Get Success Now - Hypnosis, Life Coaching and Self Improvement

Using Music as Stress Management

2008-05-30T05:42:00.006-05:00

There are so many kinds of music - country western, classical, eastern, rap, pop, hip hop, rock and roll, soul...what kind of music are you listening to, and how is it affecting your level of stress?

Music moves us - listening to a sad song can make us feel melancholy, soft jazz piano can calm and soothe us, and rock can make us feel strong, excited, even free. Music has been proven to speed healing, is used in malls to put us in the mood to buy, in churches for inspiration and much more. So can you use music to influence your mood and lower your stress in your daily life? Absolutely.

First, consider your general mood. Are you normally stressed, happy, positive, sad, angry, fearful, even shy? Are there consistent times in your life that you would like to change your mood - maybe the drive home from work, or getting up in the morning, or maybe you stress at night, laying in bed, tossing and turning?

For me...it's that low energy time around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. I've usually been working since six in the morning or so, and I need a little pick up. For me, it could be a little Van Halen or White Snake, or maybe a little Santana. Other people may prefer some upbeat jazz, or pop music. It doesn't really matter, as long as it makes you feel good.

How does music influence our mood like this?

There are many ways music influences our mood. Music is energy - vibrations that have a certain frequency. As we listen to the music, our brainwaves may adjust to match the vibrations of the music. This is why music can be very effective for meditation and hypnosis, it can actually "entrain" the brain to enter a deeper, or more relaxed, aware state.

Your memories may also be part of the influence of music. Many times, the brain stores emotion alongside memories - if a song makes you blue, you might remember a time when you were really sad, and that song came on the radio, virtually anchoring itself to that sad feeling. Your brain would create a direct link between the song and the emotion, so every time you hear the song, that emotion is accessed as well.

Words can also have a large effect on us...there may be words in the music that really resonate with you, like in some inspirational songs. You may relate to the story of a song because of a similar experience. These things can strike a chord (pun intended) with you and alter your mood.

Many people listen to music in the background while they work, drive or do other things. They are not focused on the music, but their inner mind does take it in. If you listen to music with negative or harsh words or themes, you might want to consider that many times when listening to music, people have a tendency to enter into an altered state of awareness. The conscious mind is distracted with work, but the subconscious, or inner mind, is recording and storing it. This can actually cause you to feel more stress. If you listen to a lot of negative music or other media, consider that it can have a negative effect on your beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions. Of course, listening to positive music can have a positive effect on your beliefs, thoughts feelings and actions.

You can use music as a tool to help you achieve the feelings that you want. If you want to have a more relaxed environment at work, play music that calms you and helps you to focus. There is music that is specifically designed to help you meditate, coaxing your brainwaves into a specific pattern. You can play upbeat music when cleaning the house or exercising. If you're feeling down you can listen to inspirational music.

Music can have a big influence on your mood, increasing your ability to relax, making you feel good, increasing your focus and much more. When you choose music for yourself and the people around you, consider how you want to feel, then choose music that can help produce that feeling.

Tracey Burchard is a Hypnotist and Life Coach providing services in the Orlando area and Nationwide by phone. Visit her website at www.bodymindhypnosis.com to learn more about hypnosis and life coaching. Visit our website at http://www.selfhelpfree.com for great free resources, downloads and more self help stuff.

Hypnosis by Phone - Does it Really Work?

2008-05-27T10:42:00.003-05:00

Hypnosis has recently been featured on Oprah, with Brian Weiss doing a demonstration, working with the entire audience to take them through a past life. People are talking about the benefits and effectiveness of hypnosis with smoking cessation, weight loss, fears and much more. The question is, does hypnosis work, and can it work by phone? Can you save gas and relax in the comfort of your own armchair while you are remotely guided into a hypnotic state?

With hypnosis becoming more popular as people are educated about the benefits and safety of this unique art, there are more hypnotists offering sessions by phone. This might seem like a great idea to save gas and time, and to be in your own, comfortable environment while being tranced. Can it happen by phone? Certainly.

Hypnosis is direct communication with the subconscious mind. It's even possible that some people benefit more from a phone session than an in-person session, because they have a higher level of security, safety and comfort - things that, if missing, can keep someone from reaching a sufficient level of focused awareness for hypnosis. Most techniques that are used in a personal setting can easily be transferred to phone - after all, a hypnotist uses words as tools...

Here's a list of the benefits and some potential drawbacks of hypnosis by phone.

Hypnosis is a natural state, much like deep meditation. In your own environment, you could easily feel more comfortable and relax deeper and more easily, attaining a hypnotic state faster. Since hypnosis focuses on direct communication with your subconscious mind, a hypnotist could potentially work with you anywhere, as long as you are receptive to it.

Even though it's a myth that a hypnotist can control you, and that you maintain awareness in a hypnosis session, a distance session could remove that fear for those with nervousness about the issue.

Many people routinely listen to visualization or meditation CDs, or listen to music on their MP3s and are used to listening with headphones (we suggest our phone clients use headphones for their session, if possible). This familiarity can help the session progress faster and headphones help block out distracting noises, helping the client focus in on the hypnotist's voice.

If privacy is an issue for a client, or if they are shy or nervous, the phone creates a barrier that helps them feel safe so they can get the full benefit of the session.

You can choose a hypnotist that is not local. You have a choice of hypnotists, nationwide. For those people in small towns or far from a local hypnotist this is a great benefit. Or if you have not been able to find a local hypnotist that you feel comfortable with, this is a great option and expands your selection considerably.

Here are some possible drawbacks, and solutions...

The phone may get disconnected...It's OK, you won't remain in hypnosis forever or "get lost" in some undescribed place. Your subconscious is there to protect you - you would simply come back to normal awareness and wait for your hypnotist to call you back and finish the session.

You may fall asleep. This is possible, but not likely, unless your hypnotist practices only direct suggestion. In that case, the session will not be interactive. A well-trained hypnotist will be directing you through an interactive session where you will be answering questions and using mental exercises to resolve your issues. Suggestions may not stick if the original cause of your issue has not been resolved. In either case, your hypnotist should be checking with you consistently to insure you are following with the session and having a satisfactory experience. If you do fall asleep, you will either be awakened by your hypnotist, or will awaken naturally after a short nap.

There may be long distance charges. Check with your hypnotist before scheduling a session so you know what to expect. There are many phone plans that offer free long distance and your hypnotist may subscribe to one.

Payment options. Check to see what kind of payment your hypnotist accepts. You may have to send in a check before your session, delaying your session, and your results. Many hypnotists are taking payment with a merchant service, or you might be able to pay through PayPal which accepts many different kinds of payments, instantly.

Phone Hypnosis may not be for everyone, but for many people, it is an excellent option that enables them to achieve results in the comfort of their own home, without the additional stress of driving in traffic, being in unfamiliar surroundings and additional travel time.

Visit our website at http://www.bodymindhypnosis.com for more information on hypnosis.

What Happens When 3 Extraordinary Teachers from "the Secret" Come Together to Teach the Science of Getting Rich?

2008-05-20T14:09:00.002-05:00

The Science of Getting Rich is a timeless classic written in 1910 by Wallace D. Wattles. It is a bold title for a book and suggests that getting rich is a predictable outcome if one can master the principles outlined in the book. Here is how Wallace D. Wattles puts it in his own words, "The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way. Those who do things in this certain way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich. Those who do not do things in this certain way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor. It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects. Therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich."

Certainly, this book is well referenced by many of the great teachers today and it is the same book that inspired Rhonda Byrne to produce that runaway success "the Secret". Here is what Rhonda Byrne said on her introductory note to the book, "I can honestly say that, since that first night when a tattered printed manuscript found its way to me (thanks to one of my daughters), my life has never been the same. Once you read it for yourself, you will understand why". Rhonda went on to produce the movie "the Secret" and the best-selling book of the same title which has sold millions of copies worldwide.

However, learning how to do things in that "certain way" as described by Wallace D. Wattles may be more challenging for some as the book was written nearly 100 years ago. Some of the language is a little dated and much of its wisdom lost from a modern day perspective.

Fortunately, a new training seminar for the Science of Getting Rich has brought the wisdom of this timeless classic back to life for modern readers. Called "the Science of Getting Rich", this program is the most comprehensive training system for mastering Wallace D. Wattles wealth creation philosophies and principles since its creation. It comprises written, audio and live seminar formats for learning, applying and mastering the Science of Getting Rich

A unique "twist" to the program is the fact that it has an in-built vehicle for creating substantial financial wealth through its affiliate program. This is truly a unique wealth eduction and wealth building program designed to empower any individual with the resources to get rich. It is a program whose time has come. The program would not be possible without the original text from Wallace D. Wattles, the skills of leading teachers of our time, the phenomenal success of "the Secret" and the Internet as a learning and distribution tool. Visit the website here...

Using Hypnosis for Weight Loss

2008-05-19T14:42:00.001-05:00

You’ve been riding the weight loss roller coaster, countless yo-yo diets, pills, patches, “food programs,” exercise programs, surgery and more advice than you know what to do with. Low-carb, lowfat, grapefruit, cabbage soup, apple diet, juice diet, metabolism diet, sugar busters, Atkins, blood type…can somebody make the world stop spinning so we can GET OFF? Read on to see why you’re REALLY overweight, and how hypnosis can help you drop the pounds permanently and feel great.

Let’s face it, America is overweight. The numbers increase every year, it’s affecting men, women, even children. It’s affecting businesses, health care costs, relationships and the daily lives of millions of people.

If you’re one of those people who has been battling the bulge without success, or have a tendency to fall off your diet, hypnosis could be the answer you are looking for.

With hypnosis:
You don’t have to diet
You feel better about yourself right away
You feel motivated to exercise
You want to be good to yourself
You can improve many areas of your life at the same time
And best – you get results.

Why does hypnosis work? Let’s talk about your inner belief system for a moment. You are made up of a web of beliefs, and most of them aren’t even yours. Consider that most of your beliefs were set in place by the time you were seven years old. Many of them belonged to your relatives, you got some from Church, from friends, teachers, even from TV. Some you learned from experience – did you ever get food for a reward? Or when you were hurt? Get your tonsils out and you can have all the ice cream you want…

But beliefs are like the inner programming that runs your life. They get buried deep inside, and then we just go through life, operating off that programming. Most of us never realize what many of our beliefs even are, we just go through our lives being who we are, and sometimes wondering why we do the things we do. And some of us get frustrated because we get stuck. Stuck in life, stuck in our careers, or stuck on our diets.

With hypnosis, you are able to take a look at that belief system, and really understand what’s going on inside. Why are you driven to eat that bag of potato chips? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just change that inner urge? Beliefs create thoughts, thoughts create feelings, feelings create action. What if you could change that core belief?

That’s what hypnosis can do.

Hypnosis is generally a very relaxing experience, much like deep meditation. The difference is, you have your hypnotist – your guide to retraining your mind. When you uncover those old beliefs and let them go, it’s easy to choose new ones to replace them. Imagine filling your mind with new beliefs that you choose yourself. Beliefs that will help you get motivated, eat healthy and really take care of yourself. Wouldn’t it be great to let go of the struggle?

You know that you have some limiting beliefs…we all do. Wouldn’t it be great, if in just a few sessions with a qualified hypnotist you could let go of your limiting beliefs, resolve old, uncomfortable feelings, and feel emotionally and physically balanced?

That’s what hypnosis can do. And it can be easy.

Imagine, you chat with your hypnotist a bit, sit in a nice, comfy recliner, close your eyes and listen to a nice soothing voice. Then you let go of all your worries and stress – your hypnotist helps you discover the things that are keeping you heavy and helps you resolve and change them, creating a new inner picture (or “program”) of yourself. Your inner mind knows its new responsibility – to help you achieve that new program. You open your eyes feeling refreshed and balanced – and motivated. Cool, right?

You’ll think it’s really cool when you see yourself getting thinner, almost automatically.

That’s what hypnosis can do.

Self Esteem - Acceptance or Forgiveness?

2008-05-19T14:40:00.001-05:00

Just about everybody can use some work on their self esteem. This article shows you steps you can take to boost your self esteem and increase your confidence levels, and feel better immediately.

We live in a society where, from pretty much the time you are born, life is about looking good and fitting in. Think about it…you feel the way you feel in a large part because of what you believe, and your beliefs come from may sources. Think about the advertising you have been subjected to – beautiful models wearing the hottest clothes…weight loss commercials, drug commercials,

From an early age, you are programmed to believe that you don’t have enough, don’t look good enough, don’t make enough money, don’t have the perfect house, friends, car, clothes, body…the list goes on and on. It’s as though you are wrong about everything, and promotes a belief that you are not enough, or not good enough.

Think about it – commercials want you to buy their products. So they make you feel that you’re a nobody if you don’t use their product. We watch these commercials, then we think we don’t measure up because we are not as happy, glamorous, rich, thin or having as much fun as we are “supposed” to!

What about those fashion magazines? They are filled with ads and articles for diets, health products, clothes, skin products and more. Their goal is to make you believe that if you buy all their stuff, you will be beautiful and happy, just like all their fancy models.

In our society we are programmed from a very young age that we are supposed to be “perfect.” And this kind of programming sets us up for failure – no wonder we have low self-esteem!

This affects the teen market dramatically – advertising of diets and models depicted in teen and fashion magazines contribute significantly to the number of teens with eating disorders and self esteem problems.

Marketing companies are brilliant – they know what we watch, when we watch it, what we normally buy, where we buy it, how much we buy and more. With repetitive advertising they pass all our conscious filters and program that information right in. Here are some of the beliefs you might have from advertising companies programming you…

People have LOTS of Fun when they drink beer.
Wrinkles make you look old and ugly, and wrinkle cream will make you feel happy and beautiful.
Having a credit card means you are rich and can spend frivolously.

Are these really true? Probably not…but it’s exactly what these companies want you to believe. They want you to buy their products and they are trying to create a “need.” Once you succumb to that need, you buy their products – and admit that you , indeed, believe in what they are advertising.

Then of course we have the reality shows like “What Not to Wear” and “10 Years Younger” making us feel like we are not accepted and loved unless we look young and are wearing nice, fancy clothes.

Do we really need wrinkle cream? Or are we just comparing ourselves with air-brushed photos of beautiful models. Have you ever seen those models without their makeup? Not so pretty!

Does that American Express card mean you can spend lots of money and have a lavish lifestyle? Probably not…unless you already do…but they sure want you to spend lots of money on their card so they can take their cut…

When we are bombarded with so many hits on our self esteem, how do we love and accept ourselves for who we are? We are consistently assaulted by advertising from multiple sources insinuating that we can only be perfect, happy and beautiful if we have their products. How can we overcome this?

First of all, limit your intake of media, and be aware of the intent of the advertiser. Many times they want you to feel a pain, or feel badly about yourself so you will “need” their product.

Accept that you are ok as you are – the people you see on TV and in magazines are not perfect, either. They are just portrayed that way to see you something.

Forgive yourself for what you think are your faults…everyone has problems and issues – that’s a normal part of life. Give yourself permission to make mistakes, to feel the way you feel and to not be perfect (perfection is only a myth…).

Forgive society and media for the beliefs and lies that they have pressed on you – because you are the way you are does not make you wrong. Find what works for you, find what makes you feel good…that’s what is right for you.

Measure your value in terms that are meaningful to you – not necessarily meaningful to society. You may be overweight, but feel good about yourself because you volunteer…or you may not fit society’s idea of successful, but feel good about yourself because you are kind and loving to your family.

Think about the reasons why other people like you, love you and appreciate you. See if you can appreciate yourself for those reasons as well. Try to identify with the person that others see in you as they look at you through the eyes of love, and give yourself permission to love yourself.

The Law of Attraction – Is it Working for You?

2008-05-19T12:29:00.002-05:00

Many people are beginning to practice the “secret” Law of Attraction. From corporate professionals to home care nurses, people in every profession are discovering that the Universal Laws can work for them. But what happens when it doesn’t work? Here are some reasons that the Law of Attraction might not be working for you and what you can do to resolve them.

The Law of Attraction – simply visualize for ten minutes per day, and you’ll have your heart’s desires, right? If it were really that simple, your kids would have more toys than you could fit in your house! There are several components to using the Law of Attraction successfully, and several reasons you might not be getting the success you’d like. Here’s where some of my clients get caught up.

Visualization is just one component of using the secret Law of Attraction successfully, and it’s important to do it in a certain way. When you visualize, it’s best to do it from a focused or meditative state. You really want to be clear about what you want, so you need to limit distractions. As you visualize your new house, make sure you put yourself in the picture, and this is vitally important – take note of how having that house would make you feel. Maybe you visualize yourself in your new living room, snuggling in your brand new overstuffed chair in front of the fire with a cup of soothing tea. Do you see how that creates a powerful feeling? Or maybe you visualize yourself in your crystal clear pool, playing ball with the kids, laughing and creating memories. This is a completely different feeling, but still very powerful.

So, you’ve got the visualization down. You’re ready for your dreams to manifest themselves, right? They might, but what if they don’t? What went wrong?

You may have some tangled energy around the thing that you desire. For instance, you visualize that beautiful new house, and you really feel it…but deep down, somewhere in your old belief system, you just don’t think that you’ll be able to afford a house that beautiful. And every time you visualize your beautiful new house, you feel a distant twinge of disbelief that works against the Law of Attraction, pushing that dream away.

Or, maybe you do believe on all levels that you can have this house, but it’s just not manifesting. You may be sending mixed messages through your visualizations. If one day the house is blue, and the next day it’s yellow, you’re not being consistent and clear, and what you will get may not really be what you want. Make sure that you decide what you want, then be clear on the details and stay consistent.

Are you missing opportunities? I’ve had clients who have had the answer staring them right in the face, and because they had a certain idea about “how” they should get that new car, they totally missed an opportunity. They decided that this car would come from a certain car dealer, and they imagined getting the keys and driving it off the lot. When one of their neighbors was left the same car in a will, with less than 10,000 miles, they put a for sale sign on the car. But that wasn’t the picture my client had in their mind, so they ignored that opportunity – which would have given them what they wanted, and at a much better price! Keep your eyes open – things may come to you in ways entirely different than you are expecting them to!

Faith. Faith is so important – keep believing…look for evidence that things are moving in the direction you want them to. Sometimes thoughts pop up in our minds that are from those old, limiting beliefs. You have to learn to push them aside. Replace them with thoughts that are consistent with what you want, with what you are using the Law of Attraction for. Realize that thoughts are just thoughts…they are not necessarily the truth. Recognize them as just being energy….and you can change that energy. Align all your energy with your visualizations and you will be attracting and manifesting quickly and powerfully.

Act. I’ve had people come to me about the Law of Attraction – saying they visualize every day – some of them for an hour! But they don’t get what they want. When I ask them what their action plan is to achieve their goal, they just look at me with a blank stare. Action is important! The Universe needs you to help bring about the situations and conditions that will allow it to fulfill your desires. If you sit at home and visualize meeting the man of your dreams…but you never leave the house, what opportunity are you giving the Universe to give you what you want? Take some steps – go shopping, go to the park, get out and meet some people. Don’t sit at home and expect your new love to drop down the chimney! Be open to inspired action – maybe you just feel like there’s something you should do…it may not even make sense to you at the time…you just get a sense that you need to take an action. That’s the Law of Attraction at work – guiding you into the perfect scenarios to make what you want become a reality.

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More on Happiness - the Effects of Stress

2008-05-19T12:07:00.003-05:00

It's hard to be happy when you're stressed. Stress makes you cranky, irritable, keeps you up at night, and has detrimental effects on your health.

On the other hand, when you're happy you don't feel stressed. You simply can't feel both feelings at the same time. Now, I don't expect you to simply choose to be happy all the time with no training...but there are things you can do to increase the time you spend being happy every day.

First, let's talk about lowering your stress level. There have been multitudes of studies that prove how helpful meditation, visualization and hypnosis are for relaxation and stress management. You can find recordings to help you, like the ones at http://www.cdonlinewarehouse.com, or you can simply listen to uplifting music for 20 minutes or so a day. This tends to elevate your mood, create those "happy" hormones and can last throughout the day.

People who exercise consistently are happier than those who don't. Exercise is great for lowering stress, improving mood and improving health. That doesn't mean you have to do an hour a day - Prevention Magazine says that 10 minutes of walking or exercise 3 times a day works even better for great health and more.

Pay attention to what you feed your mind. Are you listening to the news all the time? Why not listen to upbeat music, or (here's a novel idea) a CD on improving your life from Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor, Zig Ziglar or Wayne Dyer? There is so much good information out there - you could spend hours a day filling up your mind with great stuff.

So, since what you focus on the most tends to be what shows up in your life...what will you choose to focus on?

Being Happy - It's a Choice

2008-05-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

OK, the economy stinks (so I keep hearing), foreclosures are rocketing, gas prices are higher than ever and you're stressed. How does one find peace and happiness with the world in such upheaval?

Here are a few tips that I use with my clients. First, realize that your feelings come from your thoughts, and your thoughts come from your beliefs. Try to be conscious of your thoughts during the day, especially when you are stressed. Are you thinking how hard it is to make a living? Or that money is scarce? These thoughts come from deep, limiting beliefs that aren't necessarily true - they're just strong thoughts that run in the background of your mind. Think about a time when life was easy, or easier than it is right now and realize that it can be that way again.

When a thought that you don't want comes into your mind, press a mental delete button, then replace the thought with what you want. You might want to make a list of positive thoughts, or affirmations, to use consistently to help you change your thought processes. Simple ones like "I see beauty all around me," or "I focus on the positive in my life" can be powerful change agents when used consistently.

Realize that you are in control of your happiness - it's up to you to change your thinking, your outlook and your actions. More on this in the next post.

Smoking Cessation - Quit Naturally

2008-05-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

I seem to be having a flood of smokers coming to me lately who want to stop without drugs or patches. With all the news about the stop smoking pills' side effects, I'm not surprised! Some of my clients have been through many different methods of "trying" to stop smoking, and have failed again and again, so when they come to me, it's a last resort.

So here's a little bit of the conversation that I have with them, before we do a hypnosis session.

You have a conscious mind, and also a subconscious mind. Your conscious mind is where you spend most of your time - thinking, analyzing, comparing, reasoning. I'm sure that you have been searching for all the reasons why you smoke, and all the reasons you can't seem to quit. But you're looking in the wrong place.

That other part of your mind, the subconscious, is your long term memory, your emotions and your beliefs. This is where you must go to understand habits. You don't smoke because it calms you down...nicotine is a stimulant. Hmmm. You don't smoke because you're bored. You don't smoke because you're being "social."

You smoke because you have a feeling inside that is causing you to smoke. You might not even notice taking a cigarette out and lighting it up....smoking comes from the subconscious, the inner mind. Doesn't it make sense, then, that we have to communicate with the subconscious to quit? That's what hypnosis is. It's a simple way to communicate with that inner mind and figure out what drives you to smoke so we can resolve the issue.

It's amazing how many smokers quit after just one session, and how many refer their friends to me after they quit. Cravings go away, there is no weight gain, and they feel healthier and happier. This is an amazing science.

Hypnosis Reframing Technique and Script - The Story

2007-04-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

Here’s a great technique to use with your clients when they are having a difficult time being objective about a situation, or when you are working on forgiveness with them. Make sure the client is in somnambulism, then use the following script. Afterwards, you can have them relate what happened to them, separating the story from the facts…what really happened. This technique produces fast, lasting change, even for resistant clients.

The Story

Imagine that you’ve just received a traffic ticket. You were driving down your street, stopped at a stop sign, then turned down another road. There you go, the lights in the rear view window – they had you. The officer comes up, looking like he’s had a really bad day. He’s got a scowl on his face, circles under his eyes and as you roll your window down, he says in a gruff voice “ Ma’am, (or sir), do you know why I stopped you?” Your mind is racing trying to figure out what you did wrong, trying to figure out why this guy pulled you over instead of the stinking criminals that we have abducting children and robbing banks. Doesn’t he have anything better to do??? He says “well, you rolled right through that stop sign back there without coming to a complete stop.” Your stomach sinks, as you realize you might have done just that, and you begin to get angry – you gotta be kidding, you say to yourself. This jerk of a cop should be out doing his job instead of pulling me over for not quite stopping!

OK, Stop Right There.

Let’s step back objectively and look at the facts.

You were driving down the street. You got to the stop sign. You are unsure if you stopped all the way or not. You turned. You pulled over for the policeman. He told you that you rolled through the stop sign without stopping completely. He wrote you a ticket.

That’s it. That’s what happened. Those are the facts. What about all the other stuff? You made it up. That’s right – invented it out of your wonderful imagination.

Let me prove it to you. Let’s try it again. Imagine that you just received a traffic ticket, you were driving down your street, stopped at a stop sign, then turned down another road. You looked in the rear view mirror and saw police lights so you pulled over. You wondered what you could have done to be pulled over. The officer came up to the window, looking disheveled and sad, like he hadn’t slept in a couple of days. You wondered if he had been on a stakeout or night shift somewhere, protecting society, maybe putting his life in danger. He asks “ma’am (or sir), do you know why I stopped you?” You say “I sure don’t officer, please tell me what I’ve done, so I can be more careful in the future.” He says “well, you rolled right through that stop sign back there without coming to a complete stop.” You realize that you did just that and say “Oh, man. Officer, I apologize – I guess I wasn’t paying attention like I should have been.” And you think about how good it is that the officer brought this to your attention, so that you will pay more attention – you realize that you’re driving right through a school zone, and that if there were children present, you might not have seen one.

Now – the facts here are the same. The same thing happens, but we end up with a completely different story, don’t we? You see, things happen, and then we make up elaborate stories based on our feelings, thoughts, past events and belief systems. Your story will be different from someone else’s because they have different feelings, thoughts, past events and belief systems.

What that means is that we can change our stories. You have many stories in your past, stories of how people hurt you, stories of how things didn’t work out for you, stories of success, stories of failure…you name it – we have a story for it. But if you made that story up, if you invented the meaning of what happened based on your past events, your history, doesn’t that mean that you can change it? Doesn’t that mean that you have a different meaning for everything in your life than your friend, spouse, boss and your children?

Take a moment and consider what meaning you attribute to the happenings in your life, and how other people make those happenings mean completely different things. You might be amazed to find that you can be more objective, and more compassionate towards others, for just as you are a product of your environment and belief system, they are a product of theirs. Does that make them right or wrong? It just makes it different – they feel differently than you, they do things differently than you, and they might make up a completely different story about what happens than you do.

If you create the stories you make up about what happens, then why not make them great stories? Why play the victim when you can play the victor? Why not find the strongest position you can in any event and give yourself the advantage of making that story?

How many stories do you have from the past that you would like to change? Remember, you get to choose the meaning, you get to create the story – you just didn’t know that before. Let’s go back and let your SC change those stories. Your SC wants you to be powerful, compassionate and understanding. Imagine that right now, it’s changing all those stories to be stories that you would choose. You get to choose – notice how powerful that makes you.

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Tracey Burchard is a Hypnosis Practitioner and Trainer and holds Private Sessions and NGH Certification Courses in Sanford, Florida. She teaches the most powerful transformational techniques including regression, parts therapy, chair therapy, emotive visualization and much more. Learn more about her Basic and Advanced Hypnosis Classes at http://www.nghhypnosiscertification.com

Use the Law of Attraction for Prosperity

2007-03-30T12:24:00.001-05:00

Using the Law of Attraction for Prosperity

You may have seen The Secret. Maybe you’re a fan of Wayne Dyer. Or you may just be into positive thinking. But have you noticed that no one tells you HOW to use the Law of Attraction?

That’s right. They tell you to visualize what you want. The end result. And that prosperity will find its way to you. But they don’t give you any techniques to use, no strategies. How do I decide what I want? Visualize? When I close my eyes, I see nothing…does that mean I can’t do it?

These are the questions many of my clients are asking me, after seeing the hype on Oprah and several news programs. They say “I think I get it…the Law of Attraction draws to you what you think about consistently. But how do I change what I think?”

That’s the big question. We know we should think positively. We know what we shouldn’t think about. But how do I use the Law of Attraction when I can’t even control my thoughts?

Here’s a technique, one of many that I use in my office with my clients, and one that is integrated into many of my Visualization CDs. It is a powerful communication tool to your inner self, the self that controls your inner thoughts. Used consistently, it will help you change your thoughts, feelings and actions, and really power up the Law of Attraction for Prosperity or whatever you desire.

Make up a story.

That’s right. It’s fun. It’s easy. But there are some key points you want to make sure to include.

Make up the story of exactly how your life goes.

Make it present tense and in first person.

Only include the good things, and make them as big as feels comfortable.

Say the story out loud.

Feel what you would feel about the story. Happy, secure, grateful, etc. Play with your feelings – make it ok to feel.

Love the story of your life. It doesn’t have to be real. It’s what you want.

Got it? Here’s an example.

“I love my life. Every day when I go home, I’m greeted by my loving husband and 4 children. As I walk into my beautiful, 2-story brick house, I’m always amazed at just how beautiful my house is, and the things inside my house as well. Prosperity has blessed my life, my home and my family.

My career is so wonderful. I do work that I love and my boss is so appreciative. I’m making incredible money and am really starting to invest and see that money grow. It seems just like the floodgates opened and my live began to be all I’ve ever wanted it to be. I completely believe in the Law of Attraction and how it helps me achieve prosperity.

I sit down with my family for dinner and we talk about what transpired during the day. My husband says he got a huge deal at work and is very excited to begin working the new project. The kids each share something fun that they did or that happened to them during the day, and we end the meal in laughter and joy as the kids go off to do homework and reading.”

Of course, your story will differ from this. The biggest key is to really feel how you would feel if this were your truth. What if this were your real life? That’s how you need to feel. Make it as clear and defined as possible. If you can, get a picture of all this in your mind. If you have a hard time visualizing, just focus on the feelings and impressions you have while you make up your story. And mostly, be consistent. If you’re creating a wonderful story of your life, focus as much as possible on that story. You’ll begin to notice elements of your story coming true, shifts in your attitude, or the attitudes of others, prosperity coming from surprising sources, etc.

Remember to really enjoy the creative process, you can create the life you want, and the Law of Attraction will bring you Prosperity.

Self Hypnosis for Better Sex

2007-02-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hypnosis in the bedroom, is that safe? This might be running through your mind as you read the headline for this article. Let me assure you that hypnosis in the bedroom is not only safe, but learning and using self-hypnosis during sex can provide you with intense sensuality that can really heat things up for both partners. Interested?

Sex these days is really just another thing on their to do list. Most couples have forgotton or just don’t have the time to really de-stress their bodies and minds to allow for the ultimate experience. And all the stress that goes on around us, work, kids, family…it’s hard to keep your mind focused when you do have a free moment.

Self hypnosis is much like meditation…most people generally get very relaxed and almost dreamy. It’s really a technique that helps your mind focus and can be a wonderful, enriching experience. When you practice self hypnosis you can bring blood pressure down, relieve pain, strengthen your immune system and experience many more healthful benefits. But wait a minute…we were talking about sex, right?

When you are in a state of self-hypnosis, your awareness increases. Your senses become much more acute and you are naturally in a more intuitive state. Getting the drift? Don’t worry, you never lose control or free will. Your mind is always there, protecting you. It’s just toned down a little so you can focus and really enjoy the experience. Ready? Here’s a technique to try for both partners to really enhance their experience.

Lay together on the bed (you can have clothes on or off…) shoulders and fingers touching lightly. Simply stare at the ceiling for a moment as you both focus on your breathing. One of you begin counting slowly from 20 down. As you count, both look up towards the top of your own head. Imagine that you could roll your eyes backward and see inside your head for a moment. When you get to 15, both of you just allow your eyes to close (they will want to close). Continue to count and both of you imagine holding hands and going down a staircase slowly, one step with each number that you say. When you get to 1, you should feel very relaxed. Any time thoughts come into your head, just push them out so you can really enjoy what you’re doing. At this point, you might want to practice opening your eyes and just remaining in this wonderful sensual state, or one partner might let the other partner remain there with eyes closed while they caress and move around them. You’ll want to talk about this beforehand so you each know what to expect. Then, just enjoy…you may be amazed at how powerful this little technique can be. You’ll naturally come out of self hypnosis after a while, but with practice, you’ll be able to maintain this sensual state for longer and longer periods of time, making the entire experience much more intense and sensual. You can always repeat the technique if you feel yourself getting stressed or if your mind starts to drift to other things.

Variations

Have one partner give the other partner erotic suggestions such as “you will feel everything in a very pleasurable way,” or “notice how your body responds to mine when I do”…(finish the sentence).

Try just having one partner do the self-hypnosis technique and the other remain in a normal state.

Use this same technique when massaging each other.

This is a great technique to use when you’re relaxing from a long stressful day in the bathtub.

Self hypnosis can be used for many things besides better sex. Common uses include weight loss, stop smoking, improved health, fears and phobias, anxiety, stress, depression and much more.

Success Enterprises International provides Success Training and Coaching. Visit our website for a 8-minute Relaxation Journey FREE Download! http://www.successei.com/jouney.

How Your Mind Works

2007-02-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hypnosis has been used successfully for decades to help people deal with pain, fears, spiritual enlightenment and many other issues. Some other cultures are more in touch with their “inner minds” and as a whole express much less dis-ease, both emotionally and physically. Hypnosis has been approved by the American Medical Association and many other reputable organizations as a fast, effective treatment for many issues. But to understand hypnosis, you must first understand how your mind works.

Let’s separate the mind into 3 parts to make it simpler. You have your Conscious mind, your Subconscious mind and your Unconscious mind. They all work together, and they all have different jobs and responsibilities.

THE CONSCIOUS MIND

This is the part of your mind where you live your life. Your daily thoughts, opinions and actions come from your conscious mind. It is responsible for your short-term memory, which recalls phone numbers, people’s names and other things stored temporarily. It also makes the little decisions that you need on a daily basis…”should I make that phone call now or wait until later…” is a good example. Your conscious mind is also your analytical mind (ever hear those voices in your head – arguing!?). Some people seem to be much more analytical than others – you probably know someone who analyzes everything over and over again. Your reasoning mind is also part of the conscious mind. The reasoning mind must give you a reason for everything that happens and everything that you do. Even if it has to make it up! Ask a smoker why they smoke – they will probably tell you that it relaxes them. That it makes them feel calmer or more at peace. The problem with this is that nicotine is a stimulant – it actually increases the metabolism. So here you have a case of the conscious mind making up a reason, just because it has to. Willpower is also part of the conscious mind. How strong is your willpower? Are you one of those people that has great willpower the first two weeks of the year, right after you’ve made all your New Years’ Resolutions?

So this is how you live your life – in a conscious mind that’s analyzing everything, making things up and really inconsistent, is that it? True, the conscious mind is quite weak, when you think about it.

THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Then you have the powerhouse – the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is like the most powerful computer on earth. It can process faster, store more material and generate your reality.

The subconscious is responsible for several things:

Your long-term memory

The subconscious mind has stored everything you’ve ever seen, touched, smelled, heard and experienced in your whole life. Even from before you were born – it’s all in there. At any point in time an experience hypnotist can take you back to re-experience any event in your life – how about your second birthday? And you would be there like you were re-living it.

Filtering Information

Your conscious mind can only handle so many inputs. Even where you are now, there are thousands of inputs – the light, the temperature, the sounds, the reflections off each object in the room…it goes on and on. Your subconscious mind puts this picture together for you and only presents your conscious mind with what it believes is relevant for you at this time. If you’re presented with too much input, you lose your focus, become confused and your productivity declines.

Emotions

Your subconscious mind is responsible for the generation and storage of emotion. Here’s where we run into real trouble. In our society, we have no constructive ways to release emotion. We teach our children not to cry. We say, “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” We’re not supposed to get angry – we get punished for that. You can’t feel sad, guilty, or afraid. So what happens to those emotions? They get generated, but where do they go? If the emotions don’t get released, the subconscious will find a place to put them. It may store them in your head (migraines). Maybe it stores them in your stomach and intestines (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Or maybe it stores them in your neck, shoulders and chest causing anxiety and stress.

Protection

The subconscious’ biggest job is to protect you. And it will – from all danger, real or perceived. Now this was very useful in the ancient days when we were all sleeping in trees. If you moved a little during your rest, you’d wake up with a start – that instant awareness that would keep you from falling out of the tree. Or you ran into a bear – the fight or flight response would pump up your adrenaline, increasing the energy to your body and giving you speed to get away. And this protective trait is still very protective, increasing your awareness to alert you of possible dangerous situations – in parking lots, walking through parks, etc. But sometimes this protection goes awry.

Imagine walking through an elevator in a hotel. You pass a really pretty, fragrant inside garden on the way, and enjoy it as you wait for the elevator. As you board the elevator and it begins to rise, you start to feel a little uncomfortable, but you don’t think much about it. Maybe that lunch you just ate was too spicy. So you go on with your day. Two weeks later, you board an elevator in a clients’ office. As soon as the doors shut, you are struck with a sense of panic – you feel like you have to get out of there, or else you’ll die! You have no idea what’s going on – you feel totally out of control. The only thing you know is that you absolutely must get off the elevator – NOW!

So you go to see a hypnotist. Through hypnotic investigation you recall that when you were young, your brother locked you in the closet for over an hour (until your mom got home). While you were in there you were afraid and angry. You could smell your mom’s perfume on some of the coats in the closet, and you just waited, yelling for someone to let you out. Then your mom came home, let you out and scolded your brother, and you forgot about it. But the event was stored in your subconscious mind – along with the fear and anger you were feeling and not able to express. Then you went on with your life.

So why would this cause a fear of elevators? As you passed that garden on the way to the elevator, you smelled a faint floral smell, much like the one that your mother used to wear. Then you entered a small, closed in space and your subconscious mind made a connection – back to that time in the closet where you were afraid and angry. It decided that to keep you safe, it would pull up these panic feelings – in response to the “perceived” danger of being locked in a closet, and there you are. Terrified to go into another elevator in case those feelings come back again.

Critical Factor

Until you’re the age of 5 or 6, there are no barriers as to what goes into your subconscious mind. Everything is accepted as your reality. Everything your parents tell you, everything your friends say, what you hear on the radio and TV, even things that strangers say to you. And this becomes the programming by which you live your life. Maybe someone said that you had chubby cheeks. Or baby fat. Or maybe that you would be fat just like everyone else in your family. Hmmmm.

Then when you are 6 or 7, you develop a filter. We call it the Critical Factor, and it’s stationed between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. The job of your Critical Factor is to evaluate all suggestions coming in and accept them or reject them. It doesn’t make that determination based on if the statement or suggestion is positive or negative (that would be too easy), it makes the determination based on if the suggestion matches what is already in your programming. If someone says “you’re looking great!” and that’s consistent with your programming, the critical factor allows it to go right in. But if it’s not consistent – maybe you’ve been programmed to see yourself as fat, the critical factor rejects that statement and in doing so reinforces the programming you already have. Is it any wonder that it’s so hard to change?

So here’s what happens. You’re 30 pounds overweight. You have been for years. You’ve been on diet after diet, only to gain all the weight back, sometimes even more than you lost. Then you find a diet that’s actually working for you. You easily drop 10 pounds and start to feel pretty good. You’re fitting into a smaller size – those jeans you haven’t been able to wear in 10 years, but you held onto them to “motivate yourself” are almost wearable. And then it happens. Somebody says “Hey, you’re looking pretty good – have you lost some weight?” All of a sudden your critical factor kicks in and grabs that statement. It says “Hmmm, is this consistent with our programming? Oh no, I can’t accept that statement. Wait a minute, she’s lost 10 pounds? That’s not right! Emergency! Kick it into gear, we gotta get her fat again.” You end up with your head stuck in the refrigerator, cleaning out the leftovers for the entire week. Then you go for the junk food, feeling horrible, defeated and hopeless. Wondering all the time what happened. And then the feelings of guilt complicate the situation – how could you be so out of control?

Can you see how the critical factor keeps you from changing? No matter what the problem, you might be depressed, you might have anger issues, or even health issues.

Hypnosis, by definition, is the bypass of the Critical Factor of the mind, allowing your hypnotist to work directly with your subconscious mind, the part of your mind that drives your feelings and behavior. Through specific techniques, your hypnotist will guide you into a wonderful, relaxing state of hypnosis and guide you to find the cause of your issues and resolve them.

In hypnosis, you will be fully aware and an active participant in the session. You are in complete control at every moment, though you may have feelings of heaviness or lightness. Most people get very, very relaxed as their mind becomes distinctly focused. Your hypnotist will be guiding you through techniques and exercises to uncover the cause of your issues and resolve them. Then you get to re-create yourself. You begin to experience changes in your life that are natural and consistent with your new view of yourself. You get to choose who you will be.

At the end of your session, your hypnotist will answer any questions you have. You may still feel very relaxed at the end of your session, some people feel a bit groggy. This is because your subconscious mind has processing to do, and is still focusing on changes. This is completely natural and will dissipate after a good night’s sleep. Some people, however, feel very energized by a session and will jump right into things that may have fallen behind.

Whatever your experience, it is right for you. Visit our website at www.successei.com for self improvement products and information.