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

Cosmo Goes All-In with Hypnosis

Here is a wonderful article in Cosmopolitan about a woman's experience with hypnosis.  Her initial goal was to use visualization as a tool to have more energy in the morning, yet the ultimate outcome turned out to be much more meaningful.

Good for Cosmo for showcasing how hypnosis can serve as a tool to inspire health, wellness and exceptional living.


I Got Hypnotized to Boost My Confidence and Feel Like a Bombshell
Cosmopolitan (10.26.15)

I honestly say I felt super-relaxed yet doubtful that anything would actually change.  It wasn't until I woke up the next day that I noticed a difference. I felt amazing. The first thing in my closet fit perfectly. My liquid eyeliner winged out flawlessly on the first try. My husband, my boss, the Starbucks guy — pretty much everyone I saw complimented me on something.

Ghouls, Goblins, Ghosts and...Hypnosis!

This gateway welcomes visitors to Nightmare Manor in Ijamsville, MD.

There is a rhythm to my performance schedule each year.

Springtime brings opportunities with social groups who are ramping up member meetings and activities.  May and June are dedicated to high school after prom and all night graduation parties.  Summer and fall are about county fairs and festivals.  And, of course, December is corporate and holiday party season and New Year’s Eve.

One surprise performance niche I’ve enjoyed is Halloween themed events.  I’m now four years in with gigs at Bradley Fair Haunted House, Cox Farms Fields of Fear, Laurel’s House of Horrors and…this year…Nightmare Manor in Ijamsville, Maryland. 

Rather than a stage show, I’m typically asked to be part of a line-up of entertainers who engage with guests who have purchased tickets and are waiting to enter the attraction.  Nightmare Manor has me partnered up with a magician and fire eaters.

I’ll be back on site this coming Thursday, October 29 from 7 PM until 10 PM.  I encourage you to join me for a scary, good time.

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Here are links to a few articles I have written in past years about my Halloween-themed performances:

A Scary Good Time at Cox Farms’ Fields of Fear

Back to Bradley Farm: Recap of this Weekend’s Hypnotic Experience

Pre-Talk Takes the Scare Out of Hypnosis

Super fun haunts at Nightmare Manor.  I'll entertain this Thursday, October 29 from 7 PM until 10 PM.

3 Blog Favorites from 2012

During the past three years I have penned more than 200 articles for this blog about the use of hypnosis as a tool for health, wellness and exceptional living.  I invite you to take a stroll through the blog archive in the right hand column for links to reads you may find interesting and informative.

Here are links to three of my favorites from 2012.  Each article details a specific experience a person had while under hypnosis.  Interesting indeed!

Hypnosis:  One Woman, an Artist and a PhD Candidate

A few weeks back I connected with a woman in follow-up to a seminar I co-hosted.  She expressed an interest in experiencing hypnosis with her live-in boyfriend and a few of their adult-aged children.

What Does It Feel Like to be Hypnotized?

One of my volunteers was surrounded by her friends who peppered her with questions.  What did it feel like?  Do you remember anything?  Are you sleepy?

Hypnosis Skeptic Finds it “Amazing”

The nurses mentioned acupuncture, yoga and meditation as options.  I inquired about hypnosis to which one of the nurses quickly dismissed the practice as merely a bunch of mind tricks.  “I’m way skeptical about it even being real,” she said.

Finding the Science in a Runner’s High

New research provides more insight into the runner's high.  (Photo: Yptparis.com)

I have a friend who considers running the best form of therapy.

 

When it is just you and your thoughts, you have this amazing ability to work things out, she once told me.

As it turns out, the healing solitude of a good run may produce a meaningful and all natural reaction in the brain that has an affect similar to marijuana.   

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that “anxious mice that went for a run were much calmer, and that levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids in their bloodstreams were elevated.”

Endocannabinoids generate a comparable euphoria in the brain as a strong hit of pot.  Endocannabinoids are naturally occurring though and, of course, perfectly legal.

So…the next time you are stressed and anxious, take a few laps around the track at the local high school.  You’ll feel (and look) fabulous.

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Looking for a fun scare this Halloween season?  Check out Nightmare Manor in Ijamsville, Maryland, which is located between Gaithersburg and Frederick.  Come by on October 16, 23 or 24 and you’ll also enjoy my “Hypnotic Experience” show.  I’m part of the entertainment!

3 Snapshots of Hypnosis in Action

I enjoy all aspects of a Hypnotic Experience performance gone right – the engaged audience, interested volunteers and an appreciative event organizer.

Perhaps most rewarding for me though is the one-on-one conversations I often have after a show with individuals who become interested in how to incorporate self-hypnosis into their life.  It’s all about empowerment for health, wellness and exceptional living.

Last week I had the pleasure to meet individually with three women who I have met at either a show or in some other social environment.  Each has a specific challenge they sought to address through the practice of hypnosis and positive visualization.

Here’s a snapshot of each:

Focused Professional

About

An intelligent, dynamic person who works in a highly skilled career environment, often defined by pressure situations.

Goal

Reduce anxiety and improve performance when giving a presentation in front of a significant number of colleagues and/or peers.

Visualization

Focus on a moment of personal and/or professional accomplishment and subconsciously attach the feeling of strength and confidence to a power word.

Mother To Be

About

A newly expectant mother in a loving relationship with one son.

Goal

Become a non-smoker without the use of the patch or other type of nicotine based solution.

Visualization

Healing waters to wash away the desire to smoke, subconsciously replacing it with feelings of connection to family.

Pulled in Many Directions

About

A finance executive and single mother of three children all under the age of 10.

Goal

Stress management and patience to facilitate more productive interactions with children.

Visualization

Subconsciously connect the face (or thoughts) of her children with a sense of love, comfort and serenity.  

Volunteers at a Hypnotic Experience show with a focus on visualization for health and wellness.

Perfect Day at Burke Centre Festival

A musical puppet show is a hit with younger guests at the Burke Centre Festival.

This past Sunday was one of those perfect weather days in the Washington, DC area.  Lots of sunshine, a temperature in the mid-70s, low humidity and a pleasant breeze.

It created an ideal setting for my “Hypnotic Experience” show at the Burke Centre Festival, a must-attend community event in Northern Virginia. 

This was my third year on-site as part of the entertainment line-up.  The professional staff at the Burke Centre Conservancy (the event organizer) is a pleasure to work with and I always attract lots of volunteers who are open to giving hypnosis a try. 

In five hours on-site, I had more than 75 people experience a simple hypnotic induction.  It was a wonderful mix of younger kids, teens and tweens, and adults.

Included below is a nice note I received from my contact at the Burke Centre Conservancy, as well as links to the articles I have written the past two years about the event.

I look forward to seeing my Burke friends again in early September 2016! 

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“Many thanks for joining us again this year (at the Burke Centre Festival). We sincerely appreciate your time and interest in this worthwhile community outreach effort.”

Jeannie Winslow, Director of Administration

Burke Centre Festival Shines

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.  Here are a couple of observations from yesterday’s festival…

Photos from Hypnosis Show at Burke Centre Festival

On Saturday evening I was one of the entertainers at the festival's Wine Garden, a relaxed gathering that featured tastings, light snacks and performances from local musicians.  It was a family friendly environment, yet attended mostly by adults.

Main stage at the festival hosts performances by local groups.