Thrills and Chills of Halloween Hypnosis

Cox Farms' Fields of Fear, Centreville, VA.

Halloween has proven to be a hypnosis-friendly holiday as revelers have come to expect unique entertainment as a complement to the standard thrills and chills.

For the past two years I was fortunate to have been included in the line-up of performers at the Bradley Farm Haunted House, a wonderful event in Northern Virginia that benefits a charitable organization that provides support to families in need.  You can read about my experiences at Bradley Farm here and here.

This year, you can find my Hypnotic Experience show at Cox Farms’ Fields of Fear in Centreville, Virginia.  I’ll be part of the entertainment at an area called the Firegrounds during the evening of October 18 and 25.

I encourage you to come out and enjoy what is considered one of the best Halloween-themed events in the Washington, DC area.  It’s family friendly, yet the folks from Cox Farms do a great job to ensure you come away appropriately scared.

Finding Inspiration in 20 Minutes of Meditation

Recently, a journalist at Fast Company Magazine decided to put meditation to the test as a tool to better manage stress, improve health and inspire wellness.

The article, entitled How 20 Minutes of Meditation a Day Helped Me Deal with My Anxiety, is a wonderful read for any professional, student, athlete or entertainer who seeks empowerment.

Here are a few quotes from the text I wanted to share:  

And while "mindfulness" has become more of a cliché than a real call to action in the business world, the core message to quiet your mind and focus on the present sounds like the perfect solution for a more productive workday.

Meditation does not come naturally in the beginning. For starters, when meditating first thing in the morning I found it difficult differentiating between sleepy time and meditation time.

I found this meditation to be extremely effective at quelling my anxiety. Throughout the day life’s stressors would often quickly signal a churning in the pit of my stomach and shorter breaths, but after I started meditating I gradually found over the week that my triggers took less of a hold on me. I was able to face things like looming deadlines, wedding planning, and general money-budgeting with more ease than usual. Everything was still real and in-focus, but the negativity associated with each was less oppressive.

While making the time to meditate and embracing the fact that life is full of distractions is no easy feat, this is a habit that I think I'll try to keep. I plan to continue to meditate for at least 20 minutes a day--for sanity's sake.

Thoughts and Impressions from a Day of Hypnosis at Whitman HS

Do you actually get paid to do this?

That’s what a volunteer asked with a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

Well…in my case…the answer is “no.”   I do have a full time job as the CEO of a marketing services consultancy, which affords me the opportunity to donate my time to perform my Hypnotic Experience show and speak on the topic of positive visualization.

That’s why I focus on community festivals, street fairs, charitable fundraisers, non-profits, and high school and college events.  They are worthy organizations that often lack the financial ability to hire entertainers.

This brings me back to today and my return visit to Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD.  I have an excellent relationship with one of the school’s educators and she has been kind enough to include me as a speaker in her health class.  Here is a link to the blog post I wrote after speaking to her classes in February – My Impression of Hypnosis for Health at Whitman High School.

Similar to last semester, I came away from today’s talks incredibly impressed with the intelligence, focus and creativity of the students.   This is a school of high performers (i.e. athletes, musicians, scholars, artists, etc.), yet it is in these environments that issues associated with stress and confidence can be even more pronounced.

  

These kids have to manage pressure from their family, friends and the community.  However, they also expect great things from themselves and it is this pursuit of perfection that can often create challenges.

Today was a whole lot of fun and rewarding.  My talk about hypnosis for health, wellness and exceptional living was well received, and I had a wonderful group of volunteers during each class. 

I also had a number of kids chat with me afterwards with specific questions.  What was the most frequently asked?  Can hypnosis help a person sleep better a night?  I get that question all of the time from people of all ages.

So…what about our skeptic?

I’d like believe I got her thinking about an approach she may have never considered.  I’m the first to acknowledge that hypnosis is the not right tool for everyone.  You don’t know though until you try.

Plus, it is a sign of strength and confidence to question those around you.  Form your own opinions.  Define your own path.   That’s empowerment and (ironically) one of the core messages of my talk.

Is hypnosis real?  In 2012, this group of students at Oakton High School in No. Virginia respond to the sleep suggestion.

Burke Centre Festival Shines

Community festivals are an ideal venue for my Hypnotic Experience show. 

The fun and family friendly nature of my content plays well with the typically diverse group of attendees at a festival.  I’m also flexible in how I perform (i.e. stage show, booth and/or roving entertainer) which makes it easy for an organizer to incorporate me into their line-up of entertainment.

Plus, I never charge a fee to perform and participate at a community-based or non-profit event.  It’s one of my ways of giving back and affords me the opportunity to talk up the meaningful life changes that can be achieved through positive visualization.

  

Yesterday, I had the pleasure and privilege to be part of the 37^th annual Burke Centre Festival in Northern Virginia.  This was my second year performing at the event, which attracts thousands of attendees for rides, games and entertainment.

There’s also plenty of space set aside for community groups and local businesses to exhibit, which helps promote the importance of supporting local organizations. 

 

Here are a couple of observations from yesterday’s festival:

--I was situated in an area set up for dining, which gave me excellent visibility and a steady stream of volunteers.  The event organizers also provided me with a table, chairs and power source, which positioned me as part of the entertainment.

--During my five hours at the event, I attracted more than 70 volunteers – individuals and small groups of three or four.  All told, I conducted 38 separate hypnotic inductions.

--Rather than a comedy routine, I focused my message on how positive visualization can inspire confidence and self-esteem, and improve academic, career and athletic performance.  I took volunteers through a basic hypnotic induction followed by one of my “go to” visualizations for confidence.

--As with most community events, the majority of my volunteers where tweens and teens.  They are fun to work with and typically respond well to hypnosis.  A few of my adult volunteers had fascinating stories, such as the woman interested in managing stress around an upcoming Cesarean section and a person who is uncomfortable around balloons (not good at a festival).

Many thanks to Jeannie Winslow and the team at Burke Centre Conservancy for including me.  I hope to be invited back in 2015!

My booth sign at the Burke Centre Festival.  A fun day at a wonderful community event.

A Tornado of Color through Hypnosis

During a hypnotic induction, this woman experienced a "tornado of color."

Teaching the practice of self-hypnosis is a personal passion and something I find incredibly rewarding. 

I’ve received appreciative notes from people who have made meaningful changes in their life thanks to the power of positive visualization.  You can check out a few of these comments at this link to my testimonials page.

That’s why it is frustrating if a session on self-hypnosis falls short.  It happened to me earlier this year in a follow-up meeting with a person who attended my “Hypnosis for Exceptional Living” show.  I explained what happened in this blog post.

And it occurred last week when I met with a young woman who is interested in hypnosis as a tool for stress management which, in turn, could help her manage blood sugar levels.  She is a type 1 diabetic which is a chronic condition I am (unfortunately) all too familiar with.

Similar to the person who I met with in April, this woman has quite the active mind.  Incredibly creative and passionate, she is a flood of thoughts, views, opinions and ideas.  It is inspiring, yet also creates a challenge when trying to identify an appropriate visualization that leads to a relaxed, focused and hypnotic state.

Here are a couple of fascinating comments she shared during our time together:

--She uses a reward system as a vehicle for self-motivation.  Could this methodology be leveraged as part of a hypnotic induction?

--As a visual person, she often dictates moods through clothing choices -- what she refers to as “power outfits.”

--When going through a simple deepening tactic (i.e. count back slowly from ten) she explained she was surrounded by a tornado of color, with aqua blue serving as the dominant visual.  The “color of hypnosis” is something I first wrote about last year when sharing self-hypnosis with another highly intelligent and creative person.

--And finally, my use of power words to stimulate feelings of confidence proved relatively ineffective because of her preference for visual reinforcement.  This is something I continue to think about.