Can anyone be hypnotized?

Someone asked me this yesterday, Can anyone be hypnotized?

The short answer: anyone who wants to be hypnotized can be.

That means you always can resist if you choose to. Why anyone would choose to, is beyond me. All of my clients report that they feel so relaxed and enjoy it so much they really look forward to their next session, and they definitely want to learn self-hypnosis, so they can do this on their own!

There is a Self-Hynosis Class on Saturday March 31 at 10 am in Palm Harbor.
Cost $49.

The long answer:
Anyone of average or above-average intelligence can be hypnotized. The World Health Organization estimates 90% of the adult population.
There are some qualities that will help you to make the best of your session: imagination, the ability to follow instructions, motivation to change, and of course, you have to be willing.

So contact me if you would like to attend the Self-Hypnosis Class on Saturday. Just leave a comment below.

Thank you.

March 2012 Hypnotic Events

The Self Hypnosis class will be held on Saturday, March 31, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm in Palm Harbor. Cost $49.
Please let me know if you would like to attend, so I can send you the address for the class location.

You are also welcome to attend the next meeting of TBNGH:

The next meeting of the Tampa Bay National Guild of Hypnotists will be on Saturday, March 24 at 7pm at Panera Bread on the corner of Tampa and Curlew Road.
There is no charge for this meeting and all are welcome.

Topic: audio and video on your website!

C U there!

Taking a Test with Hypnosis

We have all taken tests in our lives. Many people are afriad to take tests. Many avoid them like the plague. The kind of test I am referring to is a written exam, especially the ones required for licenship, certification, or a master's degree, but also important tests like GMAT and GRE. Even the SAT can be daunting.

Sounds like alphabet soup! We don't even know what they stand for, but they can be intimidating!


Hypnosis can be very helpful in the test taking process. It can help you maximize your study time, motivate you to study more, and face the exam in a very confident and relaxed manner. This is especially helpful to those who suffer from test anxiety.

Test anxiety refers to the dread of taking an exam, usually preceded by a bad experience. I have worked with several clients who have "gone blank" as soon as they sit for an exam. They spend the duration of the time stressing and worrying and barely get through it before the time is up. Some get so upset they can't even stay for the whole exam. They just give up. Needless to say this kind of consternation does not result in a high grade.

Hypnosis can restore your confidence. It also helps you to relax. This helps during the test, because stress, anxiety, and tension interfere with memory retrieval. Hypnosis helps the information keep flowing just when you need it. So now is a good time to see your local hypnotist or take a self-hypnosis class.

Hypnosis and Hot Flashes

I read about a study where hot flashes were reduced significantly through the use of hypnosis. There was one sentence in a book about menopause. However there was a footnote.

I think is a very promising use for hypnosis. The body is a magnificent system of organs, tissues and glands, so easily influenced by the beliefs of the mind.

First of all I think it is significant that 3 out of 4 menopausal women in the US experience hot flashes, while in some areas around the world, women have never heard of a "hot flash!" If it is only caused by a normal physical process, then it should happen uniformly, the world over.

But hot flashes are causing problems for women in the US. There are supplements you can get at the health food store. Soy is said to work for some women. HRT is supposed to reduce hot flashes. HRT can have some negative side effects, however.

There are no negative side effects reported for hypnosis.

I believe Dr. Andrew Weil recommends using non-invasive strategies like hypnosis, before trying other more potentially harmful treatments.

Hypnosis is not magic. But sometimes it seems that way. Even if hypnosis does not directly influence the way your body works, it helps you develop healthy habits, which goes a long way to keep your body healthy. Using hypnosis or self-hypnosis regularly, helps keep your immune system ready for combat, because it reduces the effects of long-term stress on our bodies. Stress inhibits the immune system, relaxation strengthens the immune system.

Im going to do more research regarding this.

February Meeting of TBNGH

Meeting Notes:

Members of TBNGH met at Books-A-Million in Palm Harbor on Saturday night.

Business discussed:
Meetings will be held at least 10times per year. 1.5 CEUs will be earned for each NGH member, each meeting .
A monthly newsletter will be sent to members with a meeting notice and articles of interest to hypnotists. Members said they would provide articles about hypnosis applications and do demos at the future meetings.
Membership dues were discussed, possibly to begin in January 2011. $35 per person per year or $50 for a married couple.
A $5 fee will be collected from non-members for each meeting, except their first.
A treasurer will be selected along with other officers in December, to take over office in January. The fees and membership dues will be used toward scholarships for members to attend the Annual NGH Convention in August.


Mark Beck spoke about the relationship between meditation and self-hypnosis. He pointed out that both states exhibit the same brain wave patterns. He shared with us some of his insights about the practice of meditation and how he used self-hypnosis to shed 40 pounds. Fortunately, his book will be avail soon.

Tampa Bay National Guild of Hypnotists February 2010 Meeting

The next meeting for the Tampa Bay chapter of NGH will be on Saturday, February 27, 2010, 7pm, at Books-A-Million, 33550 US 19 North Palm Harbor, FL 34684. Call Gloria for details and directions 727-946-1531. Mark Beck will lead a discussion about how to enhance your Meditation practice by using Self-hypnosis.

Medical Hypnotic Suggestions

I spoke to young woman yesterday. She was just 21 years old and had just lost her job. She called me about techniques to reduce stress. I recommended that she use hypnosis and learn self-hypnosis. It turns out a few months ago she went through some medical tests to find out what was the cause of her physical pain and discomfort. She was referred to a rheumatologist, presumable because it might be rheumatoid arthritis.



Well, here are the diagnoses: degenerative disc desease, Renault's syndrome and hypermobility syndrome. She was prescribed pain medication as there is no treatment for these chronic conditions, all you can do, explained her doctor is to treat the pain.



When she had a bad reaction to the third medication, the doctor explained that there was nothing else she could do for her, because the only course of action she knew was to use pain medication. She also mentioned that her condition would probably lead to fibro myalgia.



I find this reprehensible. As a hypnotist I know how much weight these words carry, especially when it comes from a "doctor." But the Hypocratic Oath says , "First do no harm."



We know that words can hurt. Ask anyone who has ever been bullied.



Also I just heard about a study where healthy people who had been misdiagnosed with cancer, developed cancer!!!!!!



I asked my client if she believed what the doctor told her. Fortunately, she was still in denial of an expectation of lifetime chronic pain which only increases and there is no hope of surcease. I recommended that she do some research on alternate methods of treatment like acupuncture, and herbs and of course, hypnosis for pain management. I also told her I had once been to a neurologist who taught bio-feedback to his headache and migraine patients. In the past, migraine was considered resistant to most pain medications, so he prescribed bio-feedback to them with spectacular results and no unpleasant side efects. Of course, I consider bio-feedback to be a form of self-hypnosis.

I would just like to take this opportunity to caution medical professionals to be careful with their words. Patients are very vulnerable.

Another study states that patients who were not told to expect hair loss and vomiting with chemotherapy did NOT experience these side effects.

Six ways to achieve goals

Everyone has goals. You probably have several different ones for several different areas of your life. The single woman has a goal to be married before she hits 35. The athlete has a goal to beat her best game. The heavy smoker has a goal to quit smoking before his doctor tells him he must. The middle-aged woman has a goal to fit in her best outfit again, before she can wear it on New Year’s Eve.

But how many people achieve success with their goals? Not many. I’ve read that only about 20% succeed. So how can we increase our odds? Try some or all of these techniques:

Visualize the desired outcome. See it, hear it, and smell what it will be like when you have achieved success. Don’t worry about how to get there, just imagine the end result. Draw it, sing it, or cut out a picture from a magazine that represents what you want. You can put this in a dream book or on a vision board, or just hang it up where you will see it every day!
Persevere. In order to succeed, you must remain committed to your goal. If you give up, you are guaranteed to fail. On the other hand, if you say, I’m going to keep trying until I make it, then you have to make it. A mistake is just another event on the way to success. You many not get it down the first or second time. But don’t give up. The third time is the charm (or maybe the fourth or fifth). They say it may take someone 7 attempts before they succeed in quitting smoking. But you know what? Practice makes perfect. If you have quit for a week or even a day in the past, you can quit permanently. It’s a good idea to keep trying different methods. Cold Turkey doesn’t work for everyone (it actually doesn’t work for most). Your local hypnosis consultant can teach you ways to reduce stress, so that you won’t be tempted when stressful events come into your life.
Ask for assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your friends and coworkers can help you if you tell them exactly what you need. And having a buddy, someone who shares a similar goal can really help with resisting temptation, motivating you to exercise, or to giving you an alternative to lighting a cigarette. Being able to call and tell someone when you feel weak helps keep you strong! The buddy system is very effective, and if you want more than 1 buddy, join a Master Mind group to help you achieve success. These are most helpful for career or financial goals. They help you get organized, set goals and give you resources or advice for everything you need.
Be your own best friend. Reward yourself for small successes along the way. It’s a great idea to reward yourself. It reinforces the new behavior, and keeps motivation high. Break your goal up into smaller bites. It’s easier to digest that way. For example, if you want to lose 25 pounds, reward yourself after each 5 pound adjustment. Make sure it’s an appropriate reward, not a hot fudge sundae for losing weight. You don’t have to give yourself food, how about jewelry instead? Too expensive? How about a new running suit, or renting a favorite video? Maybe just some candles and music to accompany your next bath.
Use self-hypnosis to stay motivated. There are many books and CDs available or you can take a self-hypnosis class, like the one offered by Enlightened Hypnosis.
Expect Success! You know, in most things you get what you expect. So make sure you intend and expect to succeed.

Good Luck! Sorry, you don’t need luck. Bon voyage! You will surely boost your self esteem by following these techniques, and this helps you to achieve one success after another.

Next year

Every year when I arrive in Massachusetts I wonder why I seek out speaking opportunities. I feel excited about the presentation. And this year it wasn't until Sunday morning, so I had 2 days to feel anxious. Usually I request Saturday morning or afternoon, but not evening. I don't want to do a presentation while the stage shows are going on. I usually like to see at least one of them. But I guess it's easy to answer my initial question. If you read my previous article, you can see that I get a high after a good presentation. And since several people asked me for more information, I think I will send in another proposal for Verbal Impact, 2 hours this time. And it may be time to dust off the presentation I did on the Mother of Hypnosis a few years ago. I will completely revamp it. I don't want to do lectures anymore. I want it to be experiential. I think that will be more interesting for the participants and for me, too. I did Creative Hypnosis last year, and I guess I am more creative because of it!



I guess I do enjoy public speaking. Who would have ever thought it? I remember how sick I got before a presentation in H.S. And a class I dropped because speaking in front of the class was required in college! But when I learned Hypnotism, I started using self-hypnosis to eliminate the fear of public speaking. Obviously, it worked!

Quitting Smoking

Whenever I say I’m a hypnosis consultant, people always ask me about smoking cessation. Most people know someone who quit by using hypnosis.

There was a study done over 10 years ago that found hypnosis to be 79% effective in the process of quitting smoking. This is a phenomenal success rate for eliminating an addiction. I have been told by clients and others that nicotine is a very hard habit to break. So why isn’t it common knowledge that hypnosis is so effective?

All my clients know how bad it is for you. All the statistics in the world have not made them stop. Some don’t stop even after the doctor gives them a dire diagnosis. All of my clients have tried using Will Power to stop. Sometimes this works for a few days, or a few hours. The imagination wins over will power every time. So, hypnosis uses your imagination to eliminate a bad habit, rehearse new healthy behaviors and take control over the addiction. I think that’s the key, control. I empower my clients take control of the cigarette. This is a new way of thinking for them. Most of them think the cigarette has the control. They schedule their whole life around their cigarette breaks. It takes a lot of energy to figure out where and when you can smoke these days. Most workplaces are smoke-free and the smoking areas are so inconvenient.

So when I assist someone to eliminate smoking behavior, I give them homework. I use hypnosis to facilitate the process, and I teach self-hypnosis so they can reinforce the new healthy habit of fresh-air breathing, and other goals.