots, utilizing so-called "primordial sounds," such as heartbeats, water, dolphin clicks and sacred instruments from Tibet and Japan. Also used are the resonances of the electromagnetic vibrational patterns recorded by NASA Voyager I and II space probes as they passed the outer planets of our solar system. When played through loudspeakers, these form haunting three dimensional "soundscapes," resembling our basic primordial sounds. Perhaps there is a basic "Dial Tone of the Universe" in which these sounds play a major role. The ancient Hindus said, "Nada Brahma" - "the fundamental reality is sound."
Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher and teacher, conceived of the universe as a vast musical instrument and advanced the theory that all things - animate and inanimate - were constructed upon harmonic patterns. He further showed that it was possible to translate these patterns into groups of notes called "chords," and that specific sequences of sound can actually accelerate our healing energies. In Don Campbell's book, “Music and Miracles," Dr. Donald Epstein, D.C., reminds us that "the origins of chiropractic are tone and vibratory waves in the body. Listening to the breath and voice as spinal adjustments are made gives us insight into the emerging awareness that the body itself is tone." Yes, sound does vibrate in everything, hence it affects everything. You may use music to help your clients to relax, and create positive affirmation-accepting states. With music playing in the background, you might say to your client, "Take a deep breath and close your eyelids down....allow my voice to take you on a journey of relaxation and well-being....as I continue speaking, allow yourself to turn further and further inward...taking that special journey of new discoveries...new understandings...new realities...bringing together your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual energies...allow the things that I say to help create the necessary balance within you...as your inner creative mind allows specific changes to take place... simply because you allow these special changes to take place..... changes that bring you closer to that special magnificence that you know you truly are....etc.
For many therapists, music serves simply as background or undercurrent to create a specific mood, on top of which they add their spoken words. "It's good as long as it doesn't get in the way of what is being said," is a common attitude. Pythagoras himself, recognized the considerable therapeutic power of human speech and showed how a well-modulated voice with a pleasant timbre, beautiful words and effective meter, could restore balance to the body and soul. Yet, music and sound as a tool for therapeutic intervention can be as powerful (sometimes even more powerful) than the spoken words. A survey published in "Psychology Today Magazine", found that 96% of the people who responded said that musical passages gave them more thrills and special moments when included with sporting events, scenes from a movie, success in competition, parades, or a variety of other activities, including "sex." Hmmmmmmm.
It's important to realize that we hear not just with the ears, but with the whole body. Everyone has a specific harmonic that is his/her own personal vibratory rate. Every cell within us is a sound resonator. Primitive drum rhythms have been known to create hypnotic effects. It is claimed that participants in various ceremonial rituals are unified with a pulsing of endless sounds, sensing that the very atoms in their-bodies vibrate perfectly with the drums. Rhythm can stimulate our basic primal energies and drumming can be used to increase blood flow throughout the body. Rhythms can quicken or slow the heartbeat and all organs associated with it. We all have specific natural rhythms. In India the human pulse beat is called the "Drum of Shiva," and certain Yogic exercises are used to change the rhythm of the pulse in order to change bodily functions. It's been shown that our bodies can discriminate between beneficial and harmful sounds. If the rhythms of our surroundings are unnatural and we're exposed to them for long periods of time, there is a possibility of muscle weakness, learning disabilities, fatigue, etc.
Helen Bonny, the founder of a music-centered psychotherapeutic process she calls "guided imagery and music" (GIM), and co-author of "Music & Your Mind", states that music is among the safest and most effective door-openers of the psyche. "GIM" involves listening to music in a relaxed state to elicit imagery, symbols, and/or feelings for the purposes of creativity, therapeutic intervention, self understanding, and spiritual experiences.
Music is finding its way into numerous hospitals and clinics as an aid in healing. It is in the offices of many therapists as an adjunct to their change-work. More and more composers are exploring rhythms and sounds that induce relaxation, euphoria and other high-level conscious states. It is a gift to us - to hear, to feel, to create, to use.
Dr. Jean Houston said, "I think music actually raises the very molecular structure of body and brain bringing to these, larger dimensions. With music you gain coherence or bridging of one reality with another... I think there are chords that create a re-balancing or extension of the mind. With the advancement of this acoustical science, there will be an extraordinary new use put to musical sounds harvested from the many fields of world music.... I think that in the future sound will be used for its evocative potential. It will serve to call forth health, feelings, ideas, as well as other potentials and levels of the self that usually remain dormant." Now that's powerful!
If you are not already doing so, begin adding music to your hypnotherapy sessions and/or presentations. For relaxation, make sure that it's within the range of 60 MM (60 beats per minute as measured by a metronome, which is a device used to mark time by means of regularly recurring ticks or flashes at adjustable intervals. It was invented by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in 1816).
For motivational purposes you would probably want to push that speed up to about 160 MM.
Here's a good, relevant article by Stephanie Davies, "Selecting Music for Healing and Wellness.
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/selecting-music-for-healing-and-wellness-95354.html
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When Ignorance Becomes Enlightenment
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
I didn't expect to have a debate right after Halloween, but I'm always open to an interaction, even when it's with a person of staunch rigitity!
It’s been said that Halloween originated as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain. Immigrants brought it to North America in the 19th Century.
To this day in much of the Western World, children dress up as ghosts, ghouls, witches, warlocks, vampires, goblins, and more. Why would I bring this up? Well, I do have my reasons, and for some of you, the following might be a bit controversial. It is, however, important that you have a good argument for the use of hypnosis if it's ever attacked by uninformed religious zealots.
Some of you may know that I’m a student of world religions, and I do my best to understand, explore and experience their teachings. During my many trips abroad, I’ve had the privilege and honor of visiting numerous Churches, Mosques, Hindu Temples, Buddhist Temples, etc. And I’ve met so many open-minded people who were actually intrigued by hypnosis and its uses. Well, just the other day I had a debate with a Deacon from a Baptist Church in New York, about the integrity of hypnosis. He claimed that hypnosis was anti-Christian, and the work of the Devil. I said that it was not anti-any religion, not the work of the Devil, and in fact could actually help enhance a person’s connectivity with a Divine Presence. It was all about a person’s “intention”. The Deacon vehemently denied this possibility. Below are a few highlights from what I had said in defense of hypnosis:
. . . . . Deacon, in no way do I mean to be insulting. You are a man of conviction, and I have great respect for you. I asked you what your children did on Halloween, and you said that you took them “Trick-or-Treating”. You then told me that they dressed up in Halloween costumes, one dressed as a ghost, the other a witch. Is not dressing up as a ghost making a mockery of the dead? And let me ask you sir, doesn’t Exodus 22:18 in the Bible say, “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live?” The New International Version translates that verse as, “Do not allow a sorceress to live.”
You say that I shouldn’t speak this way of your children because their intention was not to make a mockery of the dead, nor to be an actual witch. Their intention was to simply enjoy a tradition. Deacon, your children are precious and I know that God smiles on them daily, and I’m certain that He smiled on them during Halloween. And sir, you said the magic word, if I may use the word “magic”. And that word is “intention”.
Deacon, please understand that hypnosis, in no way, contradicts Christian teachings. There is so much misunderstanding about it. Some unscrupulous hypnosis stage shows and old Bela Lugosi-type movies gave, what is an incredible healing modality, a bad name. Yet, the hypnotic state is as natural a state as that time frame just before you go to sleep when you are aware of what is going on, but feel so relaxed and comfortable. Brain wave activity is exactly the same. And it, like anything else, is governed by “intention.”
You are never under the control of a hypnotist. Hypnosis is a catalyst, a facilitator. It helps intensify a process. Hence, if your intention is to be a better person, it will help intensify that intention. If your intention is to get closer to God, it will help intensify that intention. The control is always with God. Even the Roman Catholic Church issued statements approving the use of hypnosis. In 1847, a decree from the Sacred Congregation of The Holy Office stated, "Having removed all misconceptions, foretelling of the future, explicit or implicit invocation of the devil, the use of hypnosis is indeed merely an act of making use of physical media that are otherwise licit and hence it is not morally forbidden provided it does not tend toward an illicit end or toward anything depraved." Here again, you can see that it’s about the “intention.”
Also, the Book "Alternative Medicine, the Christian Handbook," by Donald O'Mathuna, Ph.D., and Walt Larimore, M.D., is considered medically reliable and Biblically sound, and is endorsed by the Christian Medical Association. Quote from the book, "Most Christians will acknowledge that they have less control than they wish over some areas of their lives - habits, addiction, fears, sins - and are seeking to enhance control. Hypnosis is a way to help Christians develop self-control." Galations 5:23 says, "gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (NIV)
Deacon, if we look at church history, we see that it's filled with numerous atrocities. Even during the birth of this country, Christians conquered all of the Americas and the Pacific Islands in the name of Christianity, and killed and enslaved the natives that did not conform. Does one then say that the church, itself, is bad. Of course not! It's the people who make up a church - a denomination, or a religion, that make it good or bad. The world today is filled with televangelists and "super-pastors" who are using the Word of God for their own financial gain, with little regard for the souls of their listeners. I’m not making a judgment on Super Pastor Benny Hinn, but if you watch him perform, he uses many of the dynamics that a stage hypnotist uses. There was an article about Benny entitled: “Benny Hinn,” Healer or Hypnotist? . . . . . http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_3_26/ai_85932614
. . . . . Again, it's about intention. If one's soul is dark, so is one's intention. If the soul is pure and submissive to God, so is the intention.
The Apostal Paul speaks of going into a trance while praying in the Temple (Acts 22:17) - “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance.” (NIV)
Jesus called the Pharisees “hypocrites,” yet look at the continued hypocrisy among some of today’s Christians. Don't some of them say, "Harry Potter is evil. It’s magic and sorcery.” Yet, these same people will go to a birthday party or a county fair and watch magicians. Gee, weren’t the Magi magicians?
Arthur Shapiro has said, "One man's religion is another man's superstition, and one man's magic is another man's science." Of course hypnosis can be dangerous if used for evil purposes, but so can a car, a knife, or even oxygen and religion for that matter.
There are many wonderful Christians, and people of all faiths, who are using hypnotherapy/hypnosis for the good of humankind. It is only a tool, and a very effective one. The list of therapeutic uses for hypnosis includes: weight loss and other eating disorders, nail biting, bed wetting, smoking, chewing tobacco, anger management, pain management, sexual disorders, ability to focus and ADD, obsessive-compulsive disorders, most phobias, stage fright, and on and on.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (KJV) Until there is an image in the mind there can be no reality. All great inventions began with a thought in the mind. The inventor was able to visualize or image the invention before he could bring it to reality. The same is true of great music, great writing and great living. Hypnosis helps intensity a vision . . . . .
The debate lasted almost 3 hours. I’m happy to announce that the Deacon enrolled in both my NLP and Hypnosis Certification Seminars.
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Effective Uses of Imagery
© 1996 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Note: To use this article, you must include the Author's full name and link to http://www.georgebien.com
I cannot overstate the importance of training your clients to better utilize imagery, especially if you're focusing on sports hypnosis. Although my primary focus is sports in this issue, the techniques can be adapted to virtually any client. Like the question above from Lawrence, I often hear the following questions from participants in my seminars: How can I get my clients involved in imagery itself? What do I do with clients who say that they can’t visualize?
The brain and nervous system deal in mental images. It was Aristotle who said, “The soul . . . never thinks without a picture.” Since we all dream, and in dreams the predominant sense modality is visual, we all are capable and do, in fact, experience visual imagery. It is rare to find a person without this ability. However, as we grow older and rely less and less on fantasy, this ability begins to dissipate. Many people end up having a very limited ability in the visual mode and, hence, feel that they are unable to image.
It should be pointed out to these people that imagery involves all of the sense modalities, and an athlete, who perhaps has trouble seeing an image, may feel it very strongly. The more senses you involve, the greater the impact of the imagery. It is important, however, to understand that the success of imagery procedures is determined not only by the ability to form vivid images but also by the ability to control these images. If the individual can produce vivid images but is unable to control them, he/she cannot fully utilize their effectiveness.
I use the following four basic steps when using visualization and guided imagery exercises with a client:
- Hypnotic relaxation exercises, since a relaxed mind can produce clearer images;
- Imagining exercises, letting the images come to the client rather than forcing them to appear;
- Focusing exercises to help the client sharpen his/her inner vision and awareness and to control these images. These exercises become mental visual ''workouts'' that tune up the mind, clear up inner vision, and help the clients gain mastery and control over their inner images;
- Body/Sensory awareness exercises, suggestions that the clients see, hear, smell, touch/feel and taste their images. Basically, the client uses all five sense modalities.
If a client claims that he/she doesn't see anything, I explain that there are basically three types of imagery: Visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Taste and smell relate to kinesthetic processing of information. I then lead clients through the following exercise: I have them close their eyes and listen as I say certain words. I tell them to notice if they actually see the picture in their mind's eye; hear a sound or sounds associated with the words; feel the words in their body; smell or taste the words; or think about the words but do not actually see, hear, feel or smell them. You can use almost any descriptive words like ''sky, lion, egg, staircase, snow, classical music, lemon, car, walking," etc. After this part of the exercise, I have the client utilize a multi-sensory experience of each word. For example: If I were to say the word ''lemon,'' I would continue saying something like this: ''Imagine a lemon in front of you. Picture the color and texture. Now imagine holding the lemon in your hand and feeling the texture. What does it feel like? Imagine cutting the lemon with a knife and squeezing it. What does it sound like as you imagine cutting the lemon and then squeezing it? Can you smell the juice inside that lemon as you're cutting and squeezing it? What does it smell like? What does it feel like? Are there any other sounds? Is anyone watching you? Now imagine the juice flowing out of the lemon. What does it look like? Can you feel it dripping? Is it making any sound? Can you almost taste that juice? Imagine sucking on that juicy, bitter, yellow lemon. How does it taste?'' Once you have introduced your subject to multi-sensory experiencing, the process becomes more natural for them whenever they work with visualization and guided imagery.
Other good experiences to work with are to have your subjects imagine someone scratching a blackboard with a long fingernail. Just the thought of that creates responses in me immediately. Or have them imagine that they are standing on the roof of a forty story building, leaning over a rail watching cars and people below, and someone comes up from behind and gives them a gentle shove. Ask them what they are sensing. This may seem a little drastic, but it does create some dramatic results with someone who does not seem to experience the basic suggestions.
Although imagining ability is probably universal, some athletes still claim that they lack this ability. With these clients I use a simple yet effective procedure that I learned from Errol R. Kom. The client is directed to imagine that the therapist is a window washer contracting to clean the windows of the person's residence. In order to quote a price, the window washer must know how many windows are involved. The client is asked to furnish this information. In response to this request, the client's eyes will usually turn to the side opposite the non-dominate hemisphere, which may indicate stimulation of the non-dominate hemisphere, and if the client is questioned at this point, he/she will reveal that he/she was actually counting the windows. How can one count the windows without visualizing them, even if the image is not clear and tends to be a mind's eye image? Another effective method of demonstrating to clients that they are capable of producing imagery is one I learned from Shoor. He stated, ''When people tell me they never see images, I ask them to imagine sexual scenes ... So far, this has resulted in no failures.'' Thanks to Dr. Shoor, I too, have had 100 percent results.
King Solomon, the richest person who every lived, said, "Without a vision, the people perish". Alexander the Great had a vision to conquer the world. He ruled all of Asia. Thomas Edison had a vision for the light bulb. He invented that and so much more. Walt Disney had a vision for a massive theme park. This was realized in Disneyland. John F. Kennedy had a vision for a space program. Astronauts landed on the moon. Martin Luther King had a vision for a land where all people could be free. America thrives on its freedom. In our profession, Gil Boyne had a vision for creating the profession of hypnotherapy. It has become an independent profession, listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. All these visions became realities. Obviously, it would behoove us to have clear visions of what we stive for, by imaging more effectively, so let me continue . . . . .
I tell clients that, although not all people can become phenomenal imagers, we all have an innate potential for imagery ability. It is not unlike an ability to draw or communicate, but not everyone can become a Picasso or a Winston Churchill. As with anything else, the proven ingredient in improving Imagery is practice.
On the other hand, neglect will eventually lead to an inability to create mental images. In his book, Visualization: The Uses of Imagery in the Health Professions, Korn states: "Any system of ability that is not nurtured tends to atrophy. When we do not utilize the birthright of imagery experience, we eventually 'forget' the experience entirely."
Methods for improving vividness in imagery should include relaxed concentration, multi-modal sensory training and practice in deliberate, determined imagery. Relaxation should become common to everyone who utilizes hypnosis, and the ability to concentrate can be increased by various yoga exercises. Samuels and Samuels offer the following suggestions to help develop powers of concentration and suggest that regular practice will enable a person to hold an image for longer periods of time:
- Have the person concentrate on a small object, and every time a different thought comes into mind, have him/her push that thought aside and return to the object.
- Have the person count breaths and think only of the count, and if any other thoughts come in, have the person cut them off as quickly as possible before they get a chance to unfold. Or simply allow the undesired thoughts to pass though unheeded, just as though they belonged to someone else.
I cannot overstate that imagery training should always be multi-sensory (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, and Olfactory - VAKGO). Have the subject make an attempt to actually experience the object. The greatest effect is created when vividness is achieved in all the sense modalities. If, for example, the object to be imaged is an airplane, rather than simply focusing on the visual aspects, have the subject focus on the sound of the plane, the feeling of the seat belt, the smell of the cabin, the taste in the mouth, the feeling of the lift-off, including the increased heart rate, feelings of anxiety or exhilaration, etc.
Here's another wonderful exercise that I learned from Samuels and Samuels. With their eyes closed, have the subjects image a two-dimensional object, such as a geometrical shape. Then have them repeat this process with a three-dimensional object. Next, have them visualize their childhood room, after which they are to imagine that they are doing several things in it, such as picking up items, switching the lights on and off, etc. Then have them visualize a person. Lastly, they imagine themselves as if they are looking in a mirror.
A wonderful technique that was created by Lazarus is the "blackboard technique". Have the subject image a blackboard, writing the letter "A" on it, followed by the letter "B", then "C", and so forth. The subject is to try to retain a clear image of all the letters on the board throughout the entire process, until the reach the letter "Z". Try it, it's not easy!
Still another technique is to have the client/subject close his/her eyes and imagine a dim light bulb suspended in front of him/her. While focusing on the light, the subject is to attempt to make the light get brighter and brighter until it illuminates everything, then dimmer and dimmer, followed again by brighter and brighter, etc.
One of my favorite techniques was developed by McKim. Have a person close his/her eyes and visualize a wooden cube whose sides are painted red. Then image two parallel vertical cuts through the cube, dividing it into thirds, and two more vertical cuts perpendicular to the first ones, dividing it into ninths. Next, have the person visualize two parallel, horizontal cuts through the cube, dividing it into twenty-seven cubes. Then have the person try to imagine how many cubes are red on three sides, on two sides, on one side, and how many cubes are unpainted on all sides. I don't know about you, but just thinking about this puts me into hypnosis.
Obviously, the hypnotic process will enhance any of these techniques, and often the techniques themselves will create the hypnosis since imaginative involvement is a primary ingredient.
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