Cannot be hypnotized...

[Unregistered]

(that subject ought to prompt some response)

However, it is an apparent fact. After many self-help books, and three or four books on hypnosis and self-hypnosis, and not being able to affect the desired change in attitudes, I consulted a Clinical Psychologist specializing in Hypnotherapy.

After 72 hour sessions, and countless home sessions with a custom made audio tape, there were still no progress. The hypnotherapist stated that the positive post-hypnotic suggestions had been successfully implanted, it was now up to me to allow them to take effect. Am looking for another hypnotherapist to help me release the first one's post-hypnotic suggestions.

Seriously... what percent of the population can not be hypnotized, and are there specialists who CAN hypnotized highly resistant subjects??

H. West
Sarasota FL

[Merlin]

Hi,

There's no such thing as 'highly resistant subjects', just incompetent hypnotists.
Everyone can be hypnotised!

Florida is the land of hypnotists. There's almost 2 on every corner.
I know some of them are skilled :)

[Don]

You had 72 sessions with someone who was doing hypnosis to no result? Figuring on one session a week, that would mean you spent over a year with someone to no result. Frankly, if I didn't get some result after a few sessions, I'd have tried someone else.

I have no idea who you saw or what their training was. The fact is, someone with a state license, such as a clinical psychologist, can use hypnosis with little or no training.

I have hypnotized in minutes people who have claimed that they were "highly resistant" and nobody could hypnotize them. There is a simple test to see if you can be hypnotized: Count to three and then breathe in and out. If you are breathing (i.e., alive) and can concentrate enough to count to three, you can be hypnotized.

Try going to a certified hypnotherapist who specializes in hypnotherapy and you'll have much better success than with someone who specializes in one field, psychology, and uses another field, hypnosis, as an afterthought.

[Terry (existing)]

I heard once of a man who was hypnotised after almost a year of attempts, but presume he was a mentally incompetant person, since anyone with a normal mind can be easily hypnotised. On the other hand, we are not here to defend hypnosis, only to offer such advice as our skills allow. If you wish to paint yourself as a mental defective, so be it. If you wish to suggest you went to someone 72 times and failed each time, yet still continued to go, so be it, we can all draw our own conclusions can't we? As for you passing on such rubbish to others on a board dedicated to hypnosis, and attracting very competent practitioners, you are likely in for a rough ride from those who depend on our knowledge....

[EC]

Good God man, or woman, whatever the case may be, 72 sessions ??
That's not hypnosis, that psychotherapy and you are not supposed to see any change yet.

Psychologist are really good salesmen !
Merlin, what makes you so sure :)

[Unregistered]

I heard once of a man who was hypnotised after almost a year of attempts, but presume he was a mentally incompetant person, since anyone with a normal mind can be easily hypnotised.

Depends on your definition of "mentally incompetent." I have a college degree and an IQ in the area of 136.

[QUOTE=Terry (existing)On the other hand, we are not here to defend hypnosis, only to offer such advice as our skills allow. If you wish to paint yourself as a mental defective, so be it. If you wish to suggest you went to someone 72 times and failed each time, yet still continued to go, so be it, we can all draw our own conclusions can't we?

As for you passing on such rubbish to others on a board dedicated to hypnosis, and attracting very competent practitioners, you are likely in for a rough ride from those who depend on our knowledge....[/QUOTE]

And when you draw the conclusion that I was attacking hypnosis, hypnotists, or hypnotherapy, you jump to the WRONG conclusion. Nothing in my post was detrimental to hypnosis or hypnotists. It simply stated MY FAILURE to benefit from it.

Interesting to me that you qualify my experience as "rubbish". Why are you so offended? My statement was that I was unaffected by 72 sessions of Hypnotherapy (probably 10 or 15 were psychotherapy by the hypnotherapist, and there were 2 sessions per week). Conclusion: I am "hypno-resistant". Have been to at least three other hypnotists with same lack of results. The only way I know to "qualify" a hypnotherapist is to experience them. I have eliminated at least four in my area. There is NOT a qualified hypnotherapist on "every corner." The phone book lists only 7. The last one I visited did not recommend hypnotherapy, and offered THOUGHT FIELD THERAPY... which was embarassing.

So, I am to gather that the problem is not with me being "highly resistant", but with the Clinical Psychologists practising Hypnotherapy (who was writing a book on the subject) being incompetent.

Is fascinating that the general consensus here is: if you can breath and count to three, you can be hypnotisted. Author Harry Arons, former director of the Ethical Hypnosis Training Center, Inc. states, "an expert hypnotist should be able to hypnotize 80% of SUSEPTIBLE subjects in 3 or 4 attempts; another 10%... with additional attempts and different methods. The remaining 10% cannot be hypnotized at all." Mr. Arons is the author of five books on hypnosis, but apparently is not as well informed as some who have responded here.

The kind of input I am receiving here is certainly not helpful.

[Don]

Is fascinating that the general consensus here is: if you can breath and count to three, you can be hypnotisted. Author Harry Arons, former director of the Ethical Hypnosis Training Center, Inc. states, "an expert hypnotist should be able to hypnotize 80% of SUSEPTIBLE subjects in 3 or 4 attempts; another 10%... with additional attempts and different methods. The remaining 10% cannot be hypnotized at all." Mr. Arons is the author of five books on hypnosis, but apparently is not as well informed as some who have responded here.

The kind of input I am receiving here is certainly not helpful.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Often when people receive an answer they don't like they feel that the answer was not helpful.

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Arons. I have several of his books and use them as resources. However, Mr. Arons was writing primarily in the 1940s and '50s. Our knowledge of hypnosis has advanced a great deal over the last half century. Mr. Arons was following the standard beliefs of what I call the "classical" period of hypnosis (Archetype: "You are getting sleeeeepy...").

But hypnosis, especially with the discoveries of Dr. Milton Erickson, has evolved (Archetype: "You may discover that you find yourself becoming more and more relaxed..."). Under this new paradigm people who can concentrate can be hypnotized. Period. If the hypnotist cannot hypnotize a person he or she has failed to get full information during the pre-induction interview, has failed to develop rapport, or doesn't have enough tools to work with the information available to induce trance. In short, it is not a client who has problems being hypnotized, by rather a lack of information, technique, or training on the part of the hypnotist.

Erickson was eventually able to hypnotize all of his patients (as I recall, there may have been one whom he failed with. I'm sure someone can correct me on this).

The fact that you can type your comments here shows me that you can concentrate and you are not dead. That means you can be hypnotized.

[skip]

Dear H West,

Well you have met with little success so far.

72 sessions, and no apparent progress, would certainly cause me to come to the conclusion, that there must be something about me that was unique.

And as you have discovered, in your research "Author Harry Arons, former director of the Ethical Hypnosis Training Center, Inc. states, "an expert hypnotist should be able to hypnotize 80% of SUSEPTIBLE subjects in 3 or 4 attempts; another 10%... with additional attempts and different methods. The remaining 10% cannot be hypnotized at all." Mr. Arons is the author of five books on hypnosis, but apparently is not as well informed as some who have responded here.", there are people who cannot be hypnotized.

So I certainly can understand your point of view. You have your personal experience with a reputable therapast, and an independant, apparently qualified opinion, confirming your results.

And you have had as counter evidence, several people's opinions, whom you dont know, and can only guess, at their qualifications and experience level.

So for you to doubt our belief "Anyone can be hypnotized", is not just reasonable, it is a very intelligent thing to do.

Now I know what I know, and I know what my experience is, and it runs counter to your current belief, "That there are some people who cant be hypnotized."

And I must admit, that I dont know how to convince you, that what I know is true, when you have such a firm grip on what you believe.

I can do this tho, and see if it makes sense to you.

I can say my belief, "That everyone can be hypnotized." is just that, a belief.

I most certainly do not have first hand knoweledge of everyone, nor am I likely to, so I cant have empiracle evidence, can I?

And I do know, that there are certainly people who may not be reachable, and thus hypnotizable. People who are catatonic, people with no imagination (assuming there are any), people who are brain dead, and I am sure there are others.

So I know that my belief, isnt really true.

And I know that yours isnt true either.

I know that you go into a light trance, when you get on an elevator, certainly an altered state. I know that you go into an altered state when you get into your car to drive. I certainly hope for your sake, that you are in an altered state, when you make love. :) I know that when you are absorbed in a good book, or perhaps a movie, that you are in a profoundly altered and highly suggestable state. So I am comfortable in assuming, that even if everyone isnt hypnotizable, you are most likely not one of them.

I also know that studies about who is hypnotizable, are terribly flawed. I know this because I wanted to correct it, and ran into some inherent flaws. First of all go back to the origional study by Clarke Hull (I think I am right) which concluded after having a script read to subjects that 20% of all people werent hypnotizable. The statistics were correct, but the conclusion was incorrect. The conclusion should have been, "20% of the people, who were read this script, by these readers, didnt go into a verifiable somnambulistic state." There is a wide descrepency between one conclusion and the other, but sadly hypnosis has been burdened with that flawed conclusion for almost 70 years, now.

I would gently suggest to you, that the study you refer to is only valid, for those people who were subjects, with those people who attempted the inductions, with only the inductions they used, on that day. And that, if even one of the subjects determined to be unhypnotizable, were able to be hypnotized by someone else, using another method, of which there are many, then you would have to question the validity of the entire study, wouldnt you?

The variables in these studys are insurmountable, except for severely limited conclusions. The different subjects, the hypnotists, and their various skill levels, the type induction used, its suitablity to the specific inductee, the tests for hypnosis, and
more. Different people respond to things differently and to other people differently.

A good hypnotist modifies his/her behavior to work with the client instead of insisting that clients are one size fits all. Unfortunately studies, to have validity, must have consistancy, which undermines their validity, for all but very narrowly defined results.

You most certainly cannot draw the conclusion that Mr Arons drew, and have credibility with any experienced hypnotist.

The problem is that we have two competing beliefs, and no one knows what the real truth is. Without going into epistomology, the problem is that neither of us know for sure.

BUT, I know that having the belief that I have is more useful, than having the belief Mr Arons holds.

Under my belief, all people can benifit from hypnosis, and if there is a failure, it is on my head, not my clients. That is a far cry from, "Well some people cannot be hypnotized." , or "He just wasnt ready to change."; which is the prevailing opinion of people who, may be well trained therapasts, because it is the model they are taught.

Most conventional therapasts have about 4 hours of hypnosis training, if they get that. Even the so called "instant hypnotists", that folks like us, look down on, have a weekends worth.

I also tend to believe, that if you bring yourself to seek help, you have exausted every other means you have at your disposal, to solve the problem, and that sounds like commitment enough to change for me. AND that if you fail to achieve what you have come for, it is my fault, not because "You didnt want to change."

Now that might be a different viewpoint from what you are used to, but it is the belief I hold. It has served myself and my clients well for several decades now, and it is the lens thru which I view the personal experience, you have presented here.

First I have to wonder. 72 visits, little progress. If your belief were true, if you really were unhypnotizable, how is it that he didnt spot that somewhere around visit 4 or 10? I would think that if this fellow were really good, he would either have known he couldnt hypnotize you early on, or he would have succeeded. Is this fellow just a poor hypnotist? I dont know. And I honestly dont care that he is writing a book, I wish I had a nickle for every poor hypnosis book I have read. But about this fellow, Ill draw no conclusions, because I dont have enough data.

You sir must have a lot of stamina! And your faith in credentials is to be commended, even if it may not have served you well in this instance. You might have been better served to have been measuring your personal results.

So Mr West, we know our beliefs arent absoloutely true.

I know mine is a much better belief for everyone involved to hold, than the limiting belief you have found yourself expressing.

But except as it affects you personally, and your ability to achieve what you want to achieve, it is of relatively little importance. You can keep your belief, and continue to do what you have been doing, and continue to get the same results, or you can make just a tiny adjustment and be open to the idea that there might be some people who know what they are talking about, whose opinions run counter to what you have experienced.

Its your choice. In fact you dont have to change your belief yet, you just might suspend your disbelief for another post or so, and see what happens. That wouldnt be too much to do, to get what you have spent 72, so far futile, sessions trying to achieve would it? It is obvious you want it pretty seriously. Is your desire to achieve this sufficent to cause you to change a belief, if it is warrented?

How about we try a different approach?

In general terms, "What are you trying to achieve?" And can we let the people who have first hand experience here, respond to you about whether hypnosis can help you, and if so, how much time might be involved before you see results.

respectfully,

skip

[Unregistered]

Alas... Skip.... a voice of reason. Except you seem to contend that I hold to a "belief" that I cannot be hypnotized; that I can choose to believe or not.

I have been to at least FOUR hypnotists with hopes of changing subconscious negative beliefs that I BELIEVE were "programmed" from early childhood, and that I had not been able to "debate" myself out of. NONE of the hypnotists that I visited were able to produce any NOTICABLE affect. I presummed that that was my fault.

HOW do you suppose that I manage to find ONLY the incompetent practitioners in a State that has 2 on every corner? It is not a "belief", it is my EXPERIENCE.

Closer to my true "belief" is that hypnosis is the ONLY way to affect the change in attitudes, IF I can actually locate an ACCOMPLISHED hypnotherapist.

Or... is it that I HAVE been hypnotized successfully each time, but when back in my active state I BLOCK the suggestions, as so much other "awareness" seems to be blocked.

With the several replies that proport that anyone can be hypnotized, are you telling me none of you practicing hypnotists have EVER had a subject that failed to realize some desired benefit after several sessions?!?!?! I know of a number of people who have had hypnosis to stop smoking or lose weight, but know of NONE that were successful.

At an entrepreneur party, everybody believes in success; at a party of psyhics, everybody believes in clairvoyance.

[Merlin]

>So, I am to gather that the problem is not with me being "highly resistant", but with the Clinical Psychologists practising Hypnotherapy (who was writing a book on the subject) being incompetent.


Writing a book does not make a person skilled or knowledgable on a subject.

I'd like to know more about gardening. Would writing a book make me a qualified master gardener?

>Mr. Arons is the author of five books on hypnosis, but apparently is not as well informed as some who have responded here.

I guess so. I need to write more so that I can be an author-ity too.

>The kind of input I am receiving here is certainly not helpful.

If you choose to interpret it so, what do you want from us?

[Merlin]

>With the several replies that proport that anyone can be hypnotized, are you telling me none of you practicing hypnotists have EVER had a subject that failed to realize some desired benefit after several sessions?

I personally have *Never* had a situation where my patient could not achieve the state of mind known as hypnosis.
I personally have *Never* had a situation where my patient did not receive positive benefits.

I have had situations where the desired outcome was not achieved. But then I don't do the standard 'stop smoking' or weight loss.

It's an interesting thing about the mind... The mind goes out of its way to make happen what it thinks should happen.
The more hypnosis failures you experience, the more your mind will expect failure and the more it will do to create the failure it expects.
The more you can find books to support your concept of less than 100% success, the more people you can find, the more your mind (outside of your conscious awareness) will sabotage your hypnosis sessions in an attempt to support that established (sub-conscious) belief.

Of course we all say you can be hypnotised.
Hypnosis is a matter of thinking and learning.
All of us believe you can think.
All of us believe you can learn.

Now, it may be that a particular *method* may not work for you. It may be required of the hypnotist to change her methods to meet your expectations, but that is a requirement of the hypnotist, not a requirement of you.

It's even possible you were hypnotised each of those times but the hypnosis experience was not what you expected. Maybe you wanted a feeling which was not achieved?


Each of us here is willing to help in whatever way we can. But it's up to you whether you want to accept what we say.

[Neurotic1]

Hi unregistered

I've been following this thread with some interest. A few people in this forum have given you a lot of opinions to try to help you explain or understand what might have been happening. Have you seen the thread on 'as you believe so shall you be?' I feel it may be relevant to your situation but see what you think...
It seems from your responses that you are often in disagreement with people offering you answers other than 'you may be right you cannot be hypnotised' or some golden answer to the problem which, as yet, seems elusive.
Some people have subconcsious issues in hypnosis such as a fear of being out of control and they percieve that under hypnosis they will be out of control. Now I am not suggesting that this is the case for you but maybe you have issues which lead you not to want to be hypnotised or maybe Merlin is correct in saying you did not notice when you were because it was not what you expected. Maybe indeed you are unique in that you seem to posess the ability to be hypnotised and yet cannot be (a paradox I know). I think, personally speaking that I would have changed therapists, if I felt I was getting nowhere long before 72 sessions although I understand you must have had reason to keep going.
A lot of your discussion seems to be focussing on disproving a negative i.e; disproving that you cannot be hypnotised. This sets you up a bit as we start with the premise that you cannot. Maybe this is true but you may (IMO) have more success by starting with the question how - can I prove that I can be hypnotised. Do you drive? Have you ever driven somewhere and found your conscious awareness of part of the journey has been absent? That is trance. Have you ever had a daydream? That is trance.
The people in this forum are mainly experts in hypnosis and hypnotherapy and they are not trying to work against you or argue with. From your posts it seems that you sometimes feel uncomfortable being told of the possibile reasons (in others opinions) of 'i cannot be hypnotised' being incorrect? Am I wrong? No offence to you at all. I understand the frustration that seems to have arisen in your posts from the belief that you cannot be hypnotised. I once felt I couldn't be hypnotised and it took me a while to realise it was because, essentially I have to hypnotise myself and can allow and trust others to guide me through the process. I realised I did not understand what hypnosis was and that I was expecting too much and too little from it at the same time. That is just me, you may have very different issues.

What answers would you like to see here? To paraphrase Merlin, in your quest for having achieved trance, what is it that you would like from us?

[skip]

Dear Mr West,

"Alas... Skip.... a voice of reason. Except you seem to contend that I hold to a "belief" that I cannot be hypnotized; that I can choose to believe or not."

Well you did seem to hold that belief. An honest mistake, I stand corrected.

And yes most assuredly you can choose what you believe, and what you dont. You do that already without relaizing it. Now I dont mind if you doubt that at first. When I was first introduced to this "stuff" (hypnosis and NLP), I was of the opinion that beliefs were something somewhat concrete, as opposed to ephemeral? I thought you would have to pry beliefs out with a mental crowbar. That was one of the quickest and easiest beliefs of mine to change.

Now I realize that beliefs are formed and dropped in an instant when just the right 'leverage' is applied. It isnt hard per se, it can be tricky tho.

And beliefs are the damndest things. The mind will tend to find/create evidence that supports the belief, irregardless of whether it is 'true' or not.


"I have been to at least FOUR hypnotists with hopes of changing subconscious negative beliefs that I BELIEVE were "programmed" from early childhood, and that I had not been able to "debate" myself out of. NONE of the hypnotists that I visited were able to produce any NOTICABLE affect. I presummed that that was my fault."

I dont have an explanation for your past experience. And I dont know whether it is a lack of information on my part. And I reinterate, you have made the logical, reasonable, intelligent deduction. I also know that logical, reasonable, intelligent, isnt always right, although they are hard to bet against, arent they?

I do know that hypnosis, being unregulated, could mean that the odds are you will tend to find more incompetents than competents. And there is a vast difference between hypnotists and hypnotherapasts. Those could be factors, but again they may not be.

"HOW do you suppose that I manage to find ONLY the incompetent practitioners in a State that has 2 on every corner? It is not a "belief", it is my EXPERIENCE."

Just lucky I guess. :) Sorry I couldnt resist. I dont know, I dont have enough information to make that kind of call. It could be your selection criteria is leading you down a particular path. But I dont know, I could throw out guesses, but then we would tend to end up discussing the validity of the guesses and what would that accomplish?

"Closer to my true "belief" is that hypnosis is the ONLY way to affect the change in attitudes, IF I can actually locate an ACCOMPLISHED hypnotherapist."

I suspect that any number of 'therapys' could help, I also believe that hypnosis and or NLP would be among the fastest protocols.

"Or... is it that I HAVE been hypnotized successfully each time, but when back in my active state I BLOCK the suggestions, as so much other "awareness" seems to be blocked."

Again I dont know the answer to this.

I do know that several things must be considered when changing behaviors. First the behavior had in its origion a positive intent, even if it is totally destructive now. That your unconscious must be satisfied that the new behavior, replacing the old, will satisfy that intent as well as be satisfying consciously now in context. A simplistic example might be a shy person is behaving that way to feel safe as a child. Now as an adult it causes problems, but unless the new behavior also takes into account the desire to feel safe, the person may very well revert back to acting shy.

Some limiting behavior is installed. Accidentally and deliberately. Take for example the fellow who contiinually rises to a certain success level, then self sabatoges. In early childhoow he was told, you will never an\mount to anything, you are just like your father. (Who wasnt financialy successful)

I have people who self sabatoge, because they dont believe they should be making the kind of money that are able to earn. They believe that it is too much money for the amount of work they are putting out, and self destruct. Or they believe that because they love what they are doing, that it isnt 'work' and therefore they shouldnt be paid for it. Work is supposed to be toil. Well who the **** did that to them, and what right did they have in doing it?

I know that some behaviors accomplish what we call secondary gains, these are positives (from the unconscious' point of view) that the behavior accrues that wasnt the origional intent, but they too must be satisfied, or the old behavior is likely to return. A simplistic example might be someone who feels sick all the time from a psychosomatic cause. You can remedy the feeling sick, but if they miss the attention, they got because they 'felt sick' that could very well revert ot the old behavior.

I also know that if the new behaviors conflict with a strong belief or value, it is likely to be rejected, and remain with, or revert to the old behavior. For example if you want more confidence, and this means that you get more attention, but you dont feel you deserve positive attention, you can revert back. I had a weight loss client once, who could successfully lose weight, but would always gain it back. We discovered that it was when people noticed, and began to compliment her, that she felt threatened because she had never been subject to positive male attention. This was threatning enough that unconsciously she would make the decision to regain the weight, rather than learn how to deal with the attention.

Now understand, if all of this is going on outside of your conscious awareness, there is little you can do about it, you arent even aware it is going on.

Plain hypnotists arent taught this, they just know how to hypnotize, and many, sadly, hang out their shingle.

"I have recieved several replies that proport that anyone can be hypnotized, are you telling me none of you practicing hypnotists have EVER had a subject that failed to realize some desired benefit after several sessions?!?!?! I know of a number of people who have had hypnosis to stop smoking or lose weight, but know of NONE that were successful."

I have heard some people, in the past, on this forum claim 100% success. I am very suspicious of that claim. But I also recognize that defining 'success' can be very slippery.

Suppose you come to me with a desire to enlarge your penis, say from 4 to 8 inches. And suppose just for the sake of argument, you leave with an increase of only one inch, but you are completely satisfied and confident in your ability to pleasure a woman, and your later experience confirms that.

Was that a successful theraputic intervention?

Suppose you come to me with terminal cancer. And we exceed the six months conventional medicine has projected, and we do it without pain, and many of the other problems associated with your disease. But suppose you do die anyway of the cancer a couple of years later.

Is that success or failure?

Suppose all you got was relief from pain, that morphene couldnt touch, without killing you?

Suppose you came to me, as many do, and you want wealth, health, and romance. And you only achieved 2 out of the 3?

My experience is, that most people come to me with some 'want', and as we explore, and as they change, the wants change as well. This is due at least in part to the new perspectives that result in operating in the world differently that you did before. You dont want the same things you did when you were ten. Nor should you. When you see the results of making the changes you currently want, you will change your mind about some of them, and discover other wants as well.

Tell the hypnotherapast what you want, and ask about his/her success rate with these typs problems, and what sort of reasonable time frame to expect.

Now I understand that you are in Fl. I can recommend some people in Orlando, and I can recommend some people in Atlanta, who are both fast and very skilled.



skip

[Deeply down]

Try this,
count to five
close your eyes and picture a big red fire engine.
open your eyes again.


Could you do it?

[Unregistered]

For Neurotic1: I have long subscribed to "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The difficulty is there are CORE BELIEFS "in one's heart" that were instilled in precognitive months/years that can be nearly impossible to remove. For whatever reason, some people are more suggestable than others - or, is it the other way around. It was my HOPE that hypnosis was THE means to delve into the depths of the subconscious to re-program these self-defeating CORE BELIEFS. Maybe I am chasing rainbows.

TO ALL: My entry into this forum was to explore the possibilities of learning if there were hypnotists with the ability to successfully hypnotize "highly resistant" subjects, or maybe that percentage of the general public which I had read in more than one book on hypnosis that are "highly resistant" or un-hypnotizable.

Initially what I got was there is no such thing as "highly resistant subjects" dispite my EXPERIENCE (not opinion) of failure to realize benefit from hypnosis from four different hypnotists. (And despite the OPINION of one of the respondants, there are NOT 2 hypnotists on every corner in my location in Florida - or at least very few of them are listed in the phone book.)

MAYBE I failed to express myself adequately, and I should present my question in a different form.

When I have experienced a failure to realize any positive affects with visits with FOUR different hypnotists, HOW do I approach finding a hypnotist with necessary expertise in hypnosis to produce SOME positive affects??

I DO find input from forum moderator, Skip, to be very relative, and most appreciative. Would be worth a trip to Tennesee if you are in the practice of hypnotherapy and would accept this "challenge."

[Merlin]

Hello,

>there are NOT 2 hypnotists on every corner in my location in Florida - or at least very few of them are listed in the phone book.

Yes, it's an exageration.
The comment is only to mean there are hundreds practicing in the state, compared to other states where you are lucky to find a dozen in the entire state.

Are you hypnotisable? Yes.
Can you imagine the number 2?
Can you set your hand in your lap and pretend your hand is stuck there?
Can you sleep?
can you close your eyes?

If you can answer yes to *any* of the above, then you can be hypnotised.

Can you realise the benefits you seek? Yes.
Can ANY hypnotist help you? maybe, maybe not.

Were you hypnotised during any of those many sessions? Maybe/maybe not.

Maybe you lack sufficient understanding of what hypnosis is to determine whether you were or were not hypnotised?


CORE BELIEFS are actually relatively easy to change with the right tools.
While you may not be able to pry them loose with a crowbar, they may be gently pulled loose with a small application of NLP or careful hypnosis. Even body temerature regulation, breathing rate, and such are changable.

>TO ALL: My entry into this forum was to explore the possibilities of learning if there were hypnotists with the ability to successfully hypnotize "highly resistant" subjects, or maybe that percentage of the general public which I had read in more than one book on hypnosis that are "highly resistant" or un-hypnotizable.

I hope you don't hold us accountable for the lack of knowledge or skill of a given book Author.

>Initially what I got was there is no such thing as "highly resistant subjects" dispite my EXPERIENCE

How many thousands of subjects have you worked with?

>...of failure to realize benefit from hypnosis from four different hypnotists.

Oh, four.

>When I have experienced a failure to realize any positive affects...

Gaining positive effects is *VERY* different from being hypnotisabe.

>HOW do I approach finding a hypnotist with necessary expertise in hypnosis to produce SOME positive affects??

I would strongly recommend a NLP specialist for a change in "CORE BELIEFS"
A well trained NLPer will likely have specific training for this while a hypnotist likely will not.

> Would be worth a trip to Tennesee if you are in the practice of hypnotherapy and would accept this "challenge."

I've seen Skip post of people he knows of around Florida and Georgia. I downloaded a map of the US. It looks like they would be closer.

Be successful :)

[skip]

Mr West,

> Would be worth a trip to Tennesee if you are in the practice of hypnotherapy and would accept this "challenge."

I think we can find someone closer.

There is Jerry Kein in Orlando: http://www.omnihypnosis.com/index-2.html

One of my curent clients went to Jerry, and was dissatisfied with the results. I knew this client, before he went to Jerry, and I am convinced he made more progress than he realizes. I am confident in recommending Jerry.


Anne Daniel in Atlanta: http://www.mentalpotential.com

Anne was a fellow student with me, and is quite skilled. I have no reservation in recommending her.


I personally am another 4.5 hours driving time from northeast Atlanta.

Given that, either of the two above seems to be a preferable choice to me.

BUT please contact them with your specific problem/wishes and let them advise you about whether or not they can be of benifit.

If you choose to go to either of these folks I would appreciate your reporting your results here.

thanks,
skip

[Unregistered]

Merlin... Myhrrhleine... or whomever;

"Can you imagine the number 2?
Can you set your hand in your lap and pretend your hand is stuck there?
Can you sleep?
can you close your eyes?"

If it were as simple as you suggest, I would SUPPOSE one of the four that I consulted would have succeeded in producing SOME noticable results. I assure you that I cannot not only "imagine the number 2," I can hand-render the number two in numerous different type styles.

Of course I can PRETEND my hand is stuck on my lap, and I can also PRETEND that I can walk on the ceiling.... what does that mean?!?!!?

I am not arguing my opinion... I am relating my EXPERIENCE. When you trivialize my experience, you do NEITHER of service.

I don't think I would be anxious to drive 180 miles to Orlando to consult a Hypnotist just by referral. I would be MORE likely to drive 650 miles to Tennessee (I imagined the map, did not have to download one) to consult someone who has related to me information that seems VERY relative to my circumstances. Possibly a more qualified referral would be different.

I apologize for however I may offended you, but I WILL TAKE YOUR ADVICE and "pay little attention to that woman behind the curtain."

[Unregistered]

Thanks, Skip;

I will look into getting in touch with Jerry Kein.

[Merlin]

>Merlin... Myhrrhleine... or whomever

Myhrrhleine is my given name.
Merlin is for short, a 'nickname'

>Of course I can PRETEND my hand is stuck on my lap

Pretending IS hypnosis.
It is bypassing the critical factor which *knows* your hand is not stuck.

>I am not arguing my opinion... I am relating my EXPERIENCE.

I have never questioned your EXPERIENCE.
I've only pointed out that maybe you do not understand hypnosis, and thus you may have experienced hypnosis and not realised it.

>When you trivialize my experience, you do NEITHER of service.

I have not trivialized anything and I'm sorry you took my answers so.

>I apologize for however I may offended you, but...

Sorry, if you wish to offend you must do better.

> I WILL TAKE YOUR ADVICE and "pay little attention to that woman behind the curtain."

Sorry, if you wish to quote, it's : pay *no* attenton...

[Unregistered]

Hey, Merlin... Myhrrhleine... or whomever - I was in Florida yesterday and I only counted ONE hypnotist on each corner....

(Sorry, I'm in just enough of a light-hearted mood to drop a little flame bait... but - I realize - at the risk of no one answering my questions)

I'm new to this board. I have an interest in being hypnotized, but I too am perhaps "resistant". I assume it is because I'm ADD (probably ADHD, but not severe), because the one time had someone try, I don't think it worked. (After reading the above posts, maybe it didn't, but perhaps it did & I just failed to recognize my trance state.) (Then again, I am relating my EXPERIENCE. And don't TRIVIALIZE IT!! Oops - sorry)

My goal is general self improvement (exercise more, procrastinate less, etc.). I live in LA (Lower Alabama) and would welcome recommendations of a few qualified hypnotists in Mobile or somewhere nearby (Pensacola, Fl is an easy 1 hour drive; New Orleans is doable at about 2 1/2 hours; I'd consider your recommendation, Skip of Anne Daniel in Atlanta since I'll be there several days after Christmas this year).

I also have a daughter with a few more serious issues and I think she may be a good candidate for hypnotherapy.

Thanks in advance for any replies/recommendations.

And - Merlin - I love your website FAQ - EXTREMELY informative & interesting, and concise enough for a short attention span person such as myself to get some baseline information on the subject (I have two books on hypnosis, and have finished neither). (Also, I loved your reference to low frequency sound waves and their effects. I have a friend in the Home Theatre sales/installation business who told me years ago about the visceral effects of low freq sounds and their usefulness in movies [and the difficulty in accurately reproducing them in an "acoustically challenged" room, despite an accurate and powerful subwoofer] )

And - Merlin - if he wishes to quote, it's actually "pay no attent*i*on"

[Alchemical Hypno.]

I am not going to give you a lesson on how hypnosis works, I can see you have already been informed (and shouted at). However, I am interested in knowing what reason for hypnosis you were put under. In hypnosis for fear of flying, weight loss, smoking, etc. the patient will usualy not realize they are hypnotized until they notice their results afterwards. it is not just something that will happen autamatically right after you were hypnotized either, it is not magick. It is a simple suggestion entering your subconsience mind, allowing you to achieve whatever goal you want to achieve a lot quicker. You need to work on it. Something that could of taken you years or not at all, can work for you ina matter of days or weeks, but it depends on you. Now, in regression hypnotherapy, the patient does know they are being hypnotized and remembers everything afterwards. There are many methods for this type as well. Why dont you try going to a hypnotherapist for a regression so that you can see how you CAN be hypnotized and it will even give your consiousness practice to let urself be hypnotized in the future?

[Terry (existing)]

Your question, a fair one I agree, "have you practising hypnotists never had a client who did not get results they expected"? Yes, I have had a few naturally, my success rate was about 98% so I have had some who failed to get the results they hoped for, but that has little to do with them being hypnotised. I did on one occassion have a client who came to me of his own volition, requesting help, and as I began to work with him, slipped quickly into a trance state, yet once in that state, he shook himself back to normal, and claimed he was not hypnotisable. I explained to him that he would prove to be an excellent subject, but obviously there was a block somewere that was creating a problem. He chose not to continue with any form of help, so I ask you, was he hypnotised or not? He certainly didn't get any results, and he still has a mental block which would prevent him from being hypnotised by a practitioner in the future. However, if he had chosen to persue the subject of the block, he would I have no doubt been an excellent subject, and got all he desired from therapy.....He can still be hypnotised, but not in an ethical manner, it would need to be done in such a way as to be disguised, and most of us would refuse to act in such a manner regardless of hoped for results......You too may well have such a block, but that doesn't mean you are not hypnotisable, it just means that a block needs to be removed before you can be successful. This is no different from saying you have been sealed and can therefor not be hypnotised by anyone other than the original person who sealed you. Fact is such a seal is removable faster than it can be placed by a skilled practitioner. I suggest your problem is, you mean one thing and the rest of us mean something else. Anyone can be hypnotised under the right circumstances, and by the right person, at the right time. This is based on many years of experience, and although I have not worked with every person in the world, I see no reason not to make such a claim until I have done so....You on the other hand, may choose to believe differently, and I have no problem with that, but if you choose to believe you can't be hypnotised, why on earth are you visiting and arguing with us about it? You remind me of the people at a party, who having heard from my host that I was in the practise of hypnosis,would engage me in conversation, and claim they were not hypnotisable in hopes of a free demo. Since I was there to enjoy myself, not entertain them, I would offer to bet a fair sum that I could indeed do it. Some would take my up on the offer, and when I was successful as I always was, I got their money for my time. Others of course would shy away from the bet because that would mean they didn't get a freebee.......If you can show me any other practise were success is rated in the high ninties, I would be happy to hear of it. Medicine can't make that claim, and certainly psyciatry isn't even close, so please peddle your negatives elsewere and accept that you are flogging a dead horse on this board were far too many of us can claim such success.

[Unregistered]

However, I am interested in knowing what reason for hypnosis you were put under. ... it is not just something that will happen autamatically right after you were hypnotized either, it is not magick.

Presuming that this post was directed to the initial post under this subject line, it should be clear that after maybe 50 or more sessions of hypnotherapy, I was not expecting "magick." I believe that I was pretty well informed of what to expect from hypnosis. I had attempted self-hypnosis, and figured that I needed a "pro." I have no preconceived ideas of what it may be like to be in a "trance," or if it is even necessary. I don't even feel it necessary to be unaware during hypnosis.

I sought hypnotherapy to help change some self-defeating attitudes; to encourage more positive attitudes, to bolster self-esteem. This process lasted about 6 months... and it was then that I presumed that I could not be hypnotised effectively, when none of these desired results were appearing, at least as so I could detect AND feel.

There seems to be an attitude that I WAS, indeed, hypnotised: I just refuse to permit the suggestions to take effect. (Not necessarily on this forum, but the hypnotherapists, in particular) DUH... isn't that some sort of double talk?