8th September 2012: The birds are singing and the clock is ticking. I have created a self hypnosis affirmation in which the sound of the clock ticking is benevolent, that it helps me to be organised and punctual. Organised and punctual. That's right. Being organised and punctual feels good. Very good. The clock tick is a friendly little voice saying 'on time feels fine'.
It is now day 8 of the 9 day course in Clinical Hypnotherapy with Roger Saxelby. This block focuses mainly on the kind of relaxation and visualisation work used in a wide variety of situations and modalities, the history of Hypnotherapy, the ways it can be used and how to use it effectively to help yourself and others. This block of the course (I'm doing the full course) focuses mainly on using the positive affirmation style hypnotherapy. Affirmations aren't very effective when you're just using them with your conscious mind, you have to by pass that and get to The Deep! We will learn how to do the regressive process in the October block. There are three other people in the classroom for this part of the course, and to say we are all rather strong characters would be a mild way of putting it. It's like a strange sitcom. A very funny one.
Roger is a sweet, smart man of later years, and though hard of hearing he is sharp in mind. He emphasises the fact that hypnotherapy may have a rather mystical reputation, but that it is effective for reasons that are based in science. Discussions cover the full gamut - is it really possible to create a 'Manchurian Candidate', what's the difference between stage hypnotism and clinical hypnotherapy, the use of hypnotic techniques in religion, politics and advertising, can people be hypnotised to do things they don't want to? We practice on each other, and Roger encourages us to write 'scripts' for different situations using positive language, also role playing situations which may arise. The main fear that people have is that they will be hypnotised into doing or saying something against their will. Hypnotism works on the subconscious, and your subconscious must still give permission for you to do or say anything. You can't do something unless on some level, you really want to do it. The exception to this is when brainwashing techniques accompany hypnotherapy. Brainwashing techniques involve things like changing the diet, restricting sleep and being worked into a highly emotional state. Cult leaders certainly know how to play that game, and sometimes less nefarious outfits use brainwashing techniques for reasons of enlightenment. I never have managed to do a Vipassana retreat, but I can't say I'm in any hurry to meditate for 8 hours a day, rise at 4am, eat small vegetarian meals ... and not speak. For 11 days straight. I sometimes toy with the idea and then think 'ah, nah'. I'd rather do 90 minutes of yoga, or walk for two hours, and then have a nice glass of wine.
Hypnotherapy itself is powerful, but it is only as powerful as your own subconscious.
Years ago I went to a stage hypnotism show. I can't remember who the guy was, but I volunteered along with about 9 others to get on stage to be hypnotised. I believed I would be. I was quite excited about it. As I stood there and he did his thing, I felt that nothing he said was having an effect on me. I felt like a dick. I was also wearing very high heels and a short skirt. There was a fear, not even a subconscious one, that I might fall over and give everyone more of a show than intended. I could not relax. I opened my eyes and looked at all the others with their arms out in front of them as if they were sleep walking. I thought 'they must be pretending' and walked off the stage and back to my seat in the audience.
When I went to Caroline Cranshaw (Hypnotherapist) last year, I'd already decided that I didn't really care if hypnosis didn't feel the way I thought it would. I trusted her and as a result, I could relax and let go of fear. The letting go of fear made it easy to enter into an altered state, and it's a perfectly natural state that we can all learn. Athletes use it with great success, and there are many amazing examples of people using hypnosis to give up smoking, lose weight and increase confidence. I would love to help people achieve their goals. That's my goal. To help you with yours. What I love is how it isn't any great mystery. The Hypnotist is no magician, simply a facilitator.
Evening Time:
Another information packed day, very intense for me. Having such good laughs with my fellow students. Very good puns being thrown around daily. Can't say too much of it all, got to respect the privacy of people who will be future colleagues. I'm feeling very motivated by what I'm learning.
Quick Life Update
I decided to take a very long break from The Sexy Ex a few weeks ago. That's been fine. I haven't even missed sex, hasn't been a worry at all. I am back on internet dating and feel very positive about it. I'm getting the best selection of men messaging me, men with minds, men with questions, men with communication skills and reasonable levels of self awareness. Quite good looking ones too. I may or may not share what happens with such things depending on my mood.
I'm considering drawing the blog to a close and using that time to write a book that's been simmering away inside me for about 9 years. I originally wrote quite a lot of it and then the computer I had died and I lost everything I'd written. I've been procrastinating ever since. Now that I can hypnotise myself I may as well direct that skill into any areas of procrastination or fear. I've always worried that it just won't be good enough. That I'm not good enough. Inferiority complex beggone, you are a figment of my overactive subconscious and I'm seeing what you're up to!
Tomorrow is the last day of this part of the course. I will go on to do the second part in October.
On Monday I'm back teaching English to the women who have gone through SHAKTI foundation for domestic abuse. I'll be doing it voluntarily, 12 weeks worth, and I'm excited about showing the women how to use relaxation techniques and visualisation to assist them with problems like insomnia and low self esteem. All of that can be incorporated into English lessons, so all the learning will be saturated with self empowerment.
So much I'm thinking about. So much to keep learning.
The Painter is back from Europe! He has gone on a journey that I knew would be transformative and healing, and I do think the answers he seeks are within close reach. Although I did not get on a plane or a train (or even a bus) in the last five weeks, I feel like I have somehow also travelled very far. I've gone very deep. Very deep.
I'm very sleepy.
So sleepy.
Night night. x
Roger is a sweet, smart man of later years, and though hard of hearing he is sharp in mind. He emphasises the fact that hypnotherapy may have a rather mystical reputation, but that it is effective for reasons that are based in science. Discussions cover the full gamut - is it really possible to create a 'Manchurian Candidate', what's the difference between stage hypnotism and clinical hypnotherapy, the use of hypnotic techniques in religion, politics and advertising, can people be hypnotised to do things they don't want to? We practice on each other, and Roger encourages us to write 'scripts' for different situations using positive language, also role playing situations which may arise. The main fear that people have is that they will be hypnotised into doing or saying something against their will. Hypnotism works on the subconscious, and your subconscious must still give permission for you to do or say anything. You can't do something unless on some level, you really want to do it. The exception to this is when brainwashing techniques accompany hypnotherapy. Brainwashing techniques involve things like changing the diet, restricting sleep and being worked into a highly emotional state. Cult leaders certainly know how to play that game, and sometimes less nefarious outfits use brainwashing techniques for reasons of enlightenment. I never have managed to do a Vipassana retreat, but I can't say I'm in any hurry to meditate for 8 hours a day, rise at 4am, eat small vegetarian meals ... and not speak. For 11 days straight. I sometimes toy with the idea and then think 'ah, nah'. I'd rather do 90 minutes of yoga, or walk for two hours, and then have a nice glass of wine.
Hypnotherapy itself is powerful, but it is only as powerful as your own subconscious.
Years ago I went to a stage hypnotism show. I can't remember who the guy was, but I volunteered along with about 9 others to get on stage to be hypnotised. I believed I would be. I was quite excited about it. As I stood there and he did his thing, I felt that nothing he said was having an effect on me. I felt like a dick. I was also wearing very high heels and a short skirt. There was a fear, not even a subconscious one, that I might fall over and give everyone more of a show than intended. I could not relax. I opened my eyes and looked at all the others with their arms out in front of them as if they were sleep walking. I thought 'they must be pretending' and walked off the stage and back to my seat in the audience.
When I went to Caroline Cranshaw (Hypnotherapist) last year, I'd already decided that I didn't really care if hypnosis didn't feel the way I thought it would. I trusted her and as a result, I could relax and let go of fear. The letting go of fear made it easy to enter into an altered state, and it's a perfectly natural state that we can all learn. Athletes use it with great success, and there are many amazing examples of people using hypnosis to give up smoking, lose weight and increase confidence. I would love to help people achieve their goals. That's my goal. To help you with yours. What I love is how it isn't any great mystery. The Hypnotist is no magician, simply a facilitator.
Evening Time:
Another information packed day, very intense for me. Having such good laughs with my fellow students. Very good puns being thrown around daily. Can't say too much of it all, got to respect the privacy of people who will be future colleagues. I'm feeling very motivated by what I'm learning.
Quick Life Update
I decided to take a very long break from The Sexy Ex a few weeks ago. That's been fine. I haven't even missed sex, hasn't been a worry at all. I am back on internet dating and feel very positive about it. I'm getting the best selection of men messaging me, men with minds, men with questions, men with communication skills and reasonable levels of self awareness. Quite good looking ones too. I may or may not share what happens with such things depending on my mood.
I'm considering drawing the blog to a close and using that time to write a book that's been simmering away inside me for about 9 years. I originally wrote quite a lot of it and then the computer I had died and I lost everything I'd written. I've been procrastinating ever since. Now that I can hypnotise myself I may as well direct that skill into any areas of procrastination or fear. I've always worried that it just won't be good enough. That I'm not good enough. Inferiority complex beggone, you are a figment of my overactive subconscious and I'm seeing what you're up to!
Tomorrow is the last day of this part of the course. I will go on to do the second part in October.
On Monday I'm back teaching English to the women who have gone through SHAKTI foundation for domestic abuse. I'll be doing it voluntarily, 12 weeks worth, and I'm excited about showing the women how to use relaxation techniques and visualisation to assist them with problems like insomnia and low self esteem. All of that can be incorporated into English lessons, so all the learning will be saturated with self empowerment.
So much I'm thinking about. So much to keep learning.
The Painter is back from Europe! He has gone on a journey that I knew would be transformative and healing, and I do think the answers he seeks are within close reach. Although I did not get on a plane or a train (or even a bus) in the last five weeks, I feel like I have somehow also travelled very far. I've gone very deep. Very deep.
I'm very sleepy.
So sleepy.
Night night. x
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