Archive for the ‘Change Your Mind’ Category

You may have heard rumblings lately, not from your own stomach, but from the media, comparing today’s financial freeze to the Great Depression.

If you are old enough to read this, you have some image in your mind of what that might mean. I think of my own Mom being sent to the neighborhood grocery store as a little girl because she would not be denied credit, where others in her family might have been.

My friend's mom told of the Italian women cleverly gathering dandelion greens underneath their skirts, so as to not be seen.

I know that my great-grandfather, a well respected merchant, lost his store in the depression.

The word depression conjures up fear. Recession doesn't bring up joyful thoughts either.

We do not know what is going to happen and all the peanut butter in the world is not going to take away the fear of the unknown. The fear is only as real as you make it, because really, fear is the playground for the imagination.

There is a strong connection between distress and sticking something into our mouths.

Imagine a baby screaming: in the top three things of what to do, sticking something into the mouth is on the list. I am sure you have witnessed the desperate ensuing sucks that may, or may not have to do with hunger.

Of course, as adults, we know better. Yes, we do, and when we act against our better judgment, the guilt is enormously heavy. The connection between food and fear is not something we talk about too much. It creeps into my office.

Last week I heard these words from a young mom healing her own relationship with food, "I notice my Mom feeding my baby in a kind of frenzy. He hasn't finished what is in his mouth and more is coming. He can't talk. You can see it in his eyes that he can't keep up."

I noticed it in myself when I was a college kid responsible for a friend's farm. Something had gone wrong and I found myself putting a cookie in my mouth as I headed out the door to see what could be done.

I once had a client with severe test anxiety, who during a test break downed a whole pitcher of beer.In the Middle Ages, beer was valued for its nutrition.

Was he thirsty?   Was I hungry?    Does the little baby have much choice?

Many of us have complex relationships with food and eating that often have nothing to do with being hungry or being sated.

Of course, if you are putting food into your mouth faster than a model changes, you would like to be gently hit in the side of the head with a soft two-by-four, so you will never do it again.

With a little time and dedication, you can change your mind and your behavior.   Find out more..

I hope you enjoy Nina Simone, and this song, as much as I do. Sugar, more often than not, is a euphemism in music. This is one of my favorites. Her artistry is incredible.

In the past Letting Go of Sugar Hypnosis Hour, attended by “newbies” and “old timers” I was reminded that it is a journey, and not a destination. It is certainly not about never having sugar again, but It is about changing your relationship.

Sugar happens to be a drug, which some of us have or have had a harder time with than others. I began by explaining my own love of sugar.

Sometimes people don’t hear that so I give details, “Back in the day, I would treat myself to a pound of Dilettante chocolate, way too many Snickers bars, and if you want to hear about my love of frosting and cake, pull up a chair.

I had gone to Simply Desserts in Fremont because a new client waxed poetic about their cakes, and I wanted something very tempting for class. As soon as I walked in the door, I was nearly knocked down by the smell of sweetness and then I was in the Dreamland: picture perfect red-headed girls, a beautiful mom, wide planked wooden floors, and cakes from fairy tales. Yes, a real drug den.

I left without a piece of cake. I had to go somewhere less intoxicating.

The first time Catherine came to my one of my Sugar Workshops she confessed that it was either a sugar day or not a sugar day. On a sugar day, she would eat pretty much only sugar.

I would like to say she immediately took the cure after that one class, years ago, but she did not. Catherine is a good example of determination. She came back several times. With the combination of EFT, hypnosis, counseling and her own very stubborn spirit, she changed her mind and has turned her behavior around.

My spirit soared when she said, “I just take care of myself. I eat what I want.” Next up was Patty. She said, “I can’t believe how far I have come. I used to say, “I am going to be bad and have this.” Now it makes me laugh and I cringe a bit when others say it. If I really don’t want something and I feel tempted, I just imagine pickle juice. It is kind of fun and I am almost fifty pounds down, yeah me!”

Did it take each of us some time? Yes. Was it worth it? You betcha!

A newer client talked about how she loves to go out and treat herself. Her affection wanders but is consistent in that all sweets are special, and especially when shared. As we used EFT on her desire for the beautiful and sexy piece of cake I did bring to class, her craving waned and she made the comment, “If you are going to mess with me, I don’t want it.”

We did a couple of EFT rounds of tapping and I slipped in some statements about entitlement. When I finally ask her if I could throw her piece of the cake in the garbage, she did not flinch, but I could feel that going through her mind was, “I can go buy my own piece of cake.”

We saw each other the next day and this is what she said: “When I left class I thought, I can go buy a piece of cake. But then I thought, I am kind of hungry, I want some protein. For some reason I drove by Red Lobster and I wanted to go in. I have never even been to a Red Lobster before. Then I wanted deep fried prawns. I haven’t had deep fried prawns since I was a little kid. It used to be my favorite. I stopped eating them after I ordered prawns a restaurant that was a little more expensive than usual for my family. When I bit into one it was runny, but I knew if I said I didn’t like it, I would get into trouble, so I said it didn’t taste right, because that was the safer thing to say. My step dad immediately said, “You ordered it you have to eat it.” My mom reached over and took a small taste and she said, “They don’t taste right.” My step dad thought she was just siding with me and insisted I eat them. Well, my mom bless her, ate half, and we both got really sick.

He never admitted there was anything wrong with those prawns. We were just sticking together. “ At home her step dad was allowed sweets, but she wasn’t.

That Hypnosis Happy Hour for Sugar was in July. I ran into her yesterday and she said, Yes, I still have my favorite bakeries, but my approach is different, I don’t feel so compelled and sometimes I can take a few bites and leave the rest. I also spoke to Catherine today; she said she made a pumpkin pie, ate one piece, felt satisfied, and someone else ate the rest.

To learn more about how you too can change your mind about sugar, check out Letting Sugar Go, a great way to ease your way into a different relationship with all things sweet.

Sorry I could not resist that headline.

Did you happen to see the dreamy Australian Olympian, Steve Hooker, win the Gold Medal in pole vaulting?I didn't either. Below is a link for you to check out some incredible photographs of pole vaulting.This is not a sissy sport.

Apparently this Seth was throwing tantrums a few years back because he could not make himself do what he wanted to do, which was jump. He had been injured and was afraid. Who can't relate to that?

Hooker told the Australian daily, “ I was in a miserable bad mood. Your whole life, it really brings it down when it’s really what you want to do and you can’t do it just because it’s not clicking in your brain. A lot of people’s careers end with this sort of thing but I just really worked hard. I tried a million different things to try and get around it.”

What finally did it……. hypnosis. And as I read the various interviews, I was fascinated but how he repeatedly describes relaxing and being in the moment.

He says,   “One of the big changes I have made, is that I don’t think about consequences of missing or clearing. I didn’t think about the interviews I would have to do if I missed and came fifth in the Olympics, none of that stuff.”

Of his big night he says, “I was pushing too hard on the runway and I just  really needed to let it go,” he says. “My whole focus at the moment is  about relaxing. I jump much better when I relax. But I wasn’t that  relaxed at the start of the competition.”

Going from throwing tantrums to relaxing into the moment is clearly changing your mind.  We can thank Steve Hooker for giving us a great example of how it can be done.

I have successfully worked with many athletes.

My first experience  was when Alex, a dear friend of ours, asked me to help her get over her fear of high jumping.  She and my daughter braved the track field their Freshman year, and while my daughter took to the High Jump immediately, Alex was afraid, but did not want to be left behind. I worked with her for about twenty minutes.

And to her credit, not only was she jumping the next day, she went on to set the school record in High Jump as a Freshman.  This got me into a bit of trouble with my daughter, but all was forgiven when she went on to Place at state (yes, she had a little hypnotic help).

Most kids access their imagination quickly and can often make changes very quickly.

For instance,this past week I worked with an adorable young girl who was afraid to fall asleep.  EFT is a fun effective way to help kids get over fears and together we sang, "I am going to wipe (her particular scary image) right out of my head…. one.. two…… three… four.. five..and then with the flair of a girl who knew all about Hermine in Harry Potter she said, "Disappear".  Pure magic.

I can not personally speak for her method because I am asleep before I can think about it. However, when I do the little routine:sing "I am going to wipe (chosen message) out of head. One..two..three..four…five…Disappear.  My mood improves immeasurably.

And on that note, you have a fine day.

For the IAAF story on Steve Hooker Pole Vaulting and pictures:

Quote: To surrender is the most noble thing you can do. It is not an act of defeat, but rather an openness to the unknown. T.O.

In last month’s Hypnosis Hour, we worked on Clearing Clutter. I confessed to the group that part of my motivation for offering the class was the laundry basket that kept reappearing in my bedroom.

As part of sending my baby off to college, I had redone my bedroom, but still the “mom’s room laundry basket” hadn’t disappeared.

Even if the clothes are clean, I do not want to sleep with a laundry basket in my room. Well, a few days after class, as I was emptying it, the daughter and came in asked if she could have it for her dorm room. Well sure, you betcha.

Then I called my friend and fellow hypnotist-friend Gail Sotnik. I call her the room genius. She can take whatever is available, and I have seen it be not much, and still, she can create a whole new look.

I know to get out of her way, be quiet, and yet be ready to “hold something” or “fetch”. Yea, she is that good! She surveyed my room and asked, “What do you want to accomplish?”

“I want to lose the utilitarian feel of this room. I am looking for fun!”

Well, she did her magic, and I now wake up wondering if I am on a ship headed for a tropical island. There is not a laundry basket in sight!

So if I am the practitioner, why did I get so much from the session on Clearing Clutter?

There is something with EFT we call Borrowing Benefits. Whether I am tapping on someone, or they are tapping on themselves, or any one of us is watching the process, the inevitable happens: we go inside to check our own stories. Our perception begins to change and change begins to happen. How cool is that?

During hypnosis hour, one of the topics which emerged was the tendency to hold on to things out of fear. We never know when we might need it.

The second biggest reason was obligation. If someone I care about gave it to me, I need to keep it even if I don’t like it!

Surrounding yourself with things you keep out of guilt, is a heavy existence. My favorite book is Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston.

Other authors have followed her. Perhaps most famous is Clean Sweep by Peter Walsh. He expands on the relationship between weight and clutter.

The important questions are,”Do you love it?” and “Are you using it?” One participant reported that she had been getting rid of stuff like crazy, including three raincoats.

Reach Your Goal helps you drink more water and release unconscious sabotaging behaviors. You can listen to it in the car.