The history of hypnosis extends back to at least the 1800’s and has evolved into essentially two basic types – Stage Hypnosis and Clinical Hypnosis.

In Stage Hypnosis it is all about the show – stage hypnosis is an act and needs the right volunteers to be successful. The “right” volunteer is someone who is a little uninhibited, very cooperative, perhaps has a secret desire to be on stage and is able to forsake responsibility by blaming any actions while on stage on the fact they were hypnotized. It is great entertainment, but not designed to address some of the issues that people want to bring to a hypnotherapist. However, if you really want to cluck like a chicken or quack like a duck a hypnotist can certainly make that happen.

Clinical Hypnosis is often used to help people with anxiety, phobias, pain control, negative habits, or self-esteem issues. The gift of human attention is a scarce resource in the world today. If nothing else, the hypnotist focuses on the individual providing that gift of attention. Hypnosis is an excellent tool for improving health and lifestyle. So, here is a quick look at hypnosis:
• Hypnosis is a focused awareness or a sustained mental focus.
• You take an active part in your hypnosis session.
• Hypnosis cannot make you do anything against your principles and moral values.
• Hypnosis can enrich your life.
• It is easier to hypnotize someone who is creative, intelligent and has a good imagination.
• It really difficult to hypnotize someone who doesn’t want to be or who is rigid in their thinking or overly analytical.
• Hypnosis is safe – we often go into our own ‘trance-like’ state while reading a book, watching television or ‘zone out’ while driving.
• The hypnotherapist is simply a guide – all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis.

How to find a good hypnotherapist? Check out the American Board of Hypnotherapy or the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Look for someone with proper education and training. Interview them to ensure it is someone you can trust and want to work with. Remember you will be relaxing in their office.

If we view the wise father as our higher intuitive self and the forgetful Icarius as our ego it is easy to see how we could metaphorically drown ourselves in the depths of emotion or lose our “freedom” by failing to pay attention.

Often, we doubt the advice we get from our higher intuitive self and in a search for advice we often go to “the experts” for answers. Experts are valuable for pointing us in the right direction. Seeking advice from experienced and knowledgeable “experts in their field” such as doctors, therapists, brokers, etc. helps us to make wise decisions. We also seek advice from astrologers, psychics, intuitives and others for all of the things we think we don’t know. That advice can also be used to help us make wise decisions. However, everyone – everyone, expert or not, offers advice from their own experience and education and through their own filters. It is important to remember that in our search for answers.

I decided a few years ago to move across the country to an area I wasn’t familiar with. My intuition had pin-pointed one area, but I sought advice from many others. I did all the research, called real estate people, talked with the Chamber of Commerce, asked friends and ultimately chose to ask a well known and well respected astrocartographer to do my chart to see if the area would be a good place to start my business. The astrologer suggested another area and advised it would be the most beneficial in terms of business and personal success. Everyone else also thought the area would be a good one for me. So, I made the move.

What I forgot is that people work through their personal filters. The area would have been ideal for the astrologer, I suspect she had been there and was familiar with it and she probably liked it. It was an extremely poor fit for me. Nothing she told me from my chart reading came to be. The move was all wrong and the results were a disaster. As a result, I now really make an effort to listen to that little voice of intuition. I still consult experts, but I pay attention to the wise father or mother within.

Just as an exercise sit quietly and take in a few deep breaths. Now tell yourself a lie – a simple one, it doesn’t have to be huge. Scan your body focusing on the lie and see if your body tenses up anywhere. Does your stomach get tight or fluttery? Does your heart hurt or head hurt?

Now, relax and take a few deep breaths. Tell yourself a truth. Scan your body and see how it feels. Are you more relaxed? Do you feel more comfortable? As Denise Linn, the originator of Soul Coaching says – the soul loves the truth.

Getting from the analytical side of the brain and into the creative side that takes us into our bodies is crucial for keeping in touch with the intuitive inside us. We tend to live mostly in our heads or in our conscious ego and rarely do we get all the way down into our bodies. To really listen to your body and get to the truth of your answer sit quietly and take in a few deep breaths. Focus on the question or set an intention. Imagine you can scan your body. How does it feel? When you focus on your question what do you feel in your body and where do you feel it? Does your stomach tighten up or feel relaxed? Does your head hurt or your chest? Or do you feel comfortable?
When you practice taking a moment to “check in” with your body, you will find a wonderful guidance system.

When and if you seek advice, you can use this method of checking in just to see if the answers you were given are right for you. Channel through your own filters and your body will alert you to the truth – your personal truth, the one that works for you. The more you practice and the more you listen to your inner advisor the easier it will be to trust your intuition. This doesn’t mean you ignore expert advice and information – our entire world is full of wonderful technology that helps us to make decisions. Just make sure you are listening to yourself as well.

If we look at the wise father as our higher intuitive self and the forgetful Icarius as our ego it is easy to see how we could metaphorically drown ourselves in the depths of emotion or lose our freedom by failing to pay attention.

A good coach will help you avoid the pitfalls of flying in the wrong direction. There are a few easy steps to staying on your flight path, even without a coach.

• Always have a plan for where you are flying in life
• Pay attention and look around
• When you get to where you’re going know who you are

Lastly,

• Pilot to air traffic control: “What number am I in the landing sequence?” Response: “When you land, you’ll be number one.”

The moral of the story: You are always Number 1. Keep it in mind.