SuccessFit Trance-Formation

Title: SuccessFit Trance-Formation Weight Loss
Author: Richard Nongard
Format: DVD, CD, and data disc
Source: http://www.subliminalscience.com/successfit-trance-formation-weight-loss-program.html
Price: $149.95
Rating: Good

Along with smoking cessation, weight loss programs are the bread-and-butter of most clinical hypnotists, and there's a wide variety of products out there. Nongard's SuccessFit program could easily get overlooked in the crowd, but certain features really make it stand out.

As you would expect, there are several recorded hypnosis sessions aimed at behavior change—four sessions in total, provided on two discs. I advise ripping them to MP3 and setting the sessions up as separate playlists. I made the mistake of putting all four in one playlist, figuring that I'd emerge at the end of the first one to shut off the player. Instead, I was in deep trance until the end of the third recorded session. Nongard knows his stuff, and his recordings are excellent. I'd love comment more on them, but in truth, I have amnesia for most of what he said . . .

One nice feature is that the first two hypnosis sessions each run only half an hour, and the second pair are ten minutes each. Many of my clients complain that they can't squeeze in an hour a day to listen to hypnosis CDs, so this is a great format when it comes to reinforcement.

The videos, and the approach presented within them, is what really makes the Successfit Program exceptional. The first disc is an educational video—not about hypnosis, but about nutrition. In it, Nongard relates the story of his own struggle with weight and poor health before laying out some excellent guidelines for what he calls "a high-nutrition lifestyle." Rather than imposing some untenable diet that may result in rapid but temporary weight loss, Nongard talks about how to really fuel your body. Rather than saying, "Don't eat these things that are bad for you," he says, "Here, eat these delicious things that will make your body feel great."

The second video takes that approach a step beyond most hypnotic weight programs—it's a cooking video. One problem, Nongard notes, is that many people don't know how to prepare nutrient-rich food so that it will be delicious. So, taking a page from the Food Network, Nongard dons a chef's hat and invites you into his kitchen, where he whips up delicious breakfasts, tasty protein-rich snacks, entrees worthy of fine restaurants, and even a vegan frozen treat that passes the kid test. I have to admit that my wife and I haven't made it all the way through that DVD yet; we stopped at the spring rolls with Asian peanut sauce so we could go to the kitchen and make our own. We'd meant it as an appetizer, but we were so stuffed on delicious, high-nutrition spring rolls that we never even got around to cooking anything else that night.

Supporting the video and audio discs is the data disc, which includes all the recipes from the cooking video as well as several cookbook recommendations. All of the hypnosis scripts used in the audio discs are also provided, along with a CEU exam for therapists and counselors who wish to use SuccessFit with their clients. There's a lot of value in that one box!

Of course, there are a few flaws in the SuccessFit product. Perhaps most noticeable is that the author, having just acquired greenscreen technology, went overboard in using it. Thus the informational video is a bit strange to look at, marring an otherwise professional product. And though the content is golden, the camera work and editing were copper at best. Most shots are completely static, which can work for a YouTube clip, but gets old in a longer piece. Some background music might have enhanced the experience. Finally, Nongard needs to smile more at the camera; he's quite charming in person, so he needs to let that come through on the screen.

Also, shame on him for not introducing the lovely Asian woman who helped him demonstrate how to make spring rolls.

All that aside, my one other criticism is that both videos left me wanting more: more information about nutrition (expecially the mysterious and sinister-sounding 'obesogens') and more wonderful recipes. This product needs its own facebook page where users could continue the experience, expand knowledge, swap recipes, and recommend products. (My wife and I have already purchased a salad keeper and food processor as a result of watching SuccessFit.)

To wrap this up, I've never been excited about a weight loss product before now. I'd say a bit more, but there's a hummus and spinach wrap on a sprouted grain tortilla calling my name!

Full Disclosure: Richard Nongard is a friend and mentor to me, and he did provide me with a copy of SuccessFit gratis so that I might write this review. Or maybe so I could lose some weight. Whichever . . .

Instant and Rapid Inductions, Second Edition

Title: Instant & Rapid Inductions, Second Edition
Author: Sean Michael Andrews
Format: 3-DVD Set
Source: www.worldsfastesthypnotist.com
Price: $149.95
Rating: Excellent


Most hypnosis instructional videos are do-it-yourself projects put out by independent entrepreneurs, and that considered, we're used to cutting the creators a little slack. After all, if you really wanted to attend a workshop on a topic near-and-dear to your heart, but you either couldn't get away or couldn't afford the tuition, travel, room, and board—well, then you might be willing to put up with an unedited video archive of the event, just to get the content. I've ploughed my way through some videos that were tough simply because the noisy window unit AC in the classroom kept cycling on and off, but I stuck with the because I knew the information would be worth the effort. I'm sure that those who sell hypnosis instruction videos are glad to have such a forgiving market.

And now, Sean Michael Andrews has gone and spoiled it with his latest DVD product, entitled "Sean Michael Andrews presents Instant and Rapid Inductions (Second Edition)." Talk about raising the bar.

This three DVD set, with a run-time just shy of three and a half hours, is the best-produced hypnosis video I've seen, due to vastly superior cinematography and editing. The first edition product was quite good, but the second edition proves that you can make a good thing better. Andrews intersperses footage from multiple workshops, many office sessions, and a variety of street hypnosis outings. He employs a professional camera operator and uses a lapel mic, resulting in interesting video and excellent audio.

Now, no matter how fancy the wrapping is, if a birthday present is a box of manure, it fails as a gift, yes? Well, let me assure my readers that Andrews not only provided the same high level of content his fans are used to, but in my opinion, stepped it up a notch. For one thing, the three discs are jam-packed with information on a wide variety of topics: inductions, pre-talk, suggestibility tests, deepeners, safety concerns, methods for eliciting phenomena (including positive and negative visual hallucination), and multiple approaches to awkward situations. Despite having viewed a number of Andrews' earlier videos and studied with quite a few different hypnotists, I picked up some new techniques and nuances. Andrews' clear teaching style and fun personality make this video a must-have for any aspiring hypnotist.

Full Disclosure: Though I've never met Sean in person, he and I are online friends. He sent me the videos in hopes that I would write a review.