Mindfulness and Hypnosis by Michael Yapko

Title: Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience

Author: Michael Yapko, PhD

Format: Book (also available on Kindle)

Source: Amazon

Price: $21

Rating: Excellent

While many of us in the vocational hypnosis community were looking the other way, a technique that involves deep breathing, progressive relaxation, focussed concentration, and a combination of guided and unguided visualization has taken the therapy world by storm. The new buzzword: Mindfulness—which is code for Buddhist meditation, carefully stripped of its spiritual connotations and then put through rigorous testing by the scientific research community. Not surprising to those of us who've been helping clients with these techniques for years, the research has proven what we've known all along: there is substantial benefit to be had from using concentrated attention and suggestion to transform experience.

Fortunately, Michael Yapko was not looking the other way, and in his new book, Mindfulness and Hypnosis, he lays out the parallells between the two techniques. Perhaps because he is writing to an audience familiar with mindfulness but woefully misinformed about hypnosis, he states early in the book that the two techniques are not the same thing.

(This contradicts a comment from an Indian client of mine who'd studied mindfulness meditation as she grew up in Mumbai; upon concluding a hypnosis session, she said to me, "This is exactly the same as meditation!")

However, after that statement, Yapko goes on to show clearly that Guided Mindfulness Meditation (GMM) and hypnosis use essentially the same processes, all depending on the power of suggestion. Yapko provides line-by-line analysis of typical GMM and hypnosis recordings to drive his point home undeniably. He goes on in successive chapters to lay out the similarities to such a degree that I find it hard to maintain the idea that hypnosis and mindfulness are separated by much more than semantics—the dividing line, if there is one, is very, very thin.

The final chapter, however, highlights the difference in a powerful way—demonstrating that hypnosis as it is practiced in modern offices goes one step beyond mindfulness in the service of the client. Yapko makes the excellent point that those who have studied mindfulness can learn from the centuries of research and exploration into the power of suggestion that the hypnosis community can offer. Likewise, he acknowledges that hypnotists can benefit by incorporating techniques of mindfulness into their practice.

Where it might have been tempting to write something divisive—after all, to a hypnotist striving for years to point out the benefits of these approaches, only to see mindfulness greeted like the prodigal son of therapy, a little "I told you so" would be well deserved—Yapko makes his points with brilliant diplomacy, clarity, and warmth.

Though, as I mentioned, Yapko is writing more for an audience of mindfulness advocates than for hypnotists, the book is an essential read for any hypnotist who wants to interact with professionals in our allied disciplines. We need a common vocabulary, and as the rest of the world wakes up to the value of what we've been teaching all along, we need to be able to interface and communicate effectively about the benefits of what we do. Michael Yapko has done us all a great service in writing this book.

Full Disclosure: Though I did not receive a gratis copy of Mindfulness and Hypnosis for review, Dr. Yapko did generously replace my copy of his seminal book, Trancework, when it was destroyed in an office fire last year. Despite my sincere gratitude for his generosity and high regard for his scholarship, I have gone on record elsewhere criticizing other works of his, and we have disagreed privately, so I do not believe that his kindness in any way colored my review of his latest book.

Blueprint of the Dave Elman Induction by H. Larry Elman

Title: Blueprint of the Dave Elman Induction

Author: H. Larry Elman

Format:  Book

Source: http://shop.daveelmanhypnosisinstitute.com/BLUEPRINT-of-the-Dave-Elman-Induction-by-H-Larry-Elman-Blprt-BK.htm

Price:  $13.95 (I received a review copy.)

Rating: Excellent

Well, I've been very busy with my studies at the Hypnosis Practitioner Training Institute, which means that even though I've been reading quite a bit, I haven't had time to post many reviews. Today, I decided to take a little break from studying and jot down my thoughts about a few of the books that have crossed my desk in the last eight months.

Last week, I attended a hypnosis practice meetup where the topic was the Dave Elman Induction, a piece of hypnotic work that may be, after progressive muscle relaxation, the most popular specific induction in modern hypnosis. I know many hypnotists who swear by it, using it with the majority of their clients. So before I went to the meetup, I took Larry Elman's Blueprint of the Dave Elman Induction off my shelf to review the process.

Please note—I said "process." The main reason Larry Elman wrote a book about his father's famous induction is that it is too often presented as a script rather than a process. Even when instructors explain that you may have to alter the wording or repeat steps, they still, almost universally, present it as a series of arbitrary actions with no discussion of why the induction calls for these actions. Indeed, some instructors I admire greatly refuse to teach the Elman Induction because they object to certain details in it—the touching or the eye catalepsy, for instance.

The Blueprint does an amazing job of addressing these misconceptions held by advocates and critics alike. Though brief, this work thoroughly explains the hows and the whys of every step in the process, even suggesting alternate details to use when necessary. (So that Elman Inductions without eye catalepsy, touching, or even "losing the numbers" can be invented.)  In short, this work is for anyone who wants to understand what they are doing rather than merely parrot back steps an instructor has taught.

The historian in me loves the insight into the creation and development of the Elman Induction provided in this work—straight from someone who was there as it happened. Reading Larry Elman's writing is perhaps the closest we'll get to stepping back in time and getting to hear Dave Elman himself provide further wisdom.

Though the book itself is small—a pamphlet really, unlikely to look impressive when other hypnotists glance at your shelf—the content is huge and the value incalculable. Anyone who learns and uses the Dave Elman Induction really ought to take the time to read this book and review it from time-to-time. After all, being a hypnotist is not about repeating the right magical incantations; it is about understanding the processes that have worked in the past so that we can develop and adapt in the future.

Experiencing Reality by Chris Cathey

Title: Experiencing Reality: Perspectives from an Agent of Change
Author: Chris Cathey
Format: book
Source: sent to me for review from www.ExperiencingReality.com
Price: $15 at Amazon.com
Rating: Mixed

One of my favorite books is My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson by Sidney Rosen. Filled with easily accessible, short tales that Erickson told his students, relating events from his childhood, education, and work as a psychiatrist, it makes the perfect bathroom book, or the perfect tool to fill a few moments while you are waiting for your next client to arrive.

Chris Cathey's Experiencing Reality is perhaps best described as reminiscent of My Voice Will Go With You. The format and content are similar, short tales drawn from the author's childhood experiences playing soccer or camping, his training in the Marines, and his time working with troubled youth.

The stories are billed as metaphors, though the author leaves it to the reader to formulate what those metaphorical lessons may be, much the way that a change agent may operate with his clients. A few chapters—such as the one warning change agents against guru worship—fall short of metaphor, simply presenting straightforward advice. Others seem so obscure that the message is a bit hard to discern, though I suspect that may have been intentional. A few of the tales describe adaptations of Ericksonian methods, such as Cathey taking Erickson's approach to helping Olympic shot-putters and adapting it to helping a child overcome his fear of heights. (It is perhaps unfortunate that Cathey doesn't credit Erickson for this or any of the other methods he's clearly borrowing.)

All in all, I found a great deal to agree with in Experiencing Reality—especially the points about tailoring the work to the client, the value of kindness, and the need to avoid idolizing teachers. Indeed, I found little to disagree with. At the same time, I found very little that challenged me.

Of course, as an editor, I have to say that in a field with far too many poorly-punctuated self-published books, Experiencing Reality stands out for having very few typos and only a few sentences I had to re-read several times to decipher. Even so, it could have used one more pass from a copy-editor, if only to tighten up the punctuation.

The book is a quick and pleasant read, and because it consists of short, easily-digested chapters, it will probably take its place in my bathroom next to Rosen's work. While it might not change lives or revolutionize the coaching industry, Experiencing Reality certainly provides an illuminating diversion for anyone in the business of change. For someone just beginning that journey, there is a wealth of wisdom and advice.

Mainstreaming Your Practice with Michael Ellner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SuccessFit Trance-Formation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Instant and Rapid Inductions, Second Edition

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


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

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

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

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

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

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.]