Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was by Chris Holmes

Title: Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was (Volume I: The Biggest Medical Mistake of the 20th Century)
Author: Chris Holmes
Format: Book
Source: Amazon.com
Price: $36
Rating: Good


Most hypnotists work with smokers at some point, and even those that don't will still field a lot of questions about smoking cessation. I've found in my own practice that no matter what I advertise, I get smokers calling me to ask if I can make them quit. In short, the nature of cigarette smoking is something every hypnotist spends some time thinking about.

British hypnotherapist Chris Holmes spent so much time thinking about it that he wrote a book, in two volumes, about the subject. Not surprisingly, he finds grounds to disagree with a lot of what the establishment has told us about nicotine and cigarette smoking. While I can pick a number of nits with his book, overall I have to say that Holmes' views make good sense and are presented in an enjoyable format.

Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was (Volume I: The Biggest Medical Mistake of the 20th Century) presents a rollicking look at why hypnotherapy works when Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) doesn't. The title is slightly misleading—the book is as much about hypnosis as it is about nicotine. A glance at the cover of the book (all black with a skull and crossbones above the title) leads the reader to expect an investigative expose, rife with uncovered details of how nicotine came to be regarded as an addictive drug rather than a deadly poison.

If you are expecting an investigative work, the book falls short. Though some studies are noted, especially in the later chapters, Holmes' work is not primarily investigative. He does restate his arguments a number of times without presenting new evidence, a technique that reminds me a bit of simply repeating a suggestion enough times that the unconscious mind accepts it—a fine technique for hypnotherapy, but a little bit annoying in a book.

Ultimately, the work is aimed more at potential clients than at hypnotherapists. In one sense, it's an expanded pre-talk. It makes the argument that hypnosis is the best tool for smoking cessation, but it doesn't provide a working hypnotist with much specific information on how to do a good smoking session for a client. I'm not criticizing; I just want to be sure that my readers (mostly hypnotists) know what they're getting.

Before I discuss the numerous good points about Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was, I'd like to briefly address a few flaws.

First off, there are several contradictions in argument. The author claims that the success of NRT in clinical trials was the result of the widespread myth of nicotine addiction, yet he also claims that the myth arose alongside the use and marketing of NRT. That timeline doesn't work; if the myth is part of the marketing, then the myth couldn't have influenced the initial trials involving NRT. Similarly, he insists that smokers don't actually know the effects of nicotine, which may well be true. But he then argues that smokers in patch trials must have recognized the presence of nicotine, thus enhancing the placebo effect and invalidating the results. Either smokers know the effects of nicotine or they don't—you can't have it both ways.

That said, most of Holmes' arguments stand up to scrutiny. More on that later.

There are a few other points I didn't like, but only a few. For instance, in his explanation of hypnosis, the author is somewhat derisive of stage hypnotists, though he stops short of calling for total condemnation and legislation to ban performance hypnosis. As readers of my blog already know, I believe performance and clinical hypnotists can work together for mutual benefit. I don't believe in deriding one to bolster the other.

Likewise, Holmes' attacks on the accuracy of animal testing of NRT are marred by his rants on the immorality of the same, undermining his argument. Finally, he makes some unsubstantiated claims that NRT producers funded the trials of NRT, thus biasing the results. While that may be true, speculation without evidence again undermines the author's otherwise convincing arguments.

Those criticisms aside, the book is otherwise quite good. It is built around clear, simple, common-sense arguments about the nature of nicotine. For example, Holmes debunks the idea that smokers enjoy nicotine; if that were the case, he argues, teens would be sneaking nicotine gum to each other, and smokers on airplanes would gladly wear the patch so as to enjoy transatlantic flights. I'd give more examples, but I'm sure the author would like it if you read his book to learn more.

Holmes provides "Case Mysteries" as interludes between his chapters, and these are highly entertaining and illuminating. Filled with anecdotes about quirky clients and unusual cases, the interludes do a lot to spice up the book, especially for the hypnotists amongst the readers. One such interlude de-constructs the work of Allen Carr, a British smoking cessation guru. By the time Holmes is done with Carr, there is not much left; it's a great read that made me laugh out loud.

The book is self-published, but relatively free of the numerous typos and grammatical errors that plague many self-published tomes on hypnosis. The author might have benefitted a bit from working with a professional editor, if only to rein him in now and then. Holmes comments that his wife took on the job of telling him when to stop trying to be funny. While I do believe humor has great value, and I did guffaw a number of times while reading, there were other times when I wish that Mrs. Holmes had been more strenuous in her duties.

I especially enjoyed this book's discussion of hypnosis and the subconscious mind. Holmes compares talking to the conscious mind to effect change as being like trying to persuade the receptionist of a major corporation to make a company-wide policy decision. The subconscious, he explains, is truly the CEO. That's a brilliant comparison I now use with my own clients.

Overall, I can point out a number of minor flaws in Nicotine, but in the end, the arguments make sense. Just as importantly, they are presented in an entertaining and insightful way, making this book useful to hypnotists and those who would like to stop smoking. I'd like to check out Volume II when I get a chance.

Medical Meditation by Richard Nongard, Ph.D.

Title: Medical Meditation
Author: Richard Nongard, PhD
Format: Book
Source: www.subliminalscience.com
Price: $14.95
Rating: Excellent

[Full Disclosure: Richard Nongard is a friend of mine who has provided a great deal of advice and encouragement. He gave me a complimentary copy of Medical Meditation to review, fully aware that I might give it a bad review despite our friendship. So what follows is my unbiased opinion.]

Regular readers of my hypnosis reviews blog might wonder why I'm reviewing a book about meditation. Well, the reason is simple. As the author explains on page 3, meditation and self-hypnosis are sister arts; indeed, for his purposes, the terms are interchangeable. Kudos for calling a spade a spade.

At first glance, Medical Meditation might seem like a slim offering in the world of mind-body medicine. How much can an author teach in just 74 pages?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Dr. Nongard has a talent for stripping a topic down to its barest essentials and then teaching it in simple baby steps, and that's exactly what he does in this volume that is conveniently light enough for even the weakest of invalids to hold.

Though the book lists a number of applications for medical meditation, the text mostly focusses on chronic pain, cancer recovery, and meditation for pre- and post-surgery. This makes sense, as these are the areas with which the author or close associates have first-hand knowledge. Though the work is aimed primarily at patients with no prior knowledge of mind-body medicine, it's a good read for hypnotists; I can envision building an entire series of workshops around these methods for my local cancer center.

The book carefully guides non-meditators through the steps of deep breathing, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, and autogenic training, first with simple, brief exercises, and later with expansions on each. Along with a brief chapter on lifestyle changes for the chronically ill, these simple but powerful techniques make up the core of the book.

The instructions for basic autogenic training are especially exciting, as information on that topic is surprisingly rare. The author has also created a five-week autogenic course that is available on DVD; perhaps I will review that at some point.

Best of all, Dr. Nongard explains and teaches meditation in a way that is free from all metaphysical trappings—other than a brief statement that positive belief really does foster positive outcomes in ways that defy explanation—thus making meditation accessible to anyone who needs it, despite religious background. For those who fear that meditation is about chanting with gurus, living in communes, eating vegetarian, and seeking enlightenment, this book is a welcome breath of fresh air. A deep abdominal breath, at that.

Can I complain about the book? Not much. I do have a pet peeve for typos, and the text is mostly free of them. There is, however, one typo of a sort I see over and over in the writing of hypnotists. How many times have I seen the words "breath" and "breathe" mixed up? Usually it's "breath deeply." That error sets my teeth on edge.

Well, the good news is that the typo only appears once in Medical Meditation. The bad news is that it appears in a very prominent, all-bold section title. Ouch.

Otherwise, though, I really can't complain about Medical Meditation. It's a practical guide, light enough in the hand that even the bedridden can use it, and light enough on the wallet that anyone can afford to give it as a gift. I wouldn't be surprised if some doctors kept a stack to hand out one to every patient. There are even some affordable recordings available to support the exercises in the book.

All in all, a deceptively simple text—like the practice of "doing nothing" for a while each day, it has a value far beyond what is apparent at first glance. I'm tempted to give it to a friendly doctor, but I think I'll be keeping it for myself.

Inducing the Trance by Sean Michael Andrews

Title: Inducing the Trance
Author: Sean Michael Andrews
Format: video
Source: Amazon
Price: $79.95
Rating: Good

More and more people are eager to learn hypnosis these days, and Sean Michael Andrews is meeting that need with high-quality, affordable video instruction.

In Inducing the Trance, Andrews explains and demonstrates fifteen different inductions as well as providing a few details about deepening, a simple approach to handling abreactions, and of course instructions on how to emerge someone from trance. As an added bonus for the male viewers, he manages to have an attractive woman on the screen at all times, proving either that he's a marketing genius or that hypnosis really does enhance a man's charisma.

Though designed primarily for the aspiring hypnotists, this video is enjoyable and even informative for the more seasoned practitioner. Even though I've been studying and using hypnosis for years, I found some of Sean's subtler tips to be quite valuable, and I think that a new hypnotist could certainly learn volumes from this concise but well-made video.

The range of material is impressive. Besides some of the instant inductions Sean Michael Andrews is famous for, he also demonstrates how to do a progressive muscle relaxation induction, an ambiguous touch induction, and the cockroach-on-the-bar induction—he even demonstrates the stereotypical watch-swinging induction that is used so rarely today. Each induction is clearly explained and demonstrated. When necessary, Andrews stops the demo recording to provide commentary or plays the demonstration in slow motion to point out tiny but important details. The man makes learning easy!

Do I have any complaints about Inducing the Trance? A few--none serious, but worth noting as this is a review after all.

Despite the overall high production values, I found the volume to be uneven. I had to adjust it several times during the viewing. Andrews is rather dismissive of progressive muscle relaxation--not surprising for someone who bills himself as "The World's Fastest Hypnotist"--which I feel has a place in the hypnotic repertoire. (Admittedly, its proper place is not quite as prominent as many hypnotists have made it in the past.) He classifies the Bandler Handshake Interrupt as a confusion induction rather than as a pattern-interrupt. While that's not entirely a misnomer, as pattern-interruption is a sub-category of confusion, I feel the two categories are more useful if kept discrete.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment is that Andrews turns the Elman 3-Handshake Induction into a pattern-interrupt and shock induction. Of course, in practice, there's nothing wrong with that, but it misses the point. Elman taught that induction to illustrate the power of pure expectancy to his students. Andrews does his own students a disservice when he fails to pass on that lesson.

Despite the minor nits I've picked here, I still have to say that a learning hypnotist can hardly go wrong with this video. If you're considering a present for the new hypnotist in your life, this is the one to get. If you're more experienced, you can still pick up some great pointers and expand your repertoire by watching this video from a master.

Reality is Plastic by Anthony Jacquin

Title: Reality is Plastic
Author: Anthony Jacquin
Format: book and video
Source: www.vegasstagehypnosis.com (video no longer available)
Price: $69 ($39.95 for book only)
Rating: Good

Reality is Plastic is a book with a companion video (sold separately). Taken together, the two present a great introduction to "impromptu hypnosis"—Jacquin's more accurate term for what is often called "street hypnosis" or "speed trance."

The video is a particularly engaging piece of instruction. Apparently recognizing that high production values were out of his reach, Jacquin has made the video artfully low-budget: oddly lit, black and white, with static-filled transitions, as though it were created in a post-apocalyptic underground bunker. As he leans a little too close to the camera, I almost expect Jacquin to say, "I am John Connor, and if you are watching this, you are the resistance."

Instead, he opens the video with something equally as striking, showing his natural performer's flair for the dramatic:

"I am Anthony Jacquin, and I am The Hypnotist." He then leans forward almost menacingly, getting right up to that camera. "And that's the first thing you've got to learn."

Indeed, the most important lesson in the book is about taking on the persona of The Hypnotist. (Jacquin capitalizes the term every time for emphasis.) It's clear watching him that The Hypnotist is a persona he takes on, and takes on perfectly. In fact, he's so wry and unsmiling that his occasional humor is powerfully hilarious.

Unlike some authoritarian hypnotists who have bought into their own hype, Jacquin seems to simply recognize the benefits of using public expectation about hypnosis by stepping into the role of The Hypnotist. But like any good actor, he makes the role his, adapting it to suit his purposes.

In fact, it could be argued that by utilizing the popular conception of hypnosis, Jacquin's authoritarian moments are Ericksonian in origin. I try not to think about that too much; it makes me dizzy.

All paradoxes aside, it is a joy to see a book about hypnosis that cites Elman and McGill as readily as it cites Erickson and Rossi, and I have to say that Jacquin's style easily synthesizes the two different approaches to hypnosis. His interactions shift from permissive to authoritarian so subtly that there's no clear dividing line.

The book contains quite a bit of explanation that's not present in the videos, but even so it is relatively light on theory. This is nuts-and-bolts, working-class hypnotism. Jacquin's chapter on definitions of hypnosis touches on history while not getting bogged down repeating the same information we've seen in many other texts. Ultimately, the point of that chapter is that effectiveness is more important than theory. Though I would have liked a bit more explication of principles—for instance, Jacquin never points out the fractionation inherent to the structure of his interactions—I have to agree with his overall point: Theories come and go, so results matter more.

The real meat of both the book and the video consists of several "set pieces," a small number of inductions, and a few applications for entertainment and therapy. The "set pieces" are what others would call suggestibility tests, convincers, waking hypnosis, or even "hypno-tricks." While they are time-honored methods, Jacquin's brilliant execution of them is well worth studying.

The several inductions Jacquin presents were mostly new to me, which is refreshing. There are only a few, but Jacquin urges his readers to learn a small number of inductions and learn them well. His purpose is to warn new hypnotists not to waste their lives in a quest for what I call "The One True Induction"—the mythical induction that outstrips all others and works perfectly in every situation. While I agree that mistake is best avoided, I'm personally a bit of an induction collector; I believe that the more inductions you explore, the better your understanding of the principles behind them.

Then again, Jacquin does a great job of summing up an important principle that underlies all inductions: "An induction technique is a vehicle for your confidence, your persona, your intent to hypnotize."

To conclude, while I could argue here and there about minor theoretical points, there's no argument at all with Jacquin's clear and utilitarian presentation of the material. His prose is fluent and easy to grasp, even if a proofreader might have helped in a few spots. Though the language is very British at times, I had no problem sorting it out as an American reader.

I could complain that the video lacks footage of some of the more spectacular stunts described in the book, but I suspect there is a copyright issue at the heart of that.

Most surprising to me is that Jacquin changed my view of authoritarian techniques. Even his use of the term "subject" doesn't bother me the way it usually does. When Jacquin says it, he sounds not like he's a scientist referring to a lab rat, but more like a feudal lord referring to someone under his benevolent influence. He made me realize that taking charge is not all bad—so long as you don't believe your own advertising.

All in all, a very good product.

Post Script: After reading this review, Jacquin sent me a PDF entitled Reality is Plastic: Reloaded. It's fifty pages of additional material, new tips, clarifications, and trouble-shooting. And it's free to owners of Reality is Plastic, making the book an even better investment.

The Dave Elman Induction by H.L. Elman and D.H.Patterson

Title: The Dave Elman Induction
Author: H.L. Elman and D.H. Patterson
Format: 2 DVD set
Source: Amazon
Price: $99.95
Rating: Excellent

Even after reading (and loving) Dave Elman's classic book, Hypnotherapy, I was never a big fan of the famous Elman induction. I tried it a few times while in training, but I never seemed to get the results Elman claimed it could produce--so I moved on to other inductions that were more my style and produced (for me) great results.

So I was curious when Sean Michael Andrews (aka Donald Patterson) announced that he was making a video entirely about the Elman induction. When I saw that it came in a package deal with an interview of Dave Elman's son, I decided to take the plunge. If nothing else, the interview would be worth the price, as it would surely shed some insight into the work of one of the most important hypnotists of the 20th Century.

Well, I was not disappointed by the interview; it's absolutely fascinating. Hearing firsthand anecdotes about Elman's life and experiences as a hypnotist, performer, and trainer is a wonderful opportunity. The account of how Elman taught his son is simply delightful, a real pleasure to watch. There are some slightly odd moments in the cinematography of the interview that make me wonder if there was a technical glitch—but these are minor and fall short of detracting significantly.

Well, I liked the interview, but I was extremely impressed with the instructional video. Patterson's teaching style is excellent, and for once, here is a hypnosis video with high production values. After watching the video once, I found that the menu made it easy to zip right to the parts I needed to review.

After only a little study of the video, I find that I'm now getting great results with an induction I had previously had trouble wrapping my head around. I now see why it's such a favorite, and it's quickly becoming one of mine.

The section on deepeners should not be overlooked. Since I've never been fond of methods that involve a lot of counting, the one-to-fifteen fractionation method was never a favorite. But after watching this video, I'm finding myself using that method more and more.

Patterson really thought this product through. It's details like the insert with a copy of the induction script that show you that this video is a labor of love, a fitting tribute to a hypnotist who changed the world.

I hate giving a purely glowing review, but I'm afraid I have to. I'm finding it hard to complain about anything in this product. In short, this DVD set should be on every hypnotist's shelf.

Modern Hypnosis: Theory and Practice

Title: Modern Hypnosis: Theory and Practice
Author: Masud Ansari
Format: book
Source: gift
Price: free
Rating: mixed

Modern Hypnosis gets the prize for the least aptly named book I've read in a long time.

Well, perhaps that's unfair. The book is about hypnosis, but there is little in this self-published tome that can be regarded as modern in its approach.

Though originally published in the nineties, this book's obligatory chapter on the history of hypnosis ends before 1960, as though there have been no significant developments in hypnosis since that time. Furthermore, the chapter closes with the American Medical Association and its British counterpart approving the use of medical hypnosis. Unfortunately, the chapter fails to mention that both organizations have since reversed that decision, a regrettable fact that is nonetheless significant, especially when we consider rumors that some hypnotists have landed in hot water for claiming AMA approval on their websites.

Of course, something very significant in hypnosis history did happen in the 1950s: Dave Elman published his famous book and trained thousands of doctors and dentists in the use of his methods. But Ansari neglects to mention Elman anywhere in his book. I'll get to my suspicions as to why that is in a moment.

There are other aspects of this book that strike the modern reader as outdated. The author persists in using academic terms such as "subject" and "susceptible," a practice that is fading outside of academia for good reason. The connotation of these words implies that hypnosis is something a hypnotist does to a passive "subject," whose ability to enter trance is characterized as "susceptibility," the same word we use to denote a weak immune system.

The description of hypnosis as though it were a disease dovetails nicely with the misconception that some people are immune to hypnosis, that is, "insusceptible." I find that the hypnosis community falls into three opinion groups on this topic. There is the academic group, who arrived at this notion through a series of clinical trials that fail to consider the artistic and individual nature of trance induction. There is the group who take the attitude that everyone can enter hypnosis, and it's up to the hypnotist to facilitate that. And there is the group of hypnotists who hide behind their failure to find the right induction with the claim that "the subject is not hypnotizable." Rather than problem-solve or admit that they are not all-powerful and all-knowing, they simply claim that the deed can't be done. All in all, it's a top-down view of hypnosis that is neither accurate nor useful.

In keeping with this approach, the author presents considerable information on the various depth testing scales that academics have devised. To his credit, Ansari does admit that some authors question the utility and accuracy of depth scales.

Another early chapter in the book describes the conditions necessary for hypnosis. The author then advises the reader on how to arrange an office, what color to paint the walls, what kind of sounds to have, and so on. While I agree that I much prefer to do a session in my carefully arranged office, it's ridiculous to suppose that those conditions are necessary. I've done powerful change work in settings that were perfectly the opposite of what Ansari says are necessary—noisy, hot, uncomfortable, and full of distractions. My client was even wearing a corset, which Ansari recommends should be loosened prior to induction. (When I read that sentence, I immediately checked to see in what century the book was written.)

The chapter on induction starts with eye fixation and then discusses a number of the standard inductions of the first half of the twentieth century. Not surprisingly, there is no mention of Elman. A brief but scornful section on rapid inductions repeats all of the worst stereotypes of stage hypnotists and discusses the old "cut-off-the-blood-to-the-neck" hypno-trick as being representative of rapid induction methods. It's ironic that Ansari writes with disdain about the theatrics of stage hypnotists, yet later advocates casually cutting or burning a client's hand in order to test anesthesia. Who's showboating now?

Overall, I get the impression that the author is doing his best to fit in with the academic hypnotists. This group is characterized by their disdain for stage hypnotists, their reliance on antiseptic terms such as "subject," their complete refusal to acknowledge the value of Elman's work, and their insistence that hypnosis should only be practiced by members of their degreed brotherhood. I call this group the "priest hypnotists" because they call people like me "lay hypnotists." (More on this in another post.)

Ansari claims doctoral degrees in hypnosis and psychology, but a little investigation has shown that the degrees are not from accredited institutions—in other words, from a legal and academic standpoint, they are fake. The author might be an extremely skilled and knowledgeable hypnotist, but when it comes to the academy, Ansari is a wannabe.

Modern Hypnosis: Theory and Practice is not entirely without utility. Any examination of hypnosis through another's eyes may shed light for the reader, and a studious hypnotist may find a nugget of gold even in a trash heap of worn-out information. It was possibly worth the price I paid for it--but then again, I got it for free.

Psychic Development for Beginners

Title: Psychic Development for Beginners
Author: William W. Hewitt
Format: book
Source: Half-Price Books
Price: $8.60 (Amazon)
Rating: Good

Psychic Development for Beginners might not initally sound like a hypnosis book, but don't let its title fool you. A follow-up to Hewitt's Hypnosis for Beginners, this book applies self-hypnosis techniques to developing psychic ability. Like Hewitt's hypnosis book, it follows a simple, easy-to-read format, and it is strewn with a wealth of charming and illuminating anecdotes that are perhaps the book's greatest strength. Fortunately, it avoids the cumbersome filing system and tendency to talk-down to the reader that marred Hewitt's work on hypnosis.

In truth, this book has better instructions on developing self-hypnosis than many others I've read. Hewitt calls it "going to your basic psychic level," which is another way of saying "going into a light trance." One of his first exercises involves a self-induction visualization that concludes with a post-hypnotic trigger for returning to that level any time the reader counts down from three to one. That on its own is worth the price of the book.

(I typically tell my self-hypnosis students to choose a trigger that appeals to them, and I think Hewitt's method could have been improved by such an option.)

Interestingly, Hewitt repeats the balloon-releasing deepener from his hypnosis book, only this time he admits that it relates to the chakras. Another technique I gleaned from this book involves visualizing a conversation with a person you are having difficulty with; I've found that it works for clients in hypnosis as well as it works for me in self-hypnosis.

The book boasts of 44 psychic exercises—self-hypnosis exercises really, some of which don't have much to do with being psychic but are nonetheless useful. So far, I have only pursued a few of them, but the book offers years of development in a concise, easy-to-use format.