Should Hypnotists Learn Cold Reading Skills?

It may seem odd to suggest learing about the methods used by some psychics and readers as a way of enhancing your hypnosis practice. "Cold reading" is the use of specific psychological techniques that make it appear as if you know things about other people almost magically. However, what is really involved are specific psychological and observational methods that make it appear so. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia defines cold reading as:

"Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, illusionists, fortune tellerss, psychics, and mediums to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do. Without prior knowledge of a person, a practiced cold reader can still quickly obtain a great deal of information about the subject by analyzing the person's body language, age, clothing or fashion, hairstyle, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race or ethnicity, level of education, manner of speech, place of origin, etc. Cold readers commonly employ high probability guesses about the subject, quickly picking up on signals from their subjects as to whether their guesses are in the right direction or not, and then emphasizing and reinforcing any chance connections the subjects acknowledge while quickly moving on from missed guesses."

Why would this be helpful to the certified hypnosis professional? Remember, a major factor in rapport building (essential for hypnotic work) is to have the other person feel as if you understand them. Cold reading forces you to focus on the individual in your presence.

Also a large segment of the population believes in psychic phenomena in some form or another. Whether you as a practitioner subscribe to such notions is actually unimportant, the client's belief system is really all that matters.

A knowledge of cold-reading methodology can also help you build rapport and interest with those individuals who are highly skeptical since its like having an insiders guide to the popular TV show The Mentalist.

When used with integrity and the client's best interests in mind, the study of these cold reading methods can be a positive endeavor. To learn more please Click Here.

Shrunken Heads and Stress

After I recently took part in the online promotion of Dr. Bruce Lipton's latest book Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here, that he co-wrote with my spiritual advisor Swami Beyondananda, I did a reread of his best seller The Biology of Belief (Hay House Publishers, 2008)

Dr. Lipton, for those of you who are not familiar with him or his work, is a former medical school professor and researcher who has explored how the state of a person's consciousness actually influences the behavior of each of the trillions of cells that compose the human body.


In one section of the book concerning the effects of unhealthy stress, he notes that over time tension can reduce the blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain, diminishing intelligence and self-control. In severe cases these brain areas can actually atrophy and shrink!

We have all probably had the experience of being on edge and then saying or doing something we later regretted. When the body is in the heightened response to stress mode, it temporarily shuts down functions that are not considered essential to survival at that exact moment. This includes digestion, the immune system and higher reasoning abilities.

Is this why, for example, people "forget" their previous intention to follow a healthier eating plan on a "bad" day?

To be at our best and to avoid the risk of developing what might be called the "shrunken head syndrome" make sure that you are taking care of those stress levels on an ongoing basis.

To view the newsletter that this article was excerpted from Click Here

Logic Vs. Psycho-Logic

A favorite saying of mine goes "there is logic, and then there is psycho-logic!"

Why is it we can have behaviors and responses that are clearly not in our best interest, yet we still persist with them? For example, many of my clients have been frustrated and even embarrassed because they have not been able to rationally talk themselves out of an unhealthy fear.

Certified hypnosis professionals discuss the idea with their clients that we have both conscious and subconscious minds. The conscious mind is rational and analytical, traits that are highly valued in our society.

The subconscious mind is not rational or analytical, rather it expands upon and acts out upon the input it has received without question. It doesn't deal with facts, figures and measured arguments like the conscious mind does. Instead its language is that of dreams, symbols, emotions and the imagination. As a rule, the imagination and other intangibles are not highly valued in Western culture.

Hypnosis is the skillful use of subconscious communication. Using the previous example of a problematic fear, such a response is not consciously chosen. Trying to use a solely logical approach to alleviate the problem is often going to be an exercise in futility, especially if the fear is firmly entrenched.

You have to "speak the language" of the problem so to speak, which hypnosis does.

Obviously developing our ability to think critically and logically are very important. However we can best express our full and true potential when we find the balance between the logical and the "psycho-logical" selves and the art and science of hypnosis can enable you to do that.

P.S. Your questions regarding hypnosis counseling are warmly welcomed! Please feel free to connect with New Jersey Hypnotist James Malone through his website at http://www.njhypno.com

Overweight/Stressed? FREE Initial Consult...

Can hypnosis really help you with healthy weight loss? The answer is a resounding yes, however any skepticism you may have is understandable if you have struggled with this issue for a long time.

Currently I am offering a FREE 30 minute initial consultation to new clients (a $50 value) who would like to learn more. During this meeting you will:

-Receive an assessment as to whether you are really ready to succeed at a weight loss program and if not, what would it take to bring you up to speed.

-Gain a better understanding of what hypnosis counseling really involves.

-Have your level of suggestibility assessed to see what type of hypnotic intervention would work best for you.

There is no further obligation after this assessment and there will be absolutely no "hard sell" since I only want to work with clients who would truly benefit from these services. Interested? CALL (732) 714-7040 to get the ball rolling.

P.S. You can also learn more at http://www.njhypno.com

Hypnotic Lap Band Surgery?

The news was all abuzz today about a woman in the UK who underwent "hypnotic" lap band surgery, where the procedure was simulated while she was in trance. Significantly overweight at the time, she has continued to lose weight steadily and has lost her tolerance for fatty, rich foods-just like someone who had the actual surgical procedure done and without the often serious after effects.

There is a considerable body of medical history where "sham" procedures have often produced a reduction of symptoms in a patient, including surgeries where an incision was made yet nothing was done beyond that, apart from sewing it right back up.

What this Lap Band story illustrates is that the power of the mind is probably a lot greater than you ever realized. Hypnosis is a powerful tool that enables you to more readily tap into that source. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have through the New Jersey Hypnotist Web Site at http://www.njhypno.com

Two Wolves-a Healing Story

St. Patrick, Warts and All!

Did you know that Irish folk healing was known for having several odd yet effective treatments for warts? I recently came across the following in a book on traditional remedies:

WART REMEDIES OF OLD IRELAND

"On meeting a funeral, take some of the clay from under the feet of the men who bear the coffin and apply it to the wart, wishing strongly at the same time that it may disappear, and so it will be.'


"Tie up some pebbles in a bag with a piece of silver money, and throw it on the road. Whoever finds the bag and keeps the money, to him the warts will go, and leave you forever."


"Also, steal a piece of meat and apply it raw to the warts, then bury it in the ground. As the meat decays the warts will disappear. But the charm is no use unless the meat is stolen, and no one should see you either stealing or burying it."


"Rub a dirty washcloth over the warts, saying, "Away, away, away." Bury the dirty washcloth in the ground by the light of the full moon."

Clearly no theories of modern pharmacology would back these nostrums, however we do know that the skin is highly responsive to your mood and thoughts. All these remedies were designed to work upon the belief system of the patient and quite often they did produce positive results.

Nowadays you would be hard pressed to find people who would "buy in" to the idea that taking clay from the shoes of pall-bearers or applying a dirty washcloth is going to have much effect. Yet the same mechanism of positive belief and expectation (along with the relief of tension) facilitates the subconscious healing response to this very day.

Hypnosis counseling is gaining more recognition as a viable complementary treatment for conditions like tinnitus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic pain and skin conditions. If you would like to learn more, please visit my newly posted Medical Hypnotism page.

Slainte',

James Malone