As the colder weather starts to come to the east coast again, I'm starting to pick up on my winter reading again. There are fantastic sources out there for tons of stuff and some surfing can turn up some gems. The more you read about hypnosis and the history and the concepts and ideas, the more fascinating it becomes. The electronic age allows Hypnotists (such as we do now thanks to Cal) to expand their knowledge like never before.
The one source I've been reading lately is Andre Weitzenhoffer. Most people know of him as associated with the Stanford tests with Hilgard, but finding and reading his writings has been very enlightening. He brings a strange background, originally trained in Engineering, taught Physiology, his writings have the viewpoint of a true scientist, even though he became a Psychologist. His writings have a perspective of "What exactly are we dealing with here?". He did numerous studies in scientific settings and came up with some surprising results. The one thing I found out also is that he changed with his experiences, as we all should. He went back twice on his classic book "The Practice of Hypnotism" to revise his thoughts and beliefs.
So read something this winter ! We can always learn and get new ideas. And who knows when something we might see or figure out might change our whole world.
I sometimes wonder where Hypnosis would be today in the US without the continued efforts of a handful of our Masters and the NGH. Without their efforts I wonder what the Hypnotist and Hypnotherapist would be ? Would we be relegated to a curiosity or considered legitimate practitioners ? Without people guiding us toward innovation and integrity and willing to help others, what would become of the field ? Would Hypnosis have a viable future ?
I'd have to say, "I don't know". But I sure am glad we have professionals to look up to and learn from. I especially think of Cal and Gerry when I am thankful for the direction we are pointed in. They keep it real and keep the important things up front and inspire us to constantly look for news ways to help clients.
More and more, the work of Milton Erickson seems like an anomaly in medicine as hypnotherapy has been mostly abandoned by all except a few for being too complex. Prescription drugs are the direction of Psychotherapy anymore. Even Erickson's best students have failed to go beyond his work and are now an aging curiosity.
That has left the mostly lay practitioners to continue with the search for advancements and new, beneficial ideas. New technology is available that hopefully will make new ideas a reality, We have unprecedented access to the workings of the mind via technology and research that can enable new frontiers. It really is an exciting time and the spirit of discovery and innovation should be with all of us.
It's worthwhile to consider that most of what we know today was discovered by practitioners that were discredited or ridiculed in their time. It took someone going back over their work to see that they were really on to something.
Gerry always reminds that the work done by people in the past can often contain the future. We all must be students of our history and the experience of those before us. We all have seen the amazing potential of Hypnosis and one cannot help but think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg.
We must continue with the spirit of innovation and discovery. We are in a unprecedented time of communications where ideas can be spread, developed and tested among many. Our present is our future and what we can contribute and it also is our past, what those before us have left for us. We must combine them and create the future. Never stand still !
One of the great things about going through life with an open mind is being able to find great gifts in unlikely places. Well, the internet really isn't that unlikely anymore, but the source, Dr. Mike Murdoch, definitely is. I listened to part of his "Wisdom Keys" lecture and he said, "Don't complain about what you permit".
It took some thinking about it, but the idea started to take form. I began to see what Dr. Mike was saying. We are not all victims of circumstance in many of the ways we think we are. "I'm so unhappy and my life is just miserable", well, what are you doing to change that ? Why are you permitting unhappiness in your life, and why would I enjoy listening to you complain about it ? "My job is depressing me !!", well get out there and get another.
It's all about not getting caught in the negative sphere, the "What If", the pity party. Why sit back and wonder where all the negatives came from when we can get up, get out and be a positive part of this world. The Law of Attraction is alive and well and those black clouds aren't over your head by accident.
There is inherent good in all of mankind and it often comes down to an unfortunate choice taken that determines our earthly fate. The more we are pointing in the right direction, the less chance we have to make a wrong turn.
Hypnosis is an excellent way to empower individuals to make the positive decisions needed to become happy, fulfilled and necessary in life. It can be a catalyst to overcoming procrastination and fear and starting a strong positive plan of action.
The IT (Information Technology) World has taken us, over the past 20 years, on a rapid induction into a totally new way of life. Just think of it, 20 years ago we didn't have Cable, VCR, DVD, web pages, blogs and a wealth of information and services available to us we only dreamed of. I can have the knowledge I need in 5 minutes, which would have taken a full day (if at all) in 1987.
Many of us don't realize that it's people who made that happen, IT Professionals who work in a high-pressure, dog-eat-dog, sink-or-swim world. I should know, I've done it for 26 years.
The stress and anxiety of that world has doubled since Y2K and companies very often try to discard long-term professionals in favor of cheap outsourcing and younger, less expensive employees. With many of these professionals already coming under the pressure of trying to send children through college, plan for retirement and possibly dealing with the old age or death of parents, this field has become a pressure cooker. When you look at the likes of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and think computers have made fortunes for many, they have also created as many or more problems with the individuals who sought success in this modern day gold rush.
After 20 years in the field, many in IT feel like and old carpet, frayed from years of being walked upon with little thought of care and cleaning. They sense the day coming where they will be replaced by a cheaper, new wall-to-wall that promises no upkeep and a small price per square foot.
The effect on these people is devastating beyond the mental, inducing life-taking medical conditions. The employers are of little or no help, often cutting benefits and increasing the demand for productivity and increasing work hours. Sixty to Eighty hour work weeks are not uncommon in the IT field. Additionally, most of the employees are salaried, so they make no additional money for sacrificing their home lives.
If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because that was me. Stress and pressure like that you can't handle with "normal" measures. I found what I needed in Self-Hypnosis. It provided me with daily stress management and enabled me to make better choices towards a happy, healthy lifestyle. I enabled me to view my situation different and to take positive steps for change. It has saved my life, and it can for many in the IT field.
May be a slight exaggeration, but I'm always amazed to uncover the actual fears people carry through life. I think about the fellow you see in the airport, the one lugging all the bags and when he finally gets to the shuttle bus stop and puts down the bags, he lets out a great sigh. Most people are always carrying baggage of that sort from fear of bees, spiders (a popular one), mice and rats (popular too), sirens, motorcycles, elevators, planes, man-hole covers, bogeymen and birds. Those fears just add to the burden of life, and really, they make almost no sense. Hypnotherapy is the perfect solution and overlooked by most of the public as an essential tool in having a happy life.
I'm always interested in new friends, new ideas and insights. Minds are made to be open, not closed.
