How dream working and Benjamin Franklin can make you a better hypnotherapist

If you think about it, the subconscious mind uses the same language as dreams – images and feelings. And any problem that we might deal with in the hypnosis office has its origins in the same place as the client’s night dreams. 

The MIND.

Our thoughts and beliefs come out of our feelings and perceptions. So our job, as hypnosis professionals, is to help our clients change the underlying perceptions. So they can feel better. And make better choices that support health, wealth, and happiness.

In other words, so they can heal.

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a self-study program in psycho-spiritual healing.  At the core of ACIM is the role of forgiveness in healing. And the Course states, “To heal is to make happy.” 

Isn’t that all anyone really wants? 

Anything we might want to change is so we can be happy. And what needs to change is the perception that’s keeping us stuck and unhappy. And that’s what hypnotherapy facilitates.

Healing hypnosis is a process. It’s a process of restoring the client to a state of happiness. 

Health is a state of physical happiness. 

Peace is a state of mental happiness. 

Confidence and contentment is a state of emotional happiness.

In The Devil’s Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing, I used a Grimm’s fairy tale to illustrate this process. In the opening scene, the first thing asked of the hero is, “What’s wrong? You look so unhappy.” This is not merely an observation, “Gosh, you look pretty miserable …”  It’s both a question AND the answer.

What’s wrong … is how you are LOOKING. How you see. It’s a problem of perception.

And dream working, specifically projective dream working, which is what I practice and teach, is a process of transforming perceptions.

Now, dreams are not just those interesting dramas we find ourselves involved in each night when we go to sleep. They’re also our daytime imaginings, mental rehearsals, and worries about the future. 

Whatever is going on in your life, right now … is your dream.

And that’s why hypnotherapy is dream work.  All that you see is just your take on reality. Your perception. And it’s all based on your history. 

Your past experienced formed a lens through which you now view everything. It decides what’s possible. What you deserve. How life works. And what you should expect – from yourself, others, and life.

In the Frank Baum’s book, The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy Gale arrives at the Gates of Oz she is required to put on emerald colored glasses. The Emerald City isn’t really emerald – it just looks that way. That’s what the socializing process does to us. It puts a filter on HOW we will see the world and the things in it. 

We call it programming. It tells us how to see by defining what’s acceptable. And what’s not. 

And this is the fundamental problem. 

What’s not acceptable gets rejected, denied, suppressed, and disowned. It’s still there, mind you. You can’t just throw away Parts of yourself. They just get relegated it to the Unconscious where they can wreak havoc.

We call this repression. 

All pain is a symptom of this perceived separation from Self. We can’t actually actually separate, but we can disconnect from our awareness of self. And this sets up an internal yearning within us.

Sometimes we try to fill it with substances – food, drugs, alcohol, people, work, stuff – but that never works. Not really.

The reason we feel so lost and empty is because those Parts of us that have been denied strive for life. But so long as they are denied full expression, their energy is capped off. They’re trapped. And so are we. 

That energy is our life force. So the more Parts of us we have a lid on, the less energy we have to live. Can you see how physical conditions might get started much earlier in life than we think?

If convention has conditioned us for lack and limitation, then it seems reasonable that the way to freedom and fulfillment must lie with the un-conventional. But there’s the problem. 

Historically, anything that runs contrary to conventional thinking has been deemed ‘the work of the devil.’ Hypnosis has shared this esteemed position. And in some parts of the world, still does. 

Of course, belief has never made a thing real or true. At one time we all believed in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. So I figured, why fight it! 

“The Devil’s Therapy” is at least honest.

Now, I know some in our profession will take offense. That’s okay. I understand what it’s like to fear being ostracized. Criticized. And put down for entertaining thoughts that don’t endorse those of the flock. People have been burned at the stake for far less! 

But I make no apologies. I simply choose to take my counsel from more well-informed sources. 

Take Benjamin Franklin, for example.  He wrote a paper entitled, “Fart Proudly.” (I kid you not.)

Maybe we should take his advice and proudly admit what we do! We’re hypnotists. And we ought to be proud of it!

I’m a hypnotherapist and a dream worker. Dream working has given me a unique perspective on how therapeutic hypnosis works to take a nightmare – whether it’s a night dreams, day dream, or this dream – and transform it into a better dream, a happier dream.

It can do the same for you.

So Benjamin Franklin and Dream Working really can make you a better hypnotherapist.

My website is currently under construction. Check it out!  www.devilstherapy.com

6 Things You Can Do to Remember Your Dreams

Every night we go to sleep. And when we sleep we dream. Most of us have 4 to 5 dreams every night. But how many of us remember them? 

If you want to begin working with your dreams, the first step is to remember them!  Here’s a list of six things you can do to encourage dream recall.

1.      1. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. You won’t remember your dreams if you’re over-tired. Albert Einstein was a prolific dream who slept ten hours a night!

2.      2. Avoid using sleeping pills and alcohol. Recent research shows that prescription sleeping medications don’t work nearly as well as people believe. Not only do they come with serious side effects like heart problems and weight gain, chemical sleeping aids tend to result in amnesia for nighttime awakening. So if you're taking sleeping pills you’re probably not getting the quality sleep you need and your ability to recall your dreams will be inhibited.

Explore natural alternatives with good track records such as melatonin and Valerian root. Valerian increases both deep sleep and REM sleep.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain. Over time, it becomes less and less efficient so melatonin supplementation can not only improve the quality of your sleep, but many other body functions. It has been shown to lower blood pressure in men and used to treat macular degeneration, migraines, and depression.

And high levels of melatonin are associated with dreaming.

3.      3. Keep your sleeping room dark.  When the lights go out the body starts producing melatonin. Unfortunately, we city-dwellers are over-exposed to light at night and light shuts down melatonin production in the brain. Even a bedroom night light can halt melatonin production and disrupt both sleep onset and the duration of sleep.

4.      4. Find a way to relax before bed. Throughout the day we build up a lot of excess energies and stress. So before bed, do some light physical exercise like yoga, practice mindfulness meditation, or take a nice relaxing warm bath with mineral salts in it.

5.    5. Avoid the evening news! Whatever you focus on before bed is what your mind is going to be going over and over and over again – right when you want to sleep. Read something inspiring before sleep instead and look forward to pleasant dreams.

6.     6.  Record your dreams immediately upon waking. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you’ll remember and write them down later. Dream material fades very quickly. Meanwhile the thinking mind has a tendency to edit content in order to make sense of it.  Dreams are cryptic for a reason! They’re what your subconscious mind is working on while your conscious mind is out of the way.

So if you think you know what a dream is telling you – you’re very likely mistaken!

Join me in Philadelphia in November and discover how dream working can make you a better hypnotherapist. 5 days - Alchemical Dream Works for Hypnosis Professionals - Nov 3 - 7. 

The Devil's Therapy website is still under construction but details will be posted soon at www.devilstherapy.com. 

Or you can request an information package now by email: info@devilstherapy.com

If you want a professional hypnotherapy practice - get a system!

Tina was a frazzled artist!

Many of Tina’s inspirations for her art come to her while she’s journaling, so this is a valuable part of her work. She complained that she would rise early to grab a few moments for herself to journal before getting her boys off to school. She would then scramble to accomplish things during the day before having to pick the boys up and taxi them to after-school activities.

“I just get started on a project and it’s time to pick up the boys.” Tina lamented. “I have no time for myself!”

“Do you have a schedule?” I asked.

Tina was immediately resistant. “I already have too many things controlling my life! I don’t need a schedule to control me even more!”

The over-stressed mother-wife-artist-business woman clearly needed help.

I gently offered that MY schedule GIVES me control. 

“Mondays are my business development days,” I explained. “That’s when I send out newsletters, blog and go for coffee/networking dates.” 

I continued, “I see clients Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and sometimes Saturday morning. Fridays are reserved for professional development. I keep Friday clear so if I have a class scheduled for the weekend I have time to prepare. Otherwise, Friday is my day to immerse myself in whatever course I’m currently studying.”

“That won’t work for me,” Tina argued. “I have to pick up the boys at 3:00. And some Fridays they are off for Pro-D day. There’s just no time...”

“That’s why you need a schedule!” I responded. “One that GIVES you control. Let’s look at it on paper, okay?”

With her permission I drew out a 7 day schedule starting at 6:00 am. After blocking out 6:00 – 7:00 am for journaling I asked, “You have to pick up the boys at 3:00, right? Let’s block that time out right away. After 3:00 you’re off the clock, okay?”

Tina released a deep sigh of relief. She began musing, “Well, I could probably work a couple of hours in the evening …” She was softening, opening to possibilities.

“That’s okay, “I replied. “That’s up to YOU. It’s YOUR schedule. Let’s just take care of the most important things first, okay? Now, something I heard you say is that you need more time for YOU. So let’s SCHEDULE it.”

Tina’s eyes widened. This was clearly a new concept. “Once I get the boys off to school I could write or paint … that’s time for me …” she offered.

“Great! You get back from dropping the boys off at school when?”

“I’m home by 9:00 am.”

“Okay, so how much time do you need? Let’s just block off that time from 9:00 to ….”

“Oh, just a couple of hours.”

“Until 11:00, then? That means you still have from 11:00 until 3:00. How would you like to use this time?”

“Well, I have a lot of telephoning I need to do that I just haven’t gotten to. I have been neglecting my clients ….” Tina was getting flustered again.

“That sounds like something important, then.”

“Yes, if I don’t stay in touch I have no money coming in!” she replied.

“Would an hour a day be enough? By the end of the week you will have invested 5 hours into connecting with clients on the phone.”

“Oh, yes!” Tina brightened.

“Morning or afternoon?” I asked.

“Morning is better. Before lunch.”

I then did a review of her morning. “Now, we still have from noon until 3:00 each day. How would you like to use this time?”

Tina made a leap to Saturday. “Saturday is family day. I must have that time with my husband and the boys. It’s very important.”

“Great. Let’s just block out Family Day.” I agreed. “As you can see, your schedule is completely flexible. You find a way that works for YOU and it gives you CONTROL over your time. Understand?”

Tina admitted that she had more time than she had realized. And that having a schedule might actually give her the sense of control she needed in her hectic life.

As she implemented her new-found system, Tina found she had the freedom to make adjustments. By acknowledging her many roles and values in life, she was able to find a way to satisfy them. 

By giving herself permission to nourish herself, her family, and her business she was able to release the unrealistic expectation that she be a full-time business woman.

As her stress levels diminished she became more efficient at meeting the needs of her growing business.

If you want a professional hypnotherapy practice you must develop a business management system that supports you. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Like diets, there are plenty of management systems to choose from. Just pick one that works for you and use it.

Things to consider:

If you work from home do you have a system for managing kids, dogs, dirt, clutter, cooking smells, etc.?

Do you have a system for answering email or the telephone?

Do you have a paperwork system that allows you to keep track of your client?

Do you have a session confirmation process?

Do you have a web presence? A newsletter?  A blog? How do you manage your time around these things?

Do you schedule client days, business development days, and professional development days?

Do you give yourself personal time to regenerate?

When?

How could you use your day-planner to set yourself free to be more successful?

Email me and I'll send you the first three chapters of 'The Devil's Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing'. wendie@devilstherapy.com

 

Heaven and Hell

A holy man is having a conversation with the Creator and asks to know what Heaven and Hell are like. His request is granted and he is led to two doors.

Behind the first door the holy man finds a room with a large round table. In the middle of the table is a large pot of stew which smells so delicious it makes his mouth water.

There are people sitting around the table. The holy man notices that they appear thin and sickly, as if they are starving. Each holds a spoon with a very long handle which is strapped to his or her arm so each could easily reach the pot of stew and take a spoonful. 

But because the handle is longer than their arm, they are not able to get the spoon back into their mouth.

The holy man shudders at the sight of such misery and suffering. The Creator says, “This is Hell.”

The holy man is then shown the second door. Inside he finds exactly the same thing – a large round table with a large pot of stew which makes his mouth water. And seated around the table are people with the same long-handled spoons. But here, the people are well-nourished and happy. Here they are laughing and talking. 

“This,” says the Creator, “is Heaven.”

The holy man is mystified. “I don’t understand,” he admits.

It is really very simple, the Creator replies. 

“There is but one difference. Here, as you can see, they have learned to feed each other. And so doing, each is fulfilled. In that other place they continue to think only of themselves. And so they suffer.”

We rely on each other - uh-huh ...

Healing Perceptions in the Body with Regression Hypnotherapy

All animals experience biological conflicts, including humans. The perception of threat impacts the part of the brain that controls the organ associated with appropriate action. So some of these conflicts are relatively easy to interpret. 

The first tissue to form in the fetus is called the alimentary canal which runs along the spine from mouth to rectum. Nearly all of this tissue is controlled by the oldest part of the brain, the brainstem, a.k.a. reptilian brain. This part of the brain controls the entire gastrointestinal tract as well as all its derivatives (lungs, liver, pancreas, uterus, prostate, kidney collecting tubules, salivary glands of the mouth, etc.)

Dr. Hamer, of German New Medicine, states that, “the origin of disease is a life experience.” Any perceived threat to survival automatically impacts the brain. And the nature of the perception determines which area of the brain will be affected. The area of the brain impacted then determines which organ in the body will develop symptoms.

The body is genetically programmed to heal itself. Once the threat has been resolved, the body will self-correct. When there is a failure to heal, or symptoms are recurring or cyclical, this is evidence of an unresolved or “hanging conflict.” When an unresolved issue from the past keeps being triggered in present reality, it results in a recurrence of symptoms.

Because humans have developed cognitive abilities we can also experience biological conflicts figuratively. Louise Hay has written extensively on the meaning of symptoms. Dr. Hamer and others are adding science to support such interpretations. For example, when something gets stuck in an animal’s mouth, or the animal cannot acquire or swallow a ‘morsel’ of food, a biological ‘morsel conflict’ occurs. The body generates symptoms. E.g. A patient who thought he had won the lottery only to find out the ticket was incorrectly registered developed a carcinoma of the palate. Resolving the ‘morsel’ conflict reversed the cancer.

Stomach relates to an inability to digest a ‘morsel’. Figuratively, something you just can’t stomach (accept), such as anger toward family members, can still be sitting there in the gut. IBS and Crohn’s disease both relate to an indigestible anger conflict regarding certain people or situations. 

The thing to keep in mind is that the symptoms serve a biological purpose. In the above examples the purpose is to facilitate better absorption of the morsel. If it were actually a morsel of food, once digestion was complete the body would self-correct. The symptoms would have served their purpose and balance would be restored.

When the indigestible morsel exists in perception, however, the digestive system works overtime trying to resolve a psychological conflict!

Food allergies indicate that food was present at the same time as the anger. In fact, the type of allergy will indicate the type of unresolved conflict!

Disease is the body doing what it was designed to do – self-regulate. 

The body knows how to heal itself. This was the principle teaching of Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine. The body is not running amok. It is responding to a perceived need. And perception is a function of the mind. 

The problem is that the subconscious mind does not make a distinction between ‘real’ and ‘imagined.’ If you’ve ever had a nightmare you know this – the body responds as if what’s happening in the dream was really happening and produces the corresponding symptoms.

We’re genetically programmed to survive by first clamping down in the face of threat. And then once the threat is gone – releasing the initial stress-response. What we are doing with regression hypnotherapy is facilitating the release of those feelings that got trapped inside the body’s energy system. As the internal stress is released, the body will do what it was designed by nature to do – heal. 

If you would like to learn more about The Devil’s Therapy: from Hypnosis to Healing, contact wendie@devilstherapy.com. I’ll send you the first three chapters of module 1 (Regression Hypnotherapy Theory) and information about this comprehensive tool kit for regression Hypnotherapists.

3 keys to building a referral based business while healing the world

1. Validate!

2. Validate!

3. Validate!