1st Article - August 3rd, 2008
Hypnotherapy, Placebos and Hypochondria
I recall some years ago when
I sat facing a client who could only be described as a Hypochondriac (suffering
with imagined illnesses).
She shocked me by telling me
that she visited her doctor every day and that he was no good as every time he
gave her medication, it only 'cured' that illness and another illness would
occur.
To say the least, I felt
sorry for her doctor as I could see that her problem was not being ill but
attention seeking. How did I diagnose that? Simply by asking her questions and
giving her a sympathetic ear.
"How long have you been
married?" - "Fifteen years and two months.”
"Is your husband working?" -
"Yes, BUT, he works away from home." (Client looking very sad.)
"How long does he stay away
from home?" - "Oh, he is away from Monday to Friday and only comes home at
weekends, and sometimes he also has to work at weekends." (Client looking a
little angry).
"Does he like his job?" -
"He likes his job but says he doesn't like working away from his home. He
cannot change it as there are no other jobs he can get."
"Is he worried that you are
always ill?" - "He is like an angel when he is home and looks after me. He
worries about me but cannot get another job or become unemployed as we cannot
live without his earnings."
I noticed at this point in
our conversation that she pulled her legs up a little and began to 'pout' like a
small girl.
"It must be very hard for
you managing on your own most of the week and not having him there to look after
you?" - "I know he has to work so I accept it as part of my life."
I continued my questioning,
which is a necessary part of every Hypnotherapist's consultation, and then asked
her if she knew and understood that I was not only a Hypnotherapist but also
practiced homeopathy. She knew I did hypnotherapy but did not know what
homeopathy was, so I explained as best I could to her.
I also explained that my
treatment for her would also include Homeopathic remedies and asked if that was
OK. She was more than happy with that and was excited at the new approach to
her many illnesses.
I won't go into the rest of
the session as it involved routine questions such as her medical history and
medication etc. which adds no real value to this article.
On conclusion, I gave her
two sugar pills (placebos) and gave them a name (which I don't recall at this
time) and explained that they would help to reduce her present symptoms or clear
them completely.
The Second
Session
The client returned with a big smile on her face and much earlier than her
appointment time.
She reported a total success in removing the symptoms of the illness she had,
but, she now had another illness, the first one was stomach pains, now it was
tightness in her chest.
On this occasion I used hypnosis to relax her and give her suggestions to
help her with the 'attention seeking' aspect of her problem. Suggestions such
as she had no need to look for admiration from other people as she was a
wonderful person who need not answer to anyone else for her looks or
personality. (That, of course, is only a very short resume of the total
suggestions I used as they changed with each session).
I again gave her placebos and off she went looking very happy.
Then the following day, which was a Saturday, actually confirmed my diagnosis
and added some further knowledge to my arsenal in dealing with her problem.
At that time, I also saw
clients on Saturdays. My office was in the town centre. I had a gap in my
schedule so I went out to do some shopping. And as I was walking to the shops I
noticed a couple in front of me that looked as if they were newly weds.
The man was tall and the
lady small and she had her arm linked into his and her head on his shoulder.
Gazing up at his head. It was as though she was his daughter and admiring him
as a daddy. This was as they were walking and with many people around us.
I then realised it was my
client. It then struck me that in her husband's presence, she was reverting
back to childhood and behaving as she did as a little girl.
The Third
Session
Again, my client returned
looking very happy and reporting total success, but again, she had developed
another illness.
I asked her about her
father, and learned he was deceased and she missed him very much, after many
years.
On this occasion, I decided
that I would use hypnosis and role-play as a father and child. I explained to
her, whilst she was in hypnosis, that she was to think of me as her daddy (even
though many clients do that automatically as they unconsciously consider the
Hypnotherapist to be a father figure). I then assured her, as her daddy, that I
loved her and cherished her beyond anyone else etc, etc. and that when she grew
up, she would always know I loved her, etc. etc. (This is not a lesson on
Hypnotherapy, so I will not go into full details here).
I then gave her another
placebo and off she went looking as happy as any human being can.
Subsequent
Sessions
I continued with this line
of treatment until she returned one day and said that she was totally 'cured' (I
have using that word as a therapist as human beings are helped to handle their
lives much better, not cured like a piece of meat).
A
Surprising and Disappointing Conclusion
A few days after her final
session, a reporter from the local newspaper phoned me, as she often did, to ask
if I had any newsworthy items for her column. At that time I was appearing on
television shows and many radio stations and was well known to much of the
media. I explained that I had a client who was an 'incurable' hypochondriac
and who was now off all medication and living a normal like. I would contact my
client and ask if she would like to speak to the reporter but under no
circumstances could I give a direct contact without permission.
I phoned the client and she
was very excited to know she could be featured, both in writing and a
photographs, in the local newspaper - her fifteen minutes of fame. All she
asked was to give her until tomorrow to speak to her husband first and then she
would phone back to make an appointment for the reporter to contact her.
The next day she phoned me
and asked in a voice that showed total disappointment, if I would just forget
the whole thing. She explained that she had excitedly informed her husband that
she was going to have her photograph in the newspapers and he said, "What? You
can't do that. If you do the local Social Security Office will find out and
stop your Disability Allowances, and you can get into trouble for not telling
them you are now well."
Need I say more?
===============================================
NOTE: The whole of this article can be
reproduced with permission providing the following Bio is included:
"Robert Shields, is the Principal of The Robert
Shields College and runs a low cost Hypnotherapy Diploma Training Course that
includes a money-back guarantee. Details can be found at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com He is also the originator
of Fear Elimination Therapy that removes phobias and fears in minutes (Not N.L.P.).
Details at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com/fet.html . "
Failure to include this
Bio will infringe my copyright and action will be taken against offenders.
Please use the contact form below to ask permission
and a copy of the article will be sent to you as an attachment.
2nd
Article – August 8th, 2008
Stop YOU Smoking - You Can't be Serious!
As a Hypnotherapist of many,
many years, and as a
Hypnotherapy Training instructor, if I had a penny for every time I have
been asked if I can stop someone smoking, I would be able to afford a first
class ticket on my next flight to The Philippines.
Stop Smoking and Losing Weight
are known in the trade as the 'bread and butter' of a Hypnotherapist's practice
and most people forget that a Hypnotherapist deals with a wide variety of
problems, smoking and losing weight being only a small part of them.
However, many people who have
seen a stage hypnotist perform his 'amazing control' (see my other article on
stage hypnosis later in this series) over some poor 'volunteer' on stage,
actually believes that a Hypnotherapist need only put a person into a trance,
and with a snap of the fingers command him or her to "STOP SMOKING IMMEDIATELY"
and like magic, that person will never smoke again. Of course that is pure
nonsense!
Others believe that a
Hypnotherapist can implant a suggestion in the mind that makes cigarettes taste
repulsive, making it impossible to smoke a cigarette without vomiting. Again,
that is nonsense, even though it is possible.
The simple truth is that no Hypnotherapist in the world can stop someone
smoking.
Yes, you read that right!
Nobody can stop you smoking.
However, a good Hypnotherapist
can help you to stop.
Note the difference. Help
you, not stop you. If you do not want to stop smoking, nobody on this
earth can make you, unless you are locked up in a room with no windows and a
straight jacket. Even if you had no money to buy cigarettes, you
would do what so many people in war-time Britain did, look for discarded
cigarette butts and collect them, roll them up in a cigarette paper and then
with a look of content, smoke them.
So when someone asks me if I can
stop them smoking, my reply is always,
"No, but if
you really do want to stop smoking, and for yourself and not for someone else or
if you are not being pressured into it, I can probably succeed in helping you to
stop."
Why oh Why?
The reason for this is also
quite simple. A smoker needs to smoke and that need is at an unconscious
level.
As the Unconscious Mind is far,
far stronger than the Conscious Mind, it will ALWAYS win a war between the two.
Ok, sometimes the Conscious Mind wins a battle (I call this The Spartacus
Factor) and there is a brief period when no smoking takes place, but in the
end, the war is won by the Unconscious mind, and smoking takes place.
A good Hypnotherapist,
therefore, will know that and deal with the smoking problem at an Unconscious
level and even though a smoker may say he or she wants to stop smoking at a
conscious level, it is necessary to get the Unconscious to co-operate.
Otherwise, the Hypnotherapist is not doing his job.
That's where hypnosis takes
place as it gives a Hypnotherapist access to the Unconscious Mind and with
skilful manipulation, the Unconscious will help the smoker to stop permanently.
Any Hypnotherapist that claims
he or she can stop you smoking, especially if the claim is with one single
session, is simply taking your money under false pretences.
===========================================================
NOTE: The whole of this article can be
reproduced with permission providing the following Bio is included:
"Robert Shields, is the Principal of The Robert
Shields College and runs a low cost Hypnotherapy Diploma Training Course that
includes a money-back guarantee. Details can be found at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com He is also the originator
of Fear Elimination Therapy that removes phobias and fears in minutes (Not N.L.P.).
Details at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com/fet.html . "
Failure to include this
Bio will infringe my copyright and action will be taken against offenders.
Please use the contact form below to ask permission
and a copy of the article will be sent to you as an attachment.
3rd
Article – August 14th, 2008
Recognition of Pain - An Aid
for Therapists
All therapists at some time or other, whether they
are Hypnotherapists or any other therapist, will deal with pain control.
There are many theories on what actually causes pain
and how to block it. No matter what you believe, the most IMPORTANT aspect
of pain control is that you must NEVER remove it completely.
The reason is that pain is nature's way of warning
you that something is wrong with your body. It could by symptomatic
that something is seriously wrong with your body, such as a brain tumour, a
hernia or even cancer, so pain control must be used with caution.
Once a therapist has succeeded in reducing pain to a
tolerable level, my advice is that the client should be referred to his or her
doctor, that is if a doctor is not already involved.
Remember that pain produces heat and tension.
Two simple temporary ways to relieve pain is to cool the area and more
importantly, relax the are where pain is felt. However, a good therapist
can show you more ways to get a more permanent or instant relief from pain.
Recognising the Source of Pain
Here is a thumb-nail guide to various to the most
common forms of pain:
Throbbing:
Usually indicates an inflammatory condition and where the affection is serious,
the pain may be severe. Inflammation usually produces a continuous
pain in the localised are and is made worse by pressure. Note that
when pain is caused by inflammation, there is usually an increase in body
temperature - fever, high pulse rate and/or severe thirst.
Boring:
Often indicates pressure,
ulceration or inflammatory conditions. Where bone is affected, the pain
may be excruciating in character.
Gnawing:
The pain of a stomach ulcer is
often described as 'gnawing' but can also be associated with tumours and GREAT
CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN when this symptom is give,
Aching, Bruised, Stiff:
These symptoms may simply be the after effects
of the over use of muscles. In well established cases of stiffness with
aching, actual deposits in the tissues may be present. Rheumatism deposits
cause similar symptoms, usually localised in a particular joint or muscle.
Note, tiredness in the muscles can cause these symptoms and can cause cramps in
the muscles. Cramps can easily be relieved by stretching the muscle, for
example, cramp in the calf muscles can be relieved by pulling the toes back
towards the upper part of the body, or standing on the edge of a stair
with the forward part of the foot and pressing down.
Griping, Colicky:
Irritation of such organs as the bowels, bile ducts, bladder or ureters (the
canal where urine passes through from kidney to bladder) will cause this type of
pain. The client is usually compelled to double up to relieve this kind of
pain.
Burning:
Often descriptive of dyspeptic pains caused
by an excess of acid in the gastric juices irritating the nerve endings in the
stomach membrane.
Shooting:
Usually indicates that pain is
travelling along the course of a nerve. It can, therefore be assumed that
there is some irritation of a nerve in the stated area. Toothache is
often described like that when an abscess is touching a nerve in the tooth.
I do hope that the above has in some small way been
of help in dealing with pain, but always remember, the root of a pain is where
the eventual cure lies.
===============================================
NOTE: The whole of this article can be
reproduced with permission providing the following Bio is included:
"Robert Shields, is the Principal of The Robert
Shields College and runs a low cost Hypnotherapy Diploma Training Course that
includes a money-back guarantee. Details can be found at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com He is also the originator
of Fear Elimination Therapy that removes phobias and fears in minutes (Not N.L.P.).
Details at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com/fet.html . "
Failure to include this
Bio will infringe my copyright and action will be taken against offenders.
Please use the contact form below to ask permission
and a copy of the article will be sent to you as an attachment.
4th
Article – August 30th, 2008
The Myth About Hypnotherapy
There is a myth about the ability a
Hypnotherapist has to cure all illnesses.
It is mostly founded on the fact that a
Hypnotherapist uses hypnosis to alleviate or totally cure so many illnesses and
the misguided belief that hypnosis controls the mind.
Of course, it could be said that if
hypnosis controls the mind and the mind controls both the body and thinking
processes, then hypnosis can transform any illness into full health.
If that were the case, then anyone
practicing hypnosis could simply rid the world of 98% of the ailments human
beings suffer from, bearing in mind that nothing can prevent some viruses
creating illnesses.
The
Truth
The simple and plain truth is that a
Hypnotherapist is no different from any other therapist whose goal is to help a
client return to normal behaviour and hopefully full health. The fact he uses
hypnosis is a powerful persuasion tool, but hypnosis alone cannot rid the body
of ailments. There has to be other factors involved, such as skilful
counselling.
Hypnosis can influence the Unconscious
Mind to change behaviour and certain beliefs and that in itself is a very
powerful tool.
But it has limitations and those
limitations must be seen for what they are worth.
For example, not everyone can be
hypnotised by just anyone. The Unconscious Mind can see a hypnotist as a
negative figure of authority from the past, for example a mother or a father.
It does not use logic and a guy with a beard that resembles a client’s father
will sometimes be seen as that client’s father and there could be strong
resistance against the Hypnotherapist’s attempts to help.
But, let me say this very clearly.
Everyone can be hypnotised.
It depends entirely on whether the
Unconscious Mind accepts that or not. If my Unconscious Mind believes that you
can hypnotise me, then you can. If it does not, you cannot.
Conclusion
In a nutshell. The myth is wrong.
Hypnotherapists can help a client to be free of many ailments, but certainly not
all of them. If the Unconscious Mind wants to keep the ailment, you can be sure
it will.
A skilled Hypnotherapist will manipulate
the Unconscious Mind to co-operate and that is what Hypnotherapy is all about.
===============================================
NOTE: The whole of this article can be
reproduced with permission providing the following Bio is included:
"Robert Shields, is the Principal of The Robert
Shields College and runs a low cost Hypnotherapy Diploma Training Course that
includes a money-back guarantee. Details can be found at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com He is also the originator
of Fear Elimination Therapy that removes phobias and fears in minutes (Not N.L.P.).
Details at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com/fet.html . "
Failure to include this
Bio will infringe my copyright and action will be taken against offenders.
Please use the contact form below to ask permission
and a copy of the article will be sent to you as an attachment.
5th Article
– September 4th, 2008
Thank Your Unconscious Mind You’re Not Constipated
Unless you are already aware of my
theories regarding the power of the Unconscious Mind to protect you, I would
wager a lot of money you have no idea what I am talking about. Am I right?
Ok, if that is the case let me explain a
few simple facts about the Unconscious Mind (sometimes referred to as the
Subconscious).
Firstly let me say that it is one of the
functions of the Unconscious Mind to protect you from harm and try to keep you
healthy.
The Fight or Flight Response is part of
that function.
The
Fight or Flight Response
This is a primitive instinct that once
protected our forefathers from danger when their lives were threatened. In
those far off days, to run away from danger was just as acceptable as facing the
danger. In those days, nobody would condemn you for protecting your life by
running away in a cowardly fashion.
But today, of course, to run away,
especially if you are in the military and involved in a battle, is seen as
unacceptable. And that in itself can be the cause of massive amounts of
stress
And yet, the primitive Reaction of
‘fight or flight’ is still part of our survival instinct. In other words, our
instinct is to either face a danger or run away from it. To do this in the most
effective way, the Unconscious Mind mobilises out body by pumping adrenalin into
the blood stream and a dozen other functions that enable us to fight or run
away.
Other
Survival Tactics
There are also many other survival
tactics that the Unconscious Mind employs to ensure you live a long life. And
one of them is to change the five senses to what is acceptable to you
personally.
An example being the sense of sight.
When we fall truly in love, we do not see the true body and nature of the person
we love. If we did, it would conflict with our feelings.
Also, when we look at ourselves in a
mirror, we are not seeing exactly what is being reflected back at us, but what
our Unconscious Mind believes is acceptable.
Some years ago research was carried out
with number of overweight women and it was found that every one of them would
see herself either thinner or fatter than she really was when looking into a
full length mirror.
The sense of taste is another one that
is changed by our Unconscious Mind. If it did not, we would all taste
everything as others do and that would be, to say the least, boring.
A smoker will testify to the changes in
the sense of smell. He or she finds the smell of cigarette smoke acceptable but
to a non smoker, the smell is foul. There are certain exceptions to this, but
that answers to why that is are another subject.
Constipation
So what has constipation got to do with
the Unconscious Mind?
Well, if you have not already guessed
the answer, it is simply that the sense of smell is changed so that you, and
only you, find the smell of your excrement or flatulence acceptable. To others
it is not a pleasant smell. But if the Unconscious Mind did not change the
smell, we would all be avoiding going to the toilet for as long as possible and,
of course, we would all be constipated.
Not exactly what the Unconscious Mind
would like you to be if it is to keep you in full health, wouldn’t you agree?
===========================================================
NOTE: The whole of this article can be
reproduced with permission providing the following Bio is included:
"Robert Shields, is the Principal of The Robert
Shields College and runs a low cost Hypnotherapy Diploma Training Course that
includes a money-back guarantee. Details can be found at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com He is also the originator
of Fear Elimination Therapy that removes phobias and fears in minutes (Not N.L.P.).
Details at:
http://www.hypnotherapy-training.com/fet.html . "
Failure to include this
Bio will infringe my copyright and action will be taken against offenders.
Please use the contact form below to ask permission
and a copy of the article will be sent to you as an attachment.
Last updated:
September 07, 2008 23:32
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