Have you ever been driving and when you stopped at a stop light and as you glanced to each side you wonder what the person next to you is thinking or you wonder where they are going? In times of stress I have wondered if anyone else is struggling like me, but putting on a benign expression so as not to give myself away. To me, this is an exercise in living in the Here and Now. Experiencing a moment in my life and using all my senses to look around. Knowing I am in my car, feeling anxious or stressed and seeing others around me and really noticing details about them.....it is almost as if time stops and the details are lush and bright. I am vividly drinking in my direct atmosphere and reacting in real time.
When I talk about living in the Here and Now, I do an exercise with my clients or a group to just stop for a moment and feel their arms, feel their breathing. I have them look around the room and hear the noises whether subtle or loud and look into my eyes and be right here right now.
It's disconcerting for some and freeing for others. It's certainly not an exercise we are used to given that we operate from 88% subconscious reactions throughout our day and only 12% is conscious thought.
Isn't that amazing? Only 12% of our actions are conscious decisions...the rest is an autopilot set by past experiences and similar situations.
So, suffice it to say, operating in the Here and Now allows us to make better decisions. Better in the way that our decision is based on our minds being fully aware and present. In a world of over stimulation, I am tempted to make a comparison to the movie "Monsters, Inc." where children were becoming harder and harder to scare so they had to bring in the biggest, baddest monsters to gain the scream energy they needed. Kids today are watching their parents texting while driving, emailing from the breakfast table and attending a webinar being hosted in China. In general TV shows are becoming more graphically rich and violent.
Taking the opportunity to be fully present takes practice and dedication. Questions must be answered as to what memories you want to retain....the look on your kid's face as they describe how another kid shot a blueberry out of their nose at lunch or the 527th text you get from your schizophrenic neighbor who lives with her invisible cat?
Living in the Here and Now is valuable to yourself as well as setting a good example. Take a moment and breathe. Be fully present. Make a better decision.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A Hypnotic Answer to Financial Angst
by Mary Pilon, Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2008
After Gary Manouelian was laid off last year as a customer-service representative, he was anxious about his ability to pay off his mortgage and credit-card debt. So he sought help through hypnosis.
Thirty sessions and $1,500 later, Mr. Manouelian says he has since landed a government job and is working to pay off his debts. For this he thanks his hypnotist, Laura Ryan-Day in Austin, Texas.
"It's definitely made me change my thinking," says Mr. Manouelian says, of Pflugerville, Texas. "I'm much more confident and less stressed."
Hypnosis has been used for years to help clients quit smoking, lose weight or sleep better. But recently there has been a surge of business from people who want help dealing with the stress of market turmoil, according to Dwight Damon, president of the National Guild of Hypnotists. The guild has more than 12,000 members.
With hypnosis, the therapist uses calming tones and sometimes music to put clients in a deeply relaxed state. Clients are then given suggestions and recommendations on how to change their behavior, adjust their thinking and reach their goals. No credentials are required to practice hypnotherapy. That has created tension between hypnotherapists who attended traditional psychology programs at major universities and those who got their degrees at online universities or have no formal training at all.
Scientific research on hypnosis isn't as robust as in other fields of psychology, but most patients and practitioners say that the shift toward a positive attitude is helpful for many. A lot of the techniques utilized in hypnosis parallel those in more-conventional forms of psychology.
The American Psychological Association points to the success of hypnosis as documented in scientific journals. But the organization's Web site notes that not everyone responds to treatment, and that hypnosis should be done by a trained health-care worker.
'Money Is Energy'
Ms. Ryan-Day, who has been doing hypnosis for eight years and is working on her master's degree in counseling, asks her clients to wear dark goggles to help them relax and focus on the hypnosis. Clients sit in a comfortable chair in her office and put on headphones to block out unwanted sounds. Ms. Ryan-Day speaks to them through a microphone: "Money is energy that comes and goes," she says soothingly. She records the session and encourages clients to listen to it three times a day, but "not while driving."
The effectiveness of hypnosis aimed at treating financial anxiety is difficult to track -- unlike smoking-cessation or weight-loss hypnosis. The outcomes are measurable in pounds or months cigarette free, whereas with finances, countless variables are involved. But that doesn't stop stressed-out Wall Street types from seeking treatment.
Jacob Bimblich, a New York City hypnotist, knew that when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted this fall, his business would go up. He first noticed the increase in financially fretful clients after a couple of laid-off workers from Bear, Stearns & Co., which collapsed in March and was acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., saw him this spring. Soon came a stream of clients from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Washington Mutual Inc. and other Wall Street firms caught up in the credit crunch.
Mr. Bimblich never went to school for hypnosis, and says he learned his craft through working with other hypnotists and reading up on the subject. He sees around 30 clients a week, and charges $60 for a basic half-hour session.
"I have no control over the financial markets," Mr. Bimblich tells clients. "But I can help with how you look at them." The number of clients coming in for financial problems has "increased tenfold" he says.
One person he's treated was overeating because of financial anxiety.
"I watch the market news and I want a doughnut," complains Jack, a dance-studio owner who doesn't want his last name used, as he sits in Mr. Bimblich's Brooklyn office. Jack says he's gained 47 pounds over the past couple of years because of anxiety about the economy. Since he started getting hypnosis a month ago, he says he's shed 15 of those pounds.
Uptick in Clients
Neil Fiore, a psychologist in California who uses hypnotism in his Bay Area practice, has seen the number of clients coming in with financial problems double in the past year. "I haven't seen difficulties like these since the dot-com boom" went bust, he says.
Calming Messages
Dr. Fiore, who has been hypnotizing for more than 30 years, charges $150 for a 25-minute session. He also encourages his clients -- many of whom are wealthy tech entrepreneurs -- to send him their worries via email and BlackBerry throughout the week. He responds with calming messages that typically echo the mantras he speaks while the client is being hypnotized. He's even done sessions over the phone to clients who never had to leave their cubicles.
He's constantly telling clients, "You net worth doesn't equal your personal worth."
Diana Ayala estimates that she spent $700 for hypnosis sessions with Ms. Ryan-Day over the summer. She was financially frustrated after not earning a raise after three years doing business development at her job in Dallas. She also lost $1,700 in a marketing scam.
"I would have loved to have gone to Italy, but at the time, I had to focus on myself," she says of her hypnosis sessions, which she found effective.
It can be big business. Matthew B. James, a Hawaii-based hypnotist, says he earns $3 million a year through his group-hypnosis sessions, hypnosis-related books and CDs and teaching other hypnotists through his unaccredited American Pacific University. The cost of his treatment sessions range from $95 for a two-day seminar to $2,000 for an intensive weekend-long program.
He counsels clients to get in touch with their "inner entrepreneur." Since the subprime mortgage crisis hit California more than a year ago, Dr. James has seen an increase in participation in his seminars there and other hard-hit parts of the country.
He's retooled his marketing approach to be financially focused, changing his slogan in local radio, TV and print advertising from "improve your thinking" to "improve your thinking about prosperity." He replaces some of the words in his discussions about weight loss with terms used to describe debt.
Dr. James, who earned his doctorate online from the University of Phoenix, defends his credentials. "We're doing everything we can to increase credibility," he says.
After Gary Manouelian was laid off last year as a customer-service representative, he was anxious about his ability to pay off his mortgage and credit-card debt. So he sought help through hypnosis.
Thirty sessions and $1,500 later, Mr. Manouelian says he has since landed a government job and is working to pay off his debts. For this he thanks his hypnotist, Laura Ryan-Day in Austin, Texas.
"It's definitely made me change my thinking," says Mr. Manouelian says, of Pflugerville, Texas. "I'm much more confident and less stressed."
Hypnosis has been used for years to help clients quit smoking, lose weight or sleep better. But recently there has been a surge of business from people who want help dealing with the stress of market turmoil, according to Dwight Damon, president of the National Guild of Hypnotists. The guild has more than 12,000 members.
With hypnosis, the therapist uses calming tones and sometimes music to put clients in a deeply relaxed state. Clients are then given suggestions and recommendations on how to change their behavior, adjust their thinking and reach their goals. No credentials are required to practice hypnotherapy. That has created tension between hypnotherapists who attended traditional psychology programs at major universities and those who got their degrees at online universities or have no formal training at all.
Scientific research on hypnosis isn't as robust as in other fields of psychology, but most patients and practitioners say that the shift toward a positive attitude is helpful for many. A lot of the techniques utilized in hypnosis parallel those in more-conventional forms of psychology.
The American Psychological Association points to the success of hypnosis as documented in scientific journals. But the organization's Web site notes that not everyone responds to treatment, and that hypnosis should be done by a trained health-care worker.
'Money Is Energy'
Ms. Ryan-Day, who has been doing hypnosis for eight years and is working on her master's degree in counseling, asks her clients to wear dark goggles to help them relax and focus on the hypnosis. Clients sit in a comfortable chair in her office and put on headphones to block out unwanted sounds. Ms. Ryan-Day speaks to them through a microphone: "Money is energy that comes and goes," she says soothingly. She records the session and encourages clients to listen to it three times a day, but "not while driving."
The effectiveness of hypnosis aimed at treating financial anxiety is difficult to track -- unlike smoking-cessation or weight-loss hypnosis. The outcomes are measurable in pounds or months cigarette free, whereas with finances, countless variables are involved. But that doesn't stop stressed-out Wall Street types from seeking treatment.
Jacob Bimblich, a New York City hypnotist, knew that when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted this fall, his business would go up. He first noticed the increase in financially fretful clients after a couple of laid-off workers from Bear, Stearns & Co., which collapsed in March and was acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., saw him this spring. Soon came a stream of clients from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Washington Mutual Inc. and other Wall Street firms caught up in the credit crunch.
Mr. Bimblich never went to school for hypnosis, and says he learned his craft through working with other hypnotists and reading up on the subject. He sees around 30 clients a week, and charges $60 for a basic half-hour session.
"I have no control over the financial markets," Mr. Bimblich tells clients. "But I can help with how you look at them." The number of clients coming in for financial problems has "increased tenfold" he says.
One person he's treated was overeating because of financial anxiety.
"I watch the market news and I want a doughnut," complains Jack, a dance-studio owner who doesn't want his last name used, as he sits in Mr. Bimblich's Brooklyn office. Jack says he's gained 47 pounds over the past couple of years because of anxiety about the economy. Since he started getting hypnosis a month ago, he says he's shed 15 of those pounds.
Uptick in Clients
Neil Fiore, a psychologist in California who uses hypnotism in his Bay Area practice, has seen the number of clients coming in with financial problems double in the past year. "I haven't seen difficulties like these since the dot-com boom" went bust, he says.
Calming Messages
Dr. Fiore, who has been hypnotizing for more than 30 years, charges $150 for a 25-minute session. He also encourages his clients -- many of whom are wealthy tech entrepreneurs -- to send him their worries via email and BlackBerry throughout the week. He responds with calming messages that typically echo the mantras he speaks while the client is being hypnotized. He's even done sessions over the phone to clients who never had to leave their cubicles.
He's constantly telling clients, "You net worth doesn't equal your personal worth."
Diana Ayala estimates that she spent $700 for hypnosis sessions with Ms. Ryan-Day over the summer. She was financially frustrated after not earning a raise after three years doing business development at her job in Dallas. She also lost $1,700 in a marketing scam.
"I would have loved to have gone to Italy, but at the time, I had to focus on myself," she says of her hypnosis sessions, which she found effective.
It can be big business. Matthew B. James, a Hawaii-based hypnotist, says he earns $3 million a year through his group-hypnosis sessions, hypnosis-related books and CDs and teaching other hypnotists through his unaccredited American Pacific University. The cost of his treatment sessions range from $95 for a two-day seminar to $2,000 for an intensive weekend-long program.
He counsels clients to get in touch with their "inner entrepreneur." Since the subprime mortgage crisis hit California more than a year ago, Dr. James has seen an increase in participation in his seminars there and other hard-hit parts of the country.
He's retooled his marketing approach to be financially focused, changing his slogan in local radio, TV and print advertising from "improve your thinking" to "improve your thinking about prosperity." He replaces some of the words in his discussions about weight loss with terms used to describe debt.
Dr. James, who earned his doctorate online from the University of Phoenix, defends his credentials. "We're doing everything we can to increase credibility," he says.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Accomplishing Your Dream
Accomplishing your life's dream takes some thought. There are decisions to be made. Who do you want to be? What is your goal? Pick one, any one. The main point is to pick something.
It can be as simple as committing to eating breakfast every day to quitting smoking. It can be planting a garden or making a new friend.
Once you choose your goal, you must think of your goal as if it has already happened. Picture who you are and what it looks like to accomplish this goal.
Once you have this clear picture, then step into it. Look around. Notice the colors, the scents around you and feel how good it feels to be successful.
2. The second step is having motivation. Do you want it? Can you taste it? Can you visualize yourself standing tall and succeeding at whatever it is that means something to you? You may want to lose weight. You may want to be an accomplished singer or a published writer. Whatever goal you may have, take the fire in your belly and harness it into positive self worth. It is what rises you up every morning, take that slug of coffee as you push yourself into your bosses office to tell him that you appreciate all of the verbal abuse and long hours for little pay, but you have decided to leave the world of insurance to become a stand up comedian. The motivation is backed by a clear picture of how it will feel to stand in front of a crowd and make them laugh until tears are streaming down their faces.
3. Now comes the action. Move your mind, body and spirit in the right direction. Take steps to make your dream come true. It doesn't have to be a big step, but it does have to be a step. The best part is that the step you take is your own personal cha-cha. Move your booty! Who cares if you look like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. Just dance!
Quitting your job may be an extreme action, but the most important part is moving toward your picture. A smaller step to becoming a comedian may be Open Mike Night at the local bar to test out your timing and refine your delivery. Heck, set up a small crowd in your living room and entertain your Aunts and Uncles. It still takes guts to move toward your dream and every bit provides a stepping stone. I can promise that a small taste of any kind of success will rocket you towards the big picture. The feeling is so addictive that along with your self esteem, the positive energy will surround you and keep you moving and shaking.
It can be as simple as committing to eating breakfast every day to quitting smoking. It can be planting a garden or making a new friend.
Once you choose your goal, you must think of your goal as if it has already happened. Picture who you are and what it looks like to accomplish this goal.
Once you have this clear picture, then step into it. Look around. Notice the colors, the scents around you and feel how good it feels to be successful.
Once you have chosen this goal, there are 3 steps you need to take to make it happen:
It takes 3 things: Belief, Motivation and Action
2. The second step is having motivation. Do you want it? Can you taste it? Can you visualize yourself standing tall and succeeding at whatever it is that means something to you? You may want to lose weight. You may want to be an accomplished singer or a published writer. Whatever goal you may have, take the fire in your belly and harness it into positive self worth. It is what rises you up every morning, take that slug of coffee as you push yourself into your bosses office to tell him that you appreciate all of the verbal abuse and long hours for little pay, but you have decided to leave the world of insurance to become a stand up comedian. The motivation is backed by a clear picture of how it will feel to stand in front of a crowd and make them laugh until tears are streaming down their faces.
3. Now comes the action. Move your mind, body and spirit in the right direction. Take steps to make your dream come true. It doesn't have to be a big step, but it does have to be a step. The best part is that the step you take is your own personal cha-cha. Move your booty! Who cares if you look like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. Just dance!
Quitting your job may be an extreme action, but the most important part is moving toward your picture. A smaller step to becoming a comedian may be Open Mike Night at the local bar to test out your timing and refine your delivery. Heck, set up a small crowd in your living room and entertain your Aunts and Uncles. It still takes guts to move toward your dream and every bit provides a stepping stone. I can promise that a small taste of any kind of success will rocket you towards the big picture. The feeling is so addictive that along with your self esteem, the positive energy will surround you and keep you moving and shaking.
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