Happy Hypnosis & the Twelve Steps by Don Ross

It's been a while since I wrote any new reviews, and I've decided to do something more interesting: video reviews using FaceBook Live.

Elman on Elman

Title: Elman on Elman: Dave Elman's Earliest Hypnosis Works including H Larry Elman's Analysis

Author: Larry Elman and Dave Elman

Format: mp3s on DVD

Source: http://elmanhypnosis.com/

Price: $69

Rating: Excellent

So, back in 2012, I reviewed a product from the Dave Elman Hypnosis Institute called the Dave Elman Shorties; you can read that review here.

I found the Shorties truly delightful--really an amazing opportunity to time-travel and learn directly from Dave Elman, one of the most influential hypnotists of the twentieth century. Having a background in both vaudeville and radio, the elder Elman made excellent recordings that hold up very well today.

Of course, when I review any work, I point out a few areas in which it could be improved; I don't write fluff reviews. Anyway, my criticisms of the Shorties centered primarily on Larry Elman's commentary on his father's recordings, which lacked good audio quality and were done under the stress of deadline.

Now, when I offer criticisms, authors respond in one of three ways:

1. They ignore it and move on.

2. They get angry and want to either educate me or burn me at the stake.

3. They admit that my criticisms are accurate, and then they move on.

Larry and Cheryl Elman took a fourth approach, which surprised me: They took note of my criticisms and used that information to create a better product.

So, forget the Dave Elman Shorties (as awesome as they were); make room on your shelf for Elman on Elman.

Everything that was great about the Shorties is still there, and even more. The younger Elman has located additional (and better preserved) records of his father's work, so the new product expands on the old. There are techniques, strategies, and variants that fans of Elman's Hypnotherapy book will find to be wonderful new discoveries.

Colonel Larry Elman's commentary and analysis are also greatly expanded, sometimes running longer than the original recordings being analyzed. And while I criticized the commentary in the Shorties to be dull and dry, I must say that the new commentary is much livelier and more enjoyable than the old commentary, especially as the colonel gets warmed up and begins telling stories of his parents.

In particular, when Larry tells the story of how his mother first learned that his father was a hypnotist, and then how she learned to be a hypnotist and eventually a hypnosis teacher--Larry's presentation becomes heartwarming. I laughed aloud and actually teared-up a bit while listening to the colonel's loving tribute to his mother. Similarly, his discussion of why his father was never successful at smoking cessation provides both insight and a cautionary tale for the modern hypnotist.

My one criticism this time around really pertains to one of my pet peeves: Larry Elman uses the term "critical factor" rather than "critical faculty." As a word geek, I favor the historically accurate term "faculty"--which, by the way, is the term Dave Elman used in his writing as well.

All analysis aside, the fact is that it's just magical to put on a recording of Dave Elman and let him guide you through trance. That's a ride I'm happy to go on again and again.

Full Disclosure: Larry and Cheryl Elman are friends of mine. They have been very generous in offering review copies of their products, and after the destruction of my office (and library) in 2011, the colonel was kind enough to send me an inscribed copy of his father's book to help me rebuild my library.

How to Build a Hypnosis Office Sound System on a Tight Budget

How to Have a Hypnosis Sound Setup for Roughly $175

(or under $65 if you play your cards right)

[To download this article as a PDF, click here.  For a Shopping List for this build, go to the bottom of the page.]

My friend, mentor, and co-author, Dr. Richard Nongard, has posted several videos to YouTube explaining the sound setup he uses in his office, and I’ve also written a review of the same system he uses.

Of course, music, a microphone, and headphones are by no means a necessity for doing hypnosis, but they do add an element of "specialness" to the session, as well as facilitating the use of binaural beat technology, not to mention recording. A study commissioned by the makers of Hypnoke found that visual imagery was intensified in subjects who used headphones. For those of us who don’t have separate “hypnotic furniture” to move the clients to for the formal hypnosis, putting on the headphones is one way to mark that the hypnotic ritual is beginning.

Now, Nongard can be trusted to find high-quality equipment at moderate prices, and I will be the first to admit that his setup is more versatile, durable, and impressive than the one I present here. But many hypnotists know that starting a practice can be expensive; any way to save is helpful in the salad days of a hypnosis business.

So I have set out to discover just how affordably a new hypnotist can accomplish something similar to what Nongard has. It's important to consider that this setup is meant to sit in your office; it's not designed to serve a dual purpose as a stage hypnosis PA system. It also isn't meant to excite audiophiles; it's just meant to get the job done. That said, I’m very pleased with the result; in my opinion, the system described here sounds just as good as, if not better than, the one that I reviewed earlier.

I’m going to present a basic build that comes in just under $125. For slightly more, we’re going to add a recording function, and for just a bit on top of that, we’re going to add speakers so that you have background music during the intake. Even the deluxe version comes in just under $175. Of course, this build is modular, so it’s possible to build a less expensive system and then upgrade as you are able.

The basic build assumes that you are starting from scratch, but I’m going to include a few tips on how to utilize things you already may own to save yourself a few extra dollars. Then I’m going to tell you how I got the cost down to under $65.

So, what exactly does this setup have to achieve?

            *take input from your vocal microphone

            *take input from a music source (including binaural beats)

            *balance your voice and the music

            *produce output to headphones for you and your client

Other nice options would include:

            *produce output to a recorder, so that your client can have a session recording

            *upload the recording to Dropbox or Google Drive

            *produce output to speakers, so that your office can have ambient music

Lets discuss those steps one at a time, shall we?

Microphone for Your Voice

That's the most important thing, right?

Microphones come in two types: condenser and dynamic. Condenser mics are more expensive and have better quality, but are not as rugged and require phantom power in order to operate. While you can choose to upgrade to a condenser mic with this system (or even just a better dynamic mic), I’m going to recommend a very basic and inexpensive but sturdy dynamic microphone made by Nady. It can be had for only $11.

Now, I did test a less-expensive microphone, which I found to be unsatisfactory. The Nady actually sounds as good as the mics that come with Vocopro system.

Remember, you’re not recording your hit single here. You just want something that gets the job done.

A Brief Note about Wireless Technology:

You may be tempted to use a wireless or Bluetooth microphone, headset, or headphones in your office, especially because being free from all those wires seems really elegant and clean in your office. I admit, I’d love to be a bit more mobile during sessions, and I’d love for my clients to not have to deal with a headphone wire.

But I don’t use wireless in my office, and nor should you unless your office is in the middle of nowhere. I’ve learned from doing music gigs that wireless mics and similar tech can broadcast over a wide area. I’ve been at festivals where another band’s guitar was suddenly playing through my gear, or where my off-color jokes were being blasted at the joust field. While those incidents were inconvenient, broadcasting a client’s session is a violation of confidentiality; it’s unethical, unprofessional, and in some places, possibly illegal.

If your clients ever seem a bit bothered by the wires, mention that you use wires because you care about keeping your clients’ information safe.

A Music Source

Not every hypnotist uses background music, so I suppose I could have listed this as optional—but I really can't imagine why you wouldn't want some soothing music in your office. I even carry a CD of soothing music with me when I teach classes at the jail. Besides, a big part of the reason to use this arrangement is to employ binaural beats and other brainwave entrainment, and the easiest way to accomplish that is to incorporate them into your music.

You probably already have a music source, whether it's a CD player with an external output, an mp3 player, a smart phone, tablet, or even your laptop/desktop computer. If you have something like that, use it.

Now, in case you don't have anything like that, the least expensive mp3 player that I would consider using runs $13-$15 including shipping, though you’ll need to be patient as it makes its way from China. The nice thing about this particular mp3 player is that it doubles as a USB memory stick, and you can load music onto it just by sliding it into a USB slot.

The only downside is that it runs on a AAA battery, so you’ll want to have some spares in your desk drawer. By the way, if you want to be sure you never run out, you can buy batteries in bulk, without packaging, from Battery Junction and save a lot of money in the long run.

As an aside, I buy these particular mp3 players in bulk—and in my company color—load ‘em up with mp3s for stress release, better sleep, and so on, and then give them as gifts to valued clients. I send my clients to this video and this video to help them learn how to use the device.

If you are interested in a more conventional approach, you can use an iPod or Zune. When I set up my new office, I found that you can acquire used iPods on Craigslist for under $60. In keeping with our directive to do this project for the least possible, I've listed the mini-player on my pricing chart. Of course, if you already have some other device you are comfortable using, use it. (If you use a smartphone, set it on Airplane Mode so that incoming calls and texts won’t get blasted through your speakers.)

Any of these options have far more storage capacity than you will ever need for your hypnosis practice; you really don't need a thousand hours of background music.

On the subject of music, Dan Kern produces music suitable for hypnosis sessions with the binaural beats already mixed in. If you’re not in the place to afford Dan’s excellent work, I’m including a link to a few mp3s I’ve created using no-cost royalty-free music with nature sounds and brainwave entrainment tones.

A Mixer

Musicians are familiar with these. Basically, a mixer does just what it sounds like it should; it takes multiple signals and combines them into one output signal. Typically each input channel has its own gain control so that you can balance them; in other words, you can make sure that the music doesn't overpower your voice, and vice-versa.

Now, there is really no limit to how fancy and expensive a mixer can be, but for our purposes, I recommend a simple one made by Samson.  It takes five inputs of various types and provides two types of output.

The Samson runs on an AC adapter, which is important. I hate nothing more than having to change out batteries in the middle of a session. Also, it allows for upgrades to a better microphone in the future. Best of all, it’s just under $50.

Headphone Expansion

Of course, once you have your voice, the music, and any other nifty effects mixed together, you'll want to be able to send that signal to your client's headphones—and probably your own headphones, if only so that you can make sure the balance is right.

There are headphone splitters that will give you two signals, and for our purposes, that’s the least expensive route, running you under $4 after shipping.

However, for a few dollars more, you can get one that will split the signal five ways, like this $11 splitter from Belkin. After all, it's nice to be able to run headphones to more than one client and to record the mix you've created while you're doing the session.

There are also headphone amplifiers, which will take your one signal and split it into four while giving you more control over individual volume. These range from a $20 model from Pyle to a $40 model from CAD to the one I drool after, the ART HeadAmp4 Headphone Amplifier. It will send one input to four different sets of headphones, quarter-inch or eighth-inch, and costs about $65.

Headphones

This all comes down to your client being able to hear you, doesn't it? In addition to providing the sound, headphones help to block out external distractions and create the feeling that your client has entered a special, private experience removed from ordinary reality.

Of course, it would be lovely to use Bose noise-canceling headphones, but considering that each set costs more than I pay to rent my office each month, I'm thinking we can start out with an affordable bargain set.

Now, if you wanted to go really cheap, the mp3 player I’m recommending comes with free ear buds, as does the recorder. For that matter, you (or your nearest teenager) probably have some spare ear buds sitting around, or you may network with someone who gives them out for free. But seriously, you don’t want your clients all using the same ear buds, and do you really want to be that obviously broke?

So I’m recommending these headphones as basic and inexpensive: JVC HA-V570 Supra-Aural Headphones. They have good reviews on Amazon and have proven satisfactory in my office. The cords are long enough and have a volume control built-in, and they come with an adapter that increases their versatility. Finally, they’re under $9.

Of course, there’s no limit to what you can spend as your start upgrading headphones. A free membership at http://www.rakuten.com/will give you lots of opportunities to buy headphones at a steep discount.

Now, another option would be to get ART Headphone Amp and pay a little extra for the four sets of “free” headphones that come with it.

Adapters and Cables

Once you have all this gear, you'll need to connect it all. This task is made slightly more complicated by the fact that not all audio jacks and cables are the same. There are basically three formats that we'll deal with:

Eighth-inch (3.5 mm): This is what your iPod has. Most consumer headphones use this size as well.

Quarter-inch: This is what professional musicians use for their instruments and studio headphones.

RCA: This is what most TVs, DVD players, and home stereos use.

To save money on this project, we're using consumer head phones (eighth-inch cord) and a consumer mp3 player (eighth-inch output).

The mic I recommend actually comes with a cord that has quarter-inch output, unlike most mics, which use an XLR cable. However, I recommend that you upgrade to an XLR cable immediately. (There are also USB condenser mics, but those are not part of this build.)

The sticking point is that the Samson mixer has quarter-inch and RCA input and output jacks, along with one XLR input. Fortunately, a variety of adapters are available for next to nothing. (Of course, quality and durability increase with the price, but again, we're not pleasing the audiophile connoisseurs here, nor are we taking the show on tour.)

This is what you'll need in the way of adapters for the basic build:

            *an eighth-inch-to-RCA adapter, for plugging your mp3 player into the mixer

            *an RCA-to-eighth-inch adapter, for output from the mixer

            *an eighth-inch-male-to-dual-female splitter, for plugging in both set of ear buds

            *an eighth-inch-male-to-male patch cable (free with the digital recorder)

The good news is that these cables and adapters don't have to be top-of-the-line. They aren't going to be hauled all over the place in a tour bus or even in a teenager's backpack. So you really won't be spending more than $5 to $10 on connectors.

Optional: Recording

Richard Nongard doesn't record sessions for clients, preferring to give them pre-recorded CDs. Myself, I like to be able to give a client a recording of the session I just customized to the person in my chair; also, a lot of hypnotists starting out haven't built up a stock of pre-recorded sessions to handle every situation.

Now, I used to record sessions to my laptop using Audacity and then spend twenty minutes mixing in music and nature sounds, getting the balance just right, and then burning the recording to a CD. As times have changed, most of my clients are happy to get an mp3, which I upload to DropBox or a similar service. I then send my client a “public link” from DropBox that allows them to download their sessions.

(A lot of people ask, “Why don’t you just send the session recording as an attachment to email, like you would with a song?” Good question—the reason is that the average song is three minutes long, while my sessions tend to run about forty minutes. A three-minute mp3 isn’t much of an attachment, but a forty-minute mp3 is too big to send that way.)

With the setup described in this article, you can either run an eighth-inch cable to your laptop and record with Audacity (a free program), or you can connect a stand-alone voice recorder. Note that if you’re using your computer to provide background music, you can’t also use it record on.

That brings up another question: Why not just record the session live into Audacity and then use a headphone splitter to play it for your client? Here’s the problem with that: Latency. Unless you’ve really spent the bucks on a fast computer—and let’s face it, if you can afford that, you have no reason to be reading this article—when you and your client listen to what you are recording, the playback of your words will be delayed enough to be very disorienting. I suppose you could set up a system in which you record and only your client listens, but then you have no way to balance your voice and the music.

Because my laptop has been plagued with audio problems since the day I bought it, I prefer to rely on an external recorder. Being a musician, I have a really good digital recorder that is well outside the scope and price-range of this project. But for our purposes, all we need is a basic machine that has an eighth-inch input.

Searching the ‘net, I found one that fits the bill. It has external mics, so if you need to use it as a simple voice recorder, you can; but unlike many such devices, it comes with an eighth-inch jack (and cable), making it perfect for our project. It also has a USB cord to connect directly to your computer, allowing quick and easy uploads, as well as charging. And the price is under $40.

Now another option is to use your smartphone or tablet to record. Since I’m an Android guy, I’m going to tell you that it is possible with an Android using a free or cheap recording app—my favorite is Rec Forge Pro—and an inexpensive adapter.  The advantage is that you can then upload the recording directly to DropBox without going through your laptop or desktop.

By the way, if you don’t have an Android device to use for this purpose, you can get a used one rather inexpensively, even less than $85. If you are thinking that you don’t want to pay for a data plan, don’t. You can use a phone with no data plan to connect to the Internet via wifi. (This assumes you have wifi at your office.)

Optional: External Speakers

I like to have soothing music playing in my office at all times. At a recent workshop I did, I took my mp3 player and dock into the workshop room and set it to play my mix of pleasant music with ocean waves. People were trancing out before I said a word! So I'd like our setup to have the option of external sound.

Fortunately, that's easily accomplished. Any set of computer speakers will plug right into the headphone expander. (An adapter may be required.) For our basic build, I’m going with an older set that I acquired for under $14, but you might also step up to this $20 model.

Of course, there’s a decent chance that you have some used computer speakers gathering dust in your closet, or that you can find some at your local thrift store. Something to note when looking at computer speakers is that many of the new models use USB for power and data transfer. If they are using USB only for power, you can power them from the wall with a phone charger. However, if the signal is supposed to go to the speakers via USB, they won’t work for our purposes. Fortunately, that’s a more recent innovation, so you can buy older models that work for this build relatively inexpensively.

If hearing your voice come through the speakers during the session bothers you, you can always turn off or unplug the speakers when you start the formal hypnosis.

Wrapping It Up

So there you have it. Without the recording and external speaker options, the entire setup costs under $110, including shipping and handling. With recording, you’re still getting a great setup for around $130; adding speakers, we’re around $140.

Of course, none of this is absolutely necessary, but then again neither is an office. I've done effective hypnosis sessions in the middle of busy campgrounds. But just like having a comfy chair and a quiet space helps your practice, so does having a sound setup that lets your client know something special is happening. And now you don't have to break the bank to have one when you are just starting out.

Bonus: How to Build this System for Next to Nothing

All right, let’s say that even $125 seems a bit extravagant when you’re putting every penny you have into promoting your practice. Let me tell you how to get this system for under $65.

First off, you’ll notice in the chart that the components have come from three locations: The mp3 player is from AliExpress, the mixer is from Rakuten, and all the rest is from Amazon.

So, you’ll have to shell out $15 or less to get the mp3 player from AliExpress, unless of course you happen to already have some way to provide music.

The Samson mixer costs $49.99 at Rakuten.com. However, if you apply for a Rakuten credit card, you get bonus points equal to—drum roll please—thirty dollars.

That’s right: If you get the credit card—and even with my lousy credit, I got approved—you can get the mixer for less than half price.

You can do essentially the same thing with an Amazon Visa card, only you get a $70 gift card automatically applied to your account upon approval. Guess how much the Amazon portion of this build is? Seventy-eight and some change—and that’s the deluxe version with recording and speakers.

Now, there are a few caveats:

First off, if you can’t be trusted with a credit card, don’t use this method. There are no annual fees on these cards, but the interest is steep, and if you are late on a payment, you might as well bend over because you are about to get sodomized. So my suggestion is get the cards for the freebies, and then never use them again.

Second, Amazon will make the card into your default payment method, so as soon as you get approved, go to your 1-Click settings to change your default back to your usual method.

And that’s how you get all of this for very little money.

You’re welcome.

[FULL DISCLOSURE AND NOTES: The links to Amazon products in this article and in the following chart are affiliate links. If you use them, I will get a small payment from Amazon, so if you appreciated this article, please support my efforts by using the affiliate links. If you hate me but loved the article, look up the products and buy without using my affiliate links.

Also, all prices and offers are accurate at the time of publication, but they may fluctuate. Likewise, products are the least expensive versions that are still functional. In my quest to find the most affordable setup, I tested and rejected some less expensive options.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to all those who helped fund this project. As promised, a final assembled version of this build will go to one of the contributors who was selected at random. Congratulations to Donna Carter.]

Shopping Chart

Item	Cost	Source
cheap mp3 player	$11.89 (w/ s/h)	aliexpress
3.5 to RCA (mp3-player to mixer)	$5.79	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
Nady Microphone	$11.00	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
XLR Mic Cord (20 ft)	$10.95 + ($3.95 s/h) = $14.90	Amazon (s/h NOT free)
RCA to female 3.5	$1.65	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
3.5 M to Dual 3.5 F	$1.30	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
JVC HA-V570 Supra-Aural Headphones (2)	$13.68 (x2) = $27.36	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
Samson 5-Channel Mixer	$49.99	Rakuten.com (free s/h)
TOTAL:	$123.88 (before recorder)	Amazon total: $48.32
Recorder	$37.99	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
TOTAL w/Recorder:	$161.87	Amazon total: $86.31
Speakers	$13.65	Amazon (free s/h over $35)
TOTAL w/Speakers:	$175.52	Amazon total: $99.96
With Rakuten Card	-$30.00
Amazon Rewards Visa	-$70.00
Final outlay:	$12 for mp3 player plus $30 Amazon plus $20 Rakuten = $62.00

Hypnosis Business Boot Camp by Jason Linett

Title: Hypnosis Business Boot Camp (HBBC)

Author: Jason Linett

Format: Online Course

Source: http://hypnosisbusinessbootcamp.com/

Price: $495 (read to the end of the review for a promo code)

Rating: Excellent

For you hypno-students and newer hypnos out there, let me tell you a harsh reality:

In a survey of over 1300 working hypnos, fewer than one in three were actually seeing as many clients as they wanted. Over 60% of respondents were earning less than $1500 per year seeing clients.  

    

That information speaks to a harsh realization all professional clinical hypnotists have to make:

Being a good hypnotist is not enough. Unless you’re one of the few who goes to work at hypnosis center where someone else handles all the marketing, promotion, and booking—you have to become a solo entrepreneur. You have to get excited about business. And you have to educate yourself on how to succeed.

Now, there are a lot of practice building courses out there. Some are good, and some were written by people who had spare time because they didn’t have enough clients.

And then there’s the Hypnosis Business Boot Camp by Jason Linett. It is truly exceptional. Not only is Linett a great presenter, but he’s been there. He’s built his practice (which is now a multi-practitioner center) from the ground up, and he remembers what it was like to be hungry. He understands that the new hypno doesn’t have a piles of advertising cash lying around, so he focuses on no-cost to low-cost methods that definitely work. He also knows that time is precious, so he shares fantastic techniques for automating your marketing. His empathy for the struggling hypnotist and generosity with his knowledge both shine in the HBBC.

So what is it exactly? Well, even though it’s called a boot camp, Linett doesn’t yell like a drill sergeant or try to tear you down, but he is out to make you into a whole new person when it comes to your marketing and business management. It isn’t personal coaching, and it’s also not a step in a sales funnel. It’s quite simply a series of talks and resources that reveal the best techniques and approaches Linett has used to build a very successful practice.

Joining the HBBC grants you access to the boot camp website, which is jam-packed full of information that is nonetheless compiled in very clean, easily accessible ways. There’s over 25 hours of video. Don’t have enough time to watch that much video? You can do what I did, and download the whole thing as mp3s. (I listen during my commute.) Want to search for that little bit you need to review, or do you simply respond better to written material? Linett gives you the entire course transcribed on a 300+ page PDF.

Hypnosis schools take note: That’s how you deliver content!

What does that content cover? Phone strategies, lead generation, website construction and optimizing, automation, networking, campaigning, video marketing . . . the list could keep going. There’s even a bonus section full of useful forms, documents, and articles, plus a complete email campaign for smoking cessation, ready to cut and paste right into your own system. It’s quite possibly everything you need to know to have a great start on building your practice.

And it keeps growing: The website is dynamic, so Linett can (and does) add new content. As if that weren’t enough, membership also gets you invited to Linett’s very active Facebook forum, where he answers student questions and shares new insights almost daily.

To be honest, I’ve been reluctant to write this review, because it’s unseemly for a reviewer to gush. But there’s no way around it. This is hands-down the best hypnosis business course I've ever taken.

Now, I always find something to criticize—otherwise, you wouldn’t believe this is a real review, right?—and I did find one little thing to niggle at in Linett’s video presentations. While he’s very comfortable in front of the camera and has high production values, he hasn’t learned the habit of repeating questions from the audience so that those of us listening to his mic feed will know what the question was. So that’s a little confusing as we guess the question based on his answer.

That’s literally the only thing I can complain about.

After getting good training as a hypnotist, Linett’s HBBC is the next and best investment any budding (or experienced but struggling) hypno should make.

Now, I know, for a new hypnotist, a price tag of $495 might seem daunting—but let me tell you that when Linett first allowed me to access the beta version of HBBC, he was planning to price it in the $700 range.  The truth is, he could have simply taken his phone strategy, just one small portion of this course, and sold it as a stand-alone for that price. Instead, he decided to bring the price for this course down to $495, even though I’d say it’s at least a $3000 value.

And at my request, he’s gone one better for the readers of my blog. When you sign up, enter the promo code REVIEWS (in all caps) for 10% off.

Seriously, if you’re a struggling hypno, and you don’t have the cash to purchase this course, get a credit card and pay it off in small chunks over the next year. It’s worth it.

Full Disclosure: Jason Linett was kind enough to give me access to HBBC to facilitate this review. We’d never met before when he did that, so I was ready to say, “I don’t know this guy, and here’s what I think of his product.” However, through taking his course and joining his forum, I’ve come to regard Linett as a friend and mentor. However, rather than thinking that has biased my review, I think it speaks to the reasons I’ve given HBBC my highest recommendation. 

The links to this course are NOT affiliate links. I do not gain any financial advantage if you take this course.

Building Blocks of a Better Attitude by Dave Berman

Title: Building Blocks of a Better Attitude

Author: Dave Berman

Format: e-book (PDF)

Source: http://manifestpositivity.com/product/e-books/building-blocks-better-attitude/

Price: $10

Rating: Excellent

The blurb for this book opens with these words:

“This book is for you if pessimism and cynicism aren’t working out so well . . . ”

Many years ago, I was rather pessimistic, and it didn’t work out. In fact, I became rather pessimistic that it would ever work for me, to the point that eventually my optimism about optimism crowded out my pessimism about pessimism.

In any case, I get the feeling that the author was probably a lot like me at one point, and he’s had to develop the skills necessary to maintain optimism. So on the drive out to an all-day hypnosis training, I had my smart phone read Building Blocks of a Better Attitude aloud to me. (BTW, if you’re not employing this trick or something similar to use your commute time to your advantage, you are missing out on a great continuing education opportunity.)

In this brief e-book, Berman spells out each of those skills necessary to build and maintain optimism, using the metaphor that each one is a building block that has allowed him to construct a healthier, more effective way to cope with the world. It’s like Pink Floyd’s The Wall in reverse.

Perhaps because Berman and I have studied in a lot of the same places—and as friends and colleagues, we’ve even traded books and influenced one another—I didn’t find a lot of material that was new to me. Your mileage may vary.

Even knowing a lot of the material, I had to admire the brilliance in Berman’s presentation. At first I noted that the book seemed a little short—then I realized that’s because of the utterly clear and concise way that Berman explains each building block, along with his logical progression from idea to idea. So, while the book draws from a number of different sources in disparate fields—and Berman is scrupulous about crediting his sources—it is an amazing work of synthesis, pulling all of these ideas and presenting them in a simple, easy-to-follow order. In many ways, it embodies the NLP principle of doing the very least to get the greatest effect.

Indeed, if I ever get the chance to work with a teen after-school group, I’d probably use Building Blocks of a Better Attitude as the text book, though I might have to re-frame the term better attitude if I do so.

It’s rare that I can’t find anything to complain about, so I hope that my readers will not take it as bias that I really can’t poke any holes in this book. If I were going raise any questions, it is perhaps that Berman doesn’t cite much in the way of peer-reviewed articles backing up his material, but that is a faint criticism at best.

In interests of full disclosure, I will say that the author and I were classmates at the Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute (Go Turtles!), and we’ve developed a friendship as colleagues who trust and rely on each other’s judgment. Hopefully, my readers have seen me criticize enough of my good friends’ works to trust that I strive to avoid bias when reviewing. Also, while I’m certain that the author would have given me a review copy had I requested it, I opted to purchase this work—and I recommend that you do the same.

A Guide to Trance Land by Bill O'Hanlon

Title: A Guide to Trance Land: A Practical Handbook of Ericksonian and Solution-Oriented Hypnosis

Author: Bill O’Hanlon

Format: Book

Rating: Good

It's been a while since I posted a review--I've been busy editing several books and co-authoring one, so I haven't had a lot of time for leisure reading and reviewing. I am happy to dig back in with A Guide to Trance Land.

Bill O’Hanlon is a name you may know if you listen to any of the webinars that Ruth Buczynski hosts—at least that’s how I first heard his name. As the author himself explains, O’Hanlon was Milton Erickson’s gardener and student; the back-cover describes him as “a psychotherapist, professional speaker, and prolific author,” before mentioning that he has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Setting aside his reputation, I was eager to see if this small tome would hold up, and I have to say I was pleased with what I found.

For anyone familiar with conversational hypnosis or the Milton Model from NLP, the first section of the book is a concise review. Even so, as I read it, I thought to myself, “If I wanted a new hypnotist to grasp the basics of conversational hypnosis, this might be the book I would recommend.” The language is plain and clear, and each idea is presented in a short, easy to digest portion—something which O’Hanlon explains in his introduction he is doing on purpose.

Around page 68, though, the book went from being a good review or clear introduction into discussing something that is paradigm-shifting. You see, Erickson was known for having no unifying psychological theory, no single therapeutic approach; instead, it’s widely thought that he simply invented a new therapy for every client. In fact, Erickson is noted for having said that he wanted to fit his approach to each client, rather than fitting each client to the approach.

So, flying in the face of the conventional wisdom on Ericksonian hypnosis, O’Hanlon states that he has discerned a pattern in Erickson’s cases—a system, if you will.

Now, I’m not going to give away what that system is—if you want to know it, buy the book—and I can’t say whether O’Hanlon is right about the system he presents really being the essence of Erickson’s work. What I will say is that wherever it came from, the system O’Hanlon presents is brilliant, and perhaps it shouldn’t be buried in the middle of what seemed at first like a run-of-the-mill review of the Milton Model. It also needs a better name than the one O’Hanlon gives it: the “Class of Problems and Class of Solutions Model.” It’s got no zip; I just can’t dance to it.

In truth, O’Hanlon doesn’t prove his assertion; in fact, he doesn’t seem to be interested in making the case that the pattern he’s discerned is really there in Erickson’s case studies. Fair enough. I’ll still go out on a limb and say that his brief discussion starting on page 68 is something every hypnotist should take a look at. There’s a joke that Erickson once said of Bandler and Grinder (the inventors of NLP), “They think they have me in a nutshell, but all they have is the shell.” I think it’s possible that O’Hanlon got the nut.

As if that weren’t enough, O’Hanlon follows that brief passage with a really great discussion of the question “Should We Trust the Unconscious?” He really synthesizes alternate views on that topic in a plain-spoken, yet insightful, way.

Can I criticize A Guide to Trance Land? There are a few things that bother me, yes, but to tell the truth, they are really not important enough to even list.

My main criticism of this book is that I want more. I want more concrete examples of certain ideas, especially the “Good Trance/Bad Trance.” I want more discussion and examples of how to use the model he presents.

Overall, I have to say, it’s a good read with a number of valuable ideas for the hypnotist.

The Swan by Bob Burns

Title: The Swan

Author: Bob Burns

Format: DVD

Source: http://lifelinehypnotherapy.com/The-Swan(2875521).htm

Price: 29 Great British Pounds (roughly US$46 at the time of this review)

Rating: Good

Last month, I had the pleasure of taking a group of people who'd never done street hypnosis, training them to the best of my ability, and then taking them to the streets to practice with complete strangers. Now, when you're doing that, sometimes you get the person who excitedly runs over to your chair, shouting, "Do me! Do me!" More often, you get someone who is a little unsure of the whole premise. They are not sure whether to be scared of your power or doubtful of your claims. Oddly enough, that happens sometimes in the office just as it does on the street. In fact, one reason to do street hypnosis is to keep those skills sharp for when you need them in the office.

In that situation, you need an ice-breaker, what Anthony Jacquin calls a "set piece"—a bit of interaction that doesn't resemble stereotypical hypnosis, but which can get your foot in the door. It's important that a set-piece be fun—something that can be undertaken as a game, with no expectation—but also something that will be amazing to your volunteer. It serves to give you information about where the client is, while also giving you time to establish and build rapport. Most importantly, a good set piece gives you that "hypnotic wedge," that bit of leverage you'll use to develop effective hypnosis.

So what's going to help you when you need a good set piece?

Enter The Swan.

I won't give away the procedure, but suffice it to say that Bob Burn's Swan is an excellent set-piece that allows you to develop dissociation conversationally, thus facilitating an easier hypnotic interaction for the rest of the session or demo.

Perhaps because the phenomenon is elicited conversationally, eyes-open, and definitely without trance, Bob Burns asserts that it is in no way hypnosis. To his credit, he says that some people will disagree with him. Of course, whether The Swan is hypnosis or not depends entirely on your definition of hypnosis. That's a can of worms Burns wisely side-steps on the video, and I'll be side-stepping it here as well.

The process is presented in a well-made video with good production values. The first few minutes are just Bob Burns in front of a green screen giving a brief explanation of hypnosis, and the rest of the video switches between his green screen explanations and video of him performing the process with various volunteers. Though the DVD is only about half an hour long, the process is explained and taught thoroughly and clearly. After just one viewing, I felt ready to go out and play with it.

I also tried it out on myself. It's a funny situation to realize that your arm has become dissociated to the degree that it's not responding to your suggestion to re-associate. Needless to say, it did come back—but that made me realize just how effective this technique can be.

Now, having read a few online comments about The Swan before I watched the DVD, I was expecting something earth-shattering that would change everything about how I use hypnosis forever. Well, I suppose that some reviewers may have found it to be that, or perhaps they can be forgiven for hyperbole.

I won't say that The Swan is the best thing since sliced bread, but I will say it's a solid and elegant technique that definitely belongs in any hypnotist's tool box, alongside such standards as the lemon test, magnetic fingers, buckets and balloons, postural sway, and Chevreul's pendulum. Just as each of those has its own special virtues, The Swan has a special niche in the hypnotist's repertoire and an important role to play in any hypnotic interaction.

Bob Burns is offering the DVDs at a very reasonable price, so I see no reason any hypnosis practitioner should hold back. Order yours today!

Full Disclosure:

Kelley Woods was kind enough to send me a review copy of The Swan; to the best of my knowledge, Bob Burns is not aware that she did that.

Usually in Full Disclosure, I have to mention that I am friends with the author, but this time that's not the case. Readers of HypnoThoughts may be aware that Burns and I have interacted online, but anyone who has read his comments concerning my intelligence and character will realize that we are not friends.

I do not believe that our online interactions have biased this review in any way.

UPDATE:

After posting this review, I decided to try out The Swan with my next several clients, and I was quite pleased with how easy it is to implement and how well it works.

One reader of the review asked if an American viewer would have any trouble understanding Burns' Scottish accent in the video. I found it quite clear and intelligible.

Also, Bob Burns read this review, and he was so amused by the full disclosure statement that it is no longer accurate; we've shared apologies and re-discovered mutual respect and admiration.