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 . . .
Saturday, June 11, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Reprogram Your Subconscious by Gale Glassner Twersky
Title: Reprogram Your Subconscious: How to Use Hypnosis to Get What You Really Want
Author: Gale Glassner Twersky
Format: Book (with bonus recording)
Source: given to me for review (http://galeglassnertwersky.com/hypnosis-book/book-reprogram-your-subconscious)
Price: $29.95
Rating: Good
If you're new to hypnosis and thinking about undertaking a program of self-hypnosis, then Reprogram Your Subconscious is a good place to start. The book is well organized and clearly written, free from the abundance of mechanical errors that seem to plague writing in our field.
Gale Glassner Twersky lays out how hypnosis works—or more accurately, her view of how it works, as no one can say with complete authority exactly how it works—and delves into the benefits one can expect. She also acknowledges the limitations of self-hypnosis and the need to consult a professional in certain cases. Especially helpful, she gives a number of useful tips on making your self-hypnosis more effective, including one of my favorites: giving credit to hypnosis when you succeed in making a change. The many case histories are especially illuminating and inspiring.
Twersky also spends some time talking about some of the synchronistic effects of pursuing a course of self-hypnosis. So if you're okay with a mind/body/spirit approach to hypnosis that will discuss auras, past life regression, subtle "energies," and muscle testing, then this book is a good fit for you. If your jury is out on those matters, then the author does a good job of preparing you to understand what may happen when you pursue a path of spiritual self-improvement.
One extra bonus to this book is that it comes with a free download of a basic hypnosis session. (The CD version is available for just shipping and handling.) The author actually encourages all of her clients to use the recording several times before a session, and she encourages the reader to use it several times before undertaking self-hypnosis.
I downloaded the recording, which did involve navigating some rather arcane pathways on the Internet, including having to enter two different login names and passwords. Eventually I did acquire the mp3 and use it; it's your basic relaxation recording with some emotional cleansing and other positive suggestions, as well as a trigger for re-inducing trance. Twersky uses her voice well, and the background music is good. I certainly felt wonderful after using it.
The many steps that the author puts the reader through to acquire the download give me the impression that she's very concerned about people pirating it. In truth, if I were she, I would just give it away for free. It might be counterintuitive, but that's actually good marketing.
While overall a good introduction to the subject, Reprogram Your Subconscious did have some traits I didn't care for. Rather than just saying "hypnosis," Twersky refers repeatedly to "Reprogramming Hypnosis/Reprogramming Self-Hypnosis," her own licensed term that proves rather unwieldy when repeated ad nauseam. Part of RH/RSH involves using a computer programming metaphor to explain and execute hypnosis. While I agree that the computer can be a useful metaphor for a hypnotist, Twersky uses it so much that I begin to worry readers will take it literally, or failing that, carry it too far. This is a hazard with any metaphor. Another problem with using one metaphor repeatedly is that it may not be the right metaphor for certain readers/clients; a good hypnotist needs to be able to examine and describe hypnosis through a number of different lenses.
My other criticism of the work is that in a book running 233 pages, 100 of it is back matter, consisting of several published articles, some scripts, instructions for downloading the mp3, an index, a subtitle index, a bibliography, and a largely pointless glossary. Do I really need the glossary to define "Soul Sisters," the name of the women's spirituality group Twersky participated in? What about "gigabytes," a term she uses once that really has no bearing on hypnosis? Why list the American Board of Hypnotherapy but not NGH, IHF, ACHE, or IMDHA?
Half of the back matter is an affirmation journal, 50 mostly blank pages. Taken with the glossary, it feels a bit like padding, a ploy which is unworthy of the rest of Twersky's work.
Despite its flaws, if you're looking for a path into the world of self-hypnosis, and you are comfortable with some "New Age" flavor in a technological metaphor, then you could do far worse than to let Gale Glassner Twersky be your guide.
[Update: After reading this review, the author has streamlined the process for downloading the supplemental mp3.]
Author: Gale Glassner Twersky
Format: Book (with bonus recording)
Source: given to me for review (http://galeglassnertwersky.com/hypnosis-book/book-reprogram-your-subconscious)
Price: $29.95
Rating: Good
If you're new to hypnosis and thinking about undertaking a program of self-hypnosis, then Reprogram Your Subconscious is a good place to start. The book is well organized and clearly written, free from the abundance of mechanical errors that seem to plague writing in our field.
Gale Glassner Twersky lays out how hypnosis works—or more accurately, her view of how it works, as no one can say with complete authority exactly how it works—and delves into the benefits one can expect. She also acknowledges the limitations of self-hypnosis and the need to consult a professional in certain cases. Especially helpful, she gives a number of useful tips on making your self-hypnosis more effective, including one of my favorites: giving credit to hypnosis when you succeed in making a change. The many case histories are especially illuminating and inspiring.
Twersky also spends some time talking about some of the synchronistic effects of pursuing a course of self-hypnosis. So if you're okay with a mind/body/spirit approach to hypnosis that will discuss auras, past life regression, subtle "energies," and muscle testing, then this book is a good fit for you. If your jury is out on those matters, then the author does a good job of preparing you to understand what may happen when you pursue a path of spiritual self-improvement.
One extra bonus to this book is that it comes with a free download of a basic hypnosis session. (The CD version is available for just shipping and handling.) The author actually encourages all of her clients to use the recording several times before a session, and she encourages the reader to use it several times before undertaking self-hypnosis.
I downloaded the recording, which did involve navigating some rather arcane pathways on the Internet, including having to enter two different login names and passwords. Eventually I did acquire the mp3 and use it; it's your basic relaxation recording with some emotional cleansing and other positive suggestions, as well as a trigger for re-inducing trance. Twersky uses her voice well, and the background music is good. I certainly felt wonderful after using it.
The many steps that the author puts the reader through to acquire the download give me the impression that she's very concerned about people pirating it. In truth, if I were she, I would just give it away for free. It might be counterintuitive, but that's actually good marketing.
While overall a good introduction to the subject, Reprogram Your Subconscious did have some traits I didn't care for. Rather than just saying "hypnosis," Twersky refers repeatedly to "Reprogramming Hypnosis/Reprogramming Self-Hypnosis," her own licensed term that proves rather unwieldy when repeated ad nauseam. Part of RH/RSH involves using a computer programming metaphor to explain and execute hypnosis. While I agree that the computer can be a useful metaphor for a hypnotist, Twersky uses it so much that I begin to worry readers will take it literally, or failing that, carry it too far. This is a hazard with any metaphor. Another problem with using one metaphor repeatedly is that it may not be the right metaphor for certain readers/clients; a good hypnotist needs to be able to examine and describe hypnosis through a number of different lenses.
My other criticism of the work is that in a book running 233 pages, 100 of it is back matter, consisting of several published articles, some scripts, instructions for downloading the mp3, an index, a subtitle index, a bibliography, and a largely pointless glossary. Do I really need the glossary to define "Soul Sisters," the name of the women's spirituality group Twersky participated in? What about "gigabytes," a term she uses once that really has no bearing on hypnosis? Why list the American Board of Hypnotherapy but not NGH, IHF, ACHE, or IMDHA?
Half of the back matter is an affirmation journal, 50 mostly blank pages. Taken with the glossary, it feels a bit like padding, a ploy which is unworthy of the rest of Twersky's work.
Despite its flaws, if you're looking for a path into the world of self-hypnosis, and you are comfortable with some "New Age" flavor in a technological metaphor, then you could do far worse than to let Gale Glassner Twersky be your guide.
[Update: After reading this review, the author has streamlined the process for downloading the supplemental mp3.]
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Miraculous Healing with Neuro-Linguistic Hypnotherapy
Title: Miraculous Healing with Neuro-Linguistic Hypnotherapy®
Author: Keith Livingston and Michael Bennett
Format: DVD, CD, and Manual
Source: http://www.hypnosis101.com/healing-trauma.htm
Price: $89.95
Rating: Good
A lot of times, to really study NLP, you're expected to shell out thousands of dollars for a lengthy training course. Keith Livingston, with his "Neuro-Linguistic Hypnotherapy ®," takes a different approach, extricating specific skills and patterns to present in individual mini-courses, some of which he offers for free on his website, hypnosis101.com.
Miraculous Healing is not one of those he presents for free, but it's well worth the price tag. This product, created in collaboration with Michael Bennett of Bennett/Stellar University, presents the Traumatic Injury Relief Pattern, an NLP pattern that uses elements of dissociation, mental rehearsal, the fast phobia cure, and eye accessing to end chronic suffering and anxiety brought about by traumatic events, especially accidents. It's based on the idea that after a traumatic event, the unconscious mind holds on to suffering as a way of warning us not to do certain things. I don't want to go into any more detail here, because it would be easy to outline the pattern clearly enough that anyone with a little NLP training could figure out how to do it.
The package, which includes a DVD, a CD, and a manual (all conveniently packed into one customized three ring binder with a disc-holder page for those of us who don't like scattering our instructional materials all over the place), explains and demonstrates the pattern thoroughly. I particularly love the way that this product employs three different media, so that you can get some instruction by watching, some by listening, and some by reading.
The DVD starts off with Livingston explaining the steps in the pattern, but the bulk of the video comes from a workshop with Michael Bennett. He starts off by demonstrating the pattern with a volunteer, a young woman who has suffered chronic headaches and pain in the three years since being in a car accident. By the end of her session, about thirty minutes long, she is pain-free. (Livingston mentions in the introduction that she remained pain-free.) The rest of the DVD is the Q & A session that followed the demonstration.
The CD is an interview between Livingston and Bennett, focussing on the additional NLP techniques Bennett used during the demonstration, including embedded suggestions, reframing, visualization, and future pacing.
The 15-page manual recaps the Traumatic Injury Relief Pattern on one convenient page and provides a handy diagram for some EMDR-like hand movements—both very useful. The remainder of the manual is a short course, with exercises, in a number of NLP techniques.
All-in-all, it's a very well-put-together product. While much of it is familiar to the student of NLP, it's always good to review and see it all put together in an effective way.
If I were to nitpick, I'd point out two things. First, Livingston recounts a legend that this pattern was developed by modeling a Peruvian shaman. For real? Why do we have to ascribe some legendary origin to this technique? The methods are good enough to stand on their own without the veneer of hocus-pocus. Second, the theme music on the CD, which replays on every track, gets old fast.
To wrap up, if you do medical support hypnosis or work with people suffering from past trauma, Miraculous Healing provides you with a great tool to put in your belt.
Author: Keith Livingston and Michael Bennett
Format: DVD, CD, and Manual
Source: http://www.hypnosis101.com/healing-trauma.htm
Price: $89.95
Rating: Good
A lot of times, to really study NLP, you're expected to shell out thousands of dollars for a lengthy training course. Keith Livingston, with his "Neuro-Linguistic Hypnotherapy ®," takes a different approach, extricating specific skills and patterns to present in individual mini-courses, some of which he offers for free on his website, hypnosis101.com.
Miraculous Healing is not one of those he presents for free, but it's well worth the price tag. This product, created in collaboration with Michael Bennett of Bennett/Stellar University, presents the Traumatic Injury Relief Pattern, an NLP pattern that uses elements of dissociation, mental rehearsal, the fast phobia cure, and eye accessing to end chronic suffering and anxiety brought about by traumatic events, especially accidents. It's based on the idea that after a traumatic event, the unconscious mind holds on to suffering as a way of warning us not to do certain things. I don't want to go into any more detail here, because it would be easy to outline the pattern clearly enough that anyone with a little NLP training could figure out how to do it.
The package, which includes a DVD, a CD, and a manual (all conveniently packed into one customized three ring binder with a disc-holder page for those of us who don't like scattering our instructional materials all over the place), explains and demonstrates the pattern thoroughly. I particularly love the way that this product employs three different media, so that you can get some instruction by watching, some by listening, and some by reading.
The DVD starts off with Livingston explaining the steps in the pattern, but the bulk of the video comes from a workshop with Michael Bennett. He starts off by demonstrating the pattern with a volunteer, a young woman who has suffered chronic headaches and pain in the three years since being in a car accident. By the end of her session, about thirty minutes long, she is pain-free. (Livingston mentions in the introduction that she remained pain-free.) The rest of the DVD is the Q & A session that followed the demonstration.
The CD is an interview between Livingston and Bennett, focussing on the additional NLP techniques Bennett used during the demonstration, including embedded suggestions, reframing, visualization, and future pacing.
The 15-page manual recaps the Traumatic Injury Relief Pattern on one convenient page and provides a handy diagram for some EMDR-like hand movements—both very useful. The remainder of the manual is a short course, with exercises, in a number of NLP techniques.
All-in-all, it's a very well-put-together product. While much of it is familiar to the student of NLP, it's always good to review and see it all put together in an effective way.
If I were to nitpick, I'd point out two things. First, Livingston recounts a legend that this pattern was developed by modeling a Peruvian shaman. For real? Why do we have to ascribe some legendary origin to this technique? The methods are good enough to stand on their own without the veneer of hocus-pocus. Second, the theme music on the CD, which replays on every track, gets old fast.
To wrap up, if you do medical support hypnosis or work with people suffering from past trauma, Miraculous Healing provides you with a great tool to put in your belt.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Best Practices of Dave Elman
Title: Best Practices of Dave Elman
Author: The Dave Elman Institute of Hypnosis (Donald Patterson and Colonel Larry Elman)
Format: 4-DVD set
Source: http://daveelmancollection.com/
Price: $179.95
Rating: Good
Let's face it—-live hypnosis trainings are just plain fun. I'd love to have the money to run around and train in person from all the best teachers and hypnotists out there. It's not a matter of doubting my own abilities—-I don't—-but simply that every workshop has some fascinating nuance.
And I'd love to travel back in time to train with such greats as Elman, Erickson, McGill, Esdaile, Braid, and Boyne. Who wouldn't?
Well, the next best thing to actually attending live training is watching a good video recorded at a live training. Of course, you don't get the chance to immediately practice or receive individual coaching, but for me the worst part is that you don't get to volunteer. In fact, when I was watching Don Patterson's Best Practices of Dave Elman videos, I was rather jealous of the volunteers and had to work hard to keep from trancing out every time there was a demonstration.
The product is a four DVD set—-really three with a Bonus Disk—-created by Don Patterson (also known as Sean Michael Andrews, the world's fastest URL registrant) along with Colonel Larry Elman, son of the famous Dave Elman. In addition to the seminar video, each disk starts with footage from an interview with the colonel—-interesting stuff, though the Windows Movie Maker old-timey film effect wears thin pretty quickly. That effect, along with a few audio drops, is really my only technical complaint about the product. Past experience has shown me that if the flaws were serious enough to warrant asking for replacements or refunds, Patterson would make sure I was satisfied; his integrity always comes through in his customer service.
While Patterson's previous videos with Colonel Elman focused just on the famous Elman Induction, this workshop really covered the gamut of techniques discussed in Elman's Hypnotherapy and in his classes, including waking hypnosis, pain management, techniques for children, how to induce and deepen trance, how to break the hypnotic seal, how to perform regression-to-cause hypnotherapy, how to handle a "hypnotic hangover," how to induce the Esdaile state, and how to bring people out when they appear "stuck" in the Esdaile state. The demonstration of the hypnotic seal and how to break it was particularly fun to watch, even though it saddens me that we have to address that issue in this day and age. The material on deepening and even the chance utilization of the airplane taking off were simply great.
If I have any complaints about the mostly excellent instruction, they are very slight: There's some unnecessary scorn expressed for Progressive Muscle Relaxation and for Ericksonian language. Likewise, there's an important element of the Elman Induction that Patterson, otherwise the best teacher of the induction around, always seems to leave out, and that's the use of expectancy. The induction is not merely a series of steps, but at every step, the hypnotist says, "This is what I'll do, and this is how you'll react," before he does the step. Also, I'd love it if the only time I heard the term "hypnotic coma" was in the sentences beginning, "The misnomer 'hypnotic coma,' properly termed the Esdaile state, refers to . . . " It's a misleading and inaccurate term we should do our best to stamp out.
Overall, though, there's a lot of great material covered, and the experience is enhanced by commentary from Larry Elman. It's fascinating to see him demonstrate an "antique" version of the Elman Induction and discuss the evolution of his father's techniques from stage to medical classroom. Likewise, I enjoyed hearing him credit his mother, an oft-overlooked figure in the male-dominated history of hypnosis, with the idea for the Esdaile technique.
On the other hand, there was a bit of a disconnect between Patterson's teaching and some of the colonel's comments. For example, on disk one, Patterson uses the word "push" when he tells a trancer to "push" the numbers out of her head. When a student copies Patterson's language, Larry Elman critiques her use of that word, suggesting it's not a good choice. Then later in the video, Patterson uses the term again; I suspect it's a part of the patter that he uses automatically. Mind you, I don't think it's that bad a usage, but it was interesting observing the tension there.
And that leads me to note another curious tension present in this training. By teaming up with the colonel, Patterson has bought the Elman franchise, in a manner of speaking, even going so far as to rename a portion of his business "The Dave Elman Institute of Hypnosis." (Founded 1949!) This is brilliant marketing, but at times I could see Patterson straining against the strictures of just teaching Elman's methods. He does comment that his out if a client doesn't lose the numbers is to go to one of his rapid inductions. At one point, Patterson demonstrates a twenty-second headache cure he learned from Norm Caldwell—-something totally outside of the Elman canon.
(As an aside, a transcript of that twenty-second technique would be awfully nice to have.)
All of this leads me to a more profound tension I see in the work of the Dave Elman Institute. Dave Elman's importance to hypnosis was not simply that he gave us some great techniques that we can pass along to other generations. His importance comes from his innovation, his willingness to adapt what he knew to a new setting, his ability to package hypnosis in a form that was useful to medical doctors, and his skill at letting hypnotic techniques evolve over time. Enshrining Elman's innovations seems to me counter to the spirit of his work. Like any great hypnotist, he produced ideas and methods that should be examined, learned, and then modified to become part of a hypnotist's repertoire.
Of course, this is what Patterson has done, and that's why I could detect a bit of struggling on his part to teach only Elman's methods. I doubt that any hypnotist today does things exactly as Elman did them, even though we are all influenced by his work. Perhaps Patterson should relax and accept that he can teach neo-Elmanian techniques while still honoring the great hypnotist.
So where does that leave us in regards to this product?
Despite a few mild reservations, I'm happy to recommend it. The videos are well made, thoroughly enjoyable, and very informative, definitely worth repeated watching and study. Hearing Colonel Elman's stories of his father is as close to time traveling back to one of Elman's classes in the fifties as we're going to get—and what hypnotist hasn't dreamed of doing that?
[Full disclosure: Patterson is a friend of mine, and he has sent me several videos for review. Nonetheless, I maintain that I am as objective as possible in reviewing his materials.]
Author: The Dave Elman Institute of Hypnosis (Donald Patterson and Colonel Larry Elman)
Format: 4-DVD set
Source: http://daveelmancollection.com/
Price: $179.95
Rating: Good
Let's face it—-live hypnosis trainings are just plain fun. I'd love to have the money to run around and train in person from all the best teachers and hypnotists out there. It's not a matter of doubting my own abilities—-I don't—-but simply that every workshop has some fascinating nuance.
And I'd love to travel back in time to train with such greats as Elman, Erickson, McGill, Esdaile, Braid, and Boyne. Who wouldn't?
Well, the next best thing to actually attending live training is watching a good video recorded at a live training. Of course, you don't get the chance to immediately practice or receive individual coaching, but for me the worst part is that you don't get to volunteer. In fact, when I was watching Don Patterson's Best Practices of Dave Elman videos, I was rather jealous of the volunteers and had to work hard to keep from trancing out every time there was a demonstration.
The product is a four DVD set—-really three with a Bonus Disk—-created by Don Patterson (also known as Sean Michael Andrews, the world's fastest URL registrant) along with Colonel Larry Elman, son of the famous Dave Elman. In addition to the seminar video, each disk starts with footage from an interview with the colonel—-interesting stuff, though the Windows Movie Maker old-timey film effect wears thin pretty quickly. That effect, along with a few audio drops, is really my only technical complaint about the product. Past experience has shown me that if the flaws were serious enough to warrant asking for replacements or refunds, Patterson would make sure I was satisfied; his integrity always comes through in his customer service.
While Patterson's previous videos with Colonel Elman focused just on the famous Elman Induction, this workshop really covered the gamut of techniques discussed in Elman's Hypnotherapy and in his classes, including waking hypnosis, pain management, techniques for children, how to induce and deepen trance, how to break the hypnotic seal, how to perform regression-to-cause hypnotherapy, how to handle a "hypnotic hangover," how to induce the Esdaile state, and how to bring people out when they appear "stuck" in the Esdaile state. The demonstration of the hypnotic seal and how to break it was particularly fun to watch, even though it saddens me that we have to address that issue in this day and age. The material on deepening and even the chance utilization of the airplane taking off were simply great.
If I have any complaints about the mostly excellent instruction, they are very slight: There's some unnecessary scorn expressed for Progressive Muscle Relaxation and for Ericksonian language. Likewise, there's an important element of the Elman Induction that Patterson, otherwise the best teacher of the induction around, always seems to leave out, and that's the use of expectancy. The induction is not merely a series of steps, but at every step, the hypnotist says, "This is what I'll do, and this is how you'll react," before he does the step. Also, I'd love it if the only time I heard the term "hypnotic coma" was in the sentences beginning, "The misnomer 'hypnotic coma,' properly termed the Esdaile state, refers to . . . " It's a misleading and inaccurate term we should do our best to stamp out.
Overall, though, there's a lot of great material covered, and the experience is enhanced by commentary from Larry Elman. It's fascinating to see him demonstrate an "antique" version of the Elman Induction and discuss the evolution of his father's techniques from stage to medical classroom. Likewise, I enjoyed hearing him credit his mother, an oft-overlooked figure in the male-dominated history of hypnosis, with the idea for the Esdaile technique.
On the other hand, there was a bit of a disconnect between Patterson's teaching and some of the colonel's comments. For example, on disk one, Patterson uses the word "push" when he tells a trancer to "push" the numbers out of her head. When a student copies Patterson's language, Larry Elman critiques her use of that word, suggesting it's not a good choice. Then later in the video, Patterson uses the term again; I suspect it's a part of the patter that he uses automatically. Mind you, I don't think it's that bad a usage, but it was interesting observing the tension there.
And that leads me to note another curious tension present in this training. By teaming up with the colonel, Patterson has bought the Elman franchise, in a manner of speaking, even going so far as to rename a portion of his business "The Dave Elman Institute of Hypnosis." (Founded 1949!) This is brilliant marketing, but at times I could see Patterson straining against the strictures of just teaching Elman's methods. He does comment that his out if a client doesn't lose the numbers is to go to one of his rapid inductions. At one point, Patterson demonstrates a twenty-second headache cure he learned from Norm Caldwell—-something totally outside of the Elman canon.
(As an aside, a transcript of that twenty-second technique would be awfully nice to have.)
All of this leads me to a more profound tension I see in the work of the Dave Elman Institute. Dave Elman's importance to hypnosis was not simply that he gave us some great techniques that we can pass along to other generations. His importance comes from his innovation, his willingness to adapt what he knew to a new setting, his ability to package hypnosis in a form that was useful to medical doctors, and his skill at letting hypnotic techniques evolve over time. Enshrining Elman's innovations seems to me counter to the spirit of his work. Like any great hypnotist, he produced ideas and methods that should be examined, learned, and then modified to become part of a hypnotist's repertoire.
Of course, this is what Patterson has done, and that's why I could detect a bit of struggling on his part to teach only Elman's methods. I doubt that any hypnotist today does things exactly as Elman did them, even though we are all influenced by his work. Perhaps Patterson should relax and accept that he can teach neo-Elmanian techniques while still honoring the great hypnotist.
So where does that leave us in regards to this product?
Despite a few mild reservations, I'm happy to recommend it. The videos are well made, thoroughly enjoyable, and very informative, definitely worth repeated watching and study. Hearing Colonel Elman's stories of his father is as close to time traveling back to one of Elman's classes in the fifties as we're going to get—and what hypnotist hasn't dreamed of doing that?
[Full disclosure: Patterson is a friend of mine, and he has sent me several videos for review. Nonetheless, I maintain that I am as objective as possible in reviewing his materials.]
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The Phone Book by Zarro and Blum
Title: The Phone Book: Breakthrough Neurolinguistic Phone Skills for Profit and Enlightenment
Author: Richard A. Zarro and Peter Blum
Format: book
Source: http://www.soundsforhealing.com/Products.html#phonebook or Amazon (link below)
Price: varies
Rating: Excellent
When I requested that author Peter Blum send a copy of his 1989 classic The Phone Book for review, he graciously agreed, but added a caveat, which I will paraphrase: The book was written 22 years ago, with an intent "to counterbalance the overly wordy, academic, and intellectualized works that were out at that time explaining NLP." The author, looking back at it, explains that some parts strike him as childish and possibly condescending, and he adds, a bit apologetically, that he hopes he has learned some humility since then.
Well, primed as I was to read a book I wouldn't like, I have to say that I detected none of that condescension or arrogance. It just goes to show that even a long-time NLPer like Blum is still his own worst critic, drawing up a map that is far more dire than the actual territory. There's a lesson in that for all of us, I think.
Anyway, on to the review:
Cleverly titled, The Phone Book is written in the form of a novel, wisely employing the Ericksonian technique of encapsulating information in a narrative format. Our hero, Bob O'Ryan, is a former liberal arts major turned struggling salesman who simply detests cold calling and virtually any other use of the telephone. By a stroke of luck, Bob meets John Deltone, a highly capable salesman and communication expert who takes Bob under his wing, helping him re-discover the magic of the telephone.
Admittedly, it's not the Great American Novel, but it is engaging enough to avoid the trap of being dry and academic. More importantly, it cuts to the quick, briefly but effectively teaching a number of basic NLP concepts: reframing, the meta model, submodalities, and anchoring peak performance, to name a few. One particularly good part of the book describes the three primary representational systems in catchy terms: the eye-phoner, the ear-phoner, and the feel-phoner. Each one even comes with a caricature, for the visual learners—um, I mean, eye-phoners—in the readership.
During a visit with an extremely Ericksonian hypnotist, the main character even learns to look at the phone as a metaphor for our spiritual connection to the Divine, thus tying sales and spirituality together in a neat package. (As an aside, I want to thank the authors for helping re-frame hypnosis in the public eye.)
Of course, one problem with presenting information in a narrative format is that it can be difficult to review, but the authors cleverly took that into account: Protagonist Bob O'Ryan keeps a set of "phone notes" that are conveniently shared at the end of each chapter. I find that placing the book near my toilet for a quick glance through a few phone notes is a great way to internalize the information.
(By the way, readers should know that mentioning that I keep a book in my bathroom is possibly the highest praise I can give it.)
Is there anything to complain about in The Phone Book? Perhaps it's a bit dated, considering how much communication technology, the book's central metaphor, has changed over the last 22 years. That said, the basic ideas still apply even with today's technology. I found myself using them to great effect in a business email just yesterday.
While The Phone Book may not contain much that is new to someone thoroughly steeped in NLP, it is definitely a work I would recommend to anyone new to the subject, and especially anyone going into sales. In fact, I did recommend it to my nephew for just that purpose.
Many thanks to my online friend Michael Ellner for recommending The Phone Book to me.
Author: Richard A. Zarro and Peter Blum
Format: book
Source: http://www.soundsforhealing.com/Products.html#phonebook or Amazon (link below)
Price: varies
Rating: Excellent
When I requested that author Peter Blum send a copy of his 1989 classic The Phone Book for review, he graciously agreed, but added a caveat, which I will paraphrase: The book was written 22 years ago, with an intent "to counterbalance the overly wordy, academic, and intellectualized works that were out at that time explaining NLP." The author, looking back at it, explains that some parts strike him as childish and possibly condescending, and he adds, a bit apologetically, that he hopes he has learned some humility since then.
Well, primed as I was to read a book I wouldn't like, I have to say that I detected none of that condescension or arrogance. It just goes to show that even a long-time NLPer like Blum is still his own worst critic, drawing up a map that is far more dire than the actual territory. There's a lesson in that for all of us, I think.
Anyway, on to the review:
Cleverly titled, The Phone Book is written in the form of a novel, wisely employing the Ericksonian technique of encapsulating information in a narrative format. Our hero, Bob O'Ryan, is a former liberal arts major turned struggling salesman who simply detests cold calling and virtually any other use of the telephone. By a stroke of luck, Bob meets John Deltone, a highly capable salesman and communication expert who takes Bob under his wing, helping him re-discover the magic of the telephone.
Admittedly, it's not the Great American Novel, but it is engaging enough to avoid the trap of being dry and academic. More importantly, it cuts to the quick, briefly but effectively teaching a number of basic NLP concepts: reframing, the meta model, submodalities, and anchoring peak performance, to name a few. One particularly good part of the book describes the three primary representational systems in catchy terms: the eye-phoner, the ear-phoner, and the feel-phoner. Each one even comes with a caricature, for the visual learners—um, I mean, eye-phoners—in the readership.
During a visit with an extremely Ericksonian hypnotist, the main character even learns to look at the phone as a metaphor for our spiritual connection to the Divine, thus tying sales and spirituality together in a neat package. (As an aside, I want to thank the authors for helping re-frame hypnosis in the public eye.)
Of course, one problem with presenting information in a narrative format is that it can be difficult to review, but the authors cleverly took that into account: Protagonist Bob O'Ryan keeps a set of "phone notes" that are conveniently shared at the end of each chapter. I find that placing the book near my toilet for a quick glance through a few phone notes is a great way to internalize the information.
(By the way, readers should know that mentioning that I keep a book in my bathroom is possibly the highest praise I can give it.)
Is there anything to complain about in The Phone Book? Perhaps it's a bit dated, considering how much communication technology, the book's central metaphor, has changed over the last 22 years. That said, the basic ideas still apply even with today's technology. I found myself using them to great effect in a business email just yesterday.
While The Phone Book may not contain much that is new to someone thoroughly steeped in NLP, it is definitely a work I would recommend to anyone new to the subject, and especially anyone going into sales. In fact, I did recommend it to my nephew for just that purpose.
Many thanks to my online friend Michael Ellner for recommending The Phone Book to me.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Inductions and Deepeners by Richard K. Nongard
Title: Inductions and Deepeners
: Styles & Approaches for Effective Hypnosis
Author: Richard K. Nongard
Format: book
Source: www.amazon.com
Price: $22.45
Rating: mixed
Disclaimer: Richard Nongard is a friend of mine, and his magnanimous advice and encouragement has made him one of the hypnotists I truly admire. Of course, as a reviewer, I have to set that aside and approach every work I review with a critical eye. I feel that I have successfully done that in this case, and I hope my readers will agree that I am unbiased by the end of this review.
As I've stated other times, I'm a bit of an induction collector. There are thousands of varied ways to induce trance, and I love looking at as many as I can, partly so that I can take them apart and figure out what makes them tick. So when I was attending Nongard's two-day basic hypnosis course and he offered me a couple of books to review, I was delighted that Inductions and Deepeners was one of them.
As an aside, I should mention that I thought Nongard's basic course was excellent. It was aimed at counselors and other health-care professionals who need CEUs. In two days, he took them through the basics of intake, pretalk, induction, deepeners, suggestions, and returns, in addition to addressing safety and professionalism issues. The course was very well put-together. When discussing it with Nongard, he mentioned that many instructors want to impress their fellow hypnotists, so they teach lots of fancy inductions instead of serving their students with good, solid, simple inductions. He certainly does a good job in his course of providing counselors with exactly what they need to start helping their clients with hypnosis.
But back to the review at hand. When viewed as an adjunct or extension of Nongard's basic course, the book shines, serving well to expand on the induction and deepeners he teaches his basic students. The techniques are simple and easy to use, making this an ideal book for that niche: counselors who are going to learn enough about hypnosis to use it as a tool while counseling, but who are not necessarily interested in devoting their lives to being hypnotists.
That said, for a dedicated professional hypnotist, the book left me disappointed. All of the inductions are in pretty much the same vein: a combination of progressive muscle relaxation, eye fixation, and visualization. Now there's nothing wrong with those approaches, and I have to admit that they are probably the best ones for counselors and therapists to use. But in terms of a book on the art of induction, the range seems very narrow.
The same problem occurs with the deepeners. They're pretty much all variations of counting down and fractionation. Before I was done, I kept having the feeling that I'd read the same passage more than once. Even the addition of the "reverse hypnosis" script—in which the trancer keeps his or her eyes open while imagining going up—does not present a radical departure from the rest of the book, educational as it may be to the novice hypnotist.
I was similarly disappointed to find little discussion of why the techniques work. Again, this may be simply a matter of me not being the ideal reader for this work.
All in all, if I'm right about the intended audience and purpose of this book, then I can certainly recommend it to those who attend Nongard's basic and advanced training courses, or for therapists who want simple methods for incorporating hypnosis into their practices. Those readers will definitely benefit, and their money will be well spent.
: Styles & Approaches for Effective HypnosisAuthor: Richard K. Nongard
Format: book
Source: www.amazon.com
Price: $22.45
Rating: mixed
Disclaimer: Richard Nongard is a friend of mine, and his magnanimous advice and encouragement has made him one of the hypnotists I truly admire. Of course, as a reviewer, I have to set that aside and approach every work I review with a critical eye. I feel that I have successfully done that in this case, and I hope my readers will agree that I am unbiased by the end of this review.
As I've stated other times, I'm a bit of an induction collector. There are thousands of varied ways to induce trance, and I love looking at as many as I can, partly so that I can take them apart and figure out what makes them tick. So when I was attending Nongard's two-day basic hypnosis course and he offered me a couple of books to review, I was delighted that Inductions and Deepeners was one of them.
As an aside, I should mention that I thought Nongard's basic course was excellent. It was aimed at counselors and other health-care professionals who need CEUs. In two days, he took them through the basics of intake, pretalk, induction, deepeners, suggestions, and returns, in addition to addressing safety and professionalism issues. The course was very well put-together. When discussing it with Nongard, he mentioned that many instructors want to impress their fellow hypnotists, so they teach lots of fancy inductions instead of serving their students with good, solid, simple inductions. He certainly does a good job in his course of providing counselors with exactly what they need to start helping their clients with hypnosis.
But back to the review at hand. When viewed as an adjunct or extension of Nongard's basic course, the book shines, serving well to expand on the induction and deepeners he teaches his basic students. The techniques are simple and easy to use, making this an ideal book for that niche: counselors who are going to learn enough about hypnosis to use it as a tool while counseling, but who are not necessarily interested in devoting their lives to being hypnotists.
That said, for a dedicated professional hypnotist, the book left me disappointed. All of the inductions are in pretty much the same vein: a combination of progressive muscle relaxation, eye fixation, and visualization. Now there's nothing wrong with those approaches, and I have to admit that they are probably the best ones for counselors and therapists to use. But in terms of a book on the art of induction, the range seems very narrow.
The same problem occurs with the deepeners. They're pretty much all variations of counting down and fractionation. Before I was done, I kept having the feeling that I'd read the same passage more than once. Even the addition of the "reverse hypnosis" script—in which the trancer keeps his or her eyes open while imagining going up—does not present a radical departure from the rest of the book, educational as it may be to the novice hypnotist.
I was similarly disappointed to find little discussion of why the techniques work. Again, this may be simply a matter of me not being the ideal reader for this work.
All in all, if I'm right about the intended audience and purpose of this book, then I can certainly recommend it to those who attend Nongard's basic and advanced training courses, or for therapists who want simple methods for incorporating hypnosis into their practices. Those readers will definitely benefit, and their money will be well spent.
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