Who is Nejla? She is
the founder and lead organizer of DC
Global Adventurers, a social Meetup group that I’ve established a
partnership with to co-host a series of events about self-hypnosis.
DC Global Adventurers now exceeds 1,600 members because of
Nejla’s commitment to organize unique activities that contribute to physical
and emotional well-being. Hiking,
snowboarding, meditation, yoga, hip hop dance, cultural celebrations…it’s all
on the agenda.
Plus, the group earns its “global” name by offering
once-in-a-lifetime trips to exotic locations like Thailand.
This evening nearly 30 professionals gathered in Chevy Chase, Maryland
for a DC Global Adventurers Meetup entitled “Self Hypnosis for Love.”
I’ve included below my observations
and thoughts about the event, comparing it to a group
session I hosted with Nejla in January. You can also find a few photos from the event at this link.
1. Larger and more
diverse set of attendees. Attendance
this evening was 2X the number in January.
I attribute that to Nejla’s promotion of the event, the 500+ new members
who have joined DC Global Adventurers in the past month and the mostly positive
reviews I received after last month’s session.
The group this evening was more balanced in terms of gender,
as compared to January which was 13 females and a lone male. There was also a more diverse mix of
demographics and cultural backgrounds, which is representative of the Washington, DC
community.
2. More intimate
pre-talk. As I have written on this
blog, the most important part of my “Hypnotic Experience” performance is the pre-talk. I clear up mis-perceptions about hypnosis,
discuss its benefits and set expectations for what is to come.
This evening I extended the length of the pre-talk to
incorporate a few more personal anecdotes about my life. I addressed the role my subconscious mind
played in an ill-fated decision to pick a fight while in college, as well as a
challenging time in my marriage.
Hypnosis is an intimate experience and, as I have come to
learn, a group session with a collection of relative strangers can be
intimidating. My goal was to demonstrate
my own vulnerabilities to establish a connection and comfort with the
participants.
3. Changed up the hypnotic
induction. I changed up the lead-in
to the hypnotic induction and asked the attendees to close their eyes more
quickly. I still took them through an
initial focus exercise, yet wanted to remove the visual stimuli that results
from a group setting.
With nearly 30 people in the room, there was a mix of
responsiveness to the hypnotic induction.
Just as I expected, I had a handful of attendees who dropped deeply into
trance, a few who bounced in and out, and a couple who achieved only a light
stage of hypnosis.
After bringing the group out of hypnosis to discuss their
experience, I had a few attendees ask me to fire up the wireless microphone I
bring to performances. It was needed for
clarity as I soften my voice during the induction and suggestion process.
4. Positive
outcomes. I relied primarily on my
“go to” positive visualizations for self confidence and stress management. I did introduce a new scenario that focuses on
meaningful change, yet (admittedly) need to work on language and flow. My delivery was a bit clunky.
The reaction I received from the attendees was
overwhelmingly positive. I define what a
person should consider a successful initial experience with hypnosis (i.e.
refreshed, relaxed, positive and interested in trying it on their own), and
that seemed to be achieved.
In fact, I have a group of attendees who expressed interest
in a one-on-one session. That’s when I
can tailor the process and approach to their specific outcomes.
5. An unexpected
twist. One DC Global Adventurer
member came away from this introduction to hypnosis feeling sluggish with a bit
of nausea.
I have had this reaction from show participants in the past
and it’s often associated with someone who experiences motion sickness. The deepening process of the hypnotic
induction is motion-based (i.e. go 20x deeper every time I suggest “sleep”).
I spent a few minutes with this participant in follow-up to
the event. I brought the person back
into hypnosis, tested the level of suggestion acceptance and then shared a few
visualizations to promote physical stability (i.e. lying comfortably on the
ground under a tree).
The environment wasn’t ideal though, so the outcome was only
moderately successful.
Nejla and I are already in discussion about co-hosting
another appropriately themed event on self-hypnosis in March. Stay tuned in to this blog post as I’ll
update it as soon as the event is announced.
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UPDATE: FEBRUARY 14
I raised the issue of the participant who felt nausea to an online community of hypnotists I am a member of called Hypnothoughts. I thought this insight from a hypnotist named Sean Michael Andrews was particularly helpful:
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UPDATE: FEBRUARY 14
I raised the issue of the participant who felt nausea to an online community of hypnotists I am a member of called Hypnothoughts. I thought this insight from a hypnotist named Sean Michael Andrews was particularly helpful:
- Sounds to me like a "hypnotic hangover." Sometimes people will emerge with a headache or feeling of nausea or sometimes just feel "fuzzy." Re-hypnotize and emerge with suggestions of vitality and energy and all sorts of good feelings.
I used to get this in about 5% of subjects, but since I emerge with lots of health suggestions, this never happens anymore.
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