he most fun I have (with clothes on) is writing my newsletter.

If you are not

getting yours, go here and subscribe.

Hypnotherapy is probably one of the most effective ways to find and release
conflicts, depression, blocks and illness. If you want to Stop Smoking, Make
more money, have Great Sex, Find a lost object, Take Strokes off your Golf
Game, or just find out how to release anger and be happier, then you may
want to consider Hypnotherapy.

Everything we experience, EVERYTHING, is a result of how we perceive

and filter it in our mind. We choose our reality, our thoughts and our
feelings. When you feel you no longer have a choice about how you think or
feel, you are experiencing a block that may be created by an underlying
emotional conflict. Hypnotherapy can find and release the block, allowing
you to have the freedom to think and feel the way you want to think and feel.
It is easier than you think!
Welcome to my very large web site that will show you why I am so
fascinated with hypnosis and the passion I want to share with you... and get
ready to free your mind!
Now you can experience the life changing world of HYPNOSIS on your
own, at your own pace. I have created over 120 programs that I know you
will love. Please contact my staff or myself if you have any questions. We
answer the phone, and answer your email. I want you to be very happy.
What a wonderful and amazing journey this has been. I have now been
practicing Hypnotherapy for over ten years. Thousands of hours with clients,
training new therapists, creating hypnosis audio programs and learning,
learning, learning. Eight years ago I never imagined that I was getting into
such a fascinating field. It is true, that when you make your passion your
career, and do what you love, the money will follow. I have been teaching
financial abundance to others and inspiring them to step into their
worthiness, their joy... and accept that they deserve abundance. You may
want to discover for yourself what you can accomplish when you release
fear, limitations, and learn to manifest abundance. Dont miss the boat.
Figure it out now, while you are young.

If you have fears of public speaking, or being on stage, or you just want to
be more confident and spontaneous, you can overcome these fears. I have,
and it is worth it. Imagine how fun it would be to know that you can get up
anytime, anywhere and speak to a group of people, feeling confident and
spontaneous. You can do this! Make your fear a thing of the past.

There is so much that is new and exciting, as I explore the potential of the
mind to heal the body, and to have peace where there was once fear.
THANK YOU to each and every one of my clients, and my internet clients,
for making this such a fascinating time in my life.

Wendi
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What is Hypnosis?

The brain operates in four general states determined by the frequency of the
electricity generated by the exchange of chemicals in the neural pathways.
The four states include Full Conscious Awareness, the Hypnotic State, the
Dream State, and the Sleep State.

These four states correspond to electrical activity in the brain and are defined
by frequency ranges on an EEG. Full Conscious Awareness occurs when
the majority of the electrical activity in the brain is in the beta range (14-35
Hz). The Hypnotic State occurs when brain activity is in the alpha range (8-
13 Hz). The Dream State occurs when brain activity is in the theta range (4-
7 Hz), and the Sleep State occurs when brain activity is in the delta range
(.5-3 Hz).

Full Conscious Awareness is where which we spend most of our waking

hours. In this state, our mind is attentive and uses logic to reason, evaluate,
assess, judge, and make decisions. Unfortunately, when making life
changes, the conscious mind often gets in the way.
In the Hypnotic State, the doorway between the conscious and the
subconscious is opened, memories become easily accessible, and new
information is stored. In the Hypnotic State, you are not really "thinking" in
the traditional sense. You are "experiencing" without questioning, without
critical judgment or analysis, like when you watch a movie, and the
hypnotherapist can make suggestions that are very likely to "stick" -
precisely because your conscious mind is not getting in the way. You are
not "judging" or being "critical" of the suggestions.

We pass through all four bands sequentially as the electrical activity

decreases on our way to sleep and as it increases up on our way to total
wakefulness. Regardless of whether we are on our way to sleep or to
wakefulness, when we pass through the upper theta/lower alpha range we go
into hypnosis automatically. There is no power on earth that can stop it from
happening but likewise, there is no person or power on earth that can force
you into it; you must want to go into hypnosis and follow the hypnotist's
direction to the letter.

The will located in the conscious way of functioning is always present,

always working. If for some reason you will yourself not to allow the
suggestions to be accepted, they won't be. The smoker who comes in to quit
smoking but is not really committed to that goal, cannot be forced to do so.

As to the issue of the subconscious' chief concern for the clients' health and
welfare, the subconscious function of the mind begins to operate long before
the conscious mind, in early childhood. On the level of instinct, the
strategies for self-preservation and survival are irrevocably etched in the
subconscious.

The conscious along with its critical faculty develops later in early
childhood. By this time, the subsconscious had firmly embedded in it the
instinct to survive---to keep the organism well and healthy.

A less technical definition of hypnosis is: A naturally occurring altered state

of consciousness in which the critical faculty is bypassed (mind in the
conscious mode) and acceptable selective thinking established.

This simply means that the reasoning, evaluating, judging part of your mind
(conscious) is bypassed. While we wonder how this could possibly happen,
we are subject to it all the time. The advertising industry is dedicated to
bypassing our critical judgment all the time in order to influence our buying
behavior.

We suspend our critical judgment other times when an authority figure

makes some sort of comment; doctors, clergy, professors, and many more
fall into this category.

Children suspend their critical judgment frequently in games of "let's

pretend". Actors do it in playing a part; they have to suspend their critical
faculty, and they ask the audience to suspend theirs to accept them as being
someone else.
With the critical faculty bypassed, specific thoughts/suggestions can be
lodged in the subconscious where they can propel the client toward a desired
goal or change behavior in a positive, permanent way. Any such
suggestions must be acceptable to the client, of course. They would have no
effect otherwise.

This focus on a specific goal or behavior is done with laser-like precision

and intensity in hypnosis. It's a little like looking through a telescope from
the wrong end. You see just one tiny spec of the environment in focus
though you may be aware of everything around it.

What is Hypnosis? | What is a Hypnotherapist? | Choosing a Hypnotherapist

| Why does Hypnotherapy Work? | Pain Management through Hypnosis |
Hypnosis and Phobias | Hypnosis and Human Memory | Hypnosis and
Sports Psychology | Hypnosis and Stress Management

Referring to this article:

"Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, and Hypnotherapists" was written by G. Edward
Riley, M.Div., CH, Certified Master Hypnotherapist, and C. J. Newton,
MA,and published in the TherapistFinder.net Mental Health Journal in April,
2001.

Use or reference to this article on the Internet must be accompanied by a link

to the page you cite.

ON THE WEB: (Just Copy)

Riley, G. Edward and C. Newton.
<i><a href="http://www.therapistfinder.net/Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy/">
Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, and Hypnotherapists </a></i>
<b>TherapistFinder.net Mental
Health Journal</b>. April, 2001.

IN PRINT:

Riley, G. Edward and C. Newton. Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, and

Hypnotherapists. TherapistFinder.net Mental Health Journal
(http://www.therapistfinder.net/Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy/). April, 2001.

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What is a hypnotherapist?
"Hypnotherapist---induces hypnotic state in client to increase motivation or
alter behavior pattern through hypnosis. Consults with client to determine
the nature of problem. Prepares client to enter hypnotic states by explaining
how hypnosis works and what client will experience. Tests subject to
determine degrees of physical and emotional suggestibility. Induces
hypnotic state in client using individualized methods and techniques of
hypnosis based on interpretation of test results and analysis of client's
problem. May train client in self-hypnosis."

This is from the U.S. Department of Labor Directory of Occupational Titles.

D.O.T. 079.157.010.

Though a number of people may share the goal to stop smoking, for
example, each will be experiencing it in a different way. One may smoke in
certain emotional or physical situations such as feeling stress, talking on the
phone or starting the car; another may smoke only on certain occasions such
as after a meal or at a party; others may smoke only at certain times like
first thing in the morning; and still others with an infinite number of
combinations of these and others. There are as many reasons for having
started to smoke as there are smokers!

A hypnotherapist is a skilled and trained helping professional who helps you

use your own powerful mind to increase motivation or change behavior
patterns by inducing a trance state. When hypnotized, your mind is
operating in its subconscious mode (referred to by some as the "first gear" of
the mind).
Prior to hypnotizing the client, the therapist discusses in the goal the client
wants to achieve or the problem s/he wants to resolve in detail. The more
the hypnotherapist can share in the experience of the client as s/he
experiences it, the more individualized the therapy can be and the greater its
impact. The hypnotist also prepares the client to enter hypnosis by
explaining just what hypnosis is, how it works and what s/he will
experience; if you're starting on a trip it helps to know how and where you're
going.

Everyone is susceptible (to one degree or other) to suggestion. Your

hypnotherapist will guide you through some exercises that will help
determine your degree of suggestibility.

Finally, your hypnotherapist will induce a hypnotic state using

individualized methods and techniques based on the results of your
suggestibility and the nature of your goal or problem.

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Choosing a Hypnotherapist

Finding a skillful and experienced hypnotherapist can be a challenging if not

daunting and complicated task. This is due largely to the fact that
hypnotherapy is an unregulated field. Forty nine of our fifty states have no
licensing of hypnotherapists. Indiana has made efforts at licensing
hypnotherapists, but at this writing, is still embroiled in political struggles to
implement licensing. Hopefully when in place, Indiana's system of licensing
will provide a model for the rest of the states.

To begin your search for a hypnotherapist, you need to decide whether you
want to work with a physician or mental health practitioner who includes
hypnosis as a part of a broader practice, or if you want a hypnotherapist who
does nothing but hypnotherapy. There are advantages and disadvantages to
both.

Physicians and mental health practitioners at times use hypnosis in treating

patients, particularly in psychiatry, however certified hypnotherapists have
much more in-depth training. The physician or mental health practitioner
may have attended a weekend workshop and learned how to induce hypnosis
but may have virtually no experience in communicating with the mind in its
subconscious mode.

The hypnotherapist who has extensive training in working with the mind in
its subconscious mode may have little or no training in other specialty areas.

The first question to ask anyone with whom you consider working is "Are
you a certified hypnotherapist and by whom?" The National Guild of
Hypnotists is the oldest and largest worldwide non-profit certifying
organization cited by Congress in the Congressional Record of May 11th,
1993 as the foremost hypnosis organization in the country.
Whomever you choose, s/he should be certified by the Guild or some other
institution or organization recognized by it and have had a minimum of 100
hours of training - not just a weekend seminar.

Another area to explore is how much experience the prospective therapist

has had in your area of need. How long have they been in full-time
practice? What are their specialties? Do they have experience in addressing
the problem you want to address or in attaining the goal you want to
achieve? How many clients for this have they treated? How many
successfully?

Another question particularly helpful with ‘lay hypnotherapists' (that is,

hypnotherapists not practicing hypnosis in a licensed field such as medicine
or mental health) is "What is the law regarding the practice of hypnotherapy
in your state?" In Illinois, it is PA473.

The reason it is important that any prospective hypnotherapist know the law
is because hypnotherapy must be practiced in strict conformity with it. Be
suspicious of anyone who doesn't know the limits of their practice.

Finally, if you are satisfied with the responses to all other questions, ask
yourself one final question. "Am I comfortable with this person?"
Attempting to work with someone who maybe highly qualified but with
whom you have no rapport or with someone you don't feel you can trust will
only serve to interfere with your progress.
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Why does it work?: Characteristics of the Subconscious

"Alright," we may say, "Now that I know what hypnosis is and I'm in it,
what good is it?!"

The ways in which the mind operates in its subconscious mode provide the
answer.

It is instructive to note that our autonomic system is in the subconscious.

That's the system which tells our hearts to beat and our lungs to breathe. It
is because of this we don't have to think (conscious mind), "Oops! Gotta take
a breath now!" or "Time for another heart beat!" Fortunately this is all taken
care of by our subconscious----- automatically. Everything that is done for
our benefit, originates here. Therefore should a hypnotist make an
inappropriate suggestion of any kind, it would be rejected by the client.

A colleague of mine explains to his clients that if he should ask them in

hypnosis to rob every bank in town and bring the money back to him, they
wouldn't do it. He points out that if this would work, he'd be a very wealthy
hypnotherapist! Which he isn't! Our subconscious always has our best
interest as its main concern.
It does other things for us, too. We are bombarded by 60,000 stimuli per
second every minute of our lives. In one minute we receive 3,600,000! One
can only speculate what would happen if they would flood our
consciousness! Especially when we know that our conscious mind can only
be aware of five to seven pieces of information or "clumps" of information at
a time. When it works with one of them that's all it can handle-one thing at a
time.

Emotions and the imagination reside in the subconscious. In an emotional

state, we are motivated to proceed in the direction of what we are imagining.
Emotion is the fuel of the subconscious while imagination is the language.

Habits by definition are those repetitive behaviors that you do "without

thinking." Thinking is a function of the conscious; everything else is in the
subconscious. A habit is usually eliminated by replacing it with another.
Some habits are easier to eliminate than others and if they are firmly held in
the subconscious may require finding the causes and remove them.

The subconscious doesn't "think" in the usual way; it reacts. And it can't
distinguish between reality and unreality; it absorbs all the information
received through the senses as true - as real.

Generally speaking, if two or more emotions are in conflict, the dominate

one wins out over the weaker; imagination wins out over will power;
emotions win out over logic; the subconscious wins out over the conscious.
The subconscious can be your master or your greatest ally in your quest for
success and self-improvement.

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Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, and Hypnotherapists

Pain Management through Hypnosis

Pain management can only be taught on the strength of a doctor's referral

and frequently in consultation with and supervision by him/her. There is
good reason for this: pain is a symptom of something wrong in body and/or
mind.

If the primary cause of the pain is physical, the client can be taught to induce
analgesia or anesthesia in the painful area. In these situations it is usually
adviseable to reduce the pain but not eliminate it. The residual discomfort
reminds the client that there is a physical condition which needs to be or is
being treated and warns him/her not to over do.
A football player may have and injured knee which causes intolerable pain.
If it is eliminated with steroids, he can play as if there is nothing wrong and
without medical intervention damage the knee irreparably. The same risk is
involved in eliminating the pain hypnotically.

Pain may result from a number of non-medical or non-physical causes.

Sometimes a person feeling the weight of intolerable guilt from a real or
imagined experience will inflict pain on oneself to get rid of the guilt or
avoid punishment from a higher authority.

In this situation the objective is to help the client forgive him or herself and
to internalize the release from real or imagined mistakes. Once the client
truly experiences the forgiveness and release, supportive suggestions can be
made which help the client with new subconscious understanding. Often
verbalizing is all that is needed for effective relearning.

If there is resistance to self-forgiveness and to release the self-punishment,

regression therapy or parts therapy is frequently helpful.

Regression therapy is possible thanks to the storage capacity of the

subconscious to store our life-long experiences. A client is guided backward
in time to prior events. The client can either "see" them from a distance
(such as on a tv screen) taking with him his present level of maturity to
understand them or re-experience them and release the associated emotions.
Sometimes there is a part of us that holds on to a symptom or a behavior in
spite of our desire to be rid of it.

The client can be guided to become of aware of this part and the
hypnotherapist can talk to it and negotiate a trade-off in which it can trade
off its unyielding hold on the behavior or symptom and have its need met in
an alternative way. The hypnotherapist becomes not only a negotiator with
the particular part but an arbiter between conflicting parts.

Objectification & Identification

One of the techniques found to be successful in diminshing pain is
objectification and identification. In hypnosis, the client is asked to see a
large circle in front of them. If they can't actually "see" it they can imagine
they see it, the same thing is accomplished. They are asked to let this
represent their pain. Then, they are asked what color it is. They usually see
their pain as red or white hot etc.

If the client is successful in objectifying the pain (by letting it become an

object or in this instance the circle) and identifying the pain with the circle, it
can be controlled by using the imagination to change the circle. At first, the
client is asked to imagine the circle coming nearer and therefore larger as the
color becomes more intense and then asked what they are feeling. If they've
been successful with the objectifying and identifying, the pain increases.
This demonstrates to them that 1) they have control over the pain and 2)
that they can diminish the pain be reversing the process. We then have them
visualize the circle move away from them, shrink in size as the color
becomes less intense, gradually descending the spectrum into the cool
colors. The client experiences the pain diminishing.

These techniques and others, practiced in daily self-hypnosis, allow the

client to control the pain whenever they find it necessary.

There are some other pain management techniques which bear noting:

Pain displacement or Pain Transference: the pain can be moved from its
site to an insignificant place in the body like an earlobe where it can be
modified and reduced.

Glove anesthesia: one of the hands is made numb and then that
numbness is applied to the painful site as it leaves the hand. The numbness
may be induced by the suggestion that the hand is submerged in a bucket of
ice water or injected with lidocaine or novocaine. This is particularly useful
for dental work.

Ideomotor exploration & turning pain off at unconscious level: the

source of the pain can be discovered with questions to be answered by
ideomotor signals (the movement of a finger perhaps). Then an "on/off"
switch can be imagined which when moved to the "off" position in hypnosis
turns off the pain.

The inner advisor: The client imagines an inner advisor who will modify
or release the pain.
 The Protective Shield: Here, the client imagines a protectivedorce around
the body shielding the body from pain and/or unpleasant feelings.

Time and body dissociation: Escape to the enjoyment of a pleasant past

event while healthy and pain free and/or escape to a peaceful place.

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Hypnosis and Phobias

Webster's New World Dictionary defines a phobia as an irrational, excessive

and persistent fear of some thing or situation. Regardless of what the logical
or conscious mind knows and says, these fears persist in the subconscious
mind where they are lodged. Since hypnosis is the most direct way into the
subconscious, it stands to reason that it can become the instrument of
disarming the irrational fear.

Most phobias can be traced to an initial sensitizing event (define or give

examples) and an activating event (define or give examples). These can be
separate events or parts of the same event. The objective of therapy is to
discover the cause(s) and desensitize the client from the fear.
I recently worked with a woman who hadn't flown in 10 years because flying
made her physically ill. After one session she flew to the Bahamas and
actually enjoyed the trip! She subsequently flies everywhere.

Simple phobias are those isolated single fears such as a fear of cats but not
rabbits, a fear of flying, a fear of being in an enclosed space, etc. These
simple phobias can usually be effectively treated in very few sessions.

Complex phobias are multi-faceted. While there may have been one single
activating event, the phobia may not be the real problem at all but rather a
symptom of some deeper unresolved issues. Often there is a strong
emotional component related to the phobia such as low self-esteem attached
to a fear of urinating in a public restroom (Bashful Bladder Syndrome)
coupled with an abusive parent, etc.

Usually the emotional issues must be resolved in order to completely clear

the phobia. While hypnotherapy may prove helpful, it must be done through
psychological counseling, psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, or marriage
counseling.

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Hypnosis and Human Memory

Even in a tranquil environment, we are bombarded by 60,000 stimuli per
second! Every second of every minute of every hour of every day the
barrage continues - unrelentingly.

The biggest barrier to recalling information or memories is stress. Stress is

the static or white noise of the mind and makes recall difficult or impossible.

Since the mind operating in its conscious mode can only hold 4-7 clusters of
information at a time, it falls to the mind in its subconscious mode to store
each and every one of them permanently. This process begins en utero when
the fetus is about 14 weeks old and continues until death. All memories are
permanent, and can be recalled whenever needed.

Because the subconscious is the repository of memories and hypnosis is the

most direct way of accessing it, hypnotherapy is an effective way to recall
information thought to be forgotten. This is accomplished by lessening the
stress and using some techniques of association along with appropriate post-
hypnotic suggestions.

These techniques can be used for everything from locating lost items like
keys, glasses or concert tickets to maximizing recall for students studying or
preparing to take an exam.

Other highly charged memories deeply buried in the subconscious such as

memories of abuse or other childhood trauma can also be elicited. This
uncovering needs to be done by a specialist in forensic hypnosis trained to
interview the client in such a way as not to inadvertantly plant false
memories.

Forensic hypnotists work principally for police departments to elicit details

about crime scenes and alleged perpetrators from victims.

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Hypnosis and Sports Psychology

As one visualizes for example, the perfect back swing, all of the muscles
needed to make it perfect, every muscle needed to accomplish it moves
imperceptibly in the correct way. With continued practice, these same
perfected movements are easily transferred to the golf course, baseball
diamond, or in lifting weights to the field or competition.

Athletes from children's and community or corporate teams to professionals

are finding and using hypnosis to improve their performance. Three of the
major factors which make this possible are the ability to improve focus and
concentration, to relieve unnecessary stress while leaving sufficient "edge"
to perform optimally, and to practice through visualization all of the moves
needed to make the desired improvements to perform better.
One can learn how to get into "The Zone" at will with training and the use of
Light/Sound technology.

Though most do not want it generally known, many individual athletes and
some pro teams have a hypnotherapist with whom they consult regularly or
in some cases travel with them to coach them in the use of hypnosis to
improve and maintain their performance.

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-------Hypnosis and Stress Management

The holidays are a time for family and friends and relaxation.
Unfortunately, many suffer from holiday stress every year at the same
time.&nbps; Hypnotherapy can help you to deal with deal with the holidays
and get some stress relief through a relaxing process.

Stress is something we all complain about yet a definition of it alludes us.

There innumerable definitions around, but one of the most useful is: "Stress
is any change to which you must adjust".

Most of us think of stressful situations as being negative: illness, death of a

friend or loved one, being fired from your job, flunking out of school,
divorce and so on. But situations commonly thought of as positive produce
stress as well: moving to a new home, getting a promotion, going away to
college, getting married.
Stress comes from external and internal sources. It may come from the
environment, or from the body and/or the thoughts and emotions.

Hypnosis, or rather self-hypnosis, is useful in teaching to reduce the stress.

In addition, other techniques such as nutrition, time management,
assertiveness training, autogenics, visualization, meditation, breathing, job
stress management and biofeedback can be employed