2 Great Reads on Hypnosis for Health and Happiness

Each month I come across interesting and insightful articles in the mainstream media about how hypnosis is being employed as a tool to promote health, wellness and exceptional living.  Here are links to two stories from this month I thought you might find of interest.

Are you curious to see if you can be hypnotized?  Check out this hypnotic induction I recently uploaded to YouTube.  It is designed to instill a feeling of confidence.

Hypnosis Through Virtual Reality Aids in Medical Recovery

UT Southwestern Medical Center Newsroom (February 2019)

Anesthesiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center are helping to explore the use of hypnosis through virtual reality to lessen postoperative pain and anxiety in children.  The pilot study involved 21 young patients and found that virtual reality hypnosis (VRH) reduced anxiety, total postoperative opioid consumption, and vomiting in children after scoliosis surgery.



Could this Woman Really Cure a Broken Heart in 10 Days
The Daily Mail (February 2019)

Tears are running down my cheeks and dropping on to my chest as I sit on the end of a bed in a small clinic. I'm crying because I'm being told to repeat various sentences about my ex-boyfriend and our recent break-up over and over again.  Malminder Gill, a 36-year-old hypnotherapist and life coach, is instructing me to say these statements while using her fingers to tap certain points on my face and body — the top of my head, on my temples, along my collarbone and on my forearm.

Try Hypnosis for Health, Wellness and Confidence

At nearly every Hypnotic Experience show I am asked by guests who elected not to volunteer if there is a way they can try hypnosis in the privacy of their own home. 

That request inspired me to upload to YouTube a hypnosis induction to inspire health, wellness and confidence.  The video includes a surprise to measure your suggestability.

Give it a try.  You might be inspired to add a comment to YouTube.

Federer Sharpens His Mental Game

Confidence is a huge thing, says Roger Federer.  Photo Source: Pledgesports.org

Professional tennis is for the young.  The required athleticism and skill coupled with the physical grind of competing on the tour results in most players (male and female) concluding their career in their late 20s.

Roger Federer has proven to be the exception.  At the age of 35, he continues to perform at a high level and, as I write this blog, just advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon.

What is his secret?

First, it’s his decision to step away from the game for extended breaks to keep his body fresh.  Federer took six months off at the end of 2016 to heal and followed that up with a 10 week break this past spring. 

The second reason for Federer’s sustained success is 100 percent mental.

“I’m playing very well.  I’m rested.  I’m fresh,” Federer said during his press conference after his most recent Wimbledon victory.  “I’m confident, too.  Then great things do happen.  Confidence is a huge thing.”

A positive mind-set is the foundation for accomplishment.  It’s true in career, in academics and, in Federer’s case, on the courts at Wimbledon.

Steph Curry Talks Confidence and Sensory Deprivation

Steph’s sweet, silky smooth jump shot is pure perfection and his ball handling skills defy what should be possible.  Is it his basketball prowess alone that has propelled the Golden State Warriors to the best start to a season in NBA history?

Not according to a recent Q&A with the reigning league MVP published by ESPN Magazine.  Here are a couple of excerpts that provide more insight into how Steph has elevated his game:

“The game is slow.  It just feels so comfortable, smooth, natural.  It’s the confidence that, when we’re out on the floor, only good things are gonna happen.”

“When I’m on the floor, I believe I am (the best player in the world).  I don’t get into why I’m better than such and such.  But that’s my motivation when I work.”

“It’s an opportunity to relax…to get away from the demands and all the stimuli we have in the world and in our lives.  When I get in the (sensory deprivation) tank I lean back, try to take a couple of deep breaths, ground myself and commence the floating.  Then it’s just me and my thoughts for an hour.”

While Steph may not be a practitioner of self-hypnosis, he subscribes to what I preach when it comes to health, wellness and exceptional living:  1) drip with self-confidence; 2) manage and mitigate stress; and 3) find time for focus and clarity.

You can read ESPN Magazine’s Q&A at this link.

What makes Steph Curry so confident and strong?  The answer may surprise you.  (Photo Source:  BusinessInsider.com)

Game Winning Confidence

With the clock rapidly ticking down and the score tied, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal held the ball (and the game) in his hands.

A quick jab step move sent his defender off balance which afforded Beal the space needed for his shot.  He rose up 25 feet from the basket and launched a picture perfect jump shot that swished through the basket.

Game winner!  Game over!

Afterwards, Beal spoke with the Washington Post's Brandon Parker about the shot and his high level of performance this season.  He attributed much of his success to something that each of us has woven into the fabric of our mind:  confidence.

“He’s definitely one of the best to ever guard me. He’s tough,” Beal said of (San Antonio Spur) Leonard. “At the same time, I’m not going to let anybody keep me from being me. No matter who it is. I’m not taking anything away from him or anybody else in the league; it’s just me being confident in myself. It’s just me coming into my own, I guess.”

Although I am unsure if Beal is a practitioner of hypnosis or visualization, these are tools a person can use to inspire confidence which, in turn, enhances performance.

Bradley Beal's confidence inspired game winner takes down the San Antonio Spurs.  Photo:  Gawker Media

Expect Success

Span's expectation for success set the stage for last night's victory.

A 10-game winning streak in professional baseball is tough to pull off.  Four walk-off victories in five days as part of that streak is a near impossibility. Yet, that is exactly what the Washington Nationals have accomplished during the past two weeks.

Yesterday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was a pitching and defensive exhibition when Nationals center field Denard Span came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning.  With no runs on the board for either team, Span hit a bloop single to center field.

According to the Washington Post, Span arrived at first base and thought, “Here we go again.”

Diamondbacks’ first baseman Mark Trumbo whispered to Span, “Just how you guys like it.”

Span proceeded to steal second base and then trot home with the winning run after the Diamondbacks third baseman threw wild to first on a relatively basic ground ball off the bat of Anthony Rendon.

Nationals win!

When asked during his post game presser about the string of victories, Nationals manager Matt Williams emphasized the daily preparation, training and effort his players invest to put themselves in a position to achieve success.  Yet, I’m confident the Diamondbacks put forth a comparable level of preparation.

The wild card here may very well be an expectation for success stirring in the Nationals dugout.  The team is confident it will achieve, while, at least last night, the Diamondbacks expected failure.

Success is the intersection of talent, preparation and confidence. 

Post Show Chats - When Hypnosis Gets Personal

A show is about entertaining and informing.  Yet, one-on-one conversations afterwards are just as fun.

When embarking in comedy and entertainment as a hobby I quickly learned a few things.

--While it may be fairly easy to write original material, it is agonizing slow and cumbersome to create (and test) funny material.  Laughter is as much about timing, as it is content.

--Differentiation is paramount and you have to capture what makes your show unique in a single sentence or, at most, a paragraph.  From what I understand, it is comparable to a teaser pitch a writer (or director) makes to a movie studio. 

As I concepted my Hypnotic Experience show, I kept these principals close to mind and heart.  There are already a myriad of talented comedy stage hypnotists who are adept at transforming volunteers into the stars of the show, tapping into their creativity and imagination.

Yet, these Las Vegas style acts at some level reinforce the misconceptions about hypnosis.  There is often a vibe among many in the crowd that they would never give hypnosis a try.  That’s unfortunate.

So, I created a “fun and entertaining show about the power of positive visualization.”  That’s my teaser pitch.

I marry my penchant for storytelling and humor, with a frank discussion about hypnosis and its benefits as a tool for health, wellness and happiness.  I also incorporate a basic hypnotic induction with a series of visualizations that I perceive to be consistent with the expectations of the audience.

For instance, at a show for professionals or a high school psychology class I’ll focus on stress management and confidence building.  An after prom party or community festival gets some more entertaining visualizations, such as competing in an American Idol competition.

This brings me to last night and my performance for one of the most active social groups in the Washington, DC area.  I’ve been fortunate to strike up a relationship with the group’s organizer, who I have now partnered with on several events during the past two years.

Although a late season snow storm was approaching, it was a wonderful evening with an exceptional audience of about 50 people – smart, talented, accomplished and professional.  

The show went well, yet the highlight for me was the post performance Q&A.  This is when I have the chance to engage with audience members at a more personal level.

There were three types of conversations:

1. I don’t believe self-hypnosis could work for me, yet I’m intrigued and may want to give it a try.  It is absolutely OK to be a skeptic and I always try to set realistic expectations about hypnosis (i.e. it’s a process, not magic).  At the very least, you’ll find the experience to be comforting and relaxing.  That’s a good thing, right?

     

2.  I’d like to learn more about the hypnotic process and how it differs from other forms of meditation and stress management.  I encouraged a few of the guests to check out Hypnothoughts, an online community of hypnotists and practitioners.

3. When, where and how do you practice self-hypnosis, and what happened after you incorporated it into your life.  I’m happy to share my personal experience with and lessons learned from self-hypnosis.  I recognize it can serve as a good starting point.  Yet, I always remind people that ultimately it’s up to them to define the positive outcomes that will contribute to their happiness and well-being.

My Impression of Hypnosis for Health at Whitman High School

From time to time, I fondly recall my high school experience in the late 1980s. 

I was fortunate to be a multi-sport athlete with a great set of friends.  In fact, I still meet-up every few months with a group of guys who I have been close with for more than 30 years.

Pressures were few and stress was relatively low.

Oh my, how the world for teenagers has changed.  A recent article in the Washington Post entitled “Stressed out teens, with school a main cause” cites a recent survey from the American Psychological Association that found many teens feeling overwhelmed or depressed because of high stress levels.

Forty percent of teens surveyed said they have felt irritable or angry during the previous month and more than one in three reported having trouble sleeping because of stress.

This study was top of mind as I arrived at Whitman High School this week to lead a series of discussions about hypnosis as a tool for healthy living.  My children will one day enroll at Whitman, so I’ve had a keen interest in being part of the community.  I attend a variety of sports events each year and have made it a priority to meet faculty members.

Whitman is not your typical public school environment.  The student population is loaded with high achievers in academics, athletics, music and the arts.  The pressure to succeed is extreme, as is the challenge to be accepted at an upper echelon college.

It’s for these reasons and the stress it produces that the school’s principal has made mindfulness a priority.  I recently wrote about Whitman’s mindfulness initiative in this blog post.

So…how did it go?  Here are a couple of observations after five presentations over two days to more than 120 students:

--Similar to my experience in December at Walter Johnson High School, I came away incredibly impressed by the maturity and intellect of the kids.  Every class was engaged in the presentation about hypnosis and I had a wonderful set of volunteers.

--In a classroom environment with a limited amount of time, I have to move quickly through a basic hypnotic induction.  This limits the experience and doesn’t afford me the time to incorporate simple suggestions or convincers (i.e. heavy eyelids).  I considered using a rapid or shock induction to save time, yet ultimately decided to stick with an approach similar to guided meditation.  It ensures a more positive experience, even if a volunteer doesn’t reach a state of hypnosis.

--After my pre-talk and a basic hypnotic induction, there wasn’t a lot of time for volunteer or audience questions.  This is personally disappointing because I always enjoy this interaction.  The exception was the demonstration for the last class of the day, as I had a couple of students stick around for a few minutes to chat.  Our discussion about focus in the classroom and after school activities was fascinating.

--Ultimately, my message to the kids is relatively simple – success and happiness in life is about confidence and empowerment.  Hypnosis is merely a tool that can help a person achieve that understanding.

I’d like to personally thank Nikki Marafatsos, the teacher who hosted me during the past two days.  Similar to the other educators who I’ve met, she is invested in the health, well being and success of her students.   

That’s inspiring!  

This week I led a discussion about hypnosis for health for more than 120 students at Whitman High School.  (Photo Source: Bethesda Magazine)