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Showing posts from 2013

Forget about how to work with an issue; work with the client.

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Many times I see postings on forums asking if people have as script for - and then an obscure issue gets listed. It's as if the common issues are all contained in a giant book of scripts and anything else one can go out and ask the community of hypnotherapists at large and someone will have it. Every time I see this I am forced to wonder, is this really serving the client, and is it the correct approach to hypnotherapy? There's no doubt, if one has nowhere else to start from, a script is better than nothing. However, that is virtually never the case. When training therapists I always hammer home the things that helped me as I was learning my craft. hief among those things is asking questions. A one does so one realises swiftly that in almost all cases one is not working with 'arthritis' or 'depression', one is working with Josephine Smith, or Danny Demitrio.  I don't know where those names popped up from, but they are quite suggestive and to the poin

Insanity in British Columbia - where do you fit in?

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Mental healthcare in BC got of to what might at best be called a shaky start. Here's short account of the first reported incident relating to mental health in this, the most beautiful of Canadian provinces. In 1850 British Columbia recorded its first case of insanity. A Scottish migrant who had recently arrived on a ship, assaulted Dr. John Helmcken, the local doctor at the jail in Victoria. From 2.bp.blogspot.com There is something wholly unsurprising about a Scotsman getting off a ship and promptly hitting someone. This may be a sad comment on my own deep seated prejudices, but the fact remains. I like Scottish people. I even like bagpipes. I used to spend every Christmas on the Isle Of Skye. As a result I can picture the scene with crystal clarity. A man stumbles down a gangplank onto the quay in Victoria harbor. He turns to a stranger, and says,”Fok, mahn, where the heel am aye?” A helpful passer-by says,“Canada.” “Wha?” says the new arrival and then punches him i

Our modern diet, and how we are working against ourselves.

Understanding weight issues when using hypnotherapy is very important. Blithely approaching the subject with a vague number that represents the weight a client wishes to achieve is not really enough of a goal. The real goal would be better defined as "to live with a healthy relationship to food." The are many aspects of modern life that conspire against us, and push us toward a diet that is entirely unhealthy. In the past the human organism searched for fructose rich foods as a healthy impulse to find nutritious fruits as part of our diet. With the oversupply of sugar rich foods this once beneficial impulse is now one that drives us toward unhealthy refined sugars. Learn more about how sugar has affected our modern life in the documentary below. You can learn more about living with a healthy approach to diet at Vancouver Hypnotherapy Inc. As a diabetic I am used to managing my sugar intake. I use no injections, and manage my entire sugar balance through carefully con

A history of opium, heroin… and tea.

The history of opiate addiction in modern society is not well understood. For example, few people realize that the intravenous use of morphine was originally believed to prevent addiction to opium. For many years it was actively promoted by the medical profession as it was believed to offer the beneficial effects of opium, while having no risk of addiction. Well, guess what… They got that wrong. Understanding the nature of addiction is a challenge for most people either suffering with an addiction, or close to someone with an addiction. It is not unusual for people to contact Vancouver Hypnotherapy Inc.  after learning someone close to them has an addiction. The first reaction for many people is one of fear, with a degree of panic thrown in for good measure. While this may not seem unreasonable there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that unless you are very familiar with the narcotic in question, there’s a good chance you may not be looki

Why is hypnosis not used more widely as a treatment for addiction?

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I often get asked this question.  There are several answers, but the most obvious is that the medical profession does not really embrace hypnosis as a modality it recognises. While some hypnotherapist are concerned about this, it ceased to be an issue we were concerned with at Vancouver Hypnotherapy a few years ago. We adopted this position primarily because most of the clients coming through our doors treat the medical profession with skepticism, as a result of their own experiences. As such, our bookings calendar is increasingly full, and many of the clients consider the use of pharmacy a step backward, particularly when it comes to addiction. Increasingly the general public treats orthodox medicine as flawed. This is not to say that they reject the 'science' of medicine. They are merely appalled at the way it is delivered, and the extremely questionable practice of medicating someone as a solution to what is often a psychological or behavioural issue. Hypnotherapy is

Whatever you do - DON'T LOOK ON THE INTERNET! - Part 3

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There’s a problem in social networking. It’s a result of the internet reaching maturity, and along with it some of us getting older, too. I first started messing about with the net in 1995, using newsgroups and email and the first inklings of web work with HTML1. No one dreamed of Facebook or other social media tools at that time. The technology wasn’t there to carry media rich content, and frankly too few people were connected to make it very interesting. However, now the reverse is true. Every morning is started with platitudes and affirmation about how something something something will lead to something something something. Of course, this is accompanied with the inevitable picture of a kitten, lion or orangutan. Very inspiring. Currently if one is not on Facebook, it seems to be because the very fact of not being on Facebook is a statement. For some it’s a reaction against the hours of time that can be swallowed looking at pictures of animals doing cute things, and

A breath of fresh air in a world of policy and procedures.

What’s going on with psychiatrists?

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I was recently shocked to hear of one woman’s battle with a gambling addiction. She had originally approached Vancouver Hypnotherapy for some help, but instead went to her doctor. She was short of money, and felt that working with a solution covered by her government health insurance was the better bet (pardon the pun). Her doctor referred her to a psychiatrist. She had a four month wait before seeing a psychiatrist, during which her addiction cost her a further $16,000, and the psychiatrist then prescribed antidepressants. Asked how long she would have to take them she was told “We’ll see”. After two months, with no benefit she returned to the psychiatrist. She was concerned that she felt she was becoming addicted to the antidepressant, but that it was not having any effect on her gambling. His response was to  raise the dosage level. After a further three months she found she had no benefit whatsoever from her prescription, and now h

Whatever you do - DON'T LOOK ON THE INTERNET! - Part 2

So, if you read to the last blog I wrote, you'll see I am in the midst of talking about healthcare, the need for reformation of the system, and how alternative healthcare has a very important role to play in the future of our health delivery systems. Six hundred years ago, when people began to question their priests about what was in the bible that they heard read every Sunday, they were often told not to be concerned about it, the safety of their immortal souls was safe in the hands of the church. These smiling and helpful priests that read the mystical words were there to look after them, after all. Oh, And don't forget to pay your tithe on your way out of the vestry door. Being largely illiterate, unable to read or write in Latin  and essentially without education, one had to defer to the wisdom of the priest. Sound familiar? The reformation in the 16th century led to wars throughout Europe, and the great ecclesiastical schism that later resulted in thriving churches

Whatever you do - DON'T LOOK ON THE INTERNET! - Part 1

I find myself increasingly having to say, 'I'm not a zealot with a crusade against orthodox healthcare, but...', however I find myself once more writing about the problems of our healthcare system. When I say 'our', I really mean everyone's. The concept of a bricks and mortar hospital is relatively new. Only on the last two hundred and fifty years have any but the largest of cities had their own hospitals. Prior to that capital cities, and some university towns had hospitals, but it was by no means typical of medieval cities. In fact, even having access to a doctor of rudimentary training was likely quite rare. Instead traditional healers, priest and witches were pretty much it. If you had a severe wound, although many survived the experience, more than likely you would make do with what help was immediately at hand. Obviously this was far from ideal. And so, in the place of this ragtag collection of mixed ability, people began to look for a better solution.

Vancouver Hypnotherapy School - THA Training

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Today at the Vancouver Hypnotherapy School we looked looked at Treatment Plans and a couple of videos including this one: And I also suggested students listen to the following podcast: http://www.radiolab.org/2013/feb/05/ If you are in training with us, these links will help you review.  If you are not yet in training with us, enjoy the information. Best regards, Rob Hadley Vancouver Hypnotherapy School http://www.vancouverhypnotherapyschool.com/

A Regression With A Cutter.

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As a child my client, Jenny had experienced a frightening episode in the classroom. She was 7 years old, and eager to please her teachers. In one particular class she was expected to bring in a short essay. The children were just getting used to the concept of 'homework'. Jenny was a diligent little girl. Although there was some disruption in the family home, she liked getting everything organised and ready for school. She was very attentive to her appearance and liked to brush her hair, always making sure she looked nice - as her mother had impressed upon her. Somehow that day, as she'd packed her school lunch in her 'My Little Pony' school bag, she'd picked up the wrong piece of paper in place of her homework. Her mummy dropped her at the school and she went to her classroom along with all her friends. As class started she pulled the paper from her bag and suddenly in a wave of panic realised it was not her homework at all, and just some drawings she&#

Hypnosis with pranayama breathing.

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Perspective Is Everything

It's all about perspective. Instill confidence, make a task look easy and it becomes easy. For humans, perception is more real than reality. In this great talk Rory Sutherland puts a new spin on perspective. RH

The hypnotist and the client.

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I was recently talking with Russian hypnotherapist Svetlana Lazovskih. Svetlana is a talented hypnotist who has had great success working with clients managing poor self image and compulsive eating. We were discussing the fact that there is among hypnotherapists a greater burnout rate than one sees in psychotherapists or some other therapy types. There are likely many reasons for this.   Part of it is the fact that training for psychotherapy is extensive and there is clearly an emphasis on the idea that there is a ‘healthy’ distance between therapist and client.  The nature of hypnotherapy is very different to other modalities. There is a necessity for trust that does not exist in other therapy types to the same extent. This closeness to a client is positively discouraged in many counseling and therapy situations. However, the upside of this risky prospect is that the client is often working in a partnership that attains positive ends very rapidly. The danger the th

What do people use hypnotherapy for?

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We've built some great tracking software for use in our practice. This is a data driven system, which starts from when the client first makes the enquiry. It helps us develop the relationship with the client, and gives us a accurate idea of what the client would like assistance with. Over the years we've built up this data and now it's beginning to tell an interesting story, and give us deeper insights into what we should be doing to develop our practice. The graph above shows how many clients are in each of the listed categories. Obviously some categories have a great revenue contribution than other. 

Imagine you have no memory...

Imagine how life would be if each morning we woke up with no memory. Each day we would live recreating the relationships with those close to us. No history, no animosity learned from prejudice and no resentment carried forward from the past. Everyday a new beginning. And each day the need to prove ourselves anew. In his world friends are friends because of what is done today. Life is lived according to our actions now. we are accountable only for 'what is', not 'what was'. Can I live this way for a single day? I am certainly going to try. RH http://tmblr.co/ZnZmRtcfeLsc

The long slow road to overcoming bulimia.

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After nearly three months of working with a hard core bulimic client, I have just had a session that has left we with such respect for this young woman. It's been log and slow progress, but now she's become happier, motivated, and has reduced the swing between bingeing and purging, and the pain of restricting. When using hypnotherapy with most clients we see a rapid result and evidence of progress is obvious. In this case progress has been slow and painstaking, but in reviewing her condition she is now clearly moving easily toward resolution. I've seen her go from desperation, through release of her fear, to a point where she embraces her creativity, and physicality. She's doing pottery, exercising (yes, I even got her into yoga) and she's now enjoying her job. She's got a great place to live now, and she's done all these things through her own determination. Now, she's less anxious and her bulimic nature is slipping into a controlled place.

Education: Tread softly.