Rapid Relaxation: the 30 Second Decompress

Do you ever wish you take a breath from your hectic schedule for just a few moments?  If so, you're not alone.  

I read an interesting article in Forbes yesterday entitled Forget Work-Life Balance: It's Time for Work-Life Blend.  The author's premise is straightforward:  mobile and Web 2.0 communications have created an expectation that people should be accessible and engaged at all times day or night.

An always on environment can be incredibly draining -- emotionally and physically.  Most people recognize the need to mitigate stress, yet soothing activities can eat up time on an already compressed schedule. 

For instance, I very much enjoy the practice of yoga, but I simply cannot block out 90 minutes three or four days a week to drive to, participate in and then shower after class.  It's a real challenge.

Many of the individuals who express an interest in learning self-hypnosis gravitate to a rapid relaxation visualization that I teach.  It's designed to quickly reduce stress and tension, while creating a feeling of positive energy that will carry a person through the rest of their day.  

Here's how it works:    

--Take a deep breath and close your eyes.

--Picture yourself floating on a white, fluffy cloud; safe, peaceful and warm.

--Count backwards slowly from ten sinking deeper into the cloud with each number.

--Visualize yourself surrounded by a wonderful and energizing light and count up one, two and three.

--Take a deep breath and open your eyes.

The calming affect of the cloud.  Source:  ScenicReflections.com

The Perfect Entertainment for this Year's Holiday Party

Next weekend I return to the stage with an appearance on both Friday and Saturday night at the Bradley Farm Haunted Mansion festival in Herndon, Virginia. 

Admission is $5 which gets you access to a scary (yet family friendly) haunted house and an impressive line-up of entertainment -- which includes a DJ, bands, magician, dance teams and me with my Hypnotic Experience show.  Plus, proceeds from the event benefit a not-for-profit organization that provides support to families that have experienced a crisis.

Performing at events, fundraisers, community festivals, high school homecoming and prom celebrations, and parties is a lot of fun.  It gives me an opportunity to share the wonderful benefits of hypnosis with a large group of people in a relaxed and entertaining environment.

It also helps me fulfill my desire to perform.  Yes...I've taken a stab at stand-up comedy and found it incredibly challenging, which is a nice way for me to write that I bombed.  It is a whole lot of work to be laugh out loud funny with all eyes in the room on you.

Rather than a traditional comedy club hypnosis show, my Hypnotic Experience is a demonstration of hypnosis for stress management, career achievement, health/well being and a bit of fun.  Think of it as hypnosis for physical and emotional well being presented in an entertaining fashion as I incorporate funny anecdotes and perhaps a joke or two.

If you are responsible for selecting entertainment for a holiday party (office or personal), community event or fundraiser, consider the following about hypnosis:



1.  It's unique and memorable

2.  The guests who want to participate are the stars of the show

3.  It is easy to organize, requires very little set up and can be scheduled around other activities and entertainment

4.  The content is very appropriate for a family-oriented environment

5.  Guests can capture photos and videos of the show, and then share them with family and friends (makes for wonderful memories)

I am here by Email at m.russell.hausman@gmail.com if you'd like to learn more.

Hypnosis is a crowd pleasing entertainment option.

Tween Athletes: Is Hypnosis Beneficial?

Should competitive youth athletic programs include training in mental preparation as a complement to physical conditioning and skill development?

That's a question that came up yesterday on the soccer field as I watched my son's travel team.  I chatted with the parents of another player who also have a fifth grade daughter who competes in gymnastics.  Her practice schedule includes three sessions a week each of which run four hours in length.

That is an intense commitment for an 11-year-old, who has to balance gymnastics with her participation in other sports, school work and social activities.  Plus, her parents talked about the emotional aspect of gymnastics because it involves a highly physical skill set with a potential risk of injury.

In fact, if I recall correctly, the parents mentioned that several of the gymnasts already spend time with a sports psychologist as part of their training. 

I have written extensively on this blog about my work with high school and college level athletes helping them raise the level of performance through hypnosis.  Here are links to a few posts worth checking out:

Hypnosis for Exceptional Athletic Performance

Beach Hypnosis

Hypnosis Helps a Newly Minted College Athlete

Hypnosis for Hoops


I am cautious about the use of hypnosis for any one under the age of 16.  A positive hypnotic experience requires a level of concentration and focus that may elude this younger set because of simple maturity.

Yet, some basic positive visualizations for a young athlete could be incredibly beneficial.  It could spur confidence and instill important feelings of accomplishment.

Positive visualization can improve performance.  Source: Gymnastics Revolution

  

Embracing Life Phases

It's fair to say my exploration of hypnosis as a tool for physical and emotional well being is a mid-life crisis. 

About five years ago I entered a new phase in life personally and professionally, and realized I needed to act on a long-standing interest I harbored in alternative approaches to health.  I reasoned, "If not now...when?"
 
I have also come to recognize hypnosis can serve as a vehicle to help me pursue another long-standing desire -- comedy entertainment.

Yes, I gave straight stand-up comedy a shot and completely bombed.  In fact, I got booed off stage at a free open mic performance.  It was quite humbling.

With my "Hypnotic Experience" show I have developed a unique approach that combines an informative and educational discussion about the power of hypnosis with good fun and entertainment.  My recent performance at Georgetown University was a success and I have gigs lined up this month at the Bradley Farm Haunted Mansion festival and at an event sponsored by Professionals in the City.

Life phases are real and meaningful.  My wife has been incredibly supportive of my endeavors and I think at some level is thankful I decided not to buy a sports car and get hair plugs.  That would have been too cliche.

I've been thinking a lot about life phases since meeting an exceptional young woman yesterday.  She too is in a phase as she transitions to young adulthood, and deals with issues related to career goals, life aspirations and redefined relationships with family and peers.

She also happens to be a truly gifted and creative writer who has the unique ability to emotionally connect with a reader.  I encourage you to block out 15 minutes to click through and read the blog post I have included below.  It's a wonderfully intense experience and captures the emotional toll a life phase has on a person -- both good and bad.

The writing is a bit too much stream of consciousness and the paragraph structure is raw.  That will evolve and mature in time.  Talent is talent though and good heavens does this woman have it.

I introduced her to hypnosis yesterday and suggested that it could be a tool to help her effectively channel her creativity into meaningful outputs (i.e. poetry, short stories, screenplays, song writing, etc.).  I hope she explores this further with me.


Follow Your Intuition

Excerpt

I was unable to see how my mother’s relationship with her own mother affected and influenced the way that she interacted with me for so long. I had mistakenly thought that she was un-nurturing, not wanting me in her life. I internalized that and began to believe that I was incapable of being a nurturing person and genuinely loving something or someone. I couldn’t even bring myself to say the words that my best friend and boyfriend of 4 years needed to hear so that he knew how I felt. I was selfish and stubborn, and I resented my mom for not showering me with the “I love you’s” that everyone else had. I blamed her for my own ruined relationship…and I ran away from home for a number of years because I believed that the easy was the best thing for me.

Halloween Hypnosis in Herndon

A zombie you will not see at my Halloween performance.  Photo:  MediaBistro.

Scary zombies will be on the prowl this month when AMC's show "The Walking Dead" returns for its third season on Sunday evening, October 14th.

Twelve days later I suspect a collection of more polite and good natured zombies will arrive on stage at the Bradley Farm Haunted House festival in Herndon, Virginia.  That's because my "Hypnotic Experience" show is set for Friday evening, October 26th and Saturday the 27th at 9 PM.

After an informative discussion about the positive benefits of self-hypnosis, I'll take volunteers through a hypnotic induction and then demonstrate the power of visualization.  My most favorite Halloween-themed skit is to have the hypnotized imagine they are at the festival to audition for the role of a friendly and fun loving zombie.

I encourage you to come on out to Herndon for this wonderful community event.  Five dollars at the door gets you in to enjoy all of the activities and entertainment, and to check out the truly spooky haunted house.  Plus, all of the proceeds benefit Herndon-Reston FISH, a local not-for-profit that helps families through short-term crisis.

Just a reminder that I am also hosting in partnership with a group called Professionals in the City a seminar entitled "Hypnosis:  a Positive Approach to Exceptional Living" on Monday, October 29th at 7 PM in Washington, DC.  You can learn more at this link and get a promotional code for $5 off admission.

A Simple Life

My wife and I purchased a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly digital washing machine.

It is one super sexy appliance.  Its design is sleek and compact, and it uses nearly 70 percent less water.  It also sports a control panel with nearly 25 water level and temperature options.

We got it home from the store, hired a company to install it and then sat back to watch the washer wash.  Three weeks in our home and the digital control panel needed a replacement part.  Then one of the water temperature sensors failed.  Then a load balance mechanism became unbalanced.

After three months of constant repairs I asked our service vendor if this was typical for this type of washer.  "Oh yes," he replied.  "The more complex the appliance, the more likely it is to break.  Admittedly, it has been great for our business."

The next day we jettisoned the super advanced washer for a significantly more pedestrian model.  Our clothes have never been cleaner.

It's not sexy, yet our new washer fulfills its role without the need for constant repairs.

Our washer experience served as a reminder about the importance of simplicity in life.  I focus my time, efforts and energy on three primary activities:  family, career and physical/emotional well being.

Yes...the world is complex and every day requirements can certainly stir up stress.  However, by always coming back to "my three" and using a tool like hypnosis to manage the stress, I tend to run as well as my new washer.

Are You Easily Hypnotized?

The easily hypnotized share common characteristics.  Photo:  John Arrowwood Hypnotherapy.

I quickly learned upon launching my study of hypnosis that some people rapidly fall into a hypnotic trance, while others fail to ever achieve a high level of suggest-ability.  

Here's a link to an interesting article published yesterday in the Los Angeles Times' Health Section that explores that very issue:

Could Hypnosis Help You?  Yes, If You Have the Brain For It

A research team from Stanford University scanned the brain of 12 individuals who are highly hypnotizable and then compared the results to scans of 12 people who are not easily hypnotized.  The brains proved to be similar in characteristics, yet those from the hypnotizable group demonstrated a higher level of activity in a region of the brain that is active when the mind is at rest.

Psychiatrist David, Spiegel, one of the authors, summed up the findings when he explained to the LA Times the easily hypnotized "can harness their minds to imagine something about themselves -- and make it so."

When performing at an event, party, festival or outing the challenge I face is how to effectively identify the easily hypnotizable when seeking volunteers.  I employ a couple of different methods which include:

1) An introductory talk to explain hypnosis, its positive benefits and how it is an effective tool for those with a strong and creative mind (i.e. artists, writers, athletes, students, etc.).  This is designed to establish comfort and trust between the hypnotist and the crowd.

2) A demonstration of the power of visualization that involves "heavy/light hands" and "magnet hands" scenarios.

I watch closely to see who in the crowd responds well and then I select them if they volunteer.  As this Stanford University research indicates, I typically choose a set of volunteers whose brains all share common characteristics.

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