Conversation about the Spirituality of Health and Wellness

Our life is a unique journey defined by our experiences, our views of the world, relationships with family, friends and peers, and self-awareness.

I was reminded of this just before New Year when I had the pleasure of sitting down for an hour with Shannon Collier of Holistic Helping Hand.  Shannon is a multi-dimensional wellness provider with formal training and expertise in massage therapy, Reiki and postpartum support.

She’ll soon return to school for pastoral training, giving Shannon a deeper background in spiritual and emotional counsel.

Shannon did not initially set out on such a giving path.  In fact, her educational background and initial career focus was in environmental geology.  After realizing a high stress, “always on” policy job was not her calling, Shannon demonstrated the courage to shift her life and reset expectations.

Here are a few wonderful quotes from my conversation with Shannon:

“Wellness training is a personal experience to achieve balance, focus and purpose.  You have to live it.  That’s the only way you can truly help others.”

“I am believer in divine timing.  Your body hurts or issues come up because it is trying to tell you something.  There are no coincidences in life.  Things happen for a reason.”

“Whatever we do in life, we are on the backs of others.”

“Reiki honors the root reality that we are all connected on a fundamental level.  We all share the human experience.  I tie the practice to the belief that each person deserves to be well.”

“Reiki subscribes to the belief in universal life force energy.  Our nervous system, heart and brain all have electricity.  Reiki harnesses this energy to smooth the static of a person’s electrical current.”

We then spent some time talking about the practice of self-hypnosis and its applications for health and wellness. I walked her through a basic hypnotic induction and then asked her how she would describe the experience.  Her answer was a true gem:

“Hypnosis helps make your conscious and subconscious mind align around a common purpose or meaning.”

I typically conclude my Hypnotic Experience show by taking volunteers through a visualization designed to inspire confidence and self-esteem.  I reinforce this feeling by explaining that everything in life becomes sweeter when you realize the person you are is the person you are suppose to be.

Shannon and I are right in-step on the philosophical and spiritual approaches to wellness.  I find that incredibly gratifying.      

Holiday Hypnosis at the JCC of Northern Virginia's J Fest

It's the season of giving and I was fortunate to have an opportunity to entertain at a wonderful, family oriented community event on Christmas Day.

I attended the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia's "J Fest" and gave two performances of my Hypnotic Experience show.  The event's headliner was the comedian juggler Michael Rosman who was joined on stage by his two teenage children, both of whom are also accomplished jugglers.

Rosman is a talented performer who marries a quick wit and Vaudeville-style humor with impressive acrobatic and juggling feats.  During his career Rosman has performed for David Letterman and rock legend Bruce Springsteen.  He was a tough act to follow.

I think I pulled it off though, as I delivered two entertaining and informative shows.  The first attracted a larger crowd and included volunteers who ranged in age from 10 to adult.  I had two volunteers achieve a relatively deep level of hypnosis, which allowed me to introduce a couple of creative skits.  In particular, the scary monster bit drew laughs from the audience.

The second show which came after Rosman's performance closed out the event.  My volunteers were primarily under the age of 10.  When working with such a young group, I keep it simple and merely demonstrate a hypnotic induction.

Of course, my pre-talk is peppered with funny anecdotes to ensure the audience learns and smiles.

Many thanks to Laurie Albert and the staff at JCC of Northern Virginia for including me at this year's J Fest.  I had a great time and met an exceptional group of people.

The second show at J Fest attracted a young group of volunteers.

Here's the promotional sign the JCC of Northern Virginia posted.

When an Audience Smiles

Members of the Welcome Club of Northern Virginia enjoyed my entertaining anecdotes.

In the two years that I have performed my Hypnotic Experience show I have had the pleasure of participating at community festivals, street fairs, charitable fundraisers and parties with a group of exceptional entertainers.

I’ve shared the stage with comedians, musicians, dancers, clowns, magicians, puppeteers, sword swallowers, jugglers and…yes…even mimes.  The best of the lot have two things in common:  1) they are professional and well prepared; and 2) they know the audience.

I have taken this to heart and follow a well defined process when gearing up for a show:

1. Schedule a prep discussion with the event host to confirm logistics, audience demographics and size, and expectations.  For instance, the organizer of tomorrow’s “J Fest” at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia spent 30 minutes on the phone with me to ensure I am well set for success.

2. Based on the prep call, I map out the structure and content of the Hypnotic Experience show.  I’ll identify which jokes to use, skits to incorporate and, if needed, write new material.  I spiced up my recent hypnosis demonstration at Walter Johnson High School by writing a couple of “in good fun” jokes about a rival high school.

3. Prepare for the unexpected.  I sweated through my mid-July show for Professionals in the City because the temperature touched the high 90s.  At the Bradley Farm Haunted House show I encountered an audience younger than I anticipated.  There are curves at nearly every performance and you have to learn to roll with it. 

I love to perform and find positive feedback to be incredibly gratifying.   

However, the most important lesson I’ve taken away from other performers is that a successful show is about the audience.  When they come away with a smile and having enjoyed themselves, then it’s all good. 

Health and Wellness at the Century Mark

Florence Greco has been on this planet for nearly 100 years.  She is active, mobile and intellectually engaged.  Her secret:  daily exercise.

Florence’s daughter penned this wonderful article for the Washington Post about the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of exercise.  As you may have suspected, Florence served as the inspiration.

The article includes an interview with Ronan Factora, a gerontologist at the Cleveland Clinic.  Here’s a compelling quote from Dr. Factora:

People at any age benefit from exercise and the frailest residents in nursing homes benefit the most. Exercise helps keeps aging bodies healthy by increasing blood flow to the brain, carrying extra oxygen and other nutrients. It also helps keep blood pressure and blood sugar at normal levels, lowering the risk for vascular dementia.

I share Florence’s commitment to physical exercise and its role as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, I play pick-up basketball three or four times a week, which also provides me with a productive competitive outlet and a channel for stress relief.

When combined with my practice of self-hypnosis for focus, sleep and stress mitigation, I feel like I’m on the right path.  With a bit of luck and good fortune, I will hopefully be as active and engaged as Florence when I hit the century mark.

Greco pumping iron.  Photo:  Washington Post

Holiday Hypnosis – 2 Shows to Check Out

A wonderful audience attended my "Hypnotic Experience" show at last year's New Year's Eve party.

After a packed schedule of performances in the fall at community festivals and street fairs, I took a breather in November to refresh and work on some new material. 

That breather concludes on Christmas Day as I’ll join a host of other entertainers at the Jewish Community of Center of Northern Virginia’s “J Fest” in Fairfax, Virginia.  I am still working out the specific details of my participation with the event organizers, yet it may include both a stage show, as well as a series of more informal demonstrations of the power of positive visualization.

I encourage you to learn more about this family friendly event and the Jewish Community Center.  It’s a wonderful organization that offers a myriad of programs, services, seminars and events.  Plus, their facility is exceptional with a full health and athletic club, including a gym and swimming pool.

New Year’s Eve will find me making an exciting return to the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC for Professionals in the City’s annual celebratory event.  Entitled “Passport to the World Gala: An International Red Carpet Affair,” this is one of the premier parties in the city.

It attracts more than 3,000 guests who enjoy food, drinks, and a wonderful line-up of musicians, DJs, comedians, dancers and other performers.  I’ll headline the London Stage with two performances – at 10:30 PM and 12:30 AM. 

You can read a recap of my shows at last year’s party here:  Four Take-Aways from New Year’s Eve Hypnosis.

Plus, if you are interested in attending this year’s event, please use the promotional code Hypno 11885 when purchasing tickets.  You’ll receive an automatic $5 discount with each ticket.

Wildcats Hypnotized

A wonderful group of students at WJ gave hypnosis a try this morning.

In the time since I introduced my “Hypnotic Experience” show I have performed at more than 30 community festivals, street fairs, charitable fundraisers, and college and high social events.  The opportunity to meet, educate and entertain interesting and exceptional people of all ages is the most enjoyable part of performing.

 

Today was no exception.  I had the privilege of leading a discussion about hypnosis for a group of more than 100 students at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland.  The school's mascot is the wildcat, hence the title to this blog post. 

It was a wonderful experience for me, as well as a majority of the students who attended.  Here are a couple of observations:

 

1. Held in the main auditorium which is a rather spacious venue, I was initially concerned about my ability to connect with the audience during the pre-talk.  These worries were unfounded because the kids were incredibly engaged and receptive.  I even wove in a couple of new jokes for this teenaged audience which played well, including one about a rival high school.

2. I was surprisingly overwhelmed by the number of volunteers.  Admittedly, the two teachers I had met with a few weeks back in preparation suspected this would be case.  Still, it was wonderful to have more kids on-stage interested in giving hypnosis a try than in the audience.

3. Of course, this enthusiasm created another challenge – how to take all of the volunteers through a hypnotic induction.  I gave it my best shot using a classic guided imagery approach, yet was unable to deliver the full hypnotic experience for everyone due to time limitations.  I focused my attention on a core group of about 20 kids who had grabbed a seat in one of the chairs.

4. The more educational focus of the show and time constraints precluded any entertaining suggestions (i.e. American Idol competition, high school dance off skit, etc.).  However, the “heavy eye lids” convincer and instant induction proved to be a hit.  Most of the volunteers came away with an understanding that they had indeed experienced hypnosis.

5. I concluded with my favorite post hypnotic suggestion to inspire confidence.  This is a “go to” for me when working with young audiences because of how self-assuredness contributes to success in academics, athletics and peer relationships.

6. A couple of students stuck around after the demonstration to chat, including a young man who is a magician and a young lady who has taken a few friends through a hypnotic induction.  I enjoyed these conversations and offered to provide additional guidance to each, if appropriate.

A special “thanks” goes out to Nicole Ford and Geri Acquard, the teachers who hosted me today.  They have a great group of kids which is a reflection on their professionalism and success as educators.