Articles!
"You are just fooling people to feel better", he said!
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Sometime ago I was conducting a seminar on Stress Management for a company. During one of the breaks, I was approached by a very well-dressed, articulate man, with an extremely determined look on his face. He told me that he was a corporate trainer and stated that what I was teaching was not “reality”. I asked what he meant by that statement. And he responded, “You know as well as I do that all the people here are really being fooled into feeling better”. The statement took me aback momentarily. I was so tempted to say, “I’m sure that you don’t mean ‘all’ the people because you are leaving the two of us out of the scenario”. “George, hold your tongue”, I thought. This would have sounded like a “smart alec” response, and I was certainly not about to share my “Blink”. How do I get myself in these situations anyway? It’s been said that, “We attract what we project”. So maybe it’s because I absolutely “love” a good debate.
I’ve mentioned in previous articles, that when dealing with a perceived verbal attack by someone, I instinctively step into “second person” as quickly as possible. This enables me to better understand a person’s motive. Naturally, it’s just my perception of their motive, but it helps soften any of my potential defense mechanisms. The corporate trainer said, “Fooled”. By definition “to fool” means to “deceive, trick, or dupe”. Was I really fooling these people? And what if I were? They were learning a lot of useful techniques, feeling good and having fun. Shouldn’t that be what’s important? I asked “Mr. Corporate Trainer” whom I’ll call “Joe”, what his specialty was, and not surprisingly he said, “Stress Management”. Gee, I just love having a learned critic in my class – NOT! This man did appear to be very articulate, and seemed to have a great deal of knowledge and experience, so I decided to have a good, healthy interaction. Continue Reading
Using the MBIS(TM) Method with the Performing Artist
© 1997 George Bien All Rights Reserved
Some of you know that before I delved into a fulltime hypnosis career, I was a fulltime professional musician and taught music at Five Towns College and York College of the City University of New York. So this stuff is very close to my heart. The market has never been greater for work in this field. This includes working with actors, dancers, vocalists, instrumentalists, comedians, the list is endless. Virtually everyone in one of these fields eventually falls into a slump, and you as a hypnotist, are there to help. The MBIS ™ Process is actually a hypnotic ritual that I developed about 18 years ago.
Performers have often spoken of “a sense of power,” occurring at the apex of the peak performance experience that transcends their ordinary levels of ability and that seems to come from outside them. They have often described how at moments of peak performance, they felt consumed by the momentum of the performance itself, as though they were acting automatically, their minds and bodies like instruments perfectly tuned to the moment. They describe how the actual performance itself took over, and how they became perfectly and totally synchronized within it.
A well-know British surgeon of the last century, Sir James Paget, once timed a piano performance of a “Presto” (a very fast musical composition) by Mendelssohn. The pianist played 5,995 notes in four minutes and three seconds, or more than 24 notes per second. Now that’s pretty fast! But there’s much more. Each note required at least two voluntary movements - lifting and pressing - as well as the side-to-side movements required for change of direction. Dr. Paget estimated that no fewer than 72 distinct actions per second were required. Wow! Continue Reading
The Strength of Any Person is in his/her flexibility
© 2004 George Bien All Rights Reserved
I experienced something during the end of January that I feel needs attention for the benefit of all people involved in the Healing Arts - the aspect of "Synergy". I had a heated discussion with an NLP Trainer. Perhaps, it was actually a debate. He claimed that NLP was much more effective than “simple hypnosis” (his words), and said that he used NLP exclusively! “How can you compare Mapping Across with Submodalities to giving basic suggestions to a hypnotized subject?” he asked. “Then there’s the aspect of Anchoring – Chaining and Stacking. And what about the Visual Squash and the Fast Phobia Cure?” he continued. “In typical 18 or more-day NLP trainings, only 2 days are usually devoted to hypnosis. Obviously, NLP is much more important and involved,” he demanded.
I did everything I could to control myself from grabbing this guy by the neck and screeming, "Wake up!" I usually do my best to go into “second person” when discussing (debating) something with someone. What could this person be thinking, feeling, seeing, and what could be his/her motivation, outcome, self-talk? This NLPer was obviously very adamant about his convictions, and didn’t show any signs of flexibility. He must have been suffering from amnesia, because he seemed to have forgotten the NLP Presupposition, “The element in any system with the most flexibility will be the controlling element and have the greatest influence” - the Law of Requisite Variety. He was so rigid that our more than two-hour debate didn't even make a dent in expanding his thinking. He would say things like, "I've seen so many so-called 'trained hypnotists' work who couldn't even utilize effective hypnotic language," and "Give me a person with a problem, and I'll solve it without even knowing what the problem is. What hypnotist could do that?" This guy was so wrapped up in himself, that when I sarcastically said, "I really admire your humility," he answered, "Thank you, I'm not the bragging type." Continue Reading
"Hypnotherapist" or "Hypnosis Consultant"? The choice is up to you!
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
I am often asked about the uses of hypnosis in the corporate sector. So let me tell you what I've experienced. Hypnotherapists who are so attached to the word "hypnotherapist" could find that it may not open too many doors in the corporate arena. There’s been a “buzzword” in the field of hypnosis for a number of years, and that word is “hypnosis consultant”. It might have stemmed from the
New Jersey
law that required hypnotherapists who were not licensed as mental health practitioners to change their title to “hypno-technician” and/or “consultant in hypnosis”. What term you use depends on the laws in your state, and specifically how you want to want represent yourself. I like terms like “peak performance consultant”, “hypnotic sales consultant” and the above “buzzword”, “hypnosis consultant”. In my experience, many business people are not looking for actual therapy (they often already have personal shrinks), but rather simply want to gain a winning-edge in the careers. This is not to say that they don’t need therapy, but if I approached them as a hypnotherapist, they would have looked elsewhere. The other fringe benefit is that doing hypnotherapy can at times be extremely draining, while hypnotically educating, motivating and programming an individual is often extremely uplifting. Personally, after doing one of these sessions, I feel like I’m ready to take on the world! Continue Reading
Using Music to Enhance Your Hypnotherapy Sessions/Presentations
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
The great psychic and healer, Edgar Cayce, stated that "sound" would be "the medicine of the future." In order to see the future, we sometimes have to look to the past. Music, for the ancients, served to create balance, harmony and health, and to alter moods and behavior patterns. Our ancestors knew that everything in the universe is in a state of vibration, and metaphysics teaches us that we are a microcosm of the universe - that we have all energies within us. Every cell in our bodies resonates sound and can respond to any other sounds outside our bodies. Over the years, there has been a continual rise of programs on the market that are going back to the roots, utilizing so-called "primordial sounds," such as heartbeats, water, dolphin clicks and sacred instruments from Tibet and Japan. Also used are the resonances of the electromagnetic vibrational patterns recorded by NASA Voyager I and II space probes as they passed the outer planets of our solar system. When played through loudspeakers, these form haunting three dimensional "soundscapes," resembling our basic primordial sounds. Perhaps there is a basic "Dial Tone of the Universe" in which these sounds play a major role. The ancient Hindus said, "Nada Brahma" - "the fundamental reality is sound."
Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher and teacher, conceived of the universe as a vast musical instrument and advanced the theory that all things - animate and inanimate - were constructed upon harmonic patterns. He further showed that it was possible to translate these patterns into groups of notes called "chords," and that specific sequences of sound can actually accelerate our healing energies. In Don Campbell's book, “Music and Miracles," Dr. Donald Epstein, D.C., reminds us that "the origins of chiropractic are tone and vibratory waves in the body. Listening to the breath and voice as spinal adjustments are made gives us insight into the emerging awareness that the body itself is tone." Yes, sound does vibrate in everything, hence it affects everything. You may use music to help your clients to relax, and create positive affirmation-accepting states. With music playing in the background, you might say to your client, "Take a deep breath and close your eyelids down....allow my voice to take you on a journey of relaxation and well-being....as I continue speaking, allow yourself to turn further and further inward...taking that special journey of new discoveries...new understandings...new realities...bringing together your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual energies...allow the things that I say to help create the necessary balance within you...as your inner creative mind allows specific changes to take place... simply because you allow these special changes to take place . . . . . changes that bring you closer to that special magnificence that you know you truly are . . . . . Continue Reading
When Ignorance Becomes Enlightenment!
© 2006 George Bien All Rights Reserved
I didn't expect to have a debate right after Halloween, but I'm always open to an interaction, even when it's with a person of staunch rigitity!
It’s been said that Halloween originated as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain. Immigrants brought it to North America in the 19th Century.
To this day in much of the Western World, children dress up as ghosts, ghouls, witches, warlocks, vampires, goblins, and more. Why would I bring this up? Well, I do have my reasons, and for some of you, the following might be a bit controversial. It is, however, important that you have a good argument for the use of hypnosis if it's ever attacked by uninformed religious zealots.
Some of you may know that I’m a student of world religions, and I do my best to understand, explore and experience their teachings. During my many trips abroad, I’ve had the privilege and honor of visiting numerous Churches, Mosques, Hindu Temples, Buddhist Temples, etc. And I’ve met so many open-minded people who were actually intrigued by hypnosis and its uses. Well, just the other day I had a debate with a Deacon from a Baptist Church in New York, about the integrity of hypnosis. He claimed that hypnosis was anti-Christian, and the work of the Devil. I said that it was not anti-any religion, not the work of the Devil, and in fact could actually help enhance a person’s connectivity with a Divine Presence. It was all about a person’s “intention”. The Deacon vehemently denied this possibility. Following are a few highlights from what I had said in defense of hypnosis: Continue Reading
Effective Uses of Imagery
© 1996 George Bien All Rights Reserved
I cannot overstate the importance of training your clients to better utilize imagery, especially if you're focusing on sports hypnosis. Although my primary focus is sports in this issue, the techniques can be adapted to virtually any client. Like the question above from Lawrence, I often hear the following questions from participants in my seminars: How can I get my clients involved in imagery itself? What do I do with clients who say that they can’t visualize?
The brain and nervous system deal in mental images. It was Aristotle who said, “The soul . . . never thinks without a picture.” Since we all dream, and in dreams the predominant sense modality is visual, we all are capable and do, in fact, experience visual imagery. It is rare to find a person without this ability. However, as we grow older and rely less and less on fantasy, this ability begins to dissipate. Many people end up having a very limited ability in the visual mode and, hence, feel that they are unable to image.
It should be pointed out to these people that imagery involves all of the sense modalities, and an athlete, who perhaps has trouble seeing an image, may feel it very strongly. The more senses you involve, the greater the impact of the imagery. It is important, however, to understand that the success of imagery procedures is determined not only by the ability to form vivid images but also by the ability to control these images. If the individual can produce vivid images but is unable to control them, he/she cannot fully utilize their effectiveness.
I use the following four basic steps when using visualization and guided imagery exercises with a client:
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Hypnotic relaxation exercises, since a relaxed mind can produce clearer images;
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Imagining exercises, letting the images come to the client rather than forcing them to appear;
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Focusing exercises to help the client sharpen his/her inner vision and awareness and to control these images. These exercises become mental visual ''workouts'' that tune up the mind, clear up inner vision, and help the clients gain mastery and control over their inner images;
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Body/Sensory awareness exercises, suggestions that the clients see, hear, smell, touch/feel and taste their images. Basically, the client uses all five sense modalities. Continue Reading
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George Answers!
February 2007
Dear George,
“I know that you are both a hypnosis and an NLP trainer. When working with clients do you favor any of the two. If so, which one, and why? This is probably a very elementary question for you, but I'm newly certified and would appreciate your input.”
Thank you for your time.
-Darlene
Dear Darlene,
You bring back a lot of memories of when I was first certified. Almost every question I had was probably elementary for a seasoned pro, but the answers were important and eye-opening for me. In those days I met some extremely pompous, self-aggrandizing hypnotherapy trainers, but the majority of the ones I met were very humble and eager to share. William Ward said, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." I hope that I can rate high in this hierarchy with my answer.
It's been said that all learning begins with the simple phrase, "I don't know". And a person's eagerness to learn contributes greatly to the outcome.
Let’s look at Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and how the process works. Richard Bandler said, “NLP is an attitude and a methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques.” As you can see, in NLP techniques or patterns are last on the list. Before any technique can really be effective, the NLPer should first create rapport. Without this no technique will work. Within that frame is the “outcome.” Without a specific outcome, there’s no way of telling if the behavior is or isn’t relevant. And within that frame you must consider other outcomes, and if the desired outcome would conflict with other outcomes the client has, and/or the outcomes of important people in his/her life. This is ecology. It’s only then that one utilizes various NLP techniques. This is a wonderful structure to work within, and its effectiveness is self-evident. Continue Reading
March 2007
Dear George,
A friend of mine took your “Become a High-Powered Speaker and Trainer” workshop, and told me that you are a composite of some of the top speakers, also some actors, and even comedians, and you display an array of emotions when you present. I’m told that I’m rather bland in front of a group. How did you become a person of so many personalities?”
Thanks,
-Andrew
Dear Andrew,
Will the real George Bien please stand up! LOL! Based on your final question Andrew, I’m guessing that what you said is positive. So, “Thank you.” I would just like to add that I sure hope that if anyone sees a lot of personalities in what I do, they realize that it’s not Les Brown, Wayne Dyer, Terry Cole Whittaker, or George Carlin that they’re watching, but George Bien!
We all have multi-personalities. Have you ever thought about a movie that you’ve seen, and gotten into the role of the leading man or woman? I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard friends of mine imitate Robert DeNiro’s character Travis Bickle in the 1976 movie “Taxi Driver”, when he’s standing in front of a mirror saying, “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?” Or imitating Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in the 1983 film, "Sudden Impact", saying "Go ahead, make my day!" We all go through the imprinting period, the modeling period and the socialization period. We are all natural modelers, and we integrate what we like about others, and sometimes even what we don't like, into our own personalities. The difference is in how comfortable we are in expressing the many facets of our personalities.
When I watch a great speaker (not just listen to, but watch) I automatically get into the role of what they might be thinking, feeling, experiencing, etc. This is also true when I watch a great actor or comedian. To be congruent, you must be associated to the actual experience, or at least to your perception of the experience.
There are number of reasons why a person might not be as expressive as they’d like to be, and two common ones are: 1) they’re uncomfortable displaying vulnerability in front of others; 2) they could have disconnected from their emotions in general because of the pain often associated with feeling. Ask yourself if any of these possibilities hit home. Continue Reading
November 2006
Dear George,
"I'm a newly Certified Hypnotist, and I'm having difficulty separating myself from my clients. What I mean is I'm trying my best to disconnect emotionally. I was told that my emotions would only interfere with my objectivity, and that I must maintain an emotion-free attitude to maintain that objectivity. What's your take on this?"
-John
PS If you don't want to answer me, it's OK.
Dear John,
I'm a bit puzzled by your PS. Even if I didn't use your question in the ezine, why would I not want to answer you? I admit that due to the extraordinary volume of email that I receive, you'd have to be quite patient, and sometimes I do extend the patience of some writers.
Yes, you are correct in saying that as a hypnotist/therapist, you must be as impartial as possible, and maintain consistent objectivity. However, to disconnect from your emotions would make you no more than an automaton. Keep an open mind, avoid being judgmental to the best of your ability, conduct your initial calibrations based on sensory specific detail, then put together a recipe for effective change for the client. But you must bring yourself to this dinner table.
In previous e-zines, I’ve talked about getting out of one's own way. This, of course, is crucial. One does his/her best work when he/she allows the Heart of the Divine Intelligence to work through them. But John, the Divine Intelligence is working through YOU! To shut yourself off emotionally would mean that you wouldn’t feel the core of the Magnificence that would envelope the interactive therapeutic process.
Sometime ago, I did a hypnosis presentation for a wonderful, highly consciously-raised group of people. As is usually the case, people form the group volunteered to come up and have me work with them. It was an absolutely delightful group, yet there was one young lady who said that she couldn’t be hypnotized. My mentor Gil Boyne taught that three things are necessary for successful hypnosis: 1. an excitement of the imagination; 2. mental expectancy; and 3. rapport. This lady’s imagination was hardly excited (even after watching a demonstration with another audience member), and her expectancy was one of total failure to enter hypnosis. She believed this completely. All I had to work with was the rapport. I won’t go into the details of the 20-or-so minutes that I spent with her in front of the group, but the end result was that, not only did she believe that she was hypnotized, we also did some wonderful change work. John, do you think that this would have been possible if I cut myself off from my emotions? If I just went through the gestures of being a staunch professional hypnotherapist who did his best to exclude his feelings and sense of connectivity? Of course not! With all the credentials in the world, I would not have been able to reach this wonderful lady if I didn’t allowed myself to blend, unify, mix, merge, fuse, unite (need I say more) with the experience. Continue Reading
October 2006
Dear George,
"I received my hypnotherapy certification a few years ago and work full time as a hypnotherapist. I've developed quite a large clientele and see 20 to 25 clients a week. The sessions last about 2 hours. Now, here's my challenge: When my day off finally comes around, I feel so drained that it's difficult for me even get out of bed. Don't get me wrong, I love my work, and I'm doing a lot better than most of the hypnotherapists in my area, but I'm afraid that I might burn out. What would you suggest? Also, what techniques would you recommend one should use with people who have trouble with imagery."
Thanks in advance,
-Lawrence
Dear Lawrence,
Hey, it's only one question per customer. Just kidding!
I'm going to answer your second question first. You used the word "imagery". For a person to have trouble with imagery, he/she would have to be blind, deaf and paralyzed. And even in such an extreme case, they would probably experience some form of imagery. Imagery can be visual, auditory and/or kinesthetic. I believe that you mean "visualization", which is strictly visual.
We all know the old Chinese Proverb that says, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. The literal translation actually is: “A picture’s meaning can express ten thousand words”.
Having a strong visual ability is a great asset. There are many therapeutic techniques, like the NLP “Fast Phobia Technique”, that work best visually. People are born with the ability to visualize but some lose a bit or most of that ability over time due to lack of use. Yet what is interesting is that often these same people actually see very well with their eyes closed when they dream quite vividly. My father will tell you that when he closes his eyes, he can’t see anything. Yet when asked to describe a car he previously owned, or a person he knew in his youth, he describes both quite well. His eyes also move up left, which in NLP terminology means that he is accessing visual-remembered information as a normally organized person. He has simply lost touch with an ability that he actually still has. An exercise you can do with your clients is to have them stare at an extremely well-lit object for a few moments (focus a lamp or flashlight on the object). Have them then look away and attempt to reproduce the image in front of them with their eyes open. After this exercise is satisfied, have them attempt to reproduce the image with their eyes closed. Then have them go back and forth - eyes open, then eyes closed - attempting to reproduce the image.
Below is my adaptation of a B. J. Hartman induction that can be used with people who can visualize but need a little help in boosting that ability. It can also be effective as a form of disguised hypnosis with a client who may have some fears about being hypnotized. Bernard James Hartman wrote a wonderful book, “A System of Hypnotherapy” (1980 Burnham Inc. Publisher).
While the client is still in the waking state, say the following: “What I would like you to do is to close your eyes and visualize or imagine some things, and when you do, let me know that you have done so by nodding your head. If you understand what I mean, please nod your head now. Good . . . . . Excellent. I want you to visualize or imagine a house . . . . That’s right . . . . Now, a tree . . . . good, very good. Now I’d like you to imagine a person . . . . That’s right, and now an animal . . . . Good.” After the client imagines each suggested picture, begin chunking it down (types of house; type of tree; type of person; type of animal). Continue this until the client is able to imagine or visualize a number of suggested objects. When the client successfully creates the suggested images, say to the client: “That’s good. Now just keep your eyes closed, and in your mind’s eye, see yourself as you are here, sitting in the recliner (chair, etc.), except for one thing - the image of yourself has his/her eyes open . . . .”
“My comments now will NOT be directed towards you. Rather, they will be directed to image of you in your mind’s eye. I want you to see that image of you with his/her eyes open, staring out into space . . . . . Staring so much that your image of you has a desire to close his/her eyes. Eyes tiring . . . . . oh so heavy . . . . . oh so drowsy . . . . . oh so sleepy . . . . . The image of you just wanting to close those eyes . . . . . feeling so good . . . . . yet so . . . . . . drowsy . . . . . so droopy . . . . . . so sleepy . . . . . . Now, just let me know by nodding your head, when that inner image of you closes his/her eyes. Eyelids . . . . . . so heavy . . . . . . so very heavy . . . . . . . so droopy . . . . . . so sleepy. Good . . . . . . now just go deeper into relaxation.” Gauge your suggestions based on your calibration of the client’s responses. Now let me answer your first question. Continue Reading
Dear George,
"Do you ever get hecklers or trouble makers in your talks or seminars? If so, how do you handle them?"
Thanks,
-Michael
Dear Michael,
This is certainly a timely question. I feel blessed that I haven’t had a real trouble-maker or problem person in my seminars for longer than I can remember. I’ve happily been attracting people of great quality and character. Yet something happened at the 2007, IACT-IMDHA Miami Conference that was quite the contrary.
I was excited about giving my talk “Celebrating Change”, yet the equipment problems and a disruptive table in the back of the room were enough to dampen any speaker’s sparkle. The wireless microphone had a popping and buzzing sound, so I had to use a hand-held, wired one, with a short cord no less. To top this off, a table in the back of the room was getting more attention than my speech, due to the loud conversation of one of the attendees. Normally, I would have simply walked up to the table and try to win over the talker by engaging in the conversion, but the short mike cable didn’t allow for much mobility. I tried a “dramatic momentary silence”, but that only opened the door for the person’s louder conversation. In hopes of disarming the talker, I was about to bring the obviously needed attention to the table by acknowledging its “wonderful celebrity”, when a sudden hush took over the room and the attention was back on my talk. It was smooth sailing from that moment on, and I enjoyed delivering the message in a passionate and fun way. I found out the next day that a conference attendee actually walked up to the table (out of my view) and scolded the loud-talking perpetrator. She said to the loud-talking woman, “We paid to come here and hear George speak. You are a presenter at this conference. You should know better!” Pretty strong words, don’t you agree? There’s no need to tell you who the “attention-seeking-talker” was. I’ll just say this, “She must have needed more attention than she was getting!” How sad.
In this case, I don’t deserve the credit for defusing the disruptive individual. The talker was put in her place by a conference attendee - an even better scenario.
There are basically four types of people that you will have in a seminar/audience. Let’s start with the “Emotive”. As the name implies, these people are emotionally-driven and are usually well-liked. They’re people-people. They don’t like details. They are process-oriented and enjoy interaction. They smile and gesture enthusiastically and are fun to be around. The can see the big picture. They like getting attention. Continue Reading
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