by Tim Brunson, PhD

Formal hypnotic scripts have long been the backbone of the clinical hypnotherapy profession. Indeed, I can't imagine how difficult my early days as a practitioner would have been without the written materials provided by Topher Morrison, DCH, and Richard Nieves, PhD. Although it has been almost two decades since I've used a formal script during a session, I still value their existence. Indeed, as I seek ideas I still occasionally browse through my library – to include the Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions by University of Utah psychologist D. Corydon Hammond, PhD. Nevertheless, whether you view formalized scripts as either a tool for neophytes or resources for veterans, their structure and content still remain as an indication of the state of thinking regarding the anatomy of a session – a phenomena that is seriously in need of modernization.

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By Sharon Esonis, PhD

"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there's a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours."

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This article both summarizes the previous reviews of randomized, controlled trials of hypnotic analgesia for the treatment of chronic and acute pain in adults, and reviews similar trials which have recently been published in the scientific literature. The results indicate that for both chronic and acute pain conditions: (1) hypnotic analgesia consistently results in greater decreases in a variety of pain outcomes compared to no treatment/standard care; (2) hypnosis frequently out-performs non-hypnotic interventions (e.g. education, supportive therapy) in terms of reductions in pain-related outcomes; and (3) hypnosis performs similarly to treatments that contain hypnotic elements (such as progressive muscle relaxation), but is not surpassed in efficacy by these alternative treatments. Factors that may influence the efficacy of hypnotic analgesia interventions are discussed, including, but not limited to, the patient's level of suggestibility, treatment outcome expectancy, and provider expertise. Based upon this body of literature, suggestions are offered for practitioners who are using, or would like to use, hypnosis for the amelioration of pain problems in their patients or clients.

Contemp Hypn. 2009 Mar 1;26(1):24-39. Stoelb BL, Molton IR, Jensen MP, Patterson DR. University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation. Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

by Joyce-Anne Locking

Life is short and dreams are too easily given up and forgotten. Pressed to choose a course of action, we often waste the time and gifts of dreams. What we do with our lives is important. Springtime is a time for dreaming new dreams.

Wonderful gardens are a source of pride and peaceful respite in the middle of a downtown busy with daily traffic and bustling activity. A reprieve from stress and worries, flowers in summer gardens provide colour to nourish our too frequently frazzled existence. A stroll through such gardens last summer found me wondering why such few green spaces are left in the area to enjoy. Green space ought to be taken much more seriously, especially in residential areas. Little room is left for thought or creativity, recreation or just plain relaxation. A place to ponder is something everyone can make use of. Even a drive by such a place is beneficial in that it suggests creative thought.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

Over the past few years there has been a constant clamor regarding the wonders of a new version of Positive Psychology involving mindfulness. This leaves me to wonder if there is any substance to this or if it is yet another pop psychology mantra waiting to be pushed aside by the next trend. Is this unjustified panacea, merely yet another placebo claiming wondrous results, or a therapeutically significant concept? My intent here is to explore the origin, foundation, and potential value of mindfulness psychotherapy – and its relationship to hypnotherapy.

I first became acquainted with the concept when I attended a three-day workshop jointly conducted by two psychologists at an annual conference held each December in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The presenters were Mark S. Weisberg, PhD, an established authority in mind/body healing who practices in Minnesota, and Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, who is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School. Since then I have become familiar with the work of Richard J. Davidson, PhD, a Harvard-educated scientist working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Tenzin Nagi, PhD, at Emory University in Atlanta.

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Effect of photo-acoustic stimulation on the flow rate and protein concentration of whole saliva was investigated. 10 medical students' and 11 edentulous patients' salivary volume and protein concentrations were measured before, during, and after stimulation. The flow rate of the students' group was significantly higher (p < or = 0.01) before and after the treatment, whereas the protein concentration was significantly lower (p < or = 0.05) before, during and after treatment comparing to the patients' group. The flow rate of the students' groups significantly decreased during stimulation (p < or = 0.05). Salivary protein concentration of the students' group significantly increased (p < or = 0.05) after stimulation. There were no significant changes in the group of patients. Repeated stimulation combined with hypnotic relaxation was used in the case of 4 psychosomatic patients. Resting salivary flow and protein concentration significantly increased in 2 cases (p < or = 0.05) as a result of the therapy.

Fogorv Sz. 2003 Oct;96(5):217-21. Kaán B, Krause WR, Krause M, Fejérdy L, Gáspár J, Bálint M, Fábián TK. Semmelweis Egyetem, Fogpótlástani Klinika, Budapest.

by Ernesto Ortiz LMT, CST

I have talk lately with many of my clients and friends and a repeated theme it's been going around. Many of them have expressed feelings that they don't quite understand, I started following this tread of information and realized that this are times of heighten awareness, tremendous input of information from the media and a deep inner desire to understand what is going on. Many of us hear the news and grind our teeth at what we hear, we feel it in our hearts and we help carry the burden at unconscious levels. But then there is something deeper than that going on. We want to wake up, we want to connect and feel that we are contributing something to the planet, to its people, our family and friends. Yes, that is all good but then something is happening to our bodies. We are in the process of conscious awakening.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

The words belief and thought are the two most misused ones in the English vocabulary. The difference is a vital to understanding the transformation process. This is important to anyone seeking change in themselves or others. This includes improving performance, effecting accelerated healing, and resolving any dysfunctions in how we behave – and think.

A belief involves the relationship between a perception or concept and a previously established meaning and understanding. In other words, I may say that I think that today is Friday. But that is incorrect. Saying that I believe it is Friday is what I actually mean. When our senses detect an object, we receive a suggestion, or our imagination conceives an idea, our brain is designed to rapidly find previously programmed associations. This allows us to instantaneously establish meaning and develop an understanding. For this to work we need to have already programmed our mind with the correct association. As this is a programming phenomenon, beliefs are synonymous with habituated mental patterns and behaviors. In other words, we are programmed to become who we are. The role of a therapist or someone seeking self-transformation, is to change these beliefs.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of hypnotherapy on resumption of menstruation in patients with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). DESIGN: Uncontrolled clinical study. SETTING: Academic clinical care center. PATIENT(S): Twelve consecutive women with FHA were selected. INTERVENTION(S): A single 45- to 70-minute session of hypnotherapy was administered, and patients were observed for 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Patients were asked whether or not menstruation resumed and whether or not well-being and self-confidence changed. RESULT(S): Within 12 weeks, 9 out of 12 patients (75%) resumed menstruation. All of the patients, including those who did not menstruate, reported several beneficial side effects such as increased general well-being and increased self-confidence. CONCLUSION(S): Hypnotherapy could be an efficacious and time-saving treatment option that also avoids the pitfalls of pharmacological modalities for women with FHA.

Fertil Steril. 2003 Oct;80(4):982-5. Tschugguel W, Berga SL. Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vienna Medical School, Vienna, Austria. walter.tschugguel@akh-wien.ac.at

by Tim Brunson, PhD

There is often a conflict in therapy between conformity and effectiveness. The desire to "do no harm", to remain within the scope of practice, and to comply with ethical and boundary requirements result in a hesitancy to explore alternatives that may be in the patient or client's best interest. While I would never question the compassionate intention of such limitations, they may very well present a stultifying effect on the potential benefits of therapeutic interventions. My intent here is to explore the appropriate balance between risk-taking and caution both in the intellectual development of our professions as well as regarding practical applications with subjects.

Most certainly I would be the first to admit that risk-taking is allowed within the established and accepted rules. Clinicians have license to try a variety of approved techniques. Clinton Clay, LCSW, who was one of my first NLP instructors, impressed upon me the necessity of having a collection of optional techniques – meaning that there is no one solution to everyone's concerns. Indeed, even Milton H. Erickson, MD, preached that psychiatrists should approach their practices as somewhat of an art rather than being confined by a particular school of thought. Nevertheless, when looked at with historical perspective, risky protocols are frequently viewed later as barbaric – such as frontal lobotomies and many of the methods that were once common in self-styled modern asylums. This leaves me to conclude that several of the current methods may also eventually be considered cruel and ineffective by the practitioners only a few decades from now.

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by Bernie Siegel, MD

The key to life in all its forms is its ability to communicate. This includes the ability of complex organisms like ourselves to communicate with each other but more importantly within ourselves, our individual organs and cells. How do animals communicate without words? Studies show they can count and make intelligent choices when given options yet we do not know how they are able to reason and communicate without using words.

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by Sam Slay

Are you too busy living to create a life? Are you too busy working to create a career? Are you too busy managing rather than becoming a business leader? Are you just too busy because being busy is the only thing you know how to do?

Did you know that Warren Buffet only works three hours a day? Obviously someone with his wealth doesn't have to work at all. How do you think people like him got that way? I assure you they didn't get that way by being too busy to create the life they wanted. They set a side time to plan and balance their life beyond showing up day after day performing the same tasks and maintaining the status quo. They made plans, and weren't afraid to change to achieve their goals.

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by Debra Burdick, LCSW

It is always exciting to see how current brain research and brain imaging techniques prove why psychological and spiritual techniques work in our lives. It turns out that our brains don't really know the difference between whether something is actually happening in our lives or whether we are only imagining it in our minds. When athletes are hooked up to brain monitoring equipment and asked to imagine they are performing their sport, their brainwaves fire the same as if they were actually doing their sport. Pianists who imagine playing the piano and rehearsing a piece in their minds play it better when they perform it.

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Full Title: The predictive utility of hypnotizability: The change in suggestibility produced by hypnosis

Objective: The predictive utility of hypnotizability, conceptualized as the change in suggestibility produced by a hypnotic induction, was investigated in the suggested reduction of experimental pain. Method: One hundred and seventy-three participants were assessed for nonhypnotic imaginative suggestibility. Thereafter, participants experienced hypnotic and nonhypnotic imaginative analgesia suggestions, counterbalanced for order. Hypnotic suggestibility was then assessed. Results: Hypnotizability, operationalized as hypnotic suggestibility with imaginative suggestibility statistically controlled (Braffman & Kirsch, 1999), predicted intraindividual differences in responding to the hypnotic and imaginative analgesia suggestions. Higher hypnotizability was associated with relatively greater response to the hypnotic analgesia suggestion than to the imaginative analgesia suggestion. Conclusions: Operationalized in this way, hypnotizability may be a useful predictor of the effect of adding a hypnotic induction to a specific imaginative suggestion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010 Feb;78(1):126-30. Milling LS, Coursen EL, Shores JS, Waszkiewicz JA. Department of Psychology.

by Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, MA, APN, BCH

In her book, Notes on Nursing, published in 1859, Florence Nightingale said, "Volumes are now written and spoken upon the effect of the mind upon the body." She discussed in detail how nurses should help patients vary their thoughts. Florence Nightingale was more in tune with complementary therapy in 1859 than most nurses and physicians are today. She spoke at length in her book on the benefits of music, color, aroma, physical activity, fresh air, and exercise. She understood the power of words and how using hypnosis to help patients change their thoughts helped them heal.

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by Joyce-Anne Locking

How easy it is for us to get too wrapped up in the bustle of everyday life, so much so we sometimes lose track of thought. If possible, it would be nice to take time to sit and gaze out the window and let the day unfold in natural delight. Without the stress and scurry, life is truly a blessing. Repeat after me: there is no present like the present moment! If we could make up our minds like we make up a room or make up a lunch, we could set ourselves straight on a daily basis.

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Clark Hull's (1933) research on dissociation was based on a 'straw man' formulation of dissociation; he claimed that dissociation requires noninterference. Hull completely ignored the then-current paradigm of dissociation--dissociation as automatism--and claimed that he had refuted the validity of the phenomenon of dissociation. Hull's view of dissociation held sway in the hypnosis field for 60 years. This essay seeks to retrieve the Janetian paradigm of dissociation as automatism. Automatisms are unexpected, uninitiated, involuntary behaviors that just 'happen.' The author argues that human sensitivity to the experience of involuntariness (a) is quite important, (b) was selected by evolution, and (c) is central to both hypnotic responses and dissociative symptoms. This editorial urges the hypnosis field and the dissociation field to jointly undertake a renewed investigation of the experience of involuntariness and to follow recent neuroimaging studies which indicate that the parietal cortex underlies the experience of involuntariness.

J Trauma Dissociation. 2010;11(1):1-18. Dell PF.

by Tim Brunson, PhD

Over the past several decades I have studied numerous people who have achieved mastery in one or more physical or mental skills. Among them were athletes, musicians, scholars, scientists, and even spiritual adepts. I even included in this austere group those who have overcome terminal illnesses miraculously by changing their thought processes. While some of them have translated misfortune or even physical deformities into opportunities to develop specific habits, many were average people for whom circumstances led them to focus on allowing greatness to occur.

During my research into the origins of masterful performance, much was learned when looking at extreme cases. This included individuals who were introduced to particular endeavors very early in life, as well as those that pursued specific interests later in life and were able to focus during thousands of hours of practice. However, some of the most interesting case studies involved the amazing abilities of prodigious savants such as Kim Peek (mnemonist, speed reader, and calculator), Daniel Tammet (mathematical synesthesia, language absorption, and memory), and Alonzo Clemmons (clay sculptor). Another phenomena that I became interested in were innovations in neuroplasticity, which shows the brain's ability to reorganize, and the seemingly related concept regarding innovations in stroke recovery – especially the work of Edward Taub, PhD, at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

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Hypnotizability is a cognitive multidimensional trait that involves peculiar imagery characteristics. Subjects with high- (Highs) and low (Lows)-susceptibilities to hypnosis have shown different levels of skill at visual and somesthetic-guided imageries performed during upright stance. The aim of this experiment is to study the modulation of the EEG alpha and theta band amplitude during guided visual and somesthetic imageries in Highs and Lows, as these rhythms are responsive to the cognitive activities involved in mental imagery. Our results show that, at variance with standing subjects, subjects in both groups in a semi-reclined position report higher vividness and lower effort for visual than for somesthetic imagery. EEG patterns however are different between the two groups. Highs exhibit a more widespread alpha desynchronization and slightly different EEG patterns during visual and somesthetic imageries, while Lows show segregated alpha- and theta-desynchronization, without any difference between the tasks. Our results indicate that different, hypnotizability-related cognitive strategies, that are revealed by differences in EEG modulation, are responsible for the similar subjective experience associated with visual and somesthetic imageries in Highs and Lows. In addition, in both groups higher order mental representation of different sensory modalities might be subserved by a unique integrated neural network. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurosci Lett. 2009 Dec 23. Cavallaro FI, Cacace I, Del Testa M, Andre P, Carli G, De Pascalis V, Rocchi R, Santarcangelo EL. Department of Physiology, University of Siena, Italy.

by Jevon Dängeli

Wake up; Hypnosis is not about being unconscious!

As a Hypnotherapy trainer I keep being asked questions about Hypnosis which indicate to me that masses of people are still hypnotised by the misconceptions and negative propaganda which they've allowed themselves to be influenced by. Their false ideas about Hypnosis and their impression that only certain people can be hypnotised are evidence of the power of hypnosis and its lasting effects.

Many stage Hypnosis performers along with some misleading cultural and religious doctrines do the Hypnotherapy profession little good. Meanwhile certain doctors, therapists and specialised coaches quietly go about empowering their patients and clients to overcome or manage "incurable" ailments.

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Can suggestion, particularly hypnotic suggestion, influence cognition? Addressing this intriguing question experimentally is on the rise in cognitive research, nowhere more prevalently than in the domain of cognitive control and attention. This may well rest on the intuitive connection between hypnotic suggestion and attention, where the hypnotist controls the subject's attention. Particularly impressive has been the work of Raz and his colleagues demonstrating the modulation and even the complete elimination of classic Stroop color-word interference when subjects are given a posthypnotic suggestion that words are meaningless. Overriding a highly practiced, possibly even automatic response like reading is testament to the attentional control that can be exerted under (post)hypnotic suggestion. What else do we need to know-in the Stroop context and more broadly-to obtain a clear picture of how suggestion can orchestrate attention?

Conscious Cogn. 2009 Dec 5. Macleod CM. Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1.

by Tim Brunson, PhD

During my training as a professional hypnotherapist and during the many years that led to my instructor status involving Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I constantly heard my teachers espousing the wonders of Dr. Milton H. Erickson. Yes, it was Erickson, who has been called the Father of American Hypnotherapy, who gave us tremendous insights into permissive approaches to hypnosis. However, as the cult of Ericksonian followers emerged, it seems that an entire universe of very effective hypnosis was completely whitewashed from the realm of clinical application. Indeed, many authors and self-styled experts – to include international associations that claim the authority to certify hypnotherapists – fail to recognize the power of relatively rapid and direct approaches to using suggestion and imagination to heal the mind and body.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

Can we escape who we have become? From the moment of our birth our experiences shape who we are. Starting with the genetic makeup, which we inherit from our parents, the people and events that we encounter control the ever evolving wiring in our brain and our physiological reactions. In turn, should these programs include strong chemical responses, we run the risk that the neurological patterns will lead to strong addictions. In very many ways this programming defines who we have become. However, if the results of this process lead to unhappiness or poor health, I would hope that we also have the ability to change.

During the first 26 months of life, the parts of our brains that are already present are almost entirely a mass of disorganized neurons. Our experiences – especially when repeated and/or associated with stimulating responses such as excitement – begin emphasizing some networks and subordinating others. This process, which is called differentiation, is accelerated during that early period. As the brain continues to develop, the differentiation process continues. In fact, to some degree this remains an ongoing process through old age.

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We examined two potential correlates of hypnotic suggestibility: dissociation and cognitive inhibition. Dissociation is the foundation of two of the major theories of hypnosis and other theories commonly postulate that hypnotic responding is a result of attentional abilities (including inhibition). Participants were administered the Waterloo-Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form C. Under the guise of an unrelated study, 180 of these participants also completed: a version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale that is normally distributed in non-clinical populations; a latent inhibition task, a spatial negative priming task, and a memory task designed to measure negative priming. The data ruled out even moderate correlations between hypnotic suggestibility and all the measures of dissociation and cognitive inhibition overall, though they also indicated gender differences. The results are a challenge for existing theories of hypnosis.

Conscious Cogn. 2009 Dec;18(4):837-47. Epub 2009 Aug 25. Dienes Z, Brown E, Hutton S, Kirsch I, Mazzoni G, Wright DB. School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK. dienes@sussex.ac.uk

By Dr. Alexander R. Lees, DCH, RCC

We just completed a workshop and a good time was had by all. One of the issues that people wanted to discuss, and get a better understanding of, was how they as the practitioner, can help the client to relax and be able to better articulate why they've come to see him/her.

From my experience of teaching for many years, this is a common issue for many... practitioners sometimes have trouble helping the client be resourceful. The client has difficulty describing the issue or problem, and also accessing any feelings or emotions regarding the issue.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

Change is natural. It naturally occurs all around us. Gas prices go up. We weather the mortgage and housing crises. And, violent crimes are increasing in most major cities. Regardless whether of the political party changes, there will have a different president in the White House a minimum of every eight years. Change is not a campaign slogan, it is part of life. It seems nothing in life is permanent other than change.

I vividly remember watching the last Olympics. There were young men and women from around the globe. These were people, like Michael Phelps, who dared to dream and commit to winning multiple gold medals. These are people who have changed themselves and motivated millions. Many are heroes to their countrymen, their families and even to themselves. They've mastered change.

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Participants of low and high hypnotic susceptibility were tested on a temporal order judgement task, both with and without hypnosis. Judgements were made of the order of presentation of light flashes appearing in first one hemi-field then the other. There were differences in the inter-stimulus intervals required accurately to report the order, depending upon which hemi-field led. This asymmetry was most marked in hypnotically susceptible participants and reversed when they were hypnotised. This implies not only that brain activity changes in hypnosis, but also that there is a difference in brain function between people of low and high hypnotic susceptibility. The latter exhibited a faster-acting left hemisphere in the waking state, but faster right when hypnotised.

Conscious Cogn. 2009 Nov 7. Naish PL. Dept. of Psychology, The Open University, Briggs Building, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, United Kingdom.

by Mark Gorkin, LICSW

Transforming the Conventional into the Creative: Discovering and Designing the "Bright Crystals" of Contradiction

These days everyone wants to be creative, to "think out of the box." But how do you walk the talk? As a workshop leader who often tries to give organizations a "Jolt of CPR: Being Creative, Passionate and Risk-Taking," let me share one concept that just might be an integral component of creative thinking and problem-solving. On stage, I like to introduce this concept through a thought-provoking and, possibly, unsettling exercise that was inspired by the research of Dr. Albert Rothenberg, as reported in his book The Emerging Goddess: Creativity in the Sciences and the Arts. (The title evokes the mythic imagery of Athena, Greek goddess of both war and creativity, being born full-sized from the head of her almighty father, Zeus.) This Yale Psychiatrist and Cognitive Psychologist found that subjects who responded with more opposites or antonyms in a word association test – e.g., "wet" to the word "dry" or "fast" to the word "slow" – had higher scores on certain creative personality measures than subjects generating mostly synonyms or "original" responses. (Rothenberg's sample was fairly small and at most his results can be suggestive. My casual workshop trials indicate that usually less than ten percent of the audience free associate predominantly with antonyms. Of course, I remind participants that this is only one informal measure of creativity.) Considering the small or informal sample size, nonetheless, why might there be a correlation between contradictory association and personality differentiation? To expand your worldview and problem-solving vision, consider these Seven Cognitive Complexity Keys for Transforming the Conventional into the Creative:

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by David Kohlhagen LPC, NBCCH

Part 2: The Session

The Status Quo

That brings us full circle to Saturday, August 22, 2009. At that time I was reading everything I could about having my book, Force of Habit, published, and I was giving it a final edit in preparation for submitting it to publishers. I was beginning to write professional articles for publication and I was completely overhauling my website around the book and around my new professional identity as an institute. I was repositioning myself for a life of doing mind/body healing work, public speaking, education and training, and professional writing. It was at once a very exciting and exhilarating and a very intimidating and anxiety provoking prospect. I sometimes didn't feel ready for the pressure and the exposure that I was moving toward; it felt overwhelming to be utterly on my own, teaching and writing from my own school of thought and treatment, and flying in the face of non-holistic medical and healing practices. I also felt suffocated by the pressures and stresses of family life, stifled by the power of prevailing medical thinking and daunted by the competition in the holistic healing field. There are so many notables! If all my projects were to reach fruition I needed to be free of this bothersome and nagging health issue. Metaphorically, the asthma seemed to symbolize my reluctance and fear about the next step in my career. It was holding me back and draining my energy.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

A French philosopher once said, "Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains." No other phrase quite describes the struggle between our desire to be unique and our compulsion to fit in. Yes, we admire those who show us what it is like to be truly different, only to crucify them in the media as we hunger to find their imperfections. The recent Tiger Woods scandals, a spat of US governors resigning due to disclosures of immorality, and billionaires going bankrupt come to mind has glaring examples.

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by Joyce-Anne Locking

Just after I wrote the article saying life changes take time and hard work, I watched a TV interview on life transformations. The lady being interviewed was saying life transformations might possibly be done instantly, effortlessly and joyfully.

It seems our belief system is the thing that governs our lives and sometimes all we need do is remove negative thought from our beliefs and our lives will be instantly transformed. NLP (neurolinguistic programming) trainers teach about words we tell ourselves. The self-talk we give ourselves is what we believe in or at least, what we come to believe. By changing the self-talk to a different programming or patterning is like changing channels on TV. Suddenly we are in a different zone and we have a whole new set of choices. New doors open and we almost instantly become on a different path.

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by Joe Rubino, PhD

Research points to the fact that each child suffers an early assault to his or her self-esteem at a young age, typically between birth and 6 years of age. The child's initial realization that he or she is imperfect and somehow does not measure up, is flawed, or is not worthy of love, happiness, rich relationships, abundance, and fulfillment comes as a result of this early traumatic episode when the child either buys into the disparaging view of another or creates an interpretation that he or she is defective in some important way, even though no such conclusion was offered or intended by another.

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by David Kohlhagen LPC, NBCCH

Part 1: A Case Study

The Buddy System in Force of Habit

For my book Force of Habit: Get Well and Stay Well by Clearing up Your Bad Habits of Mind, Body and Spirit I developed a "buddy system" wherein people can train a friend to facilitate their self-healing. Solo self-healing has its limitations. The Force of Habit Buddy System requires one subject--whose job is to have an issue or "bad habit" to be cleared up--and one listener, or buddy whose job is to facilitate the subject in staying focused and on topic. In Force of Habit (FOH) terms a "bad habit" is any undesirable mental, emotional, physical, health or spiritual tendency or condition.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

What are illness and disease? When a component is entraining to changes in one pattern, it becomes out of harmony with the components of the other patterns with which it normally interacts. A dis-ease is caused within these patterns. This is like the merchants not seeing their regular customer on a Saturday morning, or the office staff having to compensate for the absence of a valuable employee. If you think about it, this is what is happening in any situation in which a person has been diagnosed with an illness or disease. A component of a system has performed a reactive adaptation to one pattern with which it is integrated. Again, what you must understand is that every component plays a critical role in numerous patterns. Once it adapts to changes in one pattern, it will be disharmonious with its other patterns. This is the nature of any illness.

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by Mark Gorkin, LICSW

One Small Step for Employee-Management-Community Consensus Building: Affirming the Purpose, Participation and Power of Admin Professionals

One of the challenges for an Organizational Development Consultant is getting management and employees on the same page, if not singing from the same sheet of music. Sometimes you don't need management to generate static. Status distinctions within the employee ranks may exacerbate in-house tensions. For example, in one government directorate, scientists and IT folks were called "professional" staff while the clerical/administrative personnel were labeled "support" staff. (On a retreat, I quickly changed the nomenclature: all were professional staff; some were scientific, others were administrative.)

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by Joe Rubino, PhD

Studies show that high self-esteem is the #1 ingredient essential for developing happiness, fulfillment, rich relationships, and overall success in life. In the life of every child, usually sometime between birth and age 6, something happens to have the child doubt him or herself. Someone says or does something that has the child believe that he or she is flawed, unlovable, not worthy, imperfect.

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by Marta Luzim, MS

Healing our childhood awakens the unconscious hunger for the love of our mother and father. We cannot be in the present until we satisfy the loneliness of the child's deep craving to be loved, seen and cherished. This is where romantic loves begins. Children believe that their parents are the perfect gods, all knowing and all loving. The trauma that comes from the first sting of rejection, criticism and abandonment in our youths carries on into our adult relationships. It is our parent's validation of our existence that gives us a sense of meaning, purpose and worthiness. As adults we remain frozen in the past, searching for the perfect mother or father in our intimate relationships to fulfill the child who felt unloved and forgotten.

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This is an excellent Discovery Channel video. The hypnotist is Seth-Deborah Roth, CRNA, who is an Institute member and an expert in medical hypnotherapy.

It brings up several interesting concepts. First, does the effectiveness of hypnotherapy require a trance state. In the video three people are tested for suggestibility using a type of EEG machine. The belief that trance is equal to reduced brain wave frequency is proposed by biofeedback. technician. Second, they presuppose that there is a relationship between suggestibility and trance state. While there may be a correlation at times, this is not a requirement. Hypnosis is a process of bypassing resistance. This may or may not happen in a trance state.

Of course, the TV program unfortunately full of the typical media lingo. The announcer frequently uses the term "going under" to signify a trance state. Most reputable hypnotists avoid that phrase, which is one that too often misleads and scares members of the public.

Nevertheless, I did appreciate that they "busted" the concept that a person can be forced to do something that is suggested while in a hypnotically-induced trance.

posted by Tim Brunson, PhD

by Anne Arsenault

They say "You are what you eat", so we can also say that your mental health is affected by what you eat. If your blood sugar is all over the place, then your moods will be too. If you are eating foods devoid of B Vitamins and Omega 3 Fats, then Depression can set in. If your liver and arteries are clogged from high fat foods, then you will feel sluggish and grouchy. Your brain is very much affected by what you eat and how you digest it.

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by Joyce-Anne Locking

Human nature, as described in Wikopedia, the online enclyclopedia, is the concept that there are a set of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting that all human beings have in common. It is also human nature, I might add, to expect some abundant form of reward for the work we provide.

There are conditions that apply to the flow of natural rivers of wealth. It is said that money flows back to us if we follow our heart, for example. Millions of books have been written about the topic of how to make money. This is not the reward I intend to explore in this article, however. My topic might better be described as payment in psychic dollars. What I mean to say is "invisible pay" might turn out to be far more valuable than other, more obvious forms of remuneration.

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