The Benefits of Using Hypnosis in a Pediatric Setting

(NaturalNews) Hypnotherapy is a natural and safe form of relaxation. The person receiving hypnosis is always in control whether the hypnosis is being administered by a licensed hypnotherapist or through self-hypnosis. Hypnosis is particularly effective in children, because it often requires creative visualization. This imagery easily allows children to be in a relaxed state. Being in a state of hypnosis allows children to work on a various number of things such as pain and anxiety, in a productive and natural way. O'Grady and Hoffmann (1986) evaluated the use of hypnosis in a pediatric setting. Hypnosis was found to be highly successful when children have high expectations from hypnotherapy, a good relationship with their hypnotherapist, and the ability to be hypnotized. They also found that success was more prominent when the children and parents had a positive relationship with the pediatrician.

These researchers looked at cases in which children used hypnosis. Looking at one particular pediatric hospital, they found that 5% of the children were using hypnosis to improve their symptoms. The study found three particular areas that have shown to improve symptoms in children when using hypnosis. One symptom includes pain. Hypnosis enables children to control pain, reducing the severity and reducing the frequency of painful episodes. Another symptom that hypnosis can improve is anxiety in children. Hypnosis allows children to relax and cognitively reduce anxiety and stress. The third area that hypnosis can help children with is undesirable habits. Hypnotherapy allows children to replace negative behaviors and habits with positive ones through the power of suggestibility.

Goldberg (1987) studied the benefits of psychoanalysis in changing behavior. He found that psychoanalysis was more effective when combined with hypnosis in changing behaviors. Hypnosis works by reprogramming negative behaviors using positive suggestions. These negative behaviors, in time become positive behaviors. This has many potential benefits in helping children change their negative behavior patterns into positive behavior patterns.

Another method of hypnosis that has been found to have many potential benefits in children is the use of self-hypnosis (Gardner, 1981). Self-hypnosis allows children to perform hypnosis on themselves at any time they choose. It allows them to be in control of their symptoms when and where they want. Self-hypnosis works best when both children and parents are open to the idea of learning and practicing hypnosis.

Hypnosis has many potential benefits when used with children. Whether a child is suffering from pain from cancer or they are showing hyperactivity behavior with ADHD, hypnosis can help improve their symptoms in a natural and safe way. Hypnotherapy uses the power of positive suggestions to help children reprogram their subconscious minds so that they are in control of their symptoms.

Sources

Gardner, G.G. (1981). Teaching self-hypnosis to children. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 29(3), 300-312.

Goldberg, B. (1987). Hypnotherapy: A combined approach using psychotherapy and behavior modification. Psychology: A Quarterly Journal of Human Behavior, 24(3), 37-40.

O'Grady, D.J. & Hoffmann, C. (1986). Use of hypnosis by psychologists in a pediatric setting: Establishing and maintaining credibility. Retrieved from ERIC database. ERIC ID: ED272813.

About the author

Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy. Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:

Teaching the police hypnosis

John Walsh: 'Teaching the police hypnosis is the stupidest idea in crime-busting'

Tales of the City

Tuesday, 22 December 2009

• Picture the scene. There's been a bank heist in Highgate. The robbers have sped away in a Ford Granada, but have been intercepted by the Met's finest on the corner of Finchley High Road. They are now pinned down by police marksmen. The Commissioner steps forward, a stern and noble presence. "Hand me that megaphone, Gordon," he says to his quaking driver, "and the gold half hunter." Thirty yards away, behind the Granada's open doors, the bank robbers steel themselves for a final confrontation. Then it happens. A leather-gloved hand appears over the police roadblock. Inexplicably, it holds an old-fashioned fob watch on a long chain. The watch starts to swing, very slowly, from side to side. "YOUR EYELIDS ARE BECOMING HEAVY," shouts the Commissioner's voice through the megaphone. "YOU ARE FEELING VERY RELAXED..."

Forgive me, but I was tickled by the news that British policemen are going to be trained in the dark arts of hypnotism as an aid to fighting crime. No really. They're being sent on six-day courses, costing £1,500 per person, in which an American "celebrity hypnotherapist" (I know, I know, but he must be kosher – he's been on TV) called Tom Silver will explain how they might extract more information from their suspects. Not, I confess, in the course of actual gunplay in the street and violence in the back of the Black Maria, but during questioning.

That makes sense, doesn't it? The whole point of being a hypnotist is that you get to say,"You are completely in my power" quite soon after your victim lies on the couch, and that you can make them do anything you like. You can make them believe they're a little girl or a champion boxer, a drunkard or an opera singer, and persuade them to make twats of themselves, right there in front of you. It seems an unfair advantage, in the cop/ interviewee relationship, that the former can suggest that the latter gets on the floor and act like a dog, while the latter can't do anything about it but bark and roll over.

Remember the cop-shop scenes on TV, in which interviewees fight back heroically, being cheeky to DCI Hunt, demanding a lawyer, refusing to answer incriminating questions? You can't do that when you're mesmerised. It's hard to maintain a convincing attitude when you're being told by a soothing voice that you're walking down a corridor towards a white light. It's hard to plead the Fifth Amendment when the bloke across the desk is doing that look-into-my-eyes routine from Little Britain.

And what's to stop a wily detective implanting a thought in the villain's brain, one that will surface during the trial, like in The Manchurian Candidate? So that when he hears a trigger word, he'll confess to everything, plus a few dozen other unsolved cases that have been on the Met files since 1971? Sorry, but this is the stupidest idea in crime-busting circles since they began staking out Brazilian electricians. You don't believe me? Ok, look deep into my eyes...

***

If, like me, you can't stand to hear "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly" on an in-store Tannoy one more time, nor the yapping voice of Peter Kay the ubiquitous northern droll, nor that unbearably sentimental version of "Sweet Child o' Mine" in the John Lewis TV commercial, nor the voices of children asking if you'll buy them a £900 Mac PowerBook, nor the announcements on Tube platforms that the District Line isn't working today and the Circle Line is going sideways – if you've had quite enough of these vexatious sounds, the Orange telephone people have a treat for you. Their Relaxation Line offers frazzled subscribers the chance to switch off for a few minutes. You dial a number and can listen to the sounds of waves lapping on a beach, the pock of cricket on a village green, the crackle of a log fire rising, the twittering of birds in a wood. The Orange people apparently found that listening to the sea for 12 minutes calms you down by slowing the body's stress response, lowering pulse and blood pressure. I can think of something that would work wonders for your stress levels and take only a few seconds: the voice of a newsreader saying, "Due to an unforeseen error in the nation's telephone systems, Mr Simon Cowell will not, after all, make a fortune out of everyone who phoned in votes on The X Factor, he will, in fact, owe the ITV network £250m..." Merry Christmas.

More from John Walsh

THE INDEPENDENT

Hypnosis with children and pain management

Kids Allowed

BY MARC SILVER

Integrative medicine isn't just for adult cancer patients.

• Integrative Techniques: A Sampler

• Video: The Sounds of Music Therapy

The 13-year-old girl has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her prognosis is good, with a 75 percent chance of cure. But side effects from chemotherapy have sunk her spirits. “She felt miserable,” says her doctor, Susan Sencer, MD, a pediatric oncologist.

Print this Article

E-mail to a Friend

Order a Reprint

The child’s chemo is delivered into the spinal fluid via spinal tap to prevent the cancer cells from entering her spinal cord area and brain. But how do you protect the patient from the fear and pain the procedure can trigger? Anesthesia is one option. So is … hypnosis?

As medical director of hematology/oncology at the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Sencer combines standard treatments with practices that a decade ago might have seemed offbeat, from hypnotherapy to energy healing. Such therapies are entering more hospitals and often have a growing amount of solid science behind them, though not every doctor is on board.

The question of what to call such therapies is up for debate. The adjectives “alternative” and “complementary” have been used. But “alternative”—meaning “instead of”—is problematic since no doctor would recommend an unproven treatment over a proven one. The word “complementary” also is used, but Sencer and many other doctors prefer the term “integrative medicine,” reflecting the idea that exercise, nutrition counseling, and stress reduction are vital parts of the anticancer package.

Whatever the label, skeptics want to know: Do these tactics really work? Let’s look at the case of the bummed-out 13-year-old.

Nitrous oxide, inhaled from a fruit-flavored mask, reduces the child’s agony index. Research shows the chemical compound known as “laughing gas” can diminish pain during chemotherapy and bring a bit of eupho ria.

The other tool is a hybrid of hypnosis and guided imagery. This is not sitcom hypnosis, where an unsuspecting subject ends up squawking like a chicken. Rather, Sencer aims to lessen distress by distracting the patient.

“Every person who hypnotizes has their own technique,” the doctor explains. Sencer puts her finger atop the girl’s head, tells her to look up, and speaks in a soft, reassuring voice: “I can see you relaxing. Your body is getting lighter.” Then she leads the child to an imaginary destination—that’s guided imagery.

“Generally, you take advantage of something the child gives you,” says Sencer, who knows the girl’s family has a cabin and boat on the Mississippi River. Sencer sends her floating out the window to the beloved getaway.

At one point during the 10-minute procedure, the patient shifts. Since sticking a needle into the spinal canal is tricky, Sencer prefers a motionless subject.

“Why did you move?” she asks.

“I’m fishing from my sailboat,” the child says.

When the chemo infusion is complete, Sencer shuts off the nitrous oxide and asks the patient to take three deep breaths. “Come back to me,” she says. “Open your eyes.”

“I was surprised you could fish on a sailboat,” Sencer remarks. The child replies, “It was the best boat in the world. I sailed into the hands of God, and God held me while you did this.”

Sencer is convinced the buzz of nitrous oxide and the joy of the pretend journey reduced the child’s pain. She sees long-term benefits as well: “I’m trying to teach the kids self-regulatory behaviors that will be helpful not just through their cancer journey but, hopefully, for the rest of their lives.”

Studies back up Sencer’s approach. Lonnie Zeltzer, MD, director of the pediatric pain program at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, looked at hypnotherapy for pain relief in children with cancer versus distraction and support. “Distraction and relaxation were more effective than normal support,” Zeltzer says. “But hypnotherapy, involving children and their imagination, was even more effective.”

Doctors believe such mind games have a physical component. “If you’re anxious, your heart rate goes faster, your breathing gets faster, and your sympathetic nervous system is aroused,” explains Margaret Stuber, MD, a psychiatry professor at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. A signal of danger—say, a needle prick—can be “emotionally amplified.” Conversely, slow deep breaths slow the heart rate, reduce arousal, and result in a less frightened patient. That could diminish pain.

Parents have long been fans of integrative techniques for their kids. Recent surveys report that 31 to 84 percent of children with cancer have tried the techniques. “It averages out to about 50 percent,” estimates pediatric oncologist Kara Kelly, MD, medical director of Columbia University’s integrative therapies program for children with cancer located at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. For most parents, she says, it allows them to feel like they’re doing something on their own, without the physician, to help their children.

Kelly does point out two major caveats. First: “We haven’t found anything [in integrative medicine] that’s an effective anticancer therapy. Most of our approach is focusing on supportive care and symptom relief.” Second, parents should consult with the physician to ensure that an integrative treatment won’t harm the youngster or interfere with conventional treatments.

Killian died of cancer in August at age 16, but before his death he recorded Somewhere Else, an album to raise money for the cause. A gifted ukulele player, he made music with famous musicians like Dr. John and Levon Helm.

As for children, they’re usually happy to explore techniques that promise relief from pain and stress. But if they can’t do it emotionally, says Stewart Goldman, MD, medical director for neuro-oncology at Children’s Memorial Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Chicago, “I tell them not to and to revisit it later.”

Some hospitals that focus on childhood cancers have received grants or donations to offer integrative services for free. That’s a model Killian Mansfield and his family espouse. Diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue cancer at age 11 and treated at New York-Presbyterian, Mansfield found that acupuncture relieved anxiety, fatigue, and nausea. He and his family started the Killian Mansfield Foundationto help all young cancer patients gain access to integrative treatments.

Killian died of cancer in August at age 16, but before his death he recorded Somewhere Else, an album to raise money for the cause. A gifted ukulele player, he made music with famous musicians like Dr. John and Levon Helm. “Express Yourself” was a favorite song, says his mother, Barbara. Killian told her it sounded like a party that spilled over from a small room into a wider venue—just as his family hopes to bring integrative medicine into a bigger arena.

Insurance companies haven’t rushed to join the party, though. A few progressive insurers may reimburse for integrative therapies for kids, but many do not. CIGNA, for example, covers acupuncture for adults with cancer based on studies with that age group—but not for children.

There is a loophole of sorts. Insurance plans with a mental health benefit may cover visits to a therapist during cancer treatment, says psychiatrist James Gordon, MD, founder and director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine ( 202-966-7338). Just as an insurer wouldn’t ask a therapist, “Did you talk about the patient’s mother?” there won’t be queries like, “Did you use guided imagery?”

The challenge for parents is to find a licensed therapist who uses integrative techniques. Gordon hopes the center’s website will soon offer a list of health care professionals, advocates, and survivors who have received the center’s “cancer guides” training, which includes integrative cancer for kids.

There is no guarantee integrative therapies will be a balm. Gabriella Casabianca, 7, has endured surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation to treat her brain tumor, diagnosed in December 2008. “Acupuncture left a rash, and she didn’t really care for it,” says her mother, Frances. But foot massages—also known as reflexology—are a bright spot: “My daughter looks forward to it. She takes off her socks. She enjoys it.”

Energy healing appealed to Katrina Janik, whose daughter Carrie, now 5, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 14 months. Energy healers use their hands to bring energy to a patient’s “unbalanced” energy system. Janik spent about $1,300 out of pocket to pay for 10 sessions with a practitioner. She had mixed feelings about the sessions, partly because the healer lacked the patience to work well with small children.

At Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Janik turned to touch therapy practitioner Suzanne O’Brien. After a five-minute session, Carrie will grow sleepy and say, “That feels good.” Carrie now meditates for hours, and Janik reports that a surgery went better than the doctor expected.

Doctors don’t quite know what to make of energy healing, in part because the biological basis of this practice is obscure.

Goldman of Children’s Memorial is overseeing a study that pits stretching and breathing exercises against energy healing to see how patients report the benefits. “I’m pleased we’re [examining it] in a more regimented way,” he says.

After a five-minute session, Carrie will grow sleepy and say, "That feels good." Carrie now meditates for hours.

At 5 years old, brain tumor survivor Carrie Janik has used medication and touch therapy to cope with the disease. Photo by Shauna Bittle.

Yet Goldman is willing to admit he can see a boon in the absence of evidence. “I’m skeptical about energy transferring from one body to another. I can’t comprehend how this works, but in a way, I don’t care as long as the kids come out feeling calm and comforted—that’s a benefit right there.”

From curetoday.com WINTER/2009

Hypnosis and Weight Loss

What Is The Secret To Permanent, Healthy Weight Loss? We asked Inga Chamberlain of the Atlanta Weight Loss Group

Weight loss in Atlanta, GA has never been easier now that the Atlanta Weight Loss Group has restructured its program. Men and Women in and around Atlanta, GA have been consistently losing weight with Inga Chamberlain's new program at the Atlanta Weight Loss Group's group weight loss program. People have been losing weight permanently, and consistently at a healthy average of 15 pounds in 7 weeks; all of which drug and surgery free. The Atlanta Weight Loss Group's secret to success is a 7 week program which is a combination of learning healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating, exercise, and much more that get enhanced using hypnosis, NLP and hypnotherapy. The key to making permanent change is using a person's subconscious to make it all happen automatically making permanent change a part of the whole person.

Atlanta, GA (December 23, 2009 -- Weight Loss in Atlanta, GA has never been easier now that the Atlanta Weight Loss Group has restructured its program. Men and Women in and around Atlanta, GA have been consistently losing weight with Inga Chamberlain's new program at the Atlanta Weight Loss Group's group weight loss program. People have been losing weight at an average of 15 pounds in 7 weeks. The Atlanta Weight Loss secret to success is a 7 week program which is a combination of learning healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating, exercise, and much more that get enhanced using hypnosis, NLP and hypnotherapy. The key to making permanent change is using a person's subconscious to make it all happen automatically making permanent change a part of the whole person.

Think about a healthy lifestyle subconsciously, and permanently change the whole person.

"Permanent weight loss can be difficult for most women because they are attempting to lose weight in a way that doesn't work for them." - Women, to put it bluntly, are biologically different from men. Those differences imply some guidelines for diet, exercise and health matters in general.

Hard to believe, but true! So far, I have lost 35 pounds since seeing Inga Chamberlain. She made it easy with her relaxing technique... I can’t believe it was really this easy, but you never know the power of your mind... jaknig - Atlanta, GA

"For permanent weight loss to happen, a healthy lifestyle that includes a proper diet and exercise has to be part of the whole person" - It is Nutrition 101!

"When people try to lose weight by using will power alone they are using their conscious mind and it can't work long term. People have only so much will power. When a person connects to and uses the power of their subconscious mind the results are incredible. People use the power of their subconscious mind everyday to keep themselves alive. The subconscious mind is what keeps a person's body alive giving it the power to constantly compensate for what they try to do consciously. People don't consciously think about making sure their hearts are pumping blood, it is all done subconsciously for them." - Even though we could consciously stop eating, the body's systems continue to compensate subconsciously.

"If everyday people were to connect to where their thoughts about food and exercise are coming from in the first place, they would realize the important truth about why their bodies and their lives are the way they are. Most of the time people don't eat because they are hungry, they eat because they are bored, anxious, stressed or fearfull. People just want something in their mouths to change the way they feel. People that come to the Atlanta Weight Loss Group get the help they need to permanently change the way they feel so they don't need to eat for emotional reasons." - Adjusting one's attitude to losing weight is key to permanent success.

Once they complete the program at the Atlanta Weight Loss Group, they will have learned how to properly exercise and nourish their minds and bodies. This will permanently give them back their power over their minds and bodies subconsciously. When a person first joins the group the first thing that is worked on is why they eat the way they do. It is important that the person know what their emotional reasons are for eating and what the associations they have formed over time to food and exercise that come from their past. After the discovery process, changes are made to the person's eating, and lifestyle behaviour based on their original thoughts about food and exercise so that they will naturally change to more positive eating, exercise, and thought behaviour that becomes part of who they are. This is key to a person's ability to permamently take back control so they no longer feel like they are dieting. They have simply changed their thoughts about food and exercise and by changing their thoughts their behaviour automatically changes as well. Join the Atlanta Weight Loss Group's group weight loss program and make permanent, positive changes in your life!

About the Atlanta Weight Loss Group Inga Chamberlain of the Atlanta Weight Loss Group & NeuroSolutions in Atlanta, GA. is an Atlanta NLP Master Practitioner, and Hypnotherapist who has been practicing Hypnosis, NLP and Hypnotherapy for more than 16 years in Atlanta, GA. She has successfully worked with hundreds of people nationwide to help them make permanent changes in their lives to stop smoking, deal with anxiety and depression, phobias, sales and sports performance enhancement and works with men and women who want to lose more than 10 pounds.

A hypnotic way to work out issues

A hypnotic way to work out issues

Hypnotherapy unleashes the subconscious in an attempt to help fix problems plaguing patients

By Aleksandra Gajewski Signal Staff Writer agajewski@the-signal.com 661-259-1234 x539 Posted: Dec. 17, 2009  10:35 p.m. POSTED  Dec. 18, 2009 4:55 a.m. A woman suffered from a skin condition that left a nasty rash covering her entire body. When she went to the doctor, he prescribed her a cream. Weeks went by and she returned. The rash was still present.

After several other creams and ointments, it seemed as if nothing worked. As a last resort, she decided to see a hypnotherapist. While in a state of hypnosis, her hypnotherapist gave her some instructions.

"Imagine a special lotion to help with your rash," the hypnotherapist said. "Take the lotion and apply it to your skin. It's calming and cool, and it'll make the rash go away."

The woman called the hypnotherapist the next day.

"The rash is gone all over!" she exclaimed with excitement. "Except for under my armpits."

She had forgotten to put the imaginary lotion under her arms during her session.

This is a true story according to Karen Maleck-Whiteley, a hypnotherapist and owner of Balance Point Day spa in Canyon Country.

"In my view, hypnotherapy is a tool people could use to achieve goals," Maleck-Whiteley said. "It allows you to use your mind to make changes in your life."

Scott Spackey is a hypnotherapist, a California registered addiction specialist, a life-counselor and an interventionist. He runs LifeMind out of an office in Newhall. As a certified drug counselor, he involves hypnotherapy in order to help people overcome their obstacles.

"(Hypnotherapy) is a process by which the subconscious mind is affected through conditioning. The way we cultivate negative behaviors is subconscious conditioning," Spackey said. "We know we don't want to be a certain way."

Hypnotherapy helps recondition the mind to allow a person to achieve his or her goals.

It all comes down to suggestibility, Spackey said. The mind works on a pain-pleasure system - to avoid pain and seek pleasure. In a state of hypnosis, the hypnotherapist makes new paradigms and associations.

Maleck-Whiteley and Spackey do not put their patients to sleep by swinging a watch like a pendulum while they lay on a couch. That's only seen in the movies. In hypnosis, people don't lose control and go into a zombie-like state where they can be made to do things against their will.

"It's not brainwashing," Maleck-Whiteley said.

"You can't make someone do something they don't want to do," Spackey said.

Clients don't even have to lie down to enter the state of hypnosis. And it's not as if the patient actually goes "to sleep" either. Rather, they enter a state of absorbed awareness, not unlike losing oneself in a good book or a favorite piece of music.

"We all go through trances in our life," Maleck-Whiteley said. "We daydream. While we're driving, we get somewhere and we don't really know how we got there. It's a normal state. Your mind is a million miles away and then someone cuts you off and you're swung back to reality."

The goal of hypnotherapists is to get their patients to relax enough to achieve this state in their office.

"We have ways to access that state," she said. Hypnotherapy for what? Hypnotherapy is a "technique used for a long time," Maleck-Whiteley said. "The theory behind hypnotherapy is we could access and change something in the subconscious. You actually work on what you want to work on. People use hypnotherapy for hundreds of things."

Some of the most common reasons people see a hypnotherapist are: Anxiety, pain reduction, sleep issues, sports performance, learning a musical instrument, improvement of self-esteem and confidence and removing blocks to success and starting a business.

Conquering phobias is also a concern among patients, whether they have a fear of testing, fear of public speaking or fear or spiders. Smoking cessation and weight loss are probably the most popular self improvement actions.

"A lot of high schoolers come in for test anxiety, better study habits and retention," Maleck-Whiteley said.

People often come in looking to overcome their addictions.

"We're all addicts," Spackey said. "Addiction isn't just to drugs and alcohol. People are addicted to shop lifting, relationships, sex."

Spackey is a recovering drug addict himself, and is well equipped to deal with people who are going through tough times.

Maleck-Whiteley and Spackey also get some unusual cases, including helping clients remember where they put something, teeth grinding, overcoming a fear of the dentist, hair pulling, hypno-birthing (so labor can be faster and less painful) and past-life regression.

"There's a theory that you can go back and visit a past life," Maleck-Whiteley said.

Hypnotherapy does not work for everyone, Maleck-Whiteley said, nor is it a quick fix to every problem in life. "Hypnotherapy is not a silver bullet," Spackey said. "It's an advancement."

From hooey to hurrah Hypnotherapy used to be looked down upon. Today, it has been proven that hypnotherapy helps.

There have been studies and documentaries where hypnotherapy has had good results with irritable bowel syndrome and has helped cancer patients.

However, it is important to note that hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical conditions, treatments or drugs.

"We are not doctors or therapists," Maleck-Whiteley said. "If you come in for depression or severe headaches, I'd refer you to a doctor."

Hypnotherapy is a supplement to overcome medical conditions. Doctors often suggest their patients see a hypnotherapist to help assist with the recovery process.

"Those people heal faster," Maleck-Whiteley said. "We can work in conjunction with the medical world."

The big component for those who are interested in finding a hypnotherapist is being able to trust who you go to.

"It's not a licensed profession," Maleck-Whiteley said. "I believe it should be."

Both Maleck-Whiteley and Spackey want those interested to be aware. People can take a weekend course now and claim to be a hypnotherapist.

"Make sure they went to an accredited school," Maleck-Whiteley said. Although not a licensed profession, clinical hypnotherapists can (and should) be certified.

Balance Point Day Spa is located 18285 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country. Call (661) 252-0650 orfor more information. LifeMind is located 24303 Walnut Street, Suite B in Newhall. Call (661) 299-1966 or visitfor more information.

Police to study hypnosis techniques

Police officers will study hypnosis techniques to help them encourage suspects and witnesses to tell the truth.

Investigators from across Britain have been invited to a free taster workshop at the University of Chester next June.

It will be held by hypnosis specialist Tom Silver and aims to teach officers how to produce "the deepest and most receptive states of hypnosis".

Pc Mark Hughes, an investigative skills trainer with Cheshire Police who organised the session, said forensic hypnosis could be "another tool in the armoury".

He told Police Review: "Putting people in a receptive brainwave state makes it likelier that the truth will come out.

"Forensic hypnosis is a scientific approach, and special helmets monitor brain activity and those who lie have 'wide-awake brainwave patterns'."

Officers who want to take the methods further can sign up for a six-day course costing £1,370.

Mr Silver is better known as a celebrity hypnotherapist on US television, with appearances on programmes including the Montel Williams and Ricki Lake chat shows.

His website boasts his mission is to "bring brainwave understanding to everyone" and help people utilise the "science of the mind".

Pc Hughes added: "Forensic hypnosis does not prove guilt but it can give new lines of inquiry when traditional methods have failed.

On Memory: Hypnotically refreshed memory

On Memory: Hypnotically refreshed memory

Shannon Kari, National Post Published: Monday, December 21, 2009

Story tools presented by

David Barlow/AFPA photo shows skull and brain with the help of double exposure. Memory is a complicated and misunderstood function of our brains.

Case 1: Hypnosis

One of the best known cases where hypnosis played a key role in a Canadian trial was the original prosecution of Robert Baltovich.

The Toronto man was convicted in 1992 of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Bain. Four Crown witnesses were hypnotized and the supposedly improved memory of sightings of Mr. Baltovich by three of them were essential to the prosecution's case.

Mr. Baltovich spent nearly nine years in prison and the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned his conviction in 2004 and ordered a new trial.

By the time of his re-trial, early in 2008, however, the legal landscape had changed dramatically when it came to the use of hypnosis as a tool for refreshing the memory of witnesses.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in February 2007 that post-hypnosis evidence was presumptively inadmissible, because of concerns that it was essentially junk science. The ruling came in ordering a new trial for Stephen Trochym, a Canada Post employee convicted of killing his girlfriend.

Questions about the accuracy of hypnosis were raised as far back as the early 1980s. As a result of a 1984 ruling in Alberta, courts tended to admit post-hypnosis evidence as long as police followed certain guidelines aimed at ensuring the hypnotist was independent and did not put improper suggestions to the witness.

In its 2007 ruling, the Supreme Court looked to ongoing research about post-hypnosis evidence and the increasing skepticism about the practice, especially in the United States.

"There is a general consensus that most individuals are more suggestible under hypnosis, that any increase in accurate memories during hypnosis is accompanied by an increase in inaccurate memories, that hypnosis may compromise the subject's ability to distinguish memory from imagination, and that subjects frequently report being more certain of the content of post-hypnosis memories, regardless of their accuracy," wrote Justice Marie Deschamps for the majority. "While it is not generally accepted that hypnosis always produces unreliable memories, neither is it clear when hypnosis results in pseudo-memories or how a witness, scientist or trier of fact might distinguish between fabricated and accurate memories," she added. "This technique and its impact on human memory are not understood well enough for post-hypnosis testimony to be sufficiently reliable to be used in a court of law."

After several weeks of pre-trial legal arguments in the Baltovich re-trial, the Crown ultimately decided to call no evidence and Mr. Baltovich was acquitted of murder in April 2008.

Case 2: The Repressed memory

The use of so-called "recovered memory therapy" to unearth repressed memories of traumatic childhood events gained much favour in the 1980s and 1990s. It led to dozens of cases across North America where people were charged in cases of alleged historical sexual assault, usually of children. In some cases, the allegations included bizarre claims of satanic rituals.

Along with the use of hypnosis to prompt someone's memory, this practice is now treated with extreme caution by the courts in Canada. "I think it has pretty much been discredited," said Stephen Lindsay, a psychology professor at the University of Victoria, who has conducted research in this area.

The fundamental criticism of the technique was that therapists made too many suggestions that induced patients into believing certain traumatic events had occurred in their past.

"We don't remember anything without cues," Prof. Lindsay said.

"I don't buy the notion of repression. We simply forget a lot. I think we forget most of our lives."

While an individual may be more likely to remember a traumatic event in their past, they may also be "motivated to forget bad things" and simply not think about it, he explained. In testing the accuracy of these kinds of memories, he said it is crucial to examine "how did the person come to remember this."

Case 3: Guidelines for photo lineups

Sequential lineups: Photos of suspects should be presented one at a time, instead of in array of 12 presented as a group. Otherwise, witnesses are more likely to compare all 12 at once to see who looks most like the suspect.

Videotaping lineup identifications: This ensures that there is an accurate record of what takes place when a witness is asked by police to see if a suspect can be identified.

Pre-lineup instructions: Witnesses should be told the suspect may not be in the lineup. This lowers the chance of a witness feeling obligated to pick someone out of the lineup who most looks like the person they remember.

Use of fillers: Only one suspect should be included in a photo lineup. The rest should be "fillers," people known to be innocent, yet who fit the general description of the suspect.

Success with Hypnosis and Skin Problems

Veteran airline captain Jack L. had lived through it all, from engine fires and locked landing gear to busted hydraulics and deadly wind shear. No matter how grave the danger, he never lost his cool, never produced a bead of sweat. Oddly, though, the forehead of this man of steel broke out in herpes blisters whenever he flew over a particular canyon. What was going on?

Kathy R's career as an investment banker in New York was taking off as spectacularly as her social life. Attractive and athletic, she was never wanting for party invitations or dates. Indeed, her boyfriends changed with the seasons. She seemed to get everything she wanted -- except to be rid of a stubborn case of adult acne. She'd been to several top dermatologists and used the best acne medicines, but nothing worked for her.

Helen S., a young stay-at-home mom with a new baby, really had her dermatologist scratching his head. The raw, oozing, red rash was clearly recognizable as eczema. But why was it only in one place - the fourth finger on her left hand? Located right under a gold ring, could it have been caused by a gold allergy? Not likely. She had gold rings on other fingers, and they were fine.

Jack, Kathy, and Helen came from very different of walks of life, but they shared a common problem: their skin served as billboards for unresolved emotional and psychological issues. Conventional medical therapies either failed to improve their conditions or worked for six months to a year, then became ineffective. Each of these people was fortunate enough to find a practitioner who understood the powerful connection between mind and skin.

In Jack's case, psychotherapy performed under hypnosis revealed that a friend had died in a plane crash there - and that this man, a fellow pilot, had been filling in because Jack had called in sick. Jack felt responsible for his friend's death. But once he allowed himself to feel his grief and guilt - feelings that he'd suppressed because they were too painful -- his herpes outbreaks stopped.

During psychotherapy, Kathy mentioned that her acne flared up whenever a boyfriend got too close. It was as if her skin was trying to protect her. What was she so afraid of? A memory lay forgotten in her subconscious, but it was far from dormant. She recalled a menacing man who had lived next door to her when she was a child. Persistent fear of this man was preventing Kathy from forming a long-term relationship. Once she saw the connection, her skin cleared up, and her love live blossomed.

Helen's finger grew worse and worse. She got no relief from the usual eczema medicines. She had forgotten the episode when she came to see me years later feeling depressed. She recalled that her baby had had severe colic, crying virtually nonstop for over a year. Her workaholic husband was unhelpful and emotionally unresponsive. In this tormenting situation, her skin gave voice to a desire she felt she could not admit to herself or express directly: "Get me out of this marriage." Finally, her wedding ring had to be cut off. Her skin had, at least symbolically, found a way out.

For .more information see my site and my book Skin Deep: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin.  A free e-book version is available there.

Three Skin Mysteries Solved

www.barryjones.com

Hypnosis and Bruxism

'I felt like I'd done three rounds with Mike Tyson ... all because I was grinding my teeth in my sleep'

Last updated at 10:45 PM on 21st December 2009

Earlier this year, I woke up with the mother of all toothaches. It was not just an uncomfortable twinge, it felt like I'd had a nocturnal tussle with a champion boxer and lost.

The whole right-hand side of my jaw was tender and aching, while the tendons down either side of my neck felt taut and uncomfortable. I couldn't eat my morning muesli without wincing because every time I chewed a dull pain shot up my back molars.

I went to the dentist with my jaw in my hand and my heart in my mouth. Having Googled my symptoms, I feared the worst. Mouth cancer, perhaps? Gum disease, maybe? An extraction at the very least.

Life's a grind: Lucy McDonald's teeth grinding habit was caused by stress

After a routine examination and a chat about my symptoms, my dentist diagnosed bruxism. This alone brought me out in a cold sweat. My illness was so serious it had a Greek name.

More...

Thankfully, bruxism sounds scarier than it is. The word comes from the Greek ebryxa (to gnash) and is the medical term for involuntary teeth grinding or jaw clenching, typically during sleep. Experts say it is an unconscious way to release stress or anger, while bruxism in children is often linked to breathing difficulties caused by adenoid and tonsil problems.

Although I was relieved to not be at death's door, I admit to feeling a little deflated.

Teeth grinding is not the most feminine of traits, nor is it dramatic enough to be worthy of pity.

Bruxism affects one in ten of us at some point. At worst it can break teeth - I've cracked two back molars in a year - and wear down enamel, as well as causing jaw problems, head and earaches, sensitive teeth and disrupting sleep.

It is most common in my age group - 25 to 44-year-olds. Dentists report anecdotal evidence that the recession has caused us to gnash and grind like never before.

Marianne Dashwood, from support group the Bruxism Association, says: 'Typically it happens at night, but some people grind their teeth or clench them in the day, too, and that can be debilitating. Normally, it's a short-term problem often caused by anxiety, but some people suffer all the time.'

Bruxists are divided into grinders and clenchers and, according to my dentist, I am the latter.

It occurs when I am awake or asleep but, instead of the more commonly known grinding, I clench my teeth so hard that sometimes it feels like they could shatter or that only a crowbar could prise my rigid jaws apart.

Flying high: Hypnosis helped Lucy overcome bruxism

Bruxism put hundreds of pounds of pressure on the teeth. Typically, chewing exerts 20lb to 40lb, but the pressure from grinding or clenching can be 250lb or more.

Dr Nigel Carter, from the British Dental Health Foundation, says: 'Bruxism exerts a huge force on teeth and it's something dentists are treating more frequently. Many people don't realise they're doing it. I've seen teeth worn down to gum level through repeated grinding.'

My bruxism started after having my second child, last April. Although I felt blissed out with my enlarged brood, the toll of sleepless nights and juggling family life was subconsciously affecting me.

U.S. studies suggests there is a hormonal link, although experts are not sure why. Dr Carter says: 'It's common for women to get bruxism around the menopause, pregnancy and adolescence or certain stages of the menstrual cycle.

More research is needed, but the combination of stress and hormones could raise the chances of women suffering from it.'

Bruxism can also be the result of missing teeth, a new filling or an abnormal bite.

Treatments range from sedatives, to help relax the jaw, to herbal remedies and even electric shocks.

Only three are recognised by the Bruxism Association as being effective: mandibular advancement devices (MADs), hypnosis and occlusal splints - brace-like devices - or mouth-guards.

MADs are made from two plastic plates, held together by a screw, which fit over the teeth at night to prevent them from meeting, making grinding or clenching impossible.

It sounded like torture, and even the Bruxism Association said MADs can take six weeks to get used to.

They can also cause dribbling. My dentist, however, recommended a mouthguard. These act as a buffer between the teeth. They protect the teeth from premature wear, reduce jaw muscle activity and the noise of grinding. But they only treat the symptom - the gnashing - not the cause - the stress.

I was full of hope the first night I wore my guard, but I hated it. Swallowing was uncomfortable and, after a week, I binned it. No one was more relieved than my husband. Mouthguards are a passion-killer.

Although they protect teeth from further damage, they do not help break the clenching habit, so I was back to square one.

I tried a technique, recommended by a tooth-grinding friend, which involved hugging a hot water bottle against my cheeks. But while it offered some relief, it was not a cure.

I considered extreme treatments such as Botox - which relaxes the jaw muscles that might be involved in jaw clenching, but it is not recommended by the Bruxism Association and, at £200 for each session, which needs to be repeated every four months, it was expensive.

I also read about clinical trials for a remedy called Grindcare. This is a small device worn on the temple, which gives users a mild - and unfelt - electric shock when grinding, relaxing the muscles.

The pressure's on: Bruxism is most common in 25-44 year-olds and affects one in 10 people

Dr David Vivian, a dentist from Hull, is testing it on his patients and says early results are encouraging - but the treatment is not yet readily available. Instead, I

decided to tackle the underlying problem of stress.

According to stress expert Chris Clarke, from support group the International Stress Management Association, the face is a prime target for tension. 'The jaw is one of the main parts of the body for holding stress,' he says.

'We often feel tight in the shoulders or neck when we're anxious, but the jaw is badly affected, too, and this can cause bruxism.'

I decided to try hypnosis, a stressbusting technique and, two months ago, I found Veronica Witter - a hypnotherapist of 20 years with an impressive 11 letters after her name - through the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Veronica says: 'Hypnosis is a natural, pleasant state and it can be used to treat many conditions such as phobias, anxiety and bruxism.'

During a pre-session chat, we pinpointed my anxiety to worrying about lack of shuteye. My baby was still waking at night and I was exhausted. The less sleep I got, the more I fretted; and the more I fretted, the more I clenched; and the more I clenched, the more stressed and the less sleep I got. I was a living vicious circle.

Hypnosis was relaxing, although nothing like I had imagined. Veronica didn't once say: 'You're feeling very sleepy' (I almost felt shortchanged) and, instead, I snoozed as her soothing voice told me I could cope with anything and that my clenching days were over.

She also taught me relaxation techniques. 'Often people with bruxism aren't breathing properly,' she says. 'In order for the body to get enough oxygen, you need to breath deeply through the nose and from the bottom of the tummy. If you're not breathing properly, it's harder to manage stress.'

Now, whenever I feel tense, I practise deep breathing and automatically feel more chilled out.

My Eureka moment came when Veronica told me to replace thinking 'What if?' with 'So what?'

She said there was no point worrying about what I couldn't control - like my daughter's sleeping.

I had four hour-long sessions (at £70 each) and, after the first, my jaw felt looser and nimbler than it had in months, but a few more sleepless nights put paid to that.

It was not until the last treatment - of deeper hypnosis - that the difference was profound. I no longer wake with jaw-ache and my days of resembling Bruce Forsyth are thankfully long gone.

It has been hard work, though, and if I forget to breathe properly or my stress levels rise it starts again.

It is, however, a million times better and I now retrospectively realise what a strain it was. To use a cliche, it now feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Or should that be my jaws?

• British Society Of Clinical Hypnosis, www.bsch.org.uk; Veronica Witter, 01707 874489; Bruxism Association, www.bruxism.org.uk

Unlimited Sports Success

Sports Hypnosis will; Dramatically Increase Endurance. Remove hesitations. Improved performance. Alleviate pre-competition nerves. Program sports success. Lose or gain weight. Instill complex behaviours. Focus attention. Develop mental stamina. Improve your sports style. Increase motivation. And much more Sports Hypnosis There is a long history of hypnosis in sport proving how athletic performance is increased dramatically in many areas, style correction, speed and strength enhancements are particularly effective. Most Champions use some form of hypnosis whether it's visualisation or affirmation and many seek the help of a professional hypnotist or sports psychologist to assist in their mental training. Sports Hypnotists differ from Psychologists in that they work directly with the Subconscious part of the brain the part that controls our behaviours, so change with hypnosis is often rapid. The Power of Hypnosis - the Olympics The use of hypnosis in sports has been around for hundreds of years. In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Russian olympic team took no less than 11 hypnotists todevelop mental clarity and help the athletes with visualisation. In addition out of 20 Australian swimmers named in one Olympic team 12 had been using Les Cunningham’s tapes for two months previously. – ‘Hypnosport’ by Les Cunningham. Previous to this, in a tour of Australia, England cricket captain Mike Brearleyconsulted a hypnotherapist to improve his game. In 2009 Twenty20 Cricket cup winners Pakistan had been hypnotised to 'bring back' the cup and to forget past failures. Also in 2009 British Shot Put champion and Olympian Alison Rodger used hypnosis to focus deeply on where she wanted to go in her sport. In 1996 Steve Collins beat Chris Eubank for the World Boxing Organisations Super-middleweight title. Much of his sports success being attributed to the focusing of attention created by hypnosis administered by Dr Tony Quinn, himself a formerChampion bodybuilder. Collins was programmed to deliver two punches to Eubank’s one. In the fight Eubank threw 300 punches, Collins threw over 600. Nigel Benn, WBC Super Middleweight Champion and Frank Bruno, WBC Heavyweight Champion both used Sports hypnosis for Boxing performance enhancement. Athlete Iwan Thomas and Golfers Ian Woosnam and Tiger Woods were hypnotised. Indian golfer, Gaganjeet Bhullar qualified for the 2009 British Open by using a hypnotherapist to program a winning mind set. Football has also been tainted by the hypnosis bug with Ipswich Town and Swindon Town enjoying successes following sessions with a therapist.

The Illusion of Conscious Will (Bradford Books) )

Readable, Entertaining, and Enlightening!

, May 17, 2002

By

A Customer

This review is from:

The Illusion of Conscious Will (Bradford Books) (Hardcover)

Daniel Wegner, (Harvard Professor of Psychology) has written a technical book that is readable, entertaining, enlightening. My introduction to Dr. Wegner was in "White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts". His sense of humor combined with his presentation of details put that book on my top ten list.

Since my primary interest is in spirituality, I was anxiously awaiting The Illusion of Conscious Will. In my opinion there is no topic that can be more seductive in the study of spirituality or philosophy. If we think we have "free-will" our thought-life takes one path, if we come down on the side of determinism (or predestination in some circles) our life will follow a different path. The author jumps right into the fray at the very start:

"So here you are reading a book on conscious will. How could this have happened? If [a team of scientific psychologists] had access to all the information they could ever want, the assumption of psychology is that they would uncover the mechanisms that give rise to all of your behavior and so could certainly explain why you picked up this book at this moment. However, another way to explain the fact of your reading this book is just to say that you decided to pick up the book and begin reading. You consciously willed what you are doing"

A sample of topics cover everything from spirit possession, animals that communicate, hypnosis, morality, and a host of other topics including a brief but interesting insight regarding a confession by the Amazing Kreskin.

Since my background is not in psychology, this became a challenging read but always entertaining. At the very least you will be impressed with how psychologists approach a problem that philosophers and theologians have debated for a thousand years. But if you are like me, this book is destined to change your outlook on life.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

The Illusion of Conscious Will will radically change your view of human behavior, including your own. It manages to controvert the most basic of our intuitive assumptions about our actions and decisions -- that they are governed by our conscious thought processes. Wegner presents ample anecdotal and scientific evidence to suggest that what we call consciousness is just a byproduct of our underlying, unconscious decision making process. And, what is more, he does so with an entertaining and readily accessible writing style. A great read for anyone who is interested in learning why they do what they do!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

This review is from:

I found the book via on online discussion group, as such it is not in a field that i feel particularly able to judge the quality of the work, or where it fits into the overall field.The book is an extended discussion of the question: "do we consciously cause what happens to us? or as the author puts the question- is the experience of consciously willing an action and the causation of the action by the person's conscious mind the same thing?" pg.3 The book feels like a dialogue between a psychologist and a brain researcher with a philosopher as umpire. The overall structure of the book is particularly good as the author avoids the great temptation to stray from his point while he investigates weird and interesting behaviors, it is to his great credit that the book makes good sense and continues to hammer away at his main point. All the while exploring related avenues of information that might have derailed the study.

The book, at least for me with my limited background in the issues, is rather self authenticating. So i would like to share several very good quotes:

"The real and apparent casual sequences relating thought and action probably do tend to correspond with each other some proportion of the time. After all, people are pretty good information processors when given access to the right information. The occurrence of conscious intention prior to action is often wonderful information because it provides a fine clue as to how things that are on the person' mind might pertain to what the person does. In fact, the mental system that introduces throughts of action to mind and keeps them coordinated with the actions is itself an intriguing mechanism. However, if conscious will is an experience that arises from the interpretation of clues to cognitive casuality, then apparent mental causation is generated by an interpretive process that is fundamentally separate from the mechanistic process of real mental causation. The experience of will can be an indication that mind is causing action, especially if the person is a good self-interpreter, but it is not conclusive." pg 96

"The phenomena of dissociative identity disorder reminds us that our familiar subjective sense of being and doing are open to remarkable transformations. The self is not locked into place somewhere an inch or so behind our eyes, a fixture in the mind. Rather, the agent self is a fabrication put in place by the mechanisms of thought, a virtual agent that has experiences and feels as though it is doing things but that could conceivably be replaced by some other virtual agent that is implemented in the same mind. The experience of consciously willing an action is something that happens in a virtual agent, not in a brain or mind. The sense of being an agent creates our sense of subjective self and identity." pg 263

"Conscious will is the somatic marker of personal authorship, an emotion that authenticates the action's owner as the self. With the feeling of doing an act, we get a conscious sensation of will attached to the action. Often, this marker is quite correct. In many cases, we have intentions that preview our action, and we draw causal inferences linking our thoughts and actions in ways that track quite well our own psychological processes. Our experiences of will, in other words, often do correspond correctly with the empirical will--the actual casual connection between our thought and action. The experience of will then serves to mark the moment and in memory the actions that have been singled out in this way. We know them as ours, as authored by us, because we have felt ourselves doing them. This helps us to tell the difference between things we're doing and all the other things that are happening in and around us. In the melee of actions that occur in daily life, and in the social interaction of self with others, this body-based signature is a highly useful tool. We resonate with what we do, whereas we only notice what otherwise happens or what others have done. Thus, we can keep track of our own contributions without pencils or tally sheets." pg 327

And from the concluding page, 342, " Sometimes how things seem is more important than what they are. This is true in theater, in art, in used car sales, in economics, and -- it now turns out-- in the scientific analysis of conscious will. The fact is, it seems to each of us that we have conscious will . It seems we have selves. It seems we have minds. It seems we are agents. It seems we cause what we do. Although it is sobering and ultimately accurate to call all this an illusion, it is a mistake to conclude that the illusory is trivial. On the contrary, the illusions piled atop apparent mental causation are the building blocks of human psychology and social life. It is only with the feeling of conscious will that we can being to solve the problems of knowing who we are as individuals, of discerning what we can and cannot do, and of judging ourselves morally right or wrong for what we have done."

From these you can conclude for yourself the author's position on the question of the book. From them as well you can determine the quality of the writing and the level of the argumentation. For my part, i found the time i spent understanding the author's argument constructive, the examples illuminating and most interesting, despite being a scientific writing it held my interest and was emotionally as well as intellectually fulfilling. I hope you find it likewise.

thanks for reading the review, i would certainly invite recommendation for further reading on this topic. send to [local website]

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(CT) -

This review is from:

The start of this book is excellent. Wegner begins by explaining what criteria have to be met for us to feel we have done something freely. These include: 1) a thought precedes an action (usually just before). 2) the thought always precedes the action 3) the action always follows the thought. He explains why this provides an illusion of freely chosen action. First, he gives examples of situations where people feel they are willing action, but someone else in fact, controls the action. The examples are amazing!! Then he gives many examples when people are controlling the action, but feel they are not. He finishes by concluding that free will is an emotion that allows us to keep track of our own actions and thus makes it possible for us to learn from our actions and keep track of who does what. He likens this sense of free will to a speedometer that is helping to measure a link between thought and action, but explains that the feeling of will is not itself causal.First, I think Wegner should include in his list of criteria for us to conclude we have willed action this idea: That we cannot attribute the action to forces outside our control, including overwhelming emotions (passions, if you will) and external physical causes. He doesn't say this outright though much of the book IS devoted to explaining this idea.

Wegner agrees that thoughts can "cause" actions, but that the feeling of choosing does not. The problem I have with the book is that, at the end, he fails to stand firmly behind the conclusions that surely must follow from all he has said. We do not control our thoughts any more than our actions is the only logical conclusion. Thus our ideas of morality are based on an illusion.

We must also conclude that people's reports on their mental states are almost never accurate. Such reports of mental states thus have no place in a court of law for example.

Wegner seems to use the idea of a guilty conscience as an indication that the person knew what he was doing when he did it. I strongly disagree. He may have acted unconsciously and later realized his behavior was inconsistent with his beliefs. A guilty mind, in my view, should be a sign of a person who is less likely to act in a bad way again, not more worthy of blame. For example, sociopaths will never have a guilty mind, and are the ones most likely to repeat harmful behavior

I think we have to fall back on the position of Gilbert Ryle, the only real clues we have to a person¡¦s mental state (including our own) is behavior. By this criteria, anyone who shows behavioral signs of genuine remorse (we could be fooled by very good actors, but usually when people fake someone can see it--there will be some inconsistency in behavior) is providing clues that the person did something he did not feel was morally right and it is also an indicator that, unless they have an uncontrollable compulsion, they will be more likely to avoid the behavior in the future. Feelings of remorse, if strong, should act as a deterrent (Wegner does suggest this).

In the end Wegner is unable to give up on the idea that we WILL our actions. He devotes a book to saying this is an illusion, but ultimately he does not want to give up on will as a causal force and that was a disappointment

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Sydney, Australia) - 

This book seeks to make the case that the experience of conscious will, although seeming to cause our actions, does not. The argument presented in doing this is broad-ranging, covering topics in philosophy, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, child development, and social psychology.

Like his Harvard Colleague Daniel Gilbert, Daniel Wegner has the dual gifts of being a gifted researcher and gifted writer. There is insufficient space in a brief review to outline all the arguments raised by this book, or all the topics covered. The good ideas come thick and fast, but are presented with sufficient clarity that they should be understandable to most intelligent readers, even those without an extensive background in psychology or philosophy.

On top of his writing and research, Wegner's ability to theorize from the evidence and consider evidence in light of theory is outstanding. A great deal of the research Wegner reports in this book is his own. In addition, he does a masterful job of scouring current and historical literature for interesting examples to support his case.

There are some good concise summaries of the arguments made in this book in academic psychology articles by Wegner. Some of which can be downloaded from his homepage: these may provide a good start if you are presently unsure about buying the book. I think people who enjoy Daniel Dennett's philosophical writings on consciousness would enjoy this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D

The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

167 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

A classic on the linguistic techniqes of Milton Erickson

This book (Volume I) is worth reading by anyone interested in hypnosis. The authors present the major linguistic techniques that Erickson used to induce and maintain hypnosis, as well as his methods of doing hypnotherapy. They approach Erickson from the discipline of linguistics, so the reading is a bit technical at times, but perfectly understandable if you stick with..

Published on August 23, 2002 by Anthony Loui

Good though sometimes hard to follow

The book is a nice summary of Hypnotic Techniques of Milton Erickson though sometimes it seems lost in its own words. There are several references to Bandler and Grindler's other books which makes it appear that for full understanding, one must read the other books as well. I do not regret my purchase of this book.

Published on January 13, 2007 by Lindley Cra

A classic on the linguistic techniqes of Milton Erickson

This book (Volume I) is worth reading by anyone interested in hypnosis. The authors present the major linguistic techniques that Erickson used to induce and maintain hypnosis, as well as his methods of doing hypnotherapy. They approach Erickson from the discipline of linguistics, so the reading is a bit technical at times, but perfectly understandable if you stick with it. They review the same material many times to make it very clear to the reader. I wish there were an accompanying audiotape of Erickson so that the reader could hear the analogical markings that Erickson uses with his speech to clients. Anyone seriously interested in Erickson's approach to hypnosis should read this book. Volume II is nearly incomprehensive to someone who does not have a Ph.D. in linguistics. The authors in Volume II appear incapable of expressing their valuable ideas in simple English, which may be a sign that they really don't understand what they are saying well enough to communicate it to others. Rather than spending your hard-earned money on Volume II, you might read other authors like Steve Gilligan (Therapeutic Trances) who covers the same material in plain English rather than quasi-mathematic formulas and mumbo-jumbo about 4-tuples, etc.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Bracebridge, ON Canada) - 

This is a great book if you are interested in the more analytical and theoretical side of hypnosis and/or hypnosis used in therapy. -- A linguistic perspective. --Volume I covers the model overall Volume II goes a little more into dealing with incongruent clients, and a linguistic model of representation. [the 4-tuple, R-Operator and C-Operator]

THE GOOD -- [Although] It is not a very quick read... because everything in this book is actually useful. You will not want to rush through this one, and it is a book you will want to go back to. It does a good job covering the Milton Model, the language patterns and non-verbal communication.

This book is not for everybody though...

THE BAD -- Personally, there isn't anything I dislike about this book, but I do realize that some people have different interests and reasons for wanting to learn about hypnosis. First of all, this book is probably not for beginners. If you are, it would take a little longer to finish thoroughly. An book on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that covers both the Meta-model and the Milton Model (consider "Introducing NLP", by Joseph O'Connor et al. -- it has a green cover) will provide a great introduction/pre-read to this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

One of the very few "MUST HAVE" books about persuasion

,May 14, 1997

By 

A Customer

This review is from:

Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Volume 1 (Paperback)

Rated as an 8 ONLY because of its difficulty, this ranks as one of the few references that the serious student of hypnosis and persuasive language really MUST HAVE, and should read. The exhaustive list of presuppositions in language is, itself, a goldmine of information and study, and can reward diligent study and practice with exponential elevations in skill.If you want to know how Erickson did what he did, which even he admitted often escaped him, this book reveals the structure behind the master's skill.

If you buy only a few books about hypnosis or persuasion, make this one of them

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

BANDLER AND GRINDER, NOT JUST AUTHORS

, August 7, 2005

By

Jaye L. Buksbaum "Author of The Thriving s"

Richard Bandler and John Grinder did not just read and study Milton's method of hypnosis, they lived it day in and day out for years. They modeled it, along with Virginia Satir's therapy models, Moshe Feldenkrais movement models and others. This book is their primary work on the structure of Milton's trance inductions and his ability to create successful generative change in his patients. It is a must read for the serious student of hypnosis and a suggested read for everyone willing to work a bit to get to the good stuff.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Pennsylvania) - 

Keep in mind this.

If you want to learn to do what Milton Erickson did, this is the best resource ANYWHERE to help you with that quest.

I have personally trained over 750 people in the non verbal inductions of Erickson, of which the Handshake Induction is the most famous, and this work is by far the best of it's kind when it comes to the linquistic wizardry of this hypnotic genious.

Get this book if you want results. It is not an easy read, in fact it can be quite challenging. It is well worth the money spent and the time needed to completely digest it's depth.

John Wingert The Original and Only No BS Life Coach

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Good though sometimes hard to follow

, January 13, 2007

By

Lindley Craig 

"Cow"

The book is a nice summary of Hypnotic Techniques of Milton Erickson though sometimes it seems lost in its own words. There are several references to Bandler and Grindler's other books which makes it appear that for full understanding, one must read the other books as well. I do not regret my purchase of this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(London) -

I agree with the comments made that the language in the book is sometimes difficult to follow. If you want clearer instructions on the use of words in a therapeutic context, I recommend The Secret Language of Hypnotherapy by John Smale. Undoubtedly Erickson was the father of modern hypnotherapy but his works need to be placed into an updated world and given a new perspective.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Although the Patterns books are old books, they explain everything in an understandable and exact way and I do mean exhaustively understandable and exact which is why I like them so much. I bought Patterns 1 in paperback and Patterns 2 in hardcover. But anyhow, showing the exactitudes and subtleties of the use of language in deep-trance hypnosis is genuinely fascinating no matter how long-winded the descriptions and stuff get. Who knows? The way he used language may have been the real beginning of "the subliminal movement". Well very interesting reading nevertheless.

Captain Josh.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

The Corruption of Reality: A Unified Theory of Religion,Hypnosis, and Psychopathology

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

A Reality Reconstruction Project for Man

, June 8, 2006

By

Herbert L Calhoun 

This paradigm shift in psychological research and thinking (that just happens to update a key element of Freudian psychology) is powerful medicine for both the committed scientist and the layman. It gets five stars each for thoroughness, inventiveness, and the clarity of its exposition.

Building on his equally impressive work in "Wings of Illusion," Schumaker, uses an expanded examination of the process of diassociation, as a way of developing a unified theory of religion, hypnosis and psychopathology. In a research project that can only produce envy in its thoroughness and deft treatment of a very complicated subject, the author has left no stones unturned in bringing his unifying thesis to a resoundingly satisfying and successful climax.

The core thesis of this work is set forth in his "Wings of Illusion" in which the author asserts that as a result of developing greatly amplified intelligence as an evolutionary strategy for dealing with the fear and trauma of often overwhelming disorder and complexity, man began to seek psychological sanctuary in the form of illusion and self-deception.

Following on the heels of Ernest Becker and Otto Rank, Schumaker poses yet again perhaps the most important question for humankind: "On what level of illusion was man meant to live?"

As a way of unraveling this mystery, the author reveals man's primary evolutionary strategy as that of using conscious self-deception to forestall and avoid the unsettling tension-producing aspects of being unable to control and manage disorder.

This purposeful, and strategic use of self-deception - that is, learning to fashion and manage reality to suit our needs (or as the author puts it "this corruption of reality") -- has proven to be a survival enhancing evolutionary move.

The evolutionary process that helped man out of his quandary of being overwhelmed with disorder and complexity came in the form of a capacity for the brain to disassociate itself from itself.

That is to say specifically that the human brain has the capacity to selectively perceive its environment, selectively process information, selectively store memories, selectively disengage from already stored memories, and selectively replace dissociated data with more "user-friendly" data. Put yet another way, the brain can split the mind into distinct but unified submodules.

The primary level of this mind reorganization, for the purpose of reality reconstruction, of course takes place at the level of culture. It is culture that tends to homogenize and normalize people's false conceptions of reality. The reality of the individual is -- to a large extent -- the result of constructions that are fabricated and propagated at the level of culture.

And if culture can be said to be the central bank of this "artificial order creation project," then organized religion is its currency. Only by eliminating competing "real" data from consciousness can the tension between the disorder in reality and the artificial order we create in our heads, be reduced.

Religion, in its attempt to protect us from some of the most perplexing problems of survival -- such as how to deal with unknowns, uncertainty, and most of all death -- does this with a flourish.

Through cultural organization and manipulation, the human brain has evolved in such a way that it is capable of arriving at greater order than it perceives, or that even exists in reality. In distorting reality to create his own artificial order, man lowers dramatically his own criteria and need for accurate reality testing.

In this volume, Schumaker demonstrates beyond a shadow of doubt that through the mechanism of disassociation, religion and psychopathology are different sides of the same reality re-construction project. Hypnosis, another member of the same family of self-deception is used more or less as the experimental control for testing this thesis.

As religion, hypnosis, and psychopathology are explored, in each other's light, it becomes ever more clear that they are part of a single story, namely, the regulation or corruption of reality.

Schumaker's thesis will be unsettling and disturbing to conventional minds -especially religious ones -- but it is one of few trail-blazing undertakings in psychology that ends in a resounding success. Five stars.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

The elves and the Schumaker...

, March 3, 2008

By

Jonathan 

Jett-Parmer

John Schumaker is an Australian psychologist and hypno therapist. In this work he presents a compelling argument for the connection between the human need for dissociation and the establishment of religion and other "irrational" thought. He spends a lot of time weaving the history of dissociative cultural practices with modern psychpathology. The text is well referenced and reratively easy to read.

Like many brilliant researchers, he occassionaly slips into repetition of his core arguments, rather than allowing them to stand on their own after a single well framed defense. Nonetheless, Mr. Schumaker's work presents an interesting construct for consideration. What if the "demystification" of modern society is actually undermining itscollective mental health? He argues, towards the end, that a new religion must be established to permit our individual psyches to be shielded from the various irreconciable pressures from within and without.

I certainly do not fully agree with his thesis, however, the method of argument and representation is well crafted. I think any student of psychology, theology and mysticism will find this text thought provoking and useful. He provides an extensive bibliography which may be a jumping off point for further reading.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Amherst, VA) - 

This was, for me, the best book I have read in years. It answered questions that I have been "trying" to answer my entire adult life without success. 1. How can people believe that nonsense? 2. Why are specific mental illnesses "specific" to particular cultures and religions? 3. Why is religion universal? I am a physician (31 years), I am trained in hypnosis and a life long atheist and student of Eastern and Western religions. This book is as current as the religious killing you saw on CNN today and as profound in it's insight and information as a true classic. Pay the money, put in the time and enjoy the wisdom.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Fairly good review of illusion, trance, and religion

, February 20, 2005

By

Bob

Time for a Change

Great book. Not for novices or beginners to NLP. One may imagine going to a NLP seminars 1st before reading, and then you can enjoy this elegant book about change and how to create it.It's about modifying beliefs.

It's about learning to laugh.

It's learning about hypnotic inductions.

It's about adjusting timelines

and changing limiting decisions.

You'll need to at least learn about the appendices before attacking the book.

I enjoyed the hilarious intellectual journey that Richard enthralls you with.

He's a good author with lots of insight.

You might have to read Structure of Magic by Richard Bandler before attacking this tome.

I recommend to hypnotherapists, psychologists, social workers and other people in the transformation and change arena.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Andenne, Belgium) - 

It won't be a long review. Just buy it, read it and apply it and you'll become the person you ever dreamed to be. It will give you the opportunity to live your dream if you do the exercices. You can also do the same with PERSUASION ENGINEERING from Richard Bandler too. Be happy for the rest of your life, that's the risk.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Challenging, teasing, entertaining, fun

, June 22, 2001

By 

A Customer

Well, I've said it in four words. After reading and populating shelves at home with books on NLP, hypnosis and therapy I still remember those two days -one year ago or more maybe- I read this one amidst cracks of laughter. Honestly, I did not learn anything, just NOTHING, as far as my "conscious mind" is involved, however I was amused to no end and challenged to GO ON LEARNING, and on and on, it gave me a powerful boost and ignited my desire and enthusiasm to no end, retrospectively, I think this book might well deserve the sub-title of "The spirit of NLP", although this title is beared already by another that also deserves it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Entertaining and packed with information. I particularly benefited from "reprogramming limiting decisions" and "the house-cleaning pattern". Excellent appendices on Accessing cues, The Meta Model, Submodalities, Presuppositions, and Reframing. A must read NOW.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Persuasion Engineering

The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

Fun To Read

Of all the people who ever wrote books on NLP, Richard Bandler's are the most fun to read - there's no question about it and this book is no exception. As a matter of fact when I began reaing this book, I couldn't put it down, in spite of the fact that I felt at times at odds with his grammar and the fact that you won't exactly find techniques to apply in this book...

Published on October 28, 2004 by Laura De Giorgio

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

Disappointed: Lost in my own Transderivation Search I guess

I purcahsed the book with the intention of learining how to sell more effectively, to engineer persuasion. I came away not having a clear paradigm or model upon which to base my future activities. In other words, I found it very, very difficult to "operationalize" what Bandler presented. If you want a clear "how to (process,steps)" and not "what to (gain rapport, elicit...

Published on February 12, 2003 by Darryl Ree

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

Of all the people who ever wrote books on NLP, Richard Bandler's are the most fun to read - there's no question about it and this book is no exception. As a matter of fact when I began reaing this book, I couldn't put it down, in spite of the fact that I felt at times at odds with his grammar and the fact that you won't exactly find techniques to apply in this book.

The essence in the book revolves around the premise that people want to feel good, and if you desire to sell something to others, what you need to do is make them feel good. The book is then filled mostly with stories which serve to bring this point across.

The contents of the book can be summed up mainly as an entertaining fluff - interesting and motivational, but you're left on your own as to how you want to go applying the information you find in this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Australia) - 

I recommend it.Warning! this is not a normal book. Don't expect a list of do this, do that, if customer says this, then say that, prepare a sales line etc..

This book is about the ~opposite~ of that.

Read it with a sense of what is possible, and a sense of being flexible .. and you will get many ideas about how you can go about your selling more effectively .. take what you already know and make it better ...

Selling and persuading ..

Do you feel guilty? nervous? anxious? tongue tied? this may help change your perceptions .. helping you to sell feelings along with the product, something you do anyway.

If you want a list of things to do, read the book and write out ideas as you read it, and wholah! a list!

Finally, there are other reviewers who did not like the book, and so I will say it is not for everyone, but the only way you will know if it can give you a great edge is to read it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Excellent book - hypnotic, fun, and powerful.

, February 25, 2000

By 

A Customer

I read this book cover to cover, and I was amazed at what a fun read it was and how it affected me almost immediately. The book is designed for salespeople who want to enhance their performance on the job. And while some of the techniques are unorthodox, for example dressing up as a priest to get the influence of authority, they are fun and out-of-the-box. The authors stress looking for opportunities where others see failure, and I enjoy that positive and uplifting way of thinking.There are some books that you will probably want to read first before you begin reading this book. First, read a book on the fundamentals of NLP so you know what the authors are talking about. (For this, you might want to select an author other than Bandler! I love Bandler, but his writing can be confusing and elusive.) Second, if you are new to sales, then make sure you understand the sales process from opening to closing so that you can understand how "Persuasion Engineering" will fit into the sales cycle. (If you are really new, see some of the sales books by Steve Schiffman.) Third, you may also want to read a book such as "Psychology of Persuasion" by Kevin Hogan so you understand how value-belief hierarchies interface into the model as well. Finally, you may want to look at "Tranceformations" which is Bandler and Grinder's book on combining NLP with Milton Erickson's hypnosis techniques.

Having fun making money is more sensible than making money, if that's making any sense. Read this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Troy, MI United States) - 

I purcahsed the book with the intention of learining how to sell more effectively, to engineer persuasion. I came away not having a clear paradigm or model upon which to base my future activities. In other words, I found it very, very difficult to "operationalize" what Bandler presented. If you want a clear "how to (process,steps)" and not "what to (gain rapport, elicit representational system" this is not the book for you (other than for professional reading and humourous stories).The primary problem is that Bandler writes the book as if he were present, speaking to you. He writes using the techniques of NLP which do not translate well into easy reading. Bandler readily admits writting, "...NLP and grammer do not necessarily share the same structure". However, because written words can not convey the verbal aspects/intonation patterns, the "phonological", "syntactical", ambiguities of NLP are lost and just makes for tough reading. The book reads like a seminar transcript (from which, I believe, many parts of it comes; clauses such "come up here Peter", "you see he touched him on his arm", "thats a good sound fffffft")and it is very difficult to determine what is the teaching point. The chapters on Precision Elicitation and Mental Mapping are endless run on stories with, once again, no clear teaching points. The chapters never define what the terms mean, how one would use what they represent, nor the process to perform them. A previous reviewer wrote that if you are accumstomed to clear structured teaching this book is not for you, and I am in total agreement.

With all of that said, if you are familiar with NLP, and are willing to muddle through and create your own selling model the book will give you an idea of how to use NLP but certainly not any firm guidance. If you purcahse the book with the expection written on the jacket notes: "It covers everything from the beginning of the sales process through the close", this is not, repeat not, the book to which you should look. The book is more of a stream of consciousness that drops morsels of wisdom along the way, with the hope that you unconsciously connect, but more often than not not, are easily overlooked. I believe Persuasion Engineering would truly be "sales life" transforming if a clear model was presented: e.g. model-principle-explaination-example(story)-exercise; written with novelty and humor which Bandler obviously has a great talent. In the final analysis I would pass on this book if you want to improve your sales persuasion skills; but if you want to read a sales related book to impress your friends and co workers on a novel, new idea, this is for you. How do I reconcile this with the reviewers who gave it rave reviews? If you like slick sales techniques, especially in non-solution, consumer sales, this book will have more appeal.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Tampa, FL, USA) - 

I enjoyed every page of this book! Its easy-to-read style belies the process language beneath the text! Richard and John use their storytelling and language patterns to install in their readers the kinds of skills and states of mind required in order to learn how to persuade other people powerfully. One common complaint about this book is that its not always grammatically correct -- but where this is true it is quite intended... because as they teach Neuro-Linguistic Programming within the book, they also demonstrate what they teach on the reader! Its fun, its highly effective as a sales skills development tool, and it makes for great reading. I recommend this book more than most other NLP books that I've read. Persuasion Engineering is a process of using specific NLP skills to capture and lead people's imaginations, induce WANTON buying states & feelings, and then, pointing to the product or service you sell/deliver! It helps you to learn the pitfalls of inappropriate selling, the pros and cons of various approaches, and teaches you how to prevent buyers remorse and guarantee more referrals in the future. This one should be on your must-read list, if you're in sales of any kind!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

love richard bandler but ...

, September 2, 2008

By

Marcus Mattiasson 

"Yes"

(Sweden) - 

this book simply is more like a good story and good concept kind of book than how to do book. I found the information in this book very blurry in how to apply although I believe the techniques work very well. Let me put it this way, this book presents what you can do and very shallowly how to do it, but if you want to learn it and do it yourself you might need a personal trainer or one hell of a work ethic trial and error. =)

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

This is a fun and useful book that will make you feel good and challenge to you step outside the box. It's dense and will require engagement of its recommended exercises over time.If you are in sales, don't get this as I want this advantage ONLY for ME.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

I really enjoyed this book, I can't wait to go to Richard's training in the near future. My stockbroker, Peter Tenuta at Morgan Dean Witter has my copy!Great book for sales people who want more tools for their toolbox.

You learn about changing the way you sell.

You re-learn how people create true sales applying NLP and DHE aka Design Human Engineering.

You learn about the different strategies,

and how to create a propulsion system for selling.

Own this book for your growing NLP collection,now.

It has a good use in selling Mortgages

and Real Estate Investments!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Trances People Live

The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

Changed the way I perceive and live in "reality"

Wolinsky offers the compelling argument that, unless we are enlightened, we are always in a state of trance. As an example, he speaks of a day in the life of someone flowing through various trance states: the "playing with the kitty trance," the "walking on the beach trance," the "fighting with the spouse" trance, the "making up with...

Published on February 17, 2000 by Diane Kistner

prepare to read this more than once

This book was my first by this author. I had read a review that recommended this as a good initiation to Wolinsky's writing. I thought it was very interesting, but it seemed to me it was a bit difficult to digest. I ordered another book by this author called "Quantum Conciousness" and found it to be a better introductory work. After reading that book, I am on my second...

Changed the way I perceive and live in "reality"

, February 17, 2000

By

Diane 

Kistner

(United States) - 

Wolinsky offers the compelling argument that, unless we are enlightened, we are always in a state of trance. As an example, he speaks of a day in the life of someone flowing through various trance states: the "playing with the kitty trance," the "walking on the beach trance," the "fighting with the spouse" trance, the "making up with the spouse" trance, etc. In each of these states, the narrowed focus of attention induces a trance state in which only that particular reality is experienced.I trained in clinical hypnotherapy, but it was not until I read this book that I got an important and powerful piece: our attention/intention and every word we say to ourselves and others serve as post-hypnotic suggestions that alter our perceptions of reality--and thereby reality itself--for good or ill. Because most of us are not conscious that we are in trance, we have less say in what happens to us; the inputs from the world around us operate on us unconsciously and largely negatively. It was exciting to me to realize that much of the world is out of touch with the power we all have to create the kinds of realities we desire, but that this does not have to be so. Armed with the ideas and tools in this book, we CAN change reality, each and every one of us, and shift the consciousness of the whole planet to a higher level.

In summary, this book has had a profound influence on the way I live and work in this world, on my understanding of human behavior, and on my ability to help marshal in the kind of world we hoped would come with the dawning of the new millennium. Yes, I would go so far as to say this is an extremely important work. I am now reading Wolinsky's other titles on quantum psychology with great interest and relish.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

YOU ARE IN A TRANCE RIGHT NOW

, August 23, 2004

By

DOC BARHAM "FULL SPECTRUM COACHING 

docbarham@...

Yes, you're in a trance right now. That's the essence of Stephen Wolinksy's exceptional 'Trances People Live'. Most people associate the idea of trance with some movie Svengali swinging a pocket watch in your face and moaning, "You're getting sleepy." Nothing could be further from the truth.

Trance states are everyday, habitual states of mind that have an incredible range of structure and depth. For example, trances while driving your car: Ever blown past your exit? Ever pulled into work and suddenly realized you don't really remember the whole trip of driving there? Ever forgot to go when the light turned green because you were daydreaming? Ever "zone out" driving down the interstate at night as the road dashes in the headlights are coming at you clip, clip, clip? Of course you have, and all are examples of trance.

Trances while driving are one thing but trances about who we are and what we believe about the world are another thing altogether, and they can cause us a tremendous amount of suffering. Basically, a trance is focusing your attention on something to the exclusion of all else. We do this ALL the time, which is another reason we we don't see our trances, because we're in trances more often than not. The fact is we don't recognize our trances during daily life, and that's also part of how trances stay in place. Are there areas in your life where you feel stuck? Chances are there's a trance holding you in that "stuck" place.

Wolinsky has a wonderfully direct way of describing trance in all it's forms and manifestations. He studied under both Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Milton Erickson, and as a result, has a fascinating view of trance. Essentially, the client walks in the door with their trance already "on". The therapist observes the client's trance (or trances) and assists them in the process of dismantling them. The therapist's job isn't to change someone's trance so much as it is to assit the client in eliminating their trances, to dehypnotize them. From an Eastern perspective, this process of dehypnosis is at the core of Awakening or Enlightenment.

'Trances People Live' is filled with tools and techniques for the therapist as well as those interested in working with their own trances. As an Integral Consultant, Speaker, and Trainer and certified clinical hypnotherapist, I can attest to the effectiveness of Wolinsky's model. Trances exist not only within individuals but organzations, too, and at all levels.

After reading the book, it becomes a lot of fun to engage in "trancespotting". You'll be amazed as you start seeing and hearing them EVERYWHERE.

Wolinsky explores these and other ideas in detail in later books such as Quantum Psychology, The Dark Side Of The Inner Child, and The Way Of The Human Trilogy, but start with this one first. It's a great read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

a student of the Milton Erickson

, March 21, 2002

By

Shawn 

Regan

This book is geared toward practicing hypnotherapists. Dr. Wolsinsky is a student of the Milton Erickson school of hypnotherapy but has brought his work much further. Wolsinksy gives us his idea that all disorders can be thought of as "Deep Trance Phenomenon" and there is no need to induce a secondary trance. Instead you can/should work with the orignal trance that is causing the disorder. Most of this book discusses the therapy process and specific 'trances' and how to deal with them.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates) - 

If you are a normal Person who reads self-help books to go beyond your blockages or "Trances" then you will get more confused reading this one. It's an excellent book for the practising Psychotherapist or Healer but I would rate it one star for understanding and practising what this book entails for the ordinary person.I had to go for a 3 star for the excellent contexts for the professional.This is not an ordinary Self-Help book for the ordinary person.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

I thought this was an interesting self-help type of book when I ordered it. But after I had a quick glance through the chapters, I thought this must be for hypnotherapists, etc. Maybe I'm wrong. I think it should be stated clearer if its not for the layman. Or maybe I should take time to give it another try these days. This book certainly needs the "Look Inside" thing. (I'm giving it 3 stars since I don't want its rate to go down just because it was a wrong purchase for me.)

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

perceptive and accessible information

, December 28, 2008

By

Gwen 

Hutson

(Midland, TX) - 

Gives a new perspective on self-awareness and the trance states. Well-written and easily understood. Gives the clinician a method to recognize and utilize trance states in sessions. A must for the professional library. Gwen Hutson, MA, LPC-S Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Escaping the everyday trance

, January 9, 2007

By

Tobias S. 

Schreiber

Dr. Wolinsky is an exciting writer and a powerful teacher. He shares insights into the trances we all experience and that prevent us from being present. This book changed my therapy practice and my life.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Monsters and Magical Sticks: Or, There's No Such Thing As Hypnosis

The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

83 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

A Classic

OK, let's start with the flaws:1. Neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga is mentioned about half a dozen times, and almost every time, even in the Bibliography, his name is spelt "Gazzaneza".

That's it. End of flaws. Everything else is just terrific and for anyone interested in hypnosis, or NLP, or both, this is one of those rare books You simply Must Have.

At...

Read the full review ›

Published on August 31, 2003 by Karl

32 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

The content is great, but the style is off-putting

I have a very hard time buying into people who create neologisms for the sake of sounding mysterious, or who re-interpret a word's spelling to sound wise or clever. When my dad's guru said "Righteousness is all right-use-ness" I knew I was in the wrong ashram. When the authors do things like turn Metaphor into Meta 4, well, that wasn't too easy for me to stomach. Or...

Read the full review ›

Published on November 30, 2005 by William Sills

A Classic

, August 31, 2003

By

Karl

(England, Great Britain) - 

OK, let's start with the flaws:1. Neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga is mentioned about half a dozen times, and almost every time, even in the Bibliography, his name is spelt "Gazzaneza".

That's it. End of flaws. Everything else is just terrific and for anyone interested in hypnosis, or NLP, or both, this is one of those rare books You simply Must Have.

At the time of writing Amazon.com were pairing this book with "Training Trances" - which is a pretty powerful combination. But the books aren't just two stabs at the same material, they are significantly different views of much of the stuff that NLP is based on, and in particular the work of Milton Erickson.

The difference between the two books, and I say this with respect to all the authors, is that where "Training Trances" tells you what to DO, "Monsters and Magical Sticks" shows you how to LIVE "it". (And in case you were thinking that "it" is Ericksonian-style hypnosis, as the book's subtitle says: "There's No Such Thing As Hypnosis?")

Just like "Training Trances", and despite its apparent simplicity this is a book that can be read over and over again. And each time you read it you'll find something that you didn't get before.

If this book is anything to go by, Dr Steven Heller seems to have been very much in the same mould as Milton Erickson, gentle, tolerant, humorous, caring, etc., etc. At the end of the Epilogue, Nicholas Tharcher has included a brief obituary that includes these words:

"Though his work and his legacy endures, his presence, his sense of humor, and his enormous energy are gone. As one of his many friends I miss him."

By the time you finish reading this book, the only book by Heller now in print, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you feel much the same way.

A great book. Do yourself a BIG FAVOUR and get it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

The Holy Grail of Old School NLP

, March 6, 2007

By

J. 

Storm

(Los Angeles, CA) - 

This book is to modern NLP what the discovery of Jesus' tomb with him, his wife, and his son still in it would be to modern Christianity!

I am not a newcomer to hypnosis or Neuro-linguistic Programming by any stretch of the imagination. I have taken NLP Practitioner, Master Prac, and Trainers Training and have done various other NLP and hypnosis trainings over the past decade. But more than that, I *USE* NLP on a daily basis, with myself, with those close to me, and with everyone I meet. NLP trainings, for some practical reason, are never complete; they tend to leave "holes" in the big picture for those attending the trainings (if they don't render you utterly psychotic in the process--some people just can't tolerate NLP-style training. By the time they find out they're one of those people, it's already too late and irreparable damage can be done. Trainings by the Society of NLP are the worst, by far). You are expected to go out into the "real world" and fill in those holes with actual experience. I still had a lot of holes that I hadn't been able to fill in. Until this book...

Heller studied NLP when it was still new, back in the 1970s. He got the *real skills* back when they were still readily available from the originators. Nowadays, it seems most of the best-known NLP trainers and experts are only interested in selling you on their next seminar rather than actually teaching you something you can use. God forbid you should actually learn something and no longer need them, you know.

I got more practical NLP knowledge from this book than I did from all of the NLP trainings I've attended *put together*. Heller doesn't have a "New Code of NLP" to sell, he's not trying to avoid having the uninitiated learn his "secret recipe," he's sincerely sharing what he has learned in a very entertaining, highly memorable style.

The lack of theory that another reviewer complained so bitterly about is typical of NLP and Erickson-style teaching. He teaches you without overtly teaching you. Instead of dry, boring examples of theoretical dogma, Heller tells you stories about real people with real experiences that make the concepts very easy to understand and apply. Instead of pontificating over the technical and theoretical underpinnings of the etiology of the symptomatic complex, Heller simply says "this works, use this." And he's right. I would rather be able to do a particular skill without knowing exactly why it works than to know intimately why and how it works and not be able to do it at all. Wouldn't you?

If you're looking in other "scientific" tomes for verification of his concepts, you're wasting your time. Hypnosis and NLP in particular are about the qualitative, subjective experience as the individual perceives it. Quite of a necessity, when you generalize those things to a level where they are readily testable and verifiable in a cross section of the population, you lose something vital to the concept. Human beings are all unique. Therapeutic techniques, therefore, must be tailored to the uniqueness of the individual. This book operates from that basis.

Not exactly a book meant for beginners, Monsters and Magical Sticks will give the greatest benefit to those who already have some NLP training and knowledge. Traditional hypnotists or those doing only direct suggestion approaches may not find this book as useful as those doing more creative and naturalistic hypnotic interventions. NLP'ers will find a veritable treasure trove of practical knowledge in this amazing book.

Specifically, Heller talks about cerebral hemispheric specialization and its role in the way people think. He describes hypnotic trance as the naturally-occurring, everyday emotional state that it is. He gives real examples of how and when you go into trance and how to induce them conversationally in others. He talks about the species of conditioned response known as "anchoring" and how to use it. There is so much great material in this book, no simple review could cover it all. At its simplest, Heller has condensed down a vast body of knowledge into an easily-digestible whole that is unparalleled in any other book on NLP and hypnosis. Buy this book only if you want to learn to use effective hypnotic communication naturally in everyday situations.

I wish I had read this book a long time ago! It might have saved me spending the countless thousands of dollars (not to mention the debt I've accumulated) pursuing NLP training. With the average cost of just one NLP training easily reaching the $2,000 mark, the cost of this book is utterly inconsequential compared to the knowledge contained in it. When you learn the skills in this book, nothing will ever be difficult again!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

"You are NOT getting sleepy..."

, March 6, 2002

By

"roxx33"

(Boise, ID United States) - 

Doctor Steven Heller has written a fascinating book based on something that looks to be a passion. It's not that he is completely skeptical of any form of hypnosis, but he takes a hard look at the ritual and unnecessary dramatics of the professional "hypnotist." The word is in quotes, because you will see it that way all through the book. He was a clinical hypnotist for years. You should know that this title is not "Reader's Digest-level reading," it is intense and academic in approach. Steven Heller does believe in hypnosis, but under a different definition than most are used to. Monsters and Magical Sticks is filled with metaphors, imagery, and amazing success stories of his own case sessions. Learn about the "magic" behind Ericksonian techniques and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. This book will show you how hypnotism really works.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Not only did I find this book instructive, but very entertaining to read. I highly appreciate the fact that this book treats hypnosis as a natural aspect of daily life and yes it can be used intentionally and covertly as in this story from the book:"One evening, a group of friends and I were having dinner at a local restaurant. Our waiter was very distracted and he appeared to be agitated and depressed. He was abrupt, slow and unfriendly. As a result, our service left a great deal to be desired. Since I wanted to have an enjoyable evening, I decided to "talk funny" to him in order to help him feel better.

As he walked by our table holding a coffee pot, I touched his arm and said, "I'm sorry that you forgot that special night ... with that special person ... those exciting things that happened ... those very warm feelings that would embarrass you to talk about ... since we are all strangers."

For a moment his face went blank; he looked up to his left; his face then lift up and he said, "How do you know about that?" He then smiled and began to laugh, and his whole attitude changed as if by magic. He said, "Wow. that was some night. I don't know how you know about it."

The next time he came to our table, I said to him, "Wasn't it simply amazing that when you remember those happy, warm feelings, your attitude continues to change, and you continue to feel even better?"

We received a delightful service throughout the rest of the evening. What was even nicer, was that as we left he told us that we were one of the nicest parties he had ever waited on. He also asked us to be sure and ask for him whenever we returned.

Now, I have absolutely no idea as to what he hallucinated, but my communication resulted in his going back into his own history. He then found an experience that filled in the blanks, and that memory helped him to change his whole attitude in a matter of seconds. Of course, there's no such thing as hypnosis, and if there is, he should have gone deeper and deeper into a trance."

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

This is one of my all time favorite books. Not only for hypnosis but for an overall understanding of NLP, therapy, and the implications of these modalities. Because of this book, I have gone back to school to become a hypnotherapist. If you have any curiosity as to how hypnosis works and what it is, buy this book before you get any others. I have over forty books on the subject and to this day, this has been the most inspirational and influental. The book also has many references to other authors that have been invaluable to me. Unfortunately he passed away but his legacy lives on. BUY THIS BOOK!!!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

This book can change your life

, August 23, 2005

By

Joe 

Meadows

Maybe it's just me, but after reading many excellent books on the subject of hypnotherapy this one finally makes it all click, fall into place and clear as day (I hope the preceding sentence brings a smile to those who have already read it :) ).

At first I was a skeptical of the 'everything is hypnosis' assertion but this book truly walks its talk and has made be a believer and a different person. During the course of reading it I had an insignificant, everyday little experience that was a real eye-opener that this book knows what it is talking about.

I would be tempted to recommend that if you only read one hypnosis book then it should be this one, but I can't really do that based on my experience. As I said above, I have read a number of superb books on the subject and was already pretty familiar with most of the concepts, at least intellectually. I'm not sure if I had come to this book first that I'd have had enough background for me to grok it, so I do not believe it is a book for newbies. But I will say without hesitation that if you are a fan of the work of Erickson, Bandler, Grinder, Rossi et al then you won't want to miss this one!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Boston, MA) - 

This book is written in an entertaining, easy-to-read format. It is not a "how-to" book for beginners, however even those new to hypnosis may find enlightening the fact that we are all constantly moving in and out of trances, that hypnosis is so much a part of our daily reality, the way we think, communicate and process information that like a fish swimming in the water we may come to conclusion that water doesn't even exist.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Smyrna, GA USA) - 

I have a very hard time buying into people who create neologisms for the sake of sounding mysterious, or who re-interpret a word's spelling to sound wise or clever. When my dad's guru said "Righteousness is all right-use-ness" I knew I was in the wrong ashram. When the authors do things like turn Metaphor into Meta 4, well, that wasn't too easy for me to stomach. Or their use of multiple question marks to make REALLY SURE I understand the preceding statement is questionable. "We all know that Blah is true even though we all anti-Blah every day. Really???" I imagine that if a person didn't use this sort of thing as a BS detector, they'd find the style friendly and informal.

The reason why I care enough to point this out is that the content is really worthwhile, and I wish it had been scrubbed of these idiosyncracies. Based on the overly broad definition of hypnosis in the book, you could assert that I've hypnotized myself into valuing the form over the substance, even though I'd protest that I'm only trying to point out how the form undermines the substance.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Monsters and Magical Sticks

, October 26, 2002

By

Rob McCarter 

"rob2725"

(Belmont, NC USA) - 

Several years ago a friend loaned me his copy of Monsters and Magical Sticks. Within a few pages I knew that I was reading the work of geniuses. For months after I searched for a copy to call my own. Finally I found one. Both my training and therapeutic style have been fantastically improved! I am thrilled that this jewel is now more readily accessible. IT'S A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE WHO CONDUCTS TRAININGS AND/OR THERAPY. My hope is to one day talk with Dr. Heller or Ms. Steele and/or to attend one of their trainings. ...

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Trance-Formations: Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the structure of Hypnosis

The most helpful favorable review

The most helpful critical review

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

The Bible of of NLP Books. Interested in NLP? Get this book!

John Grinder and Richard Bandlers collaboration in Trance Formations truly aims at the heart of what NLP is all about.While many other books and individuals have tried to capitalize upon the methodologies within NLP, this book is probably where a lot of the other books derived from. Because of this, the book is highly concentrated with information about linguistics...

Published on January 6, 2004 by TonyD

10 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Good Examples, but bad Intro book.

Trance-formations is a fine book to give the new practitioner examples of how hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be used by a skilled practitioner- but I found it rather scant on actual method. There are better books availiable on the subject, but I'd still say that it is a worthwhile read, if only for the entertaining anecdotes within.

Published on July 31, 2000 by quantanephilim

The Bible of of NLP Books. Interested in NLP? Get this book!

,January 6, 2004

By

TonyD 

"think41c@hotmail.com"

Bandler and Grinder's lecture style book is easy to read with many experiemtns to try out. Learning the ways of NLP you can do anchoring, light or deep trance inductions, reframing, and other phenomenal occurences. Also is the discussion of natural states of trance as well as phony mind readers. Putting the reader in a light trance during the intercourse of the book, internally the reader becomes unconsciously aware of how to hypnotize anyone, and when practice, all unconscious information becomes conscious. So then you know it all! Excellent book, well written with humor, wit and practicality for just about anyone doing anything. Bandler and Grinder have mastered their art to an easily accessible practice. Highly reccomended. If you have not already bought 'Frogs Into Princess,' Structure of Magic 1&2,' Patterns 1&2,' and 'Reframing,' you may be advised in the course of reading to read it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

(Atlanta) - 

This definitive guide to Ericksonian hypnosis by Bandler and Grinder is superb. They explain how to induce trance and the language patterns to use. They also dispel some myths about hypnosis and discuss how we all go into trance every day -- while we drive, as we doze off, or when we daydream. I have seen copies of this book sold for $. I still would not sell mine for so little money, for the value of the information therein is worth so much more. If you wish to learn Ericksonian hypnosis, then I highly recommend this book to you.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Most people do not realize that the contents of this book were taken from transcripts of several live seminars on "Ericksonian-style" indirect Hypnosis conducted by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. The book reads as though you are sitting in the front row and witnessing Bandler and Grinder reveal to you exactly how to do indirect hypnosis, complete with demonstrations of each technique. Since they have not taught together in many years, this is as close to attending a live Bandler and Grinder training as you will come. This book is loaded with insights, tips, techniques - and a great deal of CLEAR and STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION. If you want to learn HOW TO DO indirect hypnosis, you are going to get a great deal out of this book. It is a MASTERPIECE taught by two brilliant hypnotists and trainers who are legends in the fields of NLP and Hypnosis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Excellent book on NLP/hypnosis

, November 25, 2001

By 

A Customer

This book is very informative and demystifies hypnosis. You will learn what hypnosis really is and it is much more than laying on a couch with a hypnotist asking you to stare at a swinging pocket watch as he gives you instructions in monotone. In fact, we all enter hypnotic trance-like states many many times a day. We all conduct hypnosis on each other all the time without even knowing what we are doing. You will learn that hypnosis happens as a result of ordinary conversation between two people. Sales people do it all the time. We even put ourselves in hypnotic trances constantly when we think about different things. People who effictivley pursuade others do it all the time. Also, don't believe psychologist/hypnotists who boo hoo NLP. Hypnosis is part of everyday communication and it does not require any advanced degree to do, just like it doesn't require an advanced degree to sell stuff to the public. What this book does do is teach you language patterns that lead people into hypnotic states. . If you have an understanding of it, which this book will teach you, you can do it at will and not haphazardly without even realizing it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Most readable & accessible book on conversartional hypnosis

,February 22, 1998

By 

A Customer

In this book the training transcipts of Richard Bandler and John Grinder come together to unpack the material they uncovered when they modeled the genius of medical hypnotist Milton H. Erickson. This book presents the entirety of the conversational hypnosis model that Erickson employed to sensational and unprecedented results with patients. In addition they simutaneously present their own model within the hypnosis training as they go. As is typical of the NLP(tm) material the information is presented with humor and a bit irreverence for the establishment of medical and academic authority. While poking fun at the "traditional" medical (psychiatric) establishment, Bandler and Grinder make their points about how to use this material in all forms of learning and therapeutic contexts. Simply put there is no better introduction and reference to the model then this. Get the book and read it through - then after you've "experienced" it, go back and re-read it to "get it" in terms of what they're doing as they do it. Enjoy ...

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Comment

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Good introduction to, and description of hypnotic induction

,May 26, 1998

By 

A Customer

This is a transcript of a seminar, hence I won't give it a 10 definitely shows a lack of editorial work. That being said, this is an excellent book about hypnosis -- not really NLP. The induction techniques exposed as well as the beginning of a theory that sustain them, seem to be a great advancement over anything else that has been written on the topic of hypnotic induction. However, the credibility of the whole thing is set down by the frivolous assertions about the cure of myopia through hypnosis, for example

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? 

Best single-source guide to get U started in Hypnosis

, June 19, 1998

By

David J. Xanatos "Dave 'willing to travel 

for...

The Complete idiot's guide to hypnosis

By Roberta Temes

Book overview

You're no idiot, of course. You know that hypnotist entertainers can hypnotize audience members and make them cluck like chickens and bark like dogs. But when it comes to understanding how you can improve your health and well-being from hypnosis, you start to feel v-e-r-r-y s-l-e-e-p-y. Don't nod off yet, get hypnotized! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hypnosis, written by noted psychologist and hypnotherapist Dr. Roberta Temes, shows you how to responsibly use hypnosis to improve your quality of life. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, Dr. Temes gives you: