Mainstreaming Your Practice with Michael Ellner

Title: Mainstreaming Your Practice
Author: Michael Ellner and Robert Aurbach
Format: two DVD set
Source: Anne King's Hypnosis Center (http://www.hypnosisclasses.com/products/video/video_mainstream.htm)
Price: $69 (see comments about a discount)
Rating: Good

Whenever someone on Hypnothoughts asks for advice in picking out teachers, my friend Richard Nongard always says one thing: Find a teacher who actually does the work. In other words, don't go with a trainer who does nothing but train; go with a teacher who actually works with clients on a regular basis. I think that's great advice.

And that's the beauty of the Mainstreaming Your Practice DVDs I recently viewed. Recorded live at a workshop held at Anne King's Hypnosis Center, this two-DVD set features boat-loads of wisdom from two hypnotists who have not only been there and done that, but are able to talk about in engaging ways. Michael Ellner has been in the business for decades, and Robert Aurbach brings his experience as "a recovering attorney" to the table, making for a dynamic workshop I wish I could have attended in person. But, hey, DVDs are the next best thing!

The main focus of the workshop was how to become involved in the Workers Compensation system, something Aurbach knows intimately. Indeed, it's fascinating, if a little discouraging, to hear him lay out all the hypnotic factors that go into convincing the Workers Comp recipient that nothing can help—which means that the first thing you have to overcome is learned helplessness. I appreciate that Aurbach doesn't sugar-coat how hard it is to break into getting Workers Comp referrals or how challenging the work can be; far too often, programs about marketing your hypnosis practice come off like get-rich-quick schemes. Not this time—Aurbach makes it clear that you're taking on a challenge, but he also emphasizes the potential hypnosis has for helping those who need it.

Both Ellner and Aurbach give brilliant insight into what to say to doctors, attorneys, and insurance adjusters to secure referrals. It's like having a phrase book full of magic words to get service in a foreign land. That's followed by a discussion of what sorts of attitudes are useful in helping those with chronic pain, your most typical Workers Comp client. Finally, both hypnotists share a variety of powerful techniques for addressing these problems. I won't give any spoilers here, but I have to say that I was amazed, both by the new-to-me techniques and the nuances on some of the tools that have been in my box quite a while. That section alone is worth far more than the bargain price of these DVDs!

Now, there are some flaws inherent in the product. Production values are quite low. The single camera rarely moves, and the opening music feels gloomy to me. There are no chapter divisions, making later review difficult. Worst of all, the audio quality was such that I had to turn up the volume quite high and occasionally rewind to catch details, especially when the window unit air conditioner in the classroom cycled on. I have to admit that the audio issues were bad enough that I initially stopped watching about 15 minutes in.

However I'm glad I decided to keep going, because the pearls of wisdom in these two DVDs are just plain wonderful. Even if Workers Compensation is not an area you are interested in working with, the video addresses other referral sources that can help mainstream your practice; and I don't see how any clinical hypnotist could fail to learn from the approaches and techniques presented.

In short, any aspiring or practicing hypnotist should order Mainstreaming Your Practice.