Archive for December, 2006

I know all about relaxation. I do it everyday.

The sixty-some mile an hour winds in a cold-dark house were too much for me! I would drift into that delicious state just before sleep and BOOM, something hard would hit something equally stubborn and my body would jolt, without moving, from that point just before sleep.

Oh good, I would note, the huge trees around the house are still standing. And then I would drift again and almost be asleep and CRACK, I would hear a branch fall and note to myself, thank you, we are still safe. And so it went, until I finally fell asleep.

When I assessed the neighborhood in the morning I had good reason to be nervous. An entire tree fell and was blocking the street just above our house. A neighbor up the hill lost an entire roof.

After two days of listening to a battery operated radio and repeatedly walking up the street to find that one elusive sweet spot, in the whole neighborhood, where the cell phones work, we are now hooked back into all of the of conveniences of electricity.

We have heat, all of the phones work, and I am online again. Yes!!!!! Now, I can get back to work!!!

The Seattle storm of 2006 is now a memory in my house and I am so thankful as the temperature has dropped to 32 degrees tonight. There are still many households without power. I wish them all a speedy return to the world of lights and heat.

I confess I went to holiday cookie exchange party.

I had to make six dozen cookies to get in the door.

Because I teach workshops on sugar addiction, my cousin said this was like

an alcohol counselor going to a bar.

OK. I did find fourteen sets of six dozen cookies quite beautiful.

In my defense, I am going to have a house full of hungry teenagers

and, I got some great material (cookies and stories). I just don’t want to eat those cookies!

Sugar is a drug and I have had my share of challenges with it.

As a hypnotherapist helping people lose weight, I can

assure you that I am not alone. Sugar is a big problem for lots of people.

This group consisted of two trainers, several of their clients, an acupuncturist, cyclists and triathletes.

We ate an extremely healthy dinner.

This is what I heard…

"My husband wants to know what we are going to do with these cookies.

What he really wants to know is whether he will get any of these cookies!”

“I need a plan so I don’t go home and eat them all.”

“I freeze mine and take them out to take to parties.”

Most sugar addicts wouldn’t let a frozen cookie slow them down.

We get to go around the table once and take four of each kind of cookie.

Fourteen women become very quiet. This is business.

And then we go around again and we can take one of each.

A woman at the end of the table suddenly gets the look of a huntress.

I tease her. She doesn’t deny it.

I get in my car with more sugar than I have had in my possession in a long time.

I am nervous. Will they make it to the freezer?

My tolerance is very low. The little bit of testing I did while I was baking

has me feeling like an uprooted tree. The vegetables at dinner grounded me and I want

to go home, put the cookies in the freezer, go to sleep, and wake up hungry for an egg.

I sent out a notice to my clients that I am offering four sessions for the normal cost of three. These can be used in 2007 but purchased now.

I was really surprised at the number of responses I received from people who want to come in for a stress reduction session NOW!

People in the know about hypnosis, know, that the greatest side-effect is the complete relaxation. It is amazing how relaxing your mind and body changes your perceptions for the better. And the more stressed one is, the more, one seems to appreciate the change.

So if I had spammed the world with, Recipe for More Mental Massages which I , by the way, would not do, I don't think too many people would get it. But people who have already experienced hypnosis and do not associate it with a stage show, wanted to sign up right away.

 I would like to help move hypnosis  into the main stream as a very practical and beneficial way we can all improve the quality of our thoughts and life experiences.