I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about hypnosis for kids. I can't say I have a great deal of experience with this segment of the population, but I have worked with a few kids, and generally speaking they are terrific subjects! The more imaginative they are (just as with adults), the better experience they're going to have. The coolest thing about kids is that they typically don't have any pre-conceived notions about what hypnosis is or is not - notions which, more often than not, limit adults.
I have done a little bit of work with my own children, but most notably I find that they are very responsive to the 7th Path system of Self Hypnosis. This system works within the individual's Mind/Body/Spirit framework, and consists of 9 Reflections. We do our Reflections each night at bedtime, and it really helps them settle into a calmer state of mind. Right now, I have given them 6 of the 9 Reflections, and they are asking me when I will give them the 7th. I love that!
My eldest has also reported that on occasion, when she gets upset at school, she'll start reciting her Reflections in her mind, and that it does help her calm down more quickly and easily when she does.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
First Blog Post - or How I got from There to Here
While I am not new to personal Journaling, I am new to Blogging for my business.
2008 was a year of many changes for me, and found me going freelance with my hypnosis work. Positive Changes was a wonderful learning experience for me, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had there, but everything changed for me when Dave and Holley decided to sell the business. Nicholas had a very different vision for the business, and ultimately he parted ways with Positive Changes as well. I respected Nicholas and his desire to run the business his way, but our philosophies were not the same.
When I originally took my training with PCH in 2003, it seemed almost too easy - much of what I was given in my training materials were concepts and techniques that I was already familiar with. I received my certification, granted by the International Society of Psycholinguists (I believe this was a group run solely by Patrick, the founder of Positive Changes), and was told that with that certification, I could join the American Board of Hypnotherapy. I was not informed that I would need ongoing training to maintain that certification, nor was I encouraged to seek out further training. On my own, I read as much as I could from sources outside of PCH, in addition to meeting regularly with my co-workers.
From the very beginning, I knew that one day I would want to strike out on my own - little did I know it would take me 5 years to do so! I also knew that I wanted to become the very best hypnotist that I could possibly be. I noticed that while some of my clients responded very well to hypnotic suggestion, most did not have the kind of success that I knew hypnosis could give them. The more this happened, the more I became convinced that this was a problem in the hypnotic techniques I was using - NOT a problem with any of the clients. I simply did not know enough to give them the help they wanted and needed.
Early in 2008, I started looking into advanced training. At the same time, Nicholas was making plans to move the office into South Austin - tripling my daily commute. The client base was shrinking, too, and I had less and less to do. I knew my days with PCH were numbered, one way or another.
I found the methodology I wanted to learn - 5 PATH hypnosis, and found a training center in Dallas. In three 3-day weekends, I could get advanced training, and my certification would be recognized by the National Guild of Hypnotists - the oldest, largest, and most well-respected hypnosis organization in the world. Sadly, the trainer I wanted to learn from did not receive her State certification in time, so my training was postponed another two months. Happily, though, I ended up taking the training directly from the gentleman who developed 5 PATH. I was able to attend this training in an interactive online setting - 10 hours a day for 10 days - so I didn't have to leave my family (or pay for travel, food and accommodations - a HUGE bonus!).
The things I learned in this two-week course absolutely changed the way I looked at hypnosis. I always knew it was a powerful tool, but I had NO idea how to use it properly! I couldn't wait to start using this amazing information. The only thing I was missing was clients. Okay, and an office.
I left Positive Changes for good in late June of 2008. I started my training in early July. During the time I was in training, a new opportunity came along for me. I was asked to partner with a new company - Austin Health and Wellness Architects. I was given a furnished office to work from, and things were looking up. I got in touch with some former clients who had become disillusioned with the program at PCH, and we started working together with tremendous success. Sadly, AHWA did not manage to attract enough clients, and the doors closed in early October. I was left without an office once more. Even though my hypnosis business was slowing down, my music kept me really busy in the last months of 2008.
2009 has found me with a renewed enthusiasm for building my business. My sister, Teresa Barr-Jones, is my web designer. My friend Deanna Goodson is helping me with web content and marketing ideas. Another friend, who is a massage therapist, is looking to share office space until I can find more permanent digs and get them furnished. I'm reaching out to more former clients, working to attract new clients, and I'm hoping to become a Certified Professional Hypnosis Instructor by the end of the year. This stuff is just too good not to share!
2008 was a year of many changes for me, and found me going freelance with my hypnosis work. Positive Changes was a wonderful learning experience for me, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had there, but everything changed for me when Dave and Holley decided to sell the business. Nicholas had a very different vision for the business, and ultimately he parted ways with Positive Changes as well. I respected Nicholas and his desire to run the business his way, but our philosophies were not the same.
When I originally took my training with PCH in 2003, it seemed almost too easy - much of what I was given in my training materials were concepts and techniques that I was already familiar with. I received my certification, granted by the International Society of Psycholinguists (I believe this was a group run solely by Patrick, the founder of Positive Changes), and was told that with that certification, I could join the American Board of Hypnotherapy. I was not informed that I would need ongoing training to maintain that certification, nor was I encouraged to seek out further training. On my own, I read as much as I could from sources outside of PCH, in addition to meeting regularly with my co-workers.
From the very beginning, I knew that one day I would want to strike out on my own - little did I know it would take me 5 years to do so! I also knew that I wanted to become the very best hypnotist that I could possibly be. I noticed that while some of my clients responded very well to hypnotic suggestion, most did not have the kind of success that I knew hypnosis could give them. The more this happened, the more I became convinced that this was a problem in the hypnotic techniques I was using - NOT a problem with any of the clients. I simply did not know enough to give them the help they wanted and needed.
Early in 2008, I started looking into advanced training. At the same time, Nicholas was making plans to move the office into South Austin - tripling my daily commute. The client base was shrinking, too, and I had less and less to do. I knew my days with PCH were numbered, one way or another.
I found the methodology I wanted to learn - 5 PATH hypnosis, and found a training center in Dallas. In three 3-day weekends, I could get advanced training, and my certification would be recognized by the National Guild of Hypnotists - the oldest, largest, and most well-respected hypnosis organization in the world. Sadly, the trainer I wanted to learn from did not receive her State certification in time, so my training was postponed another two months. Happily, though, I ended up taking the training directly from the gentleman who developed 5 PATH. I was able to attend this training in an interactive online setting - 10 hours a day for 10 days - so I didn't have to leave my family (or pay for travel, food and accommodations - a HUGE bonus!).
The things I learned in this two-week course absolutely changed the way I looked at hypnosis. I always knew it was a powerful tool, but I had NO idea how to use it properly! I couldn't wait to start using this amazing information. The only thing I was missing was clients. Okay, and an office.
I left Positive Changes for good in late June of 2008. I started my training in early July. During the time I was in training, a new opportunity came along for me. I was asked to partner with a new company - Austin Health and Wellness Architects. I was given a furnished office to work from, and things were looking up. I got in touch with some former clients who had become disillusioned with the program at PCH, and we started working together with tremendous success. Sadly, AHWA did not manage to attract enough clients, and the doors closed in early October. I was left without an office once more. Even though my hypnosis business was slowing down, my music kept me really busy in the last months of 2008.
2009 has found me with a renewed enthusiasm for building my business. My sister, Teresa Barr-Jones, is my web designer. My friend Deanna Goodson is helping me with web content and marketing ideas. Another friend, who is a massage therapist, is looking to share office space until I can find more permanent digs and get them furnished. I'm reaching out to more former clients, working to attract new clients, and I'm hoping to become a Certified Professional Hypnosis Instructor by the end of the year. This stuff is just too good not to share!
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