Hypnosis – The Path To A Better You

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Ah, the move is done, the boxes have been settled into the right rooms, and some have even been unpacked!

So of course the basement flooded.

I find myself frequently talking down people out of upset, stress, or panic of late; I suggest to them that they try hypnosis, but far more people are willing to try medication, for whatever reason, than hypnosis.

I’ve yet to understand this. What harm does it do to try a thing, after all? You can use it with medication, you know.

It’s a strange point of view, to me.

Of course, there are people who need prescription medication; I’m certainly not against it! I’ve taken medicine for anxiety myself. But I believe that for some things, there are alternatives to going to taking a white slip from a doctor to a pharmacy, and those are generally worth giving a try first OR using in conjunction WITH the prescription medication. Some of those alternatives even work together, and you don’t have to worry about drug interactions!

Today I thought I’d list some essential oils that you might use for various purposes, and since the last post involved anxiety and worry and hypnosis sessions for such, this post will have complementary essential oils!

Now, as always, I’m not a doctor; I share information I learn, and I actively try to learn more. Always speak with your doctor before trying something new like this, especially if you have allergies. And do not every feel ashamed if it turns out that you DO need prescription medication; in the past I have. These are just things to try as well, or first–as your doctor suggests.

It is important to remember that anxiety and panic disorders can be life-threatening: make absolutely certain to consult your doctor before changing your regimine, and do not, under any circumstance, stop medication you are already on.

While several oils I know of already, I always like to provide a source, and so the one I chose this time is the website AromaWeb.com, and I am dealing with oils for panic attacks and anxiety. I also have not included every oil they list, in an effort to show respect for their work; check out their site if your wish for more options.

Clicking on the name of each oil will take you to a page where you can buy it from Amazon.

Anxiety:

• Bergamot
• Cedarwood
• Clary Sage
• Lavender
• Mandarin
• Neroli
• Roman Chamomile
• Rose
• Sandalwood

Panic Issues:

• Frankincense
• Helichrysum
• Lavender
• Neroli
• Rose

Lovely list, innit? Now, there are different ways you use essential oils, depending on a) the kind of oil and b) the purpose.

I am directly quoting instructions/ways to use them from AWorldofAromatherpy.com, because they have put it so very well. Accuracy is safety.

For Anxiety:

1. Add a 10 drops of essential oil to the bath and soak for fifteen minutes.
2. Add a few drops of essential oil to a carrier oil and use in full body massage.

For Panic Issues:

1. Add a 10 drops of essential oil to the bath and soak for fifteen minutes.
2. Add a few drops of essential oil to a carrier oil and use in full body massage.
3. Use as an inhalation.

Questions? Comments? Contact me by clicking the “Contact” button on the bottom of the page, at the center. (Yes, I know it’s moving about. I’m working on it.)

Filed under: Coping Mechanisms, Essential Oils, Hypnosis, Other Methods, Panic and/or Anxiety Issues, Uncategorized on August 22nd, 2010 | No Comments »

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You may have noticed that the posts I said I would make have not been put up.

Why?

Because the day after I made the previous post, I was told I had to find a new place to live.

In less than a month.

And be in that new living place within that “less than a month” time.

I could have panicked. I did have to ward off some anxiety, and some days I was better at that than others.

But if I had given in to that anxiety, that panic–if I had let it overwhelm me–than I would have found myself running around and around and around and getting nowhere. In fact, I would have not even as made as much progress as the Red Queen did when she ran as fast as she could just to stay in place; I would have slid backwards into That Hole.

If you have ever had panic or anxiety issues, you know the one I speak of. It’s the one that’s always lurking behind you, ready for you to slip up and fall into, the one that eats up all the light around you and swallows you whole.

And when you’re in the hole, you find yourself convinced that you’ll never emerge from it again.

I’ve been in the hole, and I’ve gotten out of it. Doing so took time, serious work invested into healing, learning to rely on others, learning to Trust–Trust with the Big T, Trust simply and truly that things will work out–and finding various coping mechanisms.

There are several. Hypnosis is just one, and–given the main focus on the blog–it is the one I’m going to write about a bit today. I do want to share the other ways that can help one deal with staying out of The Hole, and I plan to, but I want to give each way the focus it needs. (On that note, if you want to share the mechanisms that you personally use, I welcome you to do so in comments here!)

There are two benefits to hypnosis that help when anxiety/panic attacks, etc, are the issue that one has to face.

First of all, any hypnosis session involves relaxation; that relaxation alone, keeping your breathing patterns regular and even, will help you stay grounded and calm you in its own way to a fair point.

And then, of course, there is the Specific: sessions meant to deal with anxiety or panic themselves. The words, soothingly said, tell you what you need to hear and remember in those moments, remind you of the things you may still intellectually know…but emotinally, those reminders are needed again, anyway.

And, really, I was wrong: there are two more ways that it helps.

The third way is that the voice of the hypnotist is the voice of someone else there for you; it may not be someone you know personally (in most cases, it won’t be) but it is still a human voice.

We live in a world, now, where we are so often alone and kept separate, even when technically there may be dozens of people in the same room as we. We do not touch each other, and we suffer from the lack of physical contact. Therapists more and more are sought out, and sometimes, sadly, it’s because people don’t feel like they can talk to their family or friends. That they are not supposed to. (Please note that this is not at all an attack on therapists; I have a great deal of respect and admiration for them, and consider the profession a great calling and gift to humanity. But your therapist should not be your only person providing support, the only person who you feel you can talk to about anything–we need to rebuild connections with others. We need to know we can break down safely over the phone with our friends, that we do not need to be in an office of someone with a degree to do so.)

And the last way it helps?

The hypnotist reminds you of what you know and talks you through the session–but the hypnotist is the teacher and the tool-giver, not the one who will solve the issue.

It puts you back in control; you are the one doing the work, and you are the one climbing out of The Hole and walking away from it. You are triumphing and doing the work, not having anything done to you.

The following sessions I recommend specifically for issues of this type:

- Believe in Yourself
- Stop Negative Thinking
- Stop Obsessive Thoughts and Compulsive Behavior
- Stop Worrying
- Stop Panic Attacks
- Instant Stress Relief
- Deep Relaxation

Again, please feel free–and know your input is more than welcomed!–to share anything you peresonally have found to be of help in this area.

(And, for the record? First house I found, we went and saw, and we’re moving into it next weekend. It’s perfect. Trusting, really Trusting, that things will work out? Tends to ensure that they will, as long as you don’t expect that they’ll work out without you having to put any work into it at all.)

Filed under: Coping Mechanisms, Panic and/or Anxiety Issues, Relaxation, Specific Sessions on July 18th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

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Ah, sleep; we all need it, we all know it, and entirely too many of us do not get enough of it.

There are many sites out there, many tricks, many programs, many products, many guarantees–and you’ll drown in them, if you want to try them all.  I know; I almost did.

I bless my hypnosis MP3 sessions for sleep every night, and I shall review those, in turn, as I deal with various resources and thoughts related to sleep.

First, in advance, I must say this: some of this is common sense, my own experience, things I’ve been told by a doctor, or read over the years many times in many places.  I will cite things when I can, but some, by human nature, I cannot cite.  I cannot promise that for each and every suggestion I make about sleep I will include a link to a study done by half a dozen different universities that proved within a 0.5% margin of error that what I am saying is true.

But I have knowledge, and I share it with you.  I am not a doctor, and–again–I share this information and knowledge freely…but only you can decide what to do with it.  If you have a health problem and something involves, for example, essential oils, you may wish to discuss the use of them with your doctor before actually beginning the use of them.

Many of these things, of course, involve changes to your routine and common sense that is, sadly, not also common knowledge.

- Caffeine, in general, is a mix of pros and cons (I’ll come back to this topic more than once, I assure you), but regular use of it–especially heavy regular use–most certainly falls under the “cons”.  How many cups of coffee or (caffeinated) tea do you have a day?  How many sodas?

And how late in the day do you have them?  I strongly suggest not having any with your supper and drinking water, herbal tea, or juice instead, so the caffeine from anything consumed in the afternoon will be out of your system.

- When you go into your room and climb into bed for the night, climb into bed for sleep.  Not for reading, not for writing–for sleep.  Your body–and, more importantly, the subconscious mind–will soon begin to associate that the bed is for one thing mainly: rest.  (Of course, other things may be done on or in a bed throughout the day, but we are speaking about your nightly routine.  Which leads us neatly into the next tip, really…)

- Develop a routine.  Once we’re out of grammar school, really, few of us have it.  We go from rather regulated lives–regulated by others–where we are rarely, if ever, given explanations for why regulation itself has benefits into a realm where we set the rules.

Or, for many young adults, even older ones, we don’t.

Set a routine.  Write it out, if you must–don’t feel as if you must have every hour of the day planned out for a specific event, of course, but make sure you include in it the following:

a) what time you are going to rise in the morning
b) what time you are going to eat for breakfast, lunch, supper, and a snack in the afternoon, should you require one
c) what time you will prepare your lunch for the next day, if you eat out of the house due to your job; you’ll save money, have more energy, and eat more healthily should you do it this way.
d) what time you’ll set aside each day for reflection, be it reading, writing, meditation, prayer, or just listening to music
e) what time you go to bed–each night, every night, and try not to vary from this time (or the others) by more than a half hour if possible.

Will it always be possible? Of course not. But this is a guideline to work by, and one that you can modify as need be. (I will post a chart tomorrow, with blanks, for people to fill in as they like the times they choose for the activities most important.)

- Do make sure that your bedroom–your entire home, of course, but most particularly your bedroom–is free from allergies. Again, a specific post will come quite soon to deal with this issue in the most economical way possible.

- Do you remember being a child and having a ritual involved with bedtime? Perhaps it was prayer with one adult figure or another, perhaps it was story-telling, perhaps it was simply being tucked in and kissed good night along with a particular stuffed animal–but though it was small, it told your body and mind both, Rest now. Morning will come soon enough. This is the time to recharge your body so that you are ready to greet it upon arrival.

- Most people are horrified at the idea of rising with the sun. I would have been a year ago, before I ended up in a bedroom with windows facing east and buildings outside set up just-so to ensure that light falls on my face. Blinds only help so much.

I have found it a comfort, though, and oddly a way at getting another two or three hours of truly restful sleep afterwards, when I roll over again after looking outside for several minutes. (Some days. Others, I really do “get up” and get going as well, but schedules vary.)

Consider trying it for a week, perhaps–but make sure it’s not with an alarm. Let the sunlight itself wake you gradually. There is nothing worse for losing rest you spent hours gaining than the jolt fro an alarm clock and the drain of the adrenaline it caused. (And yes, this, too, will come with specific examples of the best alarm clocks I know of and have tested.)

That’s enough for now, I should think. The “schedule” sheet for you to fill in will be up in PDF format tomorrow; several such sheets on different topics will come, and I strongly urge you to acquire a binder or folder of some sort to put them in and form a journal. You’ll be able to see progress as you implement things, and see that you really have done well.

And, of course, as I promised, my personal review of the first hypnosis session related to sleep comes in the next few days. For the record in advance, I am not paid for my opinion; negative, positive, or a mix of both, whatever experience you read is what I truly had with my sessions from HypnosisDirect.com.

Filed under: Energy, Sleep on June 25th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

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Stop Looking for a Swinging Watch: Trying Hypnosis for the First Time, Unlearning What Pop Culture’s Taught You, Learning What to Expect, and Why Fearing Hypnosis Is Like Fearing Your Own Shadow

I love Bugs Bunny .  In my family, the “Duck Season, Rabbit Season” routine will always be mentioned at Thanksgiving Dinner and over Christmas visits.  But he, like many other aspects of pop culture, have committed crimes over the years, and a great one is the misrepresentation of hypnotizism.

Hypnotists themselves, at times, have misrepresented it as well.  We have to acknowledge this; after all, if the public views a hypnotist as someone who is nearly magic, someone who can make you do whatever he likes—and can help you with that—then the hypnotist 1) can increase his fees, and 2) can also open up a career in entertainment as much (or more) as a career in helping people.

All of which, unfortunately, does nothing to help most people understand what hypnotism actually is, or how it truly works.  Having gone through a course of classes five years ago, and returning to it now with several MP3 sessions to enable me to deal with a variety of issues, I’ve found relief that I had forgotten was open to me without pills.

I’ve also been reminded of how many people were nervous, five years ago, when I mentioned I was involved in hypnosis at all, how people had said they’d always been afraid—they didn’t want someone else in control of them.

I’ve found an exquisite set of hypnosis sessions from one particular site, and, after speaking with the site’s founder and owner, I’ve decided to affiliate with them.  But I’m not going to promote a product and say, “It works,” and just leave it that way and expect people to trust me on that.  Indeed, with this essay, I’m promoting hypnotism itself, I suppose, not really a product from one site or hypnotist or another.  (My reviews of my experience with each session will, of course, be promoting the one I use; I have found this site to make available the highest quality of recorded hypnosis sessions I have ever utilized.)

First and foremost, there’s one thing I need to make clear, and you need to accept.  You need to, because if you do not believe this one fact, then you’re never going to be comfortable with hypnosis, and if you’re not committed to doing the work (and hypnosis is a skill you learn, that you put practice into, so there is, yes, some (rather easy and relaxing) work involved) then you’re not going to have true success.

Ready?

A hypnotist cannot make you do anything you do not want to do.

Say it with me, now: a hypnotist cannot make you do anything you do not want to do.  In fact, a hypnotist is not making you do anything; he is showing you, explaining to you, walking you through, ways to use different parts of your mind, teaching you that you are able to achieve these goals and then showing you the steps to take to do so.  A hypnotist is a teacher and an assistant, not a magician.

I am sure there are people who would freak out at the idea of downloading a hypnosis session, convinced that they’ll be told once they are “under” to email all their bank account info to a certain email address; first of all, you can listen to an entire MP3 session without being in a hypnotic state, so you are capable of being totally aware of everything the narrator says, without being affected by it.  Second of all—yes, I’ll say it again—a hypnotist cannot make you do anything you do not want to.  This is not something that is rational to fear.

Got it?  It’s a skill you’re being taught, not magic; your own mind is what’s at work, here, not the man who recorded the session you’re listening to.

If you can accept that, then you’re a good candidate for hypnosis.  If you can’t?  You might want to walk away.  Because if part of you is always resisting, then you will never train your mind to do what you want it to, never train yourself to be able to get healthy and restful sleep and fall asleep with ease each night—the first session I tried, and the first I’ll review—or never have luck with being able to quit smoking, or anything else.  You have to want it, you have to be comfortable with the session—and you have to relax.

That’s one thing that hypnosis will give you for sure, whatever the main point of the session you are listening to is: the ability to truly relax.  Most people don’t know how to, and don’t even realize it.  I’m one of them, and I admit it; I’ve been tense so long, from pain from chronic illness and from stress, that I frequently have had doctors tell me over and over, “No, relax,” before I have snapped at them, “This is relaxed as I get!”

Most, if not all, hypnosis sessions start with you becoming comfortable and being talked through relaxing totally and utterly; why?  Because in that state, first of all, you’re at your utmost comfort; no muscle tense means no muscles in pain.  The least amount of distractions possible exists.  Because of that, you can let your subconscious mind “play” more than normal, and that’s a large part of what you’re dealing with!  In hypnosis, you are dealing with all parts of your mind, not just one.  You know how people say (if the statistic is true or not, I don’t know, but I suspect we’ve all heard it) that humans use barely 1% of their brain’s capacity at all times?  With hypnosis, you’re using more than normal.  I’m not going to say it’s anywhere near 100%, and I’m sure it’s not.  But you’re both alert and relaxed, and in control without being tensed or worried about it; it’s state that isn’t at all hard to achieve, and one I personally find very peaceful.

You just have to let yourself achieve it—because, again, ultimately, this is only what you’re allowing and wanting to happen.

Literally, it’s all in your head.

I can tell when I’m truly relaxed when I listen to my session that helps me fall asleep for two reasons.  The first is that I become, for an instant, intensely aware of the fact, that the change is so profound from my normal state that I cannot help but notice it.  The second is that my cat notices.  I don’t know how, I don’t know what tips her off—but right after I have that realization, she comes over—even if she’s been playing like a maniac before—and curls up with me in her favorite sleeping spot, behind my knees.

And she conks out.  She knows I’m relaxed, and she knows it’s rest-time, because of that.  It makes me think, “How big a difference must it really be, then, how tense must I really be, then, most the day, if my cat can tell when I’m not and thinks that alone means I’m ready to sleep?”

And to get that difference, tremendous as it is…all I need to do is to listen to someone telling me through how to let everything go—and how to let my mind do what it’s always been and always will be capable of doing.

Amazing, really.

Hypnosis is letting go and being in control at the same time; it’s learning yourself, brain and body both, to a greater extent than before.  It is a skill that requires work and practice, but as practice goes, it’s a lovely sort.

Remember what I said?  That a hypnotist cannot make you do anything you don’t want to?

Have you really and truly accepted that?

Then it’s time to start thinking about what you want to deal with first in your life with hypnosis, and for ideas, I strongly suggest you go look at HypnosisDirect.com.

Filed under: General, Hypnosis on June 12th, 2010 | 6 Comments »

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Welcome to this blog!

If you’re here, it’s likely that you have some interest in hypnosis. But the reason behind that interest is what I intend to write about, as best I may.

Of course, there are a variety of reasons that one might be looking into hypnosis, but I believe that one thing that ties all of that together is this: a desire to improve one’s quality of life somehow.

As such, I intend to write about ways to do so—ways that you, actively, can do so in your own life, be it in the area of your health (all areas, physical, emotional, etc), finances, or anything else. For hypnosis is not for a moment letting another take control of you; it is learning about ways to used your mind and body that you did not know existed. It is a learning experience, and one that takes time—and one that is worth having effort put into it.

My name is Kathleen; I am not a hypnotist, but rather a user of hypnosis. I hope to share things with you, as I said—and, if any of you are concerned about hypnosis, I hope to help you understand it better.

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Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.

- Walt Whitman

Filed under: Uncategorized on May 26th, 2010 | 2 Comments »