1. Validate!
2. Validate!
3. Validate!
June 25, 2011
Hypnosis, Healing and Compound Interest
There’s a story about the inventor of the chessboard who reportedly showed the game to the emperor of India. The emperor was so impressed that he told the man, “Name your reward.”
The inventor (who must have been a banker) replied, “Sire, my wishes are very simple. I wish only for this. Give me but one grain of rice for the first square of the chessboard, and for all 64 squares double the number of grains as the square before.”
The emperor, surprised that the inventor should ask so little, readily agreed. A week later his treasurer informed him that the sum of grain agreed upon far exceeded that which was produced in the country. In fact, it would take many centuries to meet the sum.
A shift in perception is like a grain of rice. It doesn’t seem like much but, with sufficient reinforcement, it has the potential to transform a life. The world, even.
When Einstein was asked, “What is the most powerful force in the universe?” he replied, "Compound Interest".[i] Why? Look at what happens ….
The first doubling will increase the value to 2 grains. The next doubling will make it 4. The next 8. And so on. 10 doublings will amount to 1,024 grains of rice.
In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything was revealed to be the number 42. When it comes to money, the magic number in compounding is 72. The time it takes to double your money is equal to 72 over the interest rate.
So if your financial investment is earning 3% it will take 24 year to double it. 72/3 = 24. If your investment is earning 6% it will take 12 years to double. At 10%, only 7.2 years.
At 3% it will take 240 years to get 10 doublings.
At 18% it will take only 4 years to double. And 40 years to get 10 doublings.
What’s this got to do with hypnosis?
Dave Elman discovered that compounding a suggestion increases its effectiveness by reinforcing the power of subsequent suggestions. The result? The time required for a suggestion to take effect is significantly shortened. For example, Elman reduced the time it took to get a client into somnambulism from 8 sessions to a single session. And he showed that it could be done in less than four minutes!
Compounding can also be implemented throughout a session to decrease the time it takes for a person to heal. How? By treating even the smallest change as a victory.
Celebrate the small victories and more will surely follow.
As with finance, it’s all about time and interest. The time required really depends upon the client’s level of ‘interest.’ We call that ‘motivation’. The greater the motivation, the deeper and more rapid the healing.
A Course in Miracles states that “to heal is to make happy.” It has also been said that happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Healing doesn’t happen all at once. So it makes sense to release the negative feeling, then immediately affirm the positive, better feeling. By validating each and every increment of change, we are virtually doubling the potency of change at a subconscious level of mind! Not only does it become more believable – it becomes much more powerfully believable.
“You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative.” – Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen
If it’s true that the Universe abhors a vacuum then filling the void after each and every release will yield better results.
Law of Attraction suggests that the Universe is qualitative, not quantitative. The idea is that if you can celebrate finding a penny on the street, you’re more likely to attract larger sums. This certainly fits with our understanding of how the subconscious, feeling mind actually works.
“What the mind expects tends to be realized.”
– Gerald Kein
It’s not what we think consciously that decides what we get in life. It’s how we feel that determines our expectations.
“Name your reward,” by using ‘the most powerful force in the universe’ to transform a single grain of positive change into a healing.
The Devil’s Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing is now available as a 9 module e-book. Contact me to receive the first three chapters. wendie@devilstherapy.com
June 19, 2011
Quantum Leap - Healing with the Mind
I remember a TV program a few years back called "Quantum Leap." It communicated the concepts of quantum physics in very simple terms for the general public.
The story was about a scientist who gets trapped in his own experiment. A blunder into uncontrolled time travel bounces the scientist from one event to another (providing weekly episodes).
The hero’s quest is to find the answer that will allow him to leap home (the season-ender). It takes a while, but eventually the scientist comes to realize that he can't leave the event until he has resolved something (the episode's challenge)
He's stuck until he can figure out what's calling for healing.
When he has successfully resolved the problem, the course of history is permanently changed for the better. Only then does the hero leap free of the event. And into another (just in time for next weeks show!)
Our hero is a slow-learner but eventually he figures something out - the Universe is intelligent! (hmmm ... didn't Einstein say that?)
Each episode becomes a mission. By accepting the Will of the Universe and discovering his purpose for being in each event, the scientist hopes that "this one" will be the event that will finally send him home.
Sounds a lot like bouncing around from one SSE to another in search of the ISE, doesn't it?
My training in ISE/SSE theory helped me understand how the subconscious mind can turn a molehill into a mountain. It showed me in very black and white, logical, rational terms how repetition of a theme can reinforce certain misperceptions and fears. And how these can become beliefs.And how beliefs can really mess up (create) your reality.
And it showed me in LINEAR terms.
The problem is ... time is not linear! As far as the subconscious mind is concerned, it's all still happening NOW!
In Quantum Leap, the viewer was invited to imagine time as a "ball of twine." The hero is leaping from one point of connection to another. So it's all still happening NOW.
Like that ball of twine, the subconscious mind is all balled up. Memory is recorded, and can be accessed, randomly. There are points of connections (through association). And each point of connection holds an information-rich energetic event.
The question on Einstein's mind was, I believe ... What's at the core of that ball of twine?
Quantum Physics tells us that at the core of everything is an energy frequency, a vibrational signature that defines it. Doesn't this sound a lot like the concept of "Source Energy"?
I believe that the energy at the core of each of us is essentially loving. What each of us is seeking is, in one form or another, Love. So it makes sense to me that, as Sondra Ray wrote, "Love brings up everything unlike itself".
Anything that conflicts with our Core Energy (that which we ARE) is going to generate dissonance. And anything that feels unloving and uncomfortable is going to be perceived as a "problem."
I believe the true goal of regression Hypnotherapy is not to seek out the ISE (though it often helps) but to return the client to the awareness of Love within them. (As Parkhill says, there's really only one ISE - the perception of separation from Source). This is our source of safety, security, well-being, health, harmony, and "good". In fact, one of the essential components of healing with regression Hypnotherapy is to "find the good."
“To forgive is to find the good.” – Stephen Parkhill
The process of ‘finding the good’ has evolved for me. These days it’s more of a test than an exercise in reframing. When the client can find good in a previously distressing event it tells me that they are finally reconnecting with the Love. The better it feels, the more resonance is occurring. The greater the resonance with Love the deeper the release. And the deeper the release the more complete the healing.
If the client has difficulty finding some good in a past event, it indicates that something is still calling for healing. Something is still unresolved. Sometimes the client just needs a little help to make sense of things so they can finally let go. Often it means more releasing is required to allow Love to flow back into them fully.
“Love is all you need.” – The Beatles
Healing is always about finding the Love. Which brings me to the flu epidemic .....
During the dark ages it was believed that illness was caused by "evil spirits." The job of the physician was to "exorcise the demons". They used the modern techniques of their time, for example, blood-letting.
Modern medicine still believes in evil spirits - they're called bacteria and viruses. Don't get me wrong! Medicine 'rocks' when it comes to acute care! If I'm busted up up from a car accident, I want surgery, pain meds and antibiotics. And the sooner, the better!
But when it comes to disease (dis-ease) that's a whole ‘nuther thing. Medicine just doesn't have a great track record dealing with chronic conditions. (including viral)
The cause of any dis-ease is what determines the cure. The perceived "cause", however, depends on what lens you're looking through. If you're a pharmacologist, you see a drug deficiency. If you're a surgeon, the solution lies in cutting. If you're a psychiatrist, the brain chemistry is running amok.
But regardless ... whether you're a neurologist ... or a naturopath ... or a Hypnotherapist ... it all boils down to carpentry. If all you've got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
A Course in Miracles suggests that any means a person chooses can facilitate healing. That's because the means is not the cause of the healing. Some people are 'cured' with chemotherapy - not by. Some people are 'cured' with Hypnotherapy - not by. The operative word is "with." One should not underestimate the power of free will!
A Course in Miracles is a course in spiritual psychotherapy that provides a lot of useful guidelines for healing with the Mind. Stephen Parkhill, author of Answer Cancer, recommended that his students read the 50 Principles of Miracles at the beginning of the text.
One thing the Course states is that "healing is certain." It also states that when healing is seen as a threat, it will always stand aside.
How about that! Regardless of what methods are employed, without the client's acceptance of the healing there will be no change. That's why no one pill works for everybody. It's also why we require the clients consent to proceed each step of the way.
No matter how great your technique – you can’t make a person heal! No one can.
I view what we do as sacred work. It’s about leading a mind out of darkness and into the light; guiding a person from fear to Love.
Now, I'm not a "churchy" person, but I did enjoy Sunday School as a child. I remember a line from Psalms 23 ... "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me ... "
That sums up regression Hypnotherapy for me! I'm asking the client to let me guide them through their fears (the Valley of Shadows). I'm asking them to not resist feeling the bad feelings (evil). Or, for that matter, the good feelings! I’m asking them to accept the Will of the Universe so they can find some purpose and meaning in those things that happened.
So they can finally be free of the shadows of the past.
Whether an event is the ISE or an SSE, it’s always about the Love. It’s Love that brings up everything unlike itself to be healed. And it’s Love that lights our way.
Finding strength, meaning, purpose, and wisdom in any event will increase a person’s resourcefulness, confidence, and self-esteem. This alone can transform a person’s life for the better. But reconnecting with the Love will bring them home to their wholeness.
That’s the quantum leap.
Want more? Email me at wendie@devilstherapy.com and I'll send you the first three chapters of The Devil's Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing.
June 12, 2011
Did that really happen? Regression Hypnotherapy - fact or fiction?
Following a regression hypnotherapy session, my client looked at me and asked, “How do I know if those things really happened?”
This wasn’t the first time I have been asked this question. And it probably won’t be the last.
So, are the events that surface during age regression real?
There’s no flat ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. What we know is that the mind works through association. That’s why current situations can act as “triggers” which bring up unresolved thoughts and feelings from the past.
It’s also what makes age regression possible. We use this ability of the mind to associate back to earlier events.
The problem is that the subconscious mind is not rational. Reason and rationale are characteristics of the conscious mind. The subconscious mind has its own reasons. And sometimes they’re not that rational! Which is why we can come up with all the reasons why we should change – our thoughts, feelings, behavior - and then fail to do so.
The subconscious mind does not make a distinction between real and imagined. If you have ever walked in the garden at dusk and felt your heart leap into your throat as you mistook the garden hose for a snake, you know about this tendency. Even though the snake was imaginary, all the physiological responses associated with unexpectedly encountering a threat on your path were real.
Ever had a nightmare? Was it real or imagined? Did you wake in a sweat? Was your heart pounding in your chest? Breathing hard? As far as your subconscious mind was concerned, that experience was real. Very real.
Reality is really just a matter of perception.
Children are wonderfully imaginative and creative. And the younger the child, the more limited the knowledge-base from which to interpret events. As a result, misperceptions can form early in life.
Up until about age 3, a child’s perception of the world around it is predominantly egocentric. Whatever is happening is perceived by the child as an extension of him/herself. So, if Mommy and Daddy are fighting, it is not ‘unreasonable’ for the child to assume that s/he is responsible for causing the conflict.
The subconscious mind is the repository of all our learning. And it is magnificently efficient. It forms habits so we don’t have to keep re-learning things we do routinely. Imagine what life would be like if we had to keep re-learning how to tie our shoe-laces, brush our teeth, tell time, or drive a car!
Habits make us more efficient.
Unfortunately, this subconscious efficiency includes a tendency to generalize learning. So events that are similar can get merged into a single memory-event. I think of this as a sort of file compression. The episodes are so similar or repetitive that they get dumped into the same file.
Is such a memory any less real than the actual events it is comprised of? You tell me.
The younger the child the more body-centered it is. And the less ability it has to reason. The critical factor of the mind isn’t really in place until 5 or 6 years of age. And the brain’s logic centers aren’t fully developed until around age 12 to 14! So there’s plenty of opportunity for even the most harmless event to be traumatizing.
Trauma is defined as any event (real or imagined) that is perceived as life-threatening (regardless of logic) and experienced in a state of helplessness.
The most helpless state is that of infancy. The only defense an infant possesses is its ability to cry for help. No child can survive long without a caregiver. So, if help does not come when the child cries (either quickly enough or consistently), the child interprets this as life-threatening. And this seeds fear.
A rigid feeding schedule can be traumatizing to a hungry infant! (Believe me, I have dealt with this in regression!)
Trauma also causes dissociation. That’s numbing. Leaving the body. This is actually a natural response meant to protect us from the pain. The problem is that it also blocks our ability to think which distorts perception.
Did it really happen exactly as reported? The more intense the emotion present, the less likely the report ‘facts’ are accurate. But feelings don’t lie.
I’m not interest in ‘what happened’ so much as how it affected the child. And how it continues to affect the client. I realize subconscious ‘truth’ is frequently at odds with rational, adult thinking. My job is to help the client heal by resolving the conflict between their head and their heart.
So whenever a client asks, “Was that event real?” I ask, “Was the feeling you were just feeling real?”
And, of course, it was.
I then ask, “How do you know it was real?”
Answer: They could feel it in the body.
I then ask the client how they feel now. Having released the feeling, they naturally feel better. More peaceful. Happy, even.
I then ask, “What’s more important? That you be ‘right’ or happy?
“These were simply the ‘facts’ as your subconscious mind is concerned. Realize they were based in the perceptions of the child you once were. Children routinely misperceive events. So distortions in memory are possible.
“But feelings never lie.
“We’re not here to do forensics! We’re here to help your subconscious mind understand that you’re not a child anymore. So you can heal and feel better. And you do feel better, don’t you?”
So, now I ask you - what’s more important?
Validating that an event really happened?
Or healing the feelings so the client can be happy?
The Devil’s Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing is now available! To request your free sampling email wendie@devilstherapy.com and I’ll send you the first three chapters from Module 1 (there are 9).
June 5, 2011
Healing the Body
Don’t get me started on the topic of socialized dependency on health care. We have all been socially conditioned to abdicate responsibility for own well-being.
Looks like the Matrix has us!
What this results in is unconscious expectations that the hypnotist be an ‘alternative’ health care provider. That means a provider of ‘magic pills.’ And usually when all others attempts have failed.
Unfortunately, some hypnotists market to this belief. Stage hypnosis reinforces the “power over” perception which can sometimes help, by reinforcing belief in the power of the mind. But it can also hinder the profession by reinforcing the encultured ‘fixology’ mentality.
The truth is – all healing is self-healing.
The power to heal resides with client. Not the healer. That’s what the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, taught his students. The job of the healer is to remove the blocks to the body’s ability to heal.
The block is in the mind. And, according to psychoneuroimmunologist, Candace Pert, the mind is in the body.
A Course in Miracles states that the body cannot make decisions. Only the mind can make decisions. All healing occurs in the mind.
According to German New Medicine (GNM), disease is the result of a life experience. It is a patterned response which reflects a conflict in the mind. GNM calls this a ‘biological conflict.’
The conflict pattern is comprised of a perception, feeling(s), and a decision.
Biologically, it all boils down to the perception of ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe;. The initial feeling associated with negative perception is either comfortable or uncomfortable. Good or bad. Bad results in resistance or constriction. A pulling away from response.
All feeling can be reduced to either expansion or contraction. Relaxed is expansive. Happy is expansive. Loving is expansive. Love – capital L - is expansive. Love is about safeness.
Fear contracts. Anger contracts. Sadness contracts. It pulls one into oneself. In this way we make ourselves energetically smaller in the face of danger. Fear is always about un-safeness.
All negative feelings are rooted in fear. Anger is the defensive expression of fear. It occurs when there is no perceived avenue of escape. No control. No sense of choice. It is not merely a reflection of fairness. It is a reflection of vulnerability and over-stimulation. When the switch flips, anger takes over.
Mice have been shown to attack when over-stimulated. Unable to escape from the cat, they’ll freeze. But when the cat plays with its prey, the mouse will become over-stimulated and turn on the cat.
When the mouse roars it is because helplessness has been over-ridden by anger as self-protection.
Anger is bio-chemically different from fear, but fear precedes anger. It’s the switch.
The decision that follows a feeling is some sort of action. The action may occur at a cellular level. That’s because the first movement is energy. Energy in Motion.
Perception; either safe or unsafe, loving or unloving.
Feeling; either expansion or contraction, comfortable or uncomfortable.
Decision; E-motion. The movement of energy through the body is at a cellular level[i].
The nature of the perceived conflict determines the area of the body that will produce symptoms. The important point is that what goes on in the body serves a purpose. The action occurring at a physical level is always to satisfy a perceived need.
Edgar Cayce said, “Mind is the builder.”
Just as a fight/flight response logically diverts blood flow from digestion to the limbs, inhibits cognitive function to shunt responsibility for responses onto the automatic brain, and adrenaline is produced to provide added strength for action, every part of the body reacts logically to the perception.
So problems at the body level make sense.
Stephen Parkhill said that disease is not the body running amok. It is not the enemy. It is simply an expression of a decision of mind based upon past perceptions
And perception is the domain of MIND.
Change the perception and the body will heal.
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