A Higher Perspective

A Great Endorsement!

2011-09-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

J. S. sent the following comment in response to the column in my September newsletter:

This was a great read, Lucy.Fascinating and informative. Thx. A friend of mine, her hubby could never flyand he went to a hypnotherapist w/ great success. It definitely works. I let goof 55 exces lbs that way too!!

Thanks so much for writing, J.S. I love hearing mind-body success stories!

In Today's Email

2011-08-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Nearly ten years later, I still listen to your tapes, but they are entirely shot! I’m dealing with some challenges right now and was hoping to come in for a session or two and upgrade to CDs.

It was good to hear from "Betty" again. I love that she's been benefitting from the hypnotherapy tapes I made for her so many years ago and that she thought of me now that she needs some help once again.

People often ask me if the results of my work are permanent. Well, yes and no. My work helps create a solid foundation of wellness that lasts. At the same time, our challenges may change as we age and grow and sometimes that foundation needs to be tweaked to meet those new challenges.

Argh!

2011-08-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

Obviously none of us in the 6 am Bikram class is working as hard as R. Otherwise, why would the rest of us be so silent? Especially during final savassana.

Breathe, Lucy, breathe.

It cracks me up when people say to me,"Oh, you must be so calm all the time with the work you do." Hah! Those people should have seen me stomping out of class this morning, seething with resentment and dripping with judgment.

I do recognize that R is a good teacher for me. I should be able to tune him out and just go about my business in total peace and serenity.

Well, it's not happening that way.

Good Stress

2011-08-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Our daughter's boyfriend proposed to her last week and now she is engaged. My husband and I are beyond thrilled.

We are also really goofy. Last night my husband walked around the entire house looking for a bottle top that ended up being in his hand the whole time. This is my usually grounded-like-a-rock husband.

This morning in my Bikram Yoga class I caught myself in the the wrong posture, totally out of sync with the rest of the class because my mind had drifted to plans for a family party we'll be hosting in a few weeks.

I keep having to pull my breath down out of my upper chest into my belly. My daily Vimala Alphabet practice is showing some weird patterns that I have to stop and fix as I write.

It occurs to me that this wonderful development in our lives has activated the ancient fight-or-flight response that's usually associated with bad things, not good ones. This good-stress factor kind of sneaked up on me, but now that I'm aware of it, I am doing my best to address it the same way as I teach my anxious clients to address theirs:

1. Take a deep, deep breath! Make sure I'm breathing in through my nose every time and doing my best to draw the breath all the way down into my belly.

2. Pay attention to grounding myself. I like to imagine roots coming down through the soles of my feet and into the earth.

3. Go to bed earlier -- in case my brain wakes up at 3 am (as it has done a few times already) and decides to walk me through all the details it thinks I need to be aware of right then and there.

4. Pay attention to the direction of my thoughts. What is it about wedding plans that generate catastrophic thinking?

5. Write everything down. At least one comic incident illustrated quite clearly that our minds cannot be trusted to hold new information.

6. Remember to laugh!

7. As much as possible, keep JOY as the launching pad for any and all planning. It's all too easy to get sucked into should's that rob me of my perspective, my energy and my sense of self.

If you have anything to add to my list, please comment. I plan to post updates as we go through the days counting down to October 6, 2012. What fun!

Relax!

2011-06-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

My absolutely favorite part of yoga is final savassana. The reward at the end of 90 minutes of torture. I crawl to it. I luxuriate in it.

Well, this morning I was just drifting into that delicious la-la-land place when I hear such moaning and groaning, huffing and puffing. Someone must have been rolling a boulder up a mountain, it was so loud.

I pull off my wash cloth/eye pillow and look to see what the heck is going on. Of course, it's "R" all the way across the room. "R" is getting up from his savassana. "R" is pulling his shirt on. That's all. Just "R." "R" who was reprimanded for checking text messages between postures the other day. "R" who can't do anything and still sets himself up in the front row. "R." "R" who has been pushing my buttons since he started coming to 6 am yoga class a few weeks ago.

First I just glared. Nothing. Of course, he has no awareness of anything but himself. Then I felt a roll of anger so red, so hot, that I had to get up. I went out and told the yoga instructor that she had to say something to him about how disruptive he is. She was a little startled because no one in yoga would guess that I could be angry – especially that angry. She smiled. I left.

And then of course he pulls up behind me at the first stop light. And he knows it's me that tattled on him. I refuse to look at him. And then he's next to me at the next stoplight. I refuse to look at him, but I just know he has this little kicked-puppy look.

By the time I got home I felt like such a jerk because obviously he just doesn't know any better. I felt so unkind in my judgment of him, in my refusal to look at him. And wondering why I let him push my buttons so.

The Declaration of the Letter Dd is, "The cause of any upset is never outside of myself." Obviously I need to write some Dd's today.

I Hate No-Shows!

2011-06-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it: no-shows make me cranky. There I am, in my office, candle lit, mentally and spiritually prepared to work and ... no client.

The minutes tick by. I check my office voicemail, no messages. I check the hallway outside my office, no one. I call the client and the call goes straight to voicemail. I hold the intention that the client is okay. Sometimes I don't get a return call for days afterward and I'm left wondering if something terrible has happened. Occasionally it is something terrible but most of the time it's simply a case of "I forgot."

In the Agreement each client signs at the first session, there is a clause in red that I ask the person to initial. This clause specifies that I charge for any session they miss without giving me 24-hours notice. No exceptions. If someone is ill or has car trouble or something like that, I offer a phone session during the appointment time. I point this out verbally to clients as well and there's never any question.

That is, until they miss a session. Some clients immediately offer to pay for the session. Most get annoyed when I mention the missed session fee. I know that I've lost clients over this because once they pay for the missed session they have not rescheduled.

Have I mentioned that I hate no-shows?

Pre-Surgery Sessions Work!

2011-06-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Received from a client:

Surgery went as scripted. Not a drop of blood on the bandages when I removed them this morning and there is no bruising! I am waiting for lab results and to make a follow-up appointment, but so far could not have gone better. Thank you.

The "script" for this woman's surgery included a hypnotherapy CD I made for her with specific suggestions for her body's reaction before, during and after surgery. The bottom line was that she went in calmly, the surgery went smoothly, and her recovery was rapid and complete.

The "no bruising" is only one of the great side-effects of pre-surgery hypnotherapy!

Everything in my life is a gift ...

2011-05-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

A colleague I particularly respect sent me the following email:

My talk was to [an association] – couldn’t believe how nervous I was, inspite of how often I do this. It think, because of my counseling background and wanting to speak especially to their particular needs, my stomach acted up a lot and I felt weak-kneed – how embarrassing; finally pulled out of it by simply telling them that I was nervous! HA!

My response to her was:

I find that experiences such as the one you describe help to keep us connected to what our clients are going through. It expands compassion and deepens understanding, ultimately making us better at what we do.

Tied Up In Knots

2011-05-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Most of my clients just don't get the benefit of the handwriting work I do. They balk at the idea of making changes to their handwriting and dismiss the transformational value of a daily handwriting practice.

I'd been working with "Hermine" for several months. We had a few intense sessions in my office, and then, because of the distance between us, we followed-up with weekly TAT sessions over the phone. Once in a while, in response to the TAT sessions, I recorded a new hypnotherapy CD for her and mailed it.

For the past four years, Hermine has dealt with a phobia that's manifesting as a physical condition. As with most phobias, this one is anxiety-based and the result of a hyper-vigilant response to a perceived danger.

For a number of reasons (that now leave me scratching my head) I did not initially ask for a handwriting sample from Hermine. As our phone work was not yielding the dramatic results I would have expected given the consistency of the sessions and Hermine's motivation to heal, I asked her to mail me a page of her writing.

The capital H in her autograph looked like a maze. There were little loops everywhere, especially in the upper left hand corner where she began the letter. I compared this autograph with the one on her initial consultation agreement and there was a huge difference. The H in the current autograph was significantly loopier.

When I questioned Hermine about this, she said that the sample she had sent me was representative of her usual autograph. She mentioned how much she loves the way the H in her name looks with all the loops.

I asked her if she'd be willing to take on a daily handwriting practice, focusing on the capital H in of The Vimala Alphabet which is simple and dynamic. The only loop is in a "tie stroke" that projects positive energy in one's day-to-day activities. She was less than thrilled but said she'd be willing to try anything if it would help.

We then proceeded with a TAT session.

Because of holidays, our next phone session was two weeks later. I had received a new handwriting sample from Hermine from her now-daily practice and her H's were beautiful. As we caught up, she mentioned that our last TAT session must have been particularly powerful because she had been doing much better since then. The grip of the phobia had loosened and she was less anxious overall.

I pointed out that she had been working on her handwriting since the last TAT session and suggested that it was her new H that had made the difference. The old H had been reflective of Hermine's long-standing subconscious tendency to "tie herself up in knots." The more work we did to loosen those tendencies, the tighter and more plentiful the knots became as the subconscious held on to its old, familiar, "secure" ways.

Hermine's experience was as significant for me as it was for her. It is a perfect example of why the handwriting work is foundational and essential. For more information, check out Vimala Rodgers' websites: http://www.alphabeticalblessings.com/ and http://www.iihs.com/. Sign up for Dr. Rodgers' weekly e-letter. It's free!

Essential Healing

2011-05-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Essential Healing is the name I've given to a wonderful interactive hypnotherapy technique I've perfected over the years. I developed Essential Healing from the awareness that when the subconscious adopts a specific behavior, it thinks it's being of service. The ability to speak directly with the part in charge of a specific behavior (i.e., night eating, procrastination, self-sabotage, etc.) opens up invaluable avenues of information and healing.

I love Essential Healing sessions and had the opportunity to do one yesterday. The client not only accessed her Inner Wisdom, but also the part in charge of a behavioral pattern that has been increasingly in her way and quite baffling to her. The client got a clear picture of the exact time in her life when this part (and the behavior) first joined her. Then we worked with the client's Problem-Solving Mind to come up with three healthy, new ways for that part to be of service, immediately replacing the unpleasant pattern in place for many years. The client was stunned by the clarity of information she received, and the beautiful flow of the session. As a strong woman, I also think she appreciated the fact that all of the answers came directly from her -- from different parts of her powerful mind and being -- and that she received a spiritual boost, as well.

Essential Healing is my signature hypnotherapy technique, one that I taught for nine years at Marilyn Gordon's Center for Hypnotherapy Certification. Not every hypnotherapist is comfortable doing this kind of deep, transformational work. It takes experience, patience and great care. What a privilege it is for me to facilitate such marvelous healing experiences for people!

The Time to Heal

2011-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started working with a new client, a 26-year-old man who's suffered from some level of anxiety most of his life. Even though he's seen counselors and even a psychiatrist, he had no idea what what the disconnect was between mind and body that has been causing the panic attacks, jitteriness, digestive problems, etc.

He responded so quickly and beautifully to the diaphragmatic breathing I taught him, and then to the custom relaxation CD I made for him. There was a huge difference in him over the 90 minutes we spent together.

I know he'll do his homework (practice the breathing technique and listen to his CD daily) because he's wonderfully motivated to be completely well.

What a great experience for us both! Looking forward to our next session.

Debunking New British Infertility Study

2011-05-09T09:54:00.001-07:00

What are those Brits thinking?

In USA Weekend yesterday, there was an article on "New Thinking in Infertility" reporting findings from the British Medical Journal that I totally disagree with.

Apparently a new study found that there was no difference in the successful pregnancy rates of women who are under lots of stress versus women who aren't. This just doesn't make any sense! The physiological domino effect of stress in the body contradicts that finding and leaves me scratching my head.

Very simply put, stress puts us into fight-or-flight response. That fight-or-flight response includes a disruption in the production of hormones that support conception and pregnancy.

Establishing a relaxation response is key to conception and full-term pregnancy. Forget the British study; I've got case files full of proof of how effective the mind-body-spirit connection is this regard.

Asking for Help

2011-05-06T10:57:00.001-07:00

I work with a lot of very strong people. Some of my clients have never before asked for help and their call to my office creates its own anxiety.

Many people have a chip on their shoulder about asking for help and accepting it when it's offered. They say they feel weak if they ask for help and strong when they tackle their problems on their own or just pretend those problems don't exist at all.

I see it differently. I see the strength in asking for help and accepting it. I see the courage it takes to admit that you're only human after all and don't have all the answers. Yes, it is a vulnerable position to place oneself in. And in that vulnerability is an opening for the Light to shine in and do its most sacred work.

Change in Plans

2011-05-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

I have taken the Summer Solstice Celebration (originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 21st) off my calendar because it turns out that I have another commitment that evening.

This is a perfect example of how busy our lives can get and how challenging it sometimes is to keep all the areas of our lives straight.

I belong to an Armenian women's organization (The Daughters of Vartan). The San Francisco chapter is hosting a national Convocation in July and the planning committee has been working for over a year to make it all happen successfully. One of the many hats I'm wearing as part of this huge endeavor, is as narrator of a special Saturday night banquet program. This requires several rehearsals, one of which is Tuesday, June 21st.

At first I thought of rescheduling the workshop for a day before or after. And then sanity asserted itself and I realized that I had enough on my plate until the Convocation... and perhaps a few weeks after.

What surprises me is the resistance I had to making this decision in favor of allowing some open space in my life. I felt guilty and somehow irresponsible. How weird is that?

Does this type of thing show up in your life too?

Successful Surgery!

2011-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the surgery went perfectly. There was very little bleeding and it took much less time than he thought it would. Your therapy helped tremendously, as I knew it would.

M.F.

This is a post-surgery note from a client. Getting A Higher Perspective on an upcoming surgery sets you up for less anxiety before the procedure, a smoother flow to the procedure itself and less bruising and faster recovery afterward.

A Request from Dr. Masuro Emoto

2011-03-29T17:27:00.001-07:00

It's been a very long time since I added to this blog. I've been busy! I just received a message from a dear lady that deserves widespread recognition. It was written by Dr. Masuro Emoto, the gentle soul behind The Hidden Messages in Water: To All People Around the World, Please send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan! By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas. Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them. Is there really nothing else to do? I think there is. During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is. Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness. Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!! The prayer procedure is as follows. Day and Time: March 31st, 2011 (Thursday) 12:00 noon in each time zone Please say the following phrase: “The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant, we are sorry to make you suffer. Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.” Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position. Please offer your sincere prayer. Thank you very much from my heart. With love and gratitude, Masaru Emoto Messenger of Water http://emotopeaceproject.blogspot.com/

A Call to Kindness

2011-02-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

I've received some wonderful feedback on my February newsletter column.

M.F. is posting it on her refrigerator and wants to make it a family project.

P.W. writes, "Happy February! How are you? I like the Call to Kindness! I'm on board. I suggest adding the other half to the next to last bullet: Listen to others thoughtfully and respectfully when they express their thoughts and opinions."

What a great addition to the list. Thanks to all who wrote with your support.

Spiritual Diplomatic Passport

2011-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get very huffy about having to face difficult life situations. Good grief, we're on a spiritual path, we're enlightened, conscious beings – shouldn't we get a pass on challenging lessons? Does my soul REALLY need this experience to grow? Yeah, right, whatever ... This "spiritual yoga," pulling and stretching us beyond our imagined capacity, can be exhausting.

Practicing Kindness

2011-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my February newsletter column most of this week. Some months the column just flows out of my fingertips. Not this time. I've written and re-written numerous times until last night I refused to read it one more time before sending all the newsletter components to my wonderful web administrator, Lisa Keene.

The column is called "A Call to Kindness." In it, I am laying out a February challenge for myself and for my readers to refrain from any and all forms of nastiness throughout the month. I should have written something about this being a moment-by-moment practice because it's not even February yet and I'm already struggling with this.

This morning it was hard for me to get out of bed for yoga at 5:30. I was tired and cranky. When I arrived, I had a flash of disappointment and irritation. There was this very new instructor who is soft-spoken and conducts the class as though she's reciting a script by heart -- which may well be the case. She doesn't unlock the studio doors until the first student arrives so maybe she's as ill at ease with life in general as she is as a teacher.

I really dragged myself through class today. She's a very sweet woman, but totally unmotivating. As I lay in final savasana, my mind was buzzing with negativity and some rather unkind judgments. Remembering my intentions, and realizing how badly I'd fallen short of keeping them, I was ashamed of myself.

The instructor was folding towels as I was putting on my sweatshirt and shoes in the studio lobby. I scrambled for something positive to say, just to stem the tide of my own negative thoughts. "You are getting more confident." She lit up and her ever-present smile broadened. "Yes, she said. "Seeing you and Nancy (another "regular" about my age) makes me feel comfortable and helps me do better."

My heart energy shifted as my expanded. Yes, kindness. I like it.

EFT to the Rescue!

2011-01-19T11:53:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I gave a free EFT introduction at the Women's Health Center in Walnut Creek. One of the participants sent me this note afterward:

"I want to share with you that the night I got back from the EFT class I introduced MIA to do EFT on an issue she has been having for the past 2 years with one of my nieces that goes to the same high school...(long story) MIA has gone thru stress about her so we did EFT together, did it around 4 times. Amazinglyyy!!! she did shift!!... she woke up the next day and surprised me of her reasoning. It has been the greates shift EVER!. MIA is now doing EFT at school when she needs to...she shared with me...Mama...I went to the restroom to do EFT on a situation I had at school and I feel great!. We have been also doing EFT when she is overwhelmed with so much school work and amazingly!! she says she feels motivated and capable to handle the work.

Just wanted to share that with you."

This is reprinted with permission; MIA is not her real name.

I did it!

2011-01-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

I just finished the first of a series of webinars with Tapas Fleming. "Practicing Presence" is a requirement of my certification process as a TAT Practitioner.

To participate in the class, I had to purchase a webcam and learn how to use it. It seemed daunting, but was remarkably, relatively simple. I have to admit that the biggest hurdle was my own resistance to the whole process. I hated the whole idea of a virtual gathering and judged it to be cold and undesirable.

Imagine my surprise as I found myself enjoying the opportunity to connect with people all over the world -- to see and hear them.

How many other places in my life am I holding myself back with these ungrounded opinions?

Full Moon, Full Heart

2010-11-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

Last week was very intense for me. Nothing really specifically bad or wrong, just that the world was "too much with me." A lot of people around me are in great need of one thing or another: money, hope, peace... I've been holding space for them and my arms started aching from that heaviness.

Friday afternoon I found myself as depressed as I ever remember being. The depression lifted after several hours, but boy was it awful while it lasted. I remember what it was like to live that way 24x7, so I was able to be grateful that it's no longer that way for me. I may visit depression once in a while, but I no longer live there. Yay!

I had read that this full moon Sunday would be a perfect time to set intentions so I applied myself this morning to writing what I call a "Manifestation." I wrote a journal entry dated March 20, 2011 and described what my life was like on that day. In performing that exercise, I realized that I have been so caught up in being in the moment (actually, so caught up in getting through each day) that I had somehow lost a larger vision of what is possible. As I wrote out my "druthers" for my life, I felt my vibration recalibrate upwards. Those few minutes of focus on what can be made what is more bearable and shifted things back into a more positive perspective for me overall. I ended my Manifestation as I always do: For this or more, I give thanks.

Keyboard vs. Pen

2010-11-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

In response to my November newsletter column on handwriting and the brain, I received this message from a very dear friend of the family. She writes, "This one on handwriting took me back to my school years, when we wrote, wrote wrote. I don't doubt the truth of
handwriting being a benefit to brain function.

We are so totally dependent now on the computer because
it is so much faster for communication, and then one cannot
ignore the ease of instantly correcting one's mistakes at the keyboard.

Truthfully, we get lazy as we age, for one more excuse."

Well, B., as with everything else in life, computer vs. handwriting seems to be a matter of balance. We have unleashed the beast (technology) and now we must make sure it doesn't devour us!

I really have to watch myself from becoming obsessive about checking email, using my cell phone in the car to check voicemail (when I could easily wait a little bit) ...

Well, look at that!

2010-11-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I have trouble with the standing-leg postures in my Bikram Yoga practice. I don't know, maybe it's a Libra thing that balance doesn't come easily to me. I also have trouble making a balanced Vimala "Ss," which is the letter of balance. Added to the mix is the fact that the left side of my body is markedly weaker than my right. (Hmm ... left side ... female energy ... too much giving? Hey, I'm working on that, too!)

Anyway. Balance, yes. I decided to run a little experiment. As part of my daily handwriting practice, I occasionally do some writing with my non-dominant, left hand. I started paying attention to how poorly or (relatively) well I got through the standing-leg postures in correlation to the left-handed writing.

There's no doubt that when I consistently spend even a few minutes writing with my left hand, my body balances better in yoga.

Anyone else out there with balance problems? Try the non-dominant-hand writing suggestion and let me know what happens.

Pen Pals

2010-11-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

I received this sweet response to my November newsletter column:

I wanted to say Hello and also tell you, as usual, something in your monthly newsletter is particularly meaningful to me  This time, your article made me think of my 6-year-old niece. She already loves journaling and I asked her to be my old-fashioned pen pal. We exchange cards in the US Mail each week. I am delighted by how she is sounding out words for herself and writing them in her own hand. No computers. No help from Mom or Dad. And to know this is helping both of us become smarter is an added benefit!

Yes, yes, yes! This little girl is forging a wonderful bond with her wise aunt, as well as growing her brain.

What a simple pleasure it is to find a real handwritten note in one's mailbox. Please consider adding your personal, handwritten note to your pre-printed holiday greetings this year. It's really like sharing a piece of yourself with your friends and family.

Disease as a Marketing Tool

2010-11-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

My wonderful colleague in Tacoma, Del Morrill, sent the following article to me. I think it's worth passing around.

How to brand a disease -- and sell a cure

By Carl Elliott
Editor's note: Dr. Carl Elliott, an M.D. and Ph.D., is the author of "White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine" (Beacon Press, 2010).

If you want to understand the way prescription drugs are marketed today, have a look at the 1928 book, "Propaganda," by Edward Bernays, the father of public relations in America. For Bernays, the public relations business was less about selling things than about creating the conditions for things to sell themselves. When Bernays was working as a salesman for Mozart pianos, for example, he did not simply place advertisements for pianos in newspapers. That would have been too obvious. Instead, Bernays persuaded reporters to write about a new trend: Sophisticated people were putting aside a special room in the home for playing music. Once a person had a music room, Bernays believed, he would naturally think of buying a piano. As Bernays wrote, "It will come to him as his own idea."

Just as Bernays sold pianos by selling the music room, pharmaceutical marketers now sell drugs by selling the diseases that they treat. The buzzword is "disease branding." To brand a disease is to shape its public perception in order to make it more palatable to potential patients. Panic disorder, reflux disease, erectile dysfunction, restless legs syndrome, bipolar disorder, overactive bladder, ADHD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, even clinical depression: All these conditions were once regarded as rare until a marketing campaign transformed the brand. Once a branded disease has achieved a degree of cultural legitimacy, there is no need to convince anyone that a drug to treat it is necessary. It will come to him as his own idea.

Disease branding works especially well for two kinds of conditions. The first is the shameful condition that can be destigmatized. For instance, when Pharmacia launched Detrol in the late 1990s, the condition the drug treated was known to doctors as "urge incontinence." Patients called it "accidentally peeing in my pants" and were embarrassed to bring it up with their physicians. Pharmacia fixed the problem by rebranding the condition as "overactive bladder." Whereas "incontinence" suggested weakness and was associated mainly with elderly women, the phrase "overactive bladder" evoked a supercharged organ frantically working overtime. To qualify for a diagnosis of "overactive bladder," patients did not actually have to lose bladder control." They simply needed to go to the bathroom a lot. The vice president of Pharmacia, Neil Wolf, explained the branding strategy in a 2002 presentation called "Positioning Detrol: Creating a Disease." By creating the disease of "overactive bladder," Wolf claimed, Pharmacia created a market of 21 million potential patients.

Another good candidate for branding is a condition that can be plausibly portrayed as under-diagnosed. Branding such a condition assures potential patients that they are part of a large and credible community of sufferers. For example, in 1999, the FDA approved the antidepressant Paxil for the treatment of "social anxiety disorder," a condition previously known as "shyness."

In order to convince shy people they had social anxiety disorder, GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Paxil, hired a PR firm called Cohn and Wolfe. Cohn and Wolfe put together a public awareness campaign called "Imagine being allergic to people," which was allegedly sponsored by a group called the "Social Anxiety Disorders Coalition." GlaxoSmithKline also recruited celebrities like Ricky Williams, the NFL running back, and paid them to give interviews to the press about their own social anxiety disorder. Finally, they hired academic psychiatrists working on social anxiety disorder and sent them out on the lecture circuit in the top 25 media markets.

The results were remarkable. In the two years before Paxil was approved for social anxiety, there were only about 50 references to social anxiety disorder in the press. But in 1999, during the PR campaign, there were over a billion references. Within two years Paxil had become the seventh most profitable drug in America, and Cohn and Wolfe had picked up an award for the best PR campaign of 1999. Today, social anxiety disorder, far from being rare, is often described as the third most common mental illness in the world.

It is hard to brand a disease without the help of physicians, of course. So drug companies typically recruit academic "thought leaders" to write and speak about any new conditions they are trying to introduce. It also helps if the physicians believe the branded condition is dangerous.

When AstraZeneca introduced Prilosec (and later Nexium) for heartburn, for example, it famously repositioned heartburn as "gastroesophageal reflux disease," or GERD. But it also commissioned research to demonstrate the devastating consequences of failing to treat it.

If all drugs were harmless, disease branding would be relatively harmless, too. But no drug is completely benign. For example, Detrol can make elderly people delirious and may cause memory problems. Paxil is associated with sexual dysfunction and dependence. It also carries a black-box warning for suicide in children and adolescents. Side effects like these are a part of every drug. But they are never part of the brand.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carl Elliott.
See more CNN.com opinion articles

Divine Peace

2010-10-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

Nine minutes and 13 seconds of exquisite serenity, calm and peace. Listen and watch.

Both links are for the same piece.

YouTube - Arvo Pärt - Spiegel Im Spiegel!

or:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxI87CF0XT8&feature=related

Handwriting and the Brain

2010-10-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Within the past few weeks, there have been three articles appearing in the mainstream press about the relationship between handwriting and brain development. I already posted THE WALL STREET JOURNAL link on Facebook. Here is a second one:

http://theweek.com/article/index/207846/how-writing-by-hand-makes-kids-smarter

Encouraging your kids to write in cursive is crucial to their development. If you missed that boat, it's never too late to start -- and that includes adults!

You never know ...

2010-10-20T22:11:00.001-07:00

I met with a new client today. She had been referred to me by someone I have never met.

Apparently, my new client's best friend had purchased one of my In the Light: A Spiritual Approach to Stress Management CDs at the Women's Health Center about two years ago and, in her words, it had gotten her through a nasty divorce. She listened to it for a year -- sometimes twice a day -- before handing it over to her brother when he was getting divorced.

This news pleased me enormously. You never know what flowers will bloom from the seeds one plants.

Handwriting and the Brain

2010-10-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, there has been a flurry of articles regarding the link between handwriting and the brain. I already posted the one from the Wall Street Journal, here's another one:

Check it out...
How writing by hand makes kids smarter
Younger Americans are typing or texting more and writing less, even in school — and that's a problem when it comes to brain development
posted on October 6, 2010, at 12:59 PM

Most grade-school children are spending only one hour a week on penmanship.

With the ubiquity of keyboards large and small, neither children nor adults need to write much of anything by hand. That's a big problem, says Gwendolyn Bounds in The Wall Street Journal. Study after study suggests that handwriting is important for brain development and cognition — helping kids hone fine motor skills and learn to express and generate ideas. Yet the time devoted to teaching penmanship in most grade schools has shrunk to just one hour a week. Is it time to break out the legal pad? Here's a look at how the brain and penmanship interact:

Writing by hand can get ideas out faster
University of Wisconsin psychologist Virginia Berninger tested students in grades 2, 4, and 6, and found that they not only wrote faster by hand than by keyboard — but also generated more ideas when composing essays in longhand. In other research, Berninger shows that the sequential finger movements required to write by hand activate brain regions involved with thought, language, and short-term memory.

Writing increases neural activity
A recent Indiana University study had one group of children practice printing letters by hand while a second group just looked at examples of A's, B's, and C's. Then, both groups of kids entered a functional MRI (disguised as a "spaceship") that scanned their brains as the researchers showed them letters. The neural activity in the first group was far more advanced and "adult-like," researchers found.

Good handwriting makes you seem smarter
Handwriting also affects other people's perceptions of adults and children. Several studies have shown that the same mediocre essay will score much higher if written with good penmanship and much lower if written out in poor handwriting, says Vanderbilt University education professor Steve Graham. "There is a reader effect that is insidious," he says. "People judge the quality of your ideas based on your handwriting." And the consequences are real: On standardized tests with handwritten sections, like the SAT, an essay deemed illegible gets a big zero.

This isn't only an English-language phenomenon
Chinese and Japanese youths are suffering from "character amnesia," says AFP's Judith Evans. They can't remember how to create letters, thanks to computers and text messaging. In China, the problem is so prevalent, there's a word for it: "Tibiwangzi", or "take pen, forget character." "It's like you're forgetting your culture," says Zeng Ming, 22. So closely are Chinese writing and reading linked in the brain, says Hong Kong University linguist Siok Wai Ting, that China's reading ability as a nation could suffer.

New technology is part of the solution
New touch-screen phones and tablets, like the iPhone and iPad, are providing a countervailing force, translating handwriting into digital letter forms or making writing practice fun (a $1.99 iPhone app called "abc PocketPhonics" rewards kids with "cheering pencils"). In Japan, an iPhone game called kanji kentei — a character quiz with 12 levels — has become a hit with all age groups.

Science may just be catching up with common sense
Heather Horn in The Atlantic Wire says that while all this research is fascinating, it mostly shows that "scientists are finally beginning to explore what writers have long suspected." She notes a 1985 article in the Paris Review in which the interviewer asks novelist Robert Stone if he mostly types his manuscripts. His reply: "Yes, until something becomes elusive. Then I write in longhand in order to be precise. On a typewriter or word processor you can rush something that shouldn't be rushed — you can lose nuance, richness, lucidity. The pen compels lucidity."

Sources: Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Wire, AFP/Reuters

Perspective

2010-10-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

When I fumble into my car and head for the Bikram Yoga studio at 5:40 am, I'm often feeling pretty pleased with myself.

When I reach the corner of Crow Canyon and Camino Ramon, there's usually a woman waiting to cross the street. Sometimes I get there just in time for my light to turn red for her to cross. I have found myself looking for her, anticipating seeing her. She has become an important part of my day.

It always strikes me that she's not only up, but dressed and going to work at that hour.

I feel a deep sense of respect for that woman. I don't know her, but she is important to me. I honor her and thank her for the perspective she offers.

A Day of Wonder

2010-10-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

My TAT mentor, Lisa Saubolle, ends each of her emails with "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." John O'Donohue

Today was such a day.

It started with a wonderful email from a client who was crowing that he'd gotten his three lowest golf scores of the year + a silver medal in an important East Coast golf tournament + aced an important sales presentation abroad.

That would have been gift enough.

But then I met a new client who had come in for smoking cessation. There was no question that she had been guided to me. As I got to know her a bit, it was clear that she was someone very connected spiritually and that my usual smoking cessation protocol (a unique combination of EFT, guided imagery and hypnotherapy) could be dispensed with for her. Instead, with her permission, I used my touch hypnosis technique to help her relax completely and prepare her for a journey to the Sacred Space of her House of Healing. I figured she was connected enough with her Guides and Angels that they would take care of things. And boy, did they!

She had a remarkable healing from her Guides. They literally cleansed her body of the cigarette smoke as well as her desire to smoke. They showed her many wonderful images and symbols she understood clearly, including the message that this healing was permanent. Me? I took copious notes and held the space.

When it was over, she looked absolutely radiant. She was so happy and calm and, yes, a bit awestruck. She tossed her final pack of cigarettes into my special red basket before leaving. Sweet!

Even though such experiences happen rather frequently in my office, they are a constant source of inspiration and gratitude for me. It is proof positive that when we set the intention to heal, it is a sacred intention and therefore all of our Guides and Angels gather to support that intention in whatever way is meaningful to us.

What a day!

Walking My Talk

2010-10-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

During the 9 years I taught Medical Hypnotherapy and Mind-Body Healing at Marilyn Gordon's school, one of the points I stressed the most was how important it is for us practitioners to work on our own stuff with a professional. I would point out that picking up the phone, making the call, scheduling the appointment, and doing the work with someone else kept us in touch with what our clients experience doing the same thing with us.

It's not easy to ask for help. It's not easy to make ourselves vulnerable in front of another human being -- sometimes a veritable stranger. It's not easy to admit we have "stuff," let alone share that stuff.

Yesterday I volunteered as "the client" for a TAT demo with my certification mentor, Lisa Saubolle. The session was just between the two of us, on the phone, and recorded so the other members of our mentoring group could listen later. I had to really concentrate on my own process because thinking about laying myself bare in front of the other group members -- let alone Lisa -- was distracting, to say the least.

The TAT session went well, bringing to light layers of a long-standing self-sabotage pattern I recently recognized. But just as significant was the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of the people I serve, recognizing anew the courage it takes to heal.

Flying Phobias

2010-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Did you know that I have a 100% success rate with fear of flying? This includes the woman who changed her reservations at the last minute, watched the plane she was originally scheduled to take collide with another plane upon take off, and was so distraught she had to be completely knocked-out in order to get home later. Her husband wanted to take her to Italy for a special anniversary and she wanted to enjoy the ride. She did! 100% success rate without any negative side effects. There's not a pharmaceutical out there that can match that.

My success rate in helping people overcome panic, anxiety and other debiltating fears (driving on freeways, over bridges and through tunnels come to mind) is not 100% but for those who stick with me, it's pretty darn close.

Average length of treatment is 6 sessions and usually combines EFT with hypnotherapy. The side effects my clients report include improved sleep, better outlook, more confidence. How cool is that!

Love that Bikram!

2010-09-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to shout out that I'm still doing the Bikram at 6 am most weekday mornings. Today I will try an afternoon class; although I'm not interested in shifting the practice away from the early morning. Who would ever have believed that I, confirmed not-morning-person, would turn into someone who thrives on being out of the house by 5:45 am? By the time I return home, my husband is up, coffee is made and I'm ready for my Vimala Alphabet daily handwriting practice, still giving me time to be ready for a 10 am client. I love it!

Somewhere over the past few weeks, I've shed a couple of pounds. I'm watching the shape of my body change. I've never experienced this level of visible improvement at this pace before. But then I've never had a 90-minute intense workout in a 103 degree room several times a week before. The funny thing is that as rigorous as the practice is, it doesn't feel like work. I enjoy testing my body's limits day by day. Again, such a surprise for me.

Every now and again that little voice grumbles, "Why couldn't you have found this sooner in your life?" But I know that I wasn't ready for it before. I'm grateful -- and proud -- that I'm ready for it now.

I Don't Get It ...

2010-09-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

The other day a young woman called. She was due to take a trip in a week or so and since she's phobic about flying, she was already very anxious.

I told her that I have a 100% success rate in eliminating flying phobias.

It as almost as though she wasn't listening. She kept telling me how hard it was for her to fly and how she needed to be medicated and how she doesn't want to be medicated. She wanted to know what my process was.

I explained about the combination of EFT and hypnotherapy. I repeated that I have a 100% success rate in eliminating flying phobias and that she wouldn't need medication after our work together was complete.

She said she'd think about her options and get back to me if she were interested. She hasn't.

People are endlessly fascinating, yes?

Personalizing Tragedy

2010-09-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Just received an email from one of my dear clients. She was cancelling her appointment this week. My client was a good friend and co-worker of one of the women who died in the San Bruno explosion last Thursday. Suddenly names and photos in the newspaper take on new meaning.

The world just keeps getting more and more uncertain. This is one of the reasons I cherish my daily handwriting practice. It provides a thread of certainty throughout the chaos and keeps me anchored to my spiritual perspectives.

Calling All Issues!

2010-09-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

There’s a new star in the world of energy health that’s creating a lot of buzz. TAT (The Tapas Acupressure Technique) is a cousin of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Both fall under the umbrella of energy psychology in that they incorporate acupressure points to help clear physical and emotional blocks and bring about a sense of peace and resolution. But the similarity between the two pretty much ends there.

My attention was drawn to TAT at the Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology Conference (ACEP) in June. In every workshop I attended, the facilitator mentioned the value and effectiveness of TAT. So I took an introductory TAT workshop at the conference from TAT creator, Tapas Fleming, an LA acupuncturist. I was hooked. I am now close to completing a basic certification in TAT and have begun using it with clients.

With EFT, the more specific you can be in your language, the better your result will be. For example, those of you who have overcome driving phobias with EFT have experienced the benefit of methodically taking your route step by step and dissolving the fear surrounding each component of it, one at a time. With TAT, the approach is more general (and often more gentle and easier on you) with similar results. I can see why TAT has been called, “a portal of grace.”

Kaiser Permanente Northwest (Oregon) did a study of TAT on weight management, using it in their weight loss clinics. The results were so compelling that Kaiser Northwest applied for and has received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study TAT in their pain control clinics. The weight loss abstract was published in the November 1, 2007 issue of the JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. If you’re interested in the abstract, I will be happy to email it to you.

I encourage you to check out www.tatlife.com. Download a TAT manual and you try it for yourself. Yes, like EFT, TAT can be completely a self-help process; however, I’ll be blogging about the value of doing these energy therapies with a trained practitioner.

One of the areas that have responded particularly well to TAT is chemical sensitivities and food allergies. I can’t wait to introduce more of you to the TAT experience!

Great Article on Worry

2010-09-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Gordon is an extraordinary practitioner, instructor, mentor and friend. Check out this wonderful article about worry on Marilyn's blog:

http://www.marilyngordon.com/172/positive-mind-eight-great-ways-to-handle-your-worries/

Still at it

2010-08-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just for the record, I'm still getting up at 5:30 most weekday mornings and driving down the street to the Bikram Yoga studio on Crow Canyon.

I can't help but notice that shifting the entire focus of my day to being up and out so early has a huge downside: my subconscious feels SO proud of that accomplishment that it feels entitled to do nothing else the rest of the day.

I'm holding onto the possibility that my system will eventually adjust and I will be able to make it through the afternoon without a nap.

Mercury Retrograde Is On the Way

2010-08-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

How could I not believe in astrology when there's Mercury Retrograde to contend with in life?

Mercury goes retrograde Friday and all I've been doing for the past two days is responding to requests to reschedule. At least these people have the courtesy to call, as opposed to the person who just didn't show up yesterday morning and must have lost her cell phone along with her transportation.

When I was a family law paralegal (sort of a past life experience from my current higher perspective, ahem) there would be times when the craziness of the job would get even crazier. Fax machines would break down, judges' calendars would get confused, the copier would spew toner -- that sort of thing.

I was complaining about it to one of the other paralegals one day and she said, "Oh, that's just Mercury Retrograde." "What's that," I asked. And she explained that a few times each year Mercury, the planet "in charge" of machines and communications, seems to be going backwards in the sky. When this happens, machines tend to break down and communications go awry.

My skepticism must have shown on my face because she just shrugged her shoulders. "That's okay. You don't have to believe me. Next time you notice another wave of this sort of craziness, let me know."

So that's what I did. And guess what? It was another Mercury Retrograde. That was the moment of my conversion to a believer in astrology. Not a fanatic, by any means, but an interested party for sure.

I've since learned that the days just before and just after a Mercury Retrograde carry the energy of the retrograde itself. Good to know, wouldn't you say?

Each of the planets does this retrograde thing. It's apparently similar to when you're driving down the freeway and you see two cars pacing each other. As one car pulls ahead the other looks like it's going backwards. Depending upon the planet, sometimes it goes retrograde several times a year (like Mercury) and other times it's every few years (like Venus).

I hate it when ...

2010-08-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

people simply don't show up for their first appointment. I had an 11:45 client scheduled this morning. I got all the paperwork ready: opened a file for her, prepared the agreement for her signature and ... waited. And waited. And waited. At noon I tried calling her and ended up leaving a message. At 12:15 I left and went to Marshall's. There were two clients wanting an 11:45 appointment this week who had to wait because I didn't have that time available. I understand that on a cosmic level, all is moving toward the good; however, I was not a happy camper this morning.

It's very hard for me to avoid going into judgment about people who don't call to let me know they've changed their mind, or forgot, or ran out of gas, or whatever the problem is. In the back of my mind there's always the concern that something serious happened and they are physically incapable of being courteous.

But let's face it, even the guy who had a motorcycle accident and ended up breaking his arm on the way to his first appointment with me called to let me know what was going on.

Miracles Happen Every Day

2010-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

A healer I know started experience excruciating pain in his chest. His wife insisted he go have it checked out (he, of course, was reluctant to do so, preferring to wait until the pain went away on its own).

He was diagnosed with an aortic dissection, a potentially fatal condition -- often as a result of misdiagnosis. It turns out that the doctor who examined my friend actually looks for aortic dissections in patients presenting with heart problems. Why? Because his own father was one of those people who died as a result of a misdiagnosis of the problem.

The doctor arranged for my friend to be helicoptered to Stanford University Hospital for emergency heart surgery to repair the aorta. He's mending nicely.

What are we doing to our kids?

2010-08-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

A fourth-grade teacher I've been working with told me today that she is required to conduct drills in her classroom in case of "intruder violence." These poor little ones have to be taught to lie down on the floor in case someone opens fire in the classroom.

Added to the intruder drills there are earthquake drills. And then, of course, the children are supposed to just go back to being open to learning the day's lessons.

No wonder we've got so many autistic kids being born. It makes sense that children need to turn down their ability to experience emotion in the kind of environment we're setting up.

4th Day -- The Beauty and the Beast

2010-07-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am officially really proud of myself. I have been to the Bikram Yoga studio four days in a row -- three of them at 6 am.

There's one woman who's been there each day at 6. She's young, wickedly strong and so, so graceful. I position myself at the back of the room behind her because just watching her inspires me. This morning I found out that where I've been standing is the hottest part of the room. I've decided it's worth a few more degrees to be able to check in with that woman every now and again and delude myself into thinking that maybe, someday, if I'm really, really dilligent, I can perhaps be half as strong and graceful in my movements.

This morning a very handsome, buff guy sauntered in. I'm talking movie star gorgeous. It was his first time (I remember when :-)). Except unlike me, he strode in with macho confidence, white teeth shining in his tan face. Well, Macho Man lasted about 45 minutes before announcing loudly that he couldn't take it anymore. "You win!" he told the instructor (who looks like one of those kids who gets sand kicked in his face at the beach). I couldn't help but think that how this guy reacted to us walking in and walking out spoke volumes about who he is as a man. Seriously. I wanted to give him my card :-)

Did I mention how proud I am of myself?

No Charm the Second Time

2010-07-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I got up okay ... but once I got to the 6 am Bikram Yoga class this morning I was stunned to find myself unable to do a whole heck of a lot besides rides out waves of dizziness and, at one point, nausea.

I think I didn't drink enough water yesterday.

One of the other newer students (she's been going there for 4 weeks) suggested taking a few days off between classes in order to allow the body to re-balance. My inclination is, of course, to plow through.

I really want to be the person who goes to yoga at 6 am and is tranquil, fit and balanced the rest of the day :-)

Hot Stuff!

2010-07-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

I went to a Bikram Yoga class today. Wow, what an experience! 90 minutes of constant movement in a hot, hot room. I actually made it through the class without fainting, which I consider a huge accomplishment.

It's true that the heat improves flexibility. I was able to do stretches this morning that I have been unable to achieve throughout the two years of my previous yoga-style practice.

My biggest turn-off is that the class times are totally inconvenient for me. The best class time is the 6 am. Well, I am NOT a morning person and as much as I'd like to be the woman who goes to yoga at 6 am, I'm not feeling very confident about actually being that woman.

In any case, I have the opportunity to attend as many classes as I want over the next two weeks. I have set my intention to attend the 6 am class tomorrow. I want to see how hard it will be for me to do so.

I'll let you know!

Imagine, In This Day and Age!

2010-07-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

When I first began this work over 18 years ago, I spent a lot of time educating people about hypnotherapy – what it is and what it isn’t. One of the most prevalent misconception had something to do with quacking and waddling like a duck (don’t ask).

As far as I’m concerned, one of the greatest areas of progress that came with the turn of this century has been the widespread recognition of the value of hypnotherapy in mind-body healing of all types. From Dr. Herbert Benson to Dr. Bernie Siegel to Dr. Candace Pert to Dr. Andrew Weil to Dr. Deepak Chopra to Dr. Bruce Lipton to Dr. Alice Domar … medical experts in just about every field have acknowledged the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as a therapeutic tool.

So imagine my astonishment when my work was questioned the other day by a self-professed "healer" and specialized trainer. This is someone I've known and worked with for two years, someone I trusted and liked.

The root of her doubts lies in a woman I'll call "Natalia." Natalia was a chain smoker who I met through the trainer. When I told her my profession, Natalia admitted that she was fascinated by hypnosis and had always wanted to see if she could be hypnotized. She said she wanted to stop smoking and asked if my work could help.

I conducted my two-hour smoking cessation session with Natalia, including a hypnotherapy segment that I customized according to her specifications and then recorded for her on site. The suggestions included taking a shower first thing in the morning instead of having that first cigarette.

Well, apparently Natalia a) really didn't believe it would work and b) didn't really want to stop smoking because when she found herself taking a shower first thing the next morning, she was spooked and upset. When I checked in with her several days later she described her experience and told me that she found the whole thing "scary." She actually told me that she was forcing herself to smoke because the hypnotherapy worked so well.

If you want hypnosis to work, then why should it be "scary"when it does? I just don't get it. The key is that you cannot be made to do or say anything as a result of hypnosis that is contrary to your morals, beliefs or ethics. As long your intentions are honorable and you're working with a reputable practitioner, there's no danger involved and only positive possibilities.

Now, here's the really puzzling part that surfaced earlier this week. Natalia had told the trainer that she found my work "scary" and instead of reassuring Natalia that she was perfectly safe, the trainer's own ignorance-based fears were triggered. Instead of admitting that she was totally ignorant about the process, she questioned the appropriateness of hypnotherapy as a healing modality. "Natalia is still smoking!" she said to me as her proof. If I hadn't been so stunned, angry and hurt I would have laughed.

Needless to say, I'm looking for another trainer.

If you're interested, I have a whole section of my website (www.ahigherperspective.com) devoted to misconceptions regarding hypnotherapy. And if you ever have questions or concerns about the safety or effectiveness of my work, please just ask.

Acceptance

2010-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

In my newest Young Living shipment of essential oils, I received a blend called Acceptance. It seemed like a good one to have on hand for my clients. I didn't realize how important it might be for me.

As a practitioner, it's a fine line between caring deeply about helping my clients achieve their goals without being overly attached to a particular outcome. The perfect example of this is with fertility, one of my specialities. The client wants to conceive and carry the healthy baby to full-term; I want the client to conceive and carry the healthy baby to full-term. When it comes to panic, anxiety and phobias, I can pretty much guarantee full recovery; not so with fertility challenges.

I have to keep in mind -- and lovingly communicate to the distraught parent-in-waiting -- that there is a bigger picture in place here, one that speaks to the wholeness in each of us regardless of the fulfillment of our life's most cherished dreams.

Again and again I am reminded of the difference between a healing and a cure.

Portals

2010-07-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

The two weeks between a lunar and solar eclipse are often significant. Since the full moon lunar eclipse on June 26th, there have been several truly magical moments in my office.

Over the years, many people have had memorable spiritual awakenings in my client chair. The opportunity comes as a result of time set aside, a calm and nurturing environment, readiness, intention and, yes, perhaps a sprinkling of fairy dust, who knows.

Often the outcome has been a reconnection with brothers, sisters, parents or friends who've transitioned out of our world and back into spirit form. Yes, imagine that there is no go-between (as would be the case with a medium who channels spirits) -- but rather the direct experience of someone special who appears in your mind's eye with a specific message or reassurance.

Sometimes the outcome has been a true "sacred journey," encountering an angel or Mother Mary or Christ or Buddha.

Last week, over and over again I witnessed (and recorded by hand) a mix of these types of experiences. There are no words to describe the thrill of it. It is truly awesome as that word was meant to be defined.

In case you're thinking it's some kind of self-induced delusion on the client's part, I must emphasize that most often the recipients of these kinds of experiences are not "spiritual" people. Instead, they tend to be average Joes and Janes who may have some vague sense of something greater than themselves working in their lives, but are often without any spiritual element or structure. It's almost as though Spirit has been waiting for the right time to make itself known and grabs the opportunity afforded by one of these sessions.

How does this "opportunity" work? I use what I call Touch Hypnosis (a pattern of gentle touch on your forehead, shoulder, and hand) and a count down from 50-1 + deepening to get the client really, really relaxed. I suggest that the person go to "Sacred Space -- whatever that feels like or looks like to you." And away the client goes! Sometimes the experience flows so quickly that I can hardly keep my pen up with the client's narrative. Other times, I find myself "holding" the silence while the client is lying there with a beatific smile, obviously enjoying something special that goes beyond the need for expression.

The clients who experience these encounters find it a life-changing experience. Me, too!

What a night!

2010-06-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last night's Summer Solstice Manifestation Event was magical. Nearly 20 people answered their spirit's call to attend -- and I know several of them did not really know why they felt drawn to be there.

One of the highlights of the evening turned out to be a Ho'oponopono prayer for the Gulf initiated by Dr. Masaru Emoto of Hidden Messages in Water fame and sent to me by Ron and Denny Reynolds. We said the prayer together and the reverberations in the room were so strong that I had to be in silence for several minutes afterward.

Here is the prayer:

I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings.

To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral, algae, and all the living creatures ... I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you

I love you.

If you would like a copy of the Light meditation I wrote for last night's gathering, please email me and I will send it to you: lucy@ahigherperspective.com

EFT and Fertility

2010-06-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the emotional component of infertility is clear, other times not. Here is a case study published on the EFT website that addresses a fear of vomiting as a factor in infertility:

• Success with infertility issues and "The Fear of the Fear": Many thanks to Alina Frank who unravels a complicated infertility issue and discovers that her client's fear of vomit was likely a contributing factor. Along the way, she address the "fear of the fear," a common reaction of those overcoming phobias with EFT. This term refers to the fact that the client may be over the fear but they won't know it until they are faced with the real life situation. In the meantime, they are afraid that they will still have the fear response.

http://www.eftuniverse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1205:success-with-infertility-issues-and-qthe-fear-of-the-fearq&catid=30:phobias-fears&Itemid=1151

ACEP International Conference

2010-06-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Just returned from the ACEP International Conference in Coronado. Wow! What an exciting time to be alive!

This field of Energy Psychology is continuing to evolve in the most remarkable ways. Here are some of the highlights that I can't wait to share:

At Greg Warburton's workshop on using EP for athletes, he showed us a clip from ESPN's coverage of the Collegiate World Series from a couple of years ago. The camera zoned in on the Oregon State University pitcher (a freshman!) sitting in the dug-out, tapping. Greg is the Sports Psychologist who works with the Oregon State University athletes and that team won two consecutive world championships -- and that young pitcher was recruited for the majors in his junior year. Apparently during the Olympics, Apollo Ono was also caught on camera tapping his thymus point. When I say that the Energy Therapies work for peak performance, this is what I'm talking about!

One of the three outstanding keynote speakers, Dr. Bill Bengston, a guy whose Ph.D. is in statistics and scientific methodology, showed us videos of the miraculous work he's documented HUNDREDS of times involving mice injected with 100% terminal cancer cells ... whose tumors disappear as a result of therapeutic touch!

And I'm totally jazzed about an Energy Therapy called TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) that I can't wait to start using with clients. Kaiser Permanente just received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study TAT for pain management. This is the result of TAT having being used at Kaiser for weight management and wowing people with the results.

This is what I'm talking about!!!!

2010-06-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg

OMG, I love this video ... I love this little girl!

Thank you to my Alphabetical Sister, Vivica, for bringing this adorable cherub to my attention.

Can Going Through a Hard Time Have A Positive Deeper Meaning?

2010-05-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Gordon is the director of the Center for Hypnotherapy Certification in Oakland. She has been my teacher, my mentor and my friend. She's also an excellent writer, with several books to her credit. Here is an article she recently wrote that is so good it makes me wish I had written it :-)

Here's a link for the article, which has been published on ezinearticles.com: http://bit.ly/9eY2bM

"Miranda's" First Session

2010-05-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

"Miranda" came in yesterday.

Her handwriting told me that in spite of her wonderfully upbeat, positive attitude, something in her past was holding her subconscious attention. Her upper case F was facing backward and she was missing the lower loops of all the letters that should have lower loops. When I asked her to write the letter Yy with attention to the lower loop, the loop she did make was very slanted to the left (the past). Clearly she had some unresolved issues from the past that were impacting her present. She was refreshing in her eagerness to do whatever it takes to reach her goals. Many of my clients say they want things to change but chafe at making changes! Miranda was fine with beginning a daily handwriting practice, incorporating the changes I pointed out.

The downside to "positive thinking" is that people will tell themselves that a difficult situation is behind them and that they're "over it." But all they've done is push their real feelings away so that they "stay positive." Those real feelings of disappointment, grief, anger, etc., carve their initials into the subconscious and tend to become increasingly impactful on our minds and bodies. Dating Coach Jeannine Kaiser calls it, "Slapping a happy-face sticker over it." Miranda could feel the releasing and relaxing effects of the EFT as we tapped on a two-year-old experience.

The other thing we addressed was Miranda's difficulty in allowing her body to relax. A high-energy woman, she's constantly in Go! mode. Generally, when people lie down, they automatically move into a slow, easy diaphragmatic breathing. Even lying down, Miranda's breath was very rapid. We worked for a long time to anchor the therapeutic benefits of slow, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing into her body so she could practice it on her own.

Miranda was amazed at how much we packed into our time together and was surprised at how the quickly the minutes flew by. And people wonder why I schedule 90-minute sessions!

What's In A Name?

2010-05-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

This isn't about hypnotherapy, EFT, the Vimala System of Handwriting or any of the usual things I chatter on about in this space. This is about my being Armenian and an old button that gets pushed every so often.

I wasn't born in this country. My immigrant family took great pride in being Armenians in our beloved new home. Growing up, one of the most frequent admonishments I heard was, "Always bring honor to your name!" Because most Armenian names end in "ian," we've always been a rather easily distinguishable minority. I grew up understanding that if I did something wrong, it was a source of shame not only for me and my family, but an entire ethnicity.

Yesterday's The Contra Costa Times had an article about a young woman who was the first to be arrested in a grade-changing scheme on the community college level. Her name was recognizably Armenian and the rush of shame in my body was immediate. I get waves of it when I read the latest craziness one of the Kardashians is involved with. Hearing about all the Armenian gangs in Glendale and the need to have Armenian-speaking jail attendants there makes my blood boil. How dare these people have so little regard for their honor -- my honor!

Okay, Lucy Grace, calm down. I guess this is about my work after all: proof positive of the timeless impact of childhood conditioning. Maybe I should go tap on it ...

Doctors as Hypnotists

2010-05-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Dr. Aimee (Eyvazzadeh, http://www.draimee.org/) and I had an email conversation in follow-up to my May e-newsletter column, This is Not What I Signed Up For!

She brought up how hard it is for her when the news she has to deliver to hopeful patients is not the news they want to hear. This was my reply:

How like you to be aware of the important of that moment! Apparently when a patient goes to a doctor for test results, he/she is in what amounts to a hypnotic trance state. What the doctor says in that moment then becomes a hypnotic suggestion. So, HOW a doctor delivers bad news is indeed very impactful. The physician's words, tone and manner have great influence. Just the fact that you genuinely care about your patients as human beings instead of some science experiment makes a difference.

You and I have compared notes on how thoughtless some physicians are in their use of language, and the damage that does – often creating a negative post-hypnotic suggestion for the patient. "Apparently your womb is a war zone." Or "Your body is at war with itself." Yikes!

You can certainly take comfort in the fact that you are unlikely to make the situation worse!

Dr. Aimee is definitely more mindful than many physicians about the impact of her words on patients. In follow-up to our conversation, she decided to change the name she'd been giving to the appointment after test results come in -- from "the debriefing appointment " to "the transitional appointment."

Comment on "This Is Not What I Signed Up For"

2010-05-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

This was sent via email from S., a cherished newsletter reader:

[Your May newsletter column] helped me see how a big disappointment had
manifested without my understanding it as such. Your suggestions are excellent,
ending with a gratitude practice which I closely follow each evening, each day,
and hopefully each moment. A good book resource is "Living Life as a Thank You"
by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons. It's not well edited. They stretched
it out too much, but the beginning part gives lots of resource websites.

Huffington Post article of interest

2010-05-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Check out Maddy Dychtwald's insightful comment about family redefined in her most recent Huffington Post blog on How J. Lo's Screaming Orgasm Redefines Family at http://huffingtonpost.com/maddy-dychtwald/

The unprecedented stress on families is showing up not only in the adults but the children -- especially teenagers. Home is not a peaceful place for too many of our kids. Chronic anxiety is generating insomnia, panic attacks and specific anxiety (such as test anxiety) in many of the teenagers coming to me for help. Our kids are very stressed out and have even less emotional maturity to deal with their stress as their stressed-out adult family members.

What are the odds?

2010-05-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

The new client was very late and discomfitted by his lateness. After filling out his paperwork, he finally relaxed enough to look around my inner office. "Oh," he said, looking at the Tree of Life tapestry behind my chair, "I have that same thing. Got it in Oregon." Then we both said, "Ashland," at the same time.

What are the odds?

Shattered Expectations

2010-04-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

It is human to expect that we live to a ripe old age, with a loving partner and healthy children and grandchildren, having been recognized and rewarded for our professional skills and contributions ...

It doesn't always work that way, does it.

My May newsletter column offered some ways to cope with disappointments great and small. You can access that column on my website: www.ahigherperspective.com.

The Buddhist perspective, as I understand it) would be that it is our attachment to things being a certain way that leads to our suffering when they aren't. Written out like that, it sounds so simple and makes so much sense. Letting go of that attachment is a different story.

Letting go of these core attachments is not a big-picture issue but a moment-by-moment practice. Again, easier said than done. Sometimes there's some cleaning up of the past that needs to take place before we can clearly focus on the now.

A daily handwriting practice can help with both aspects. EFT can help with dissolving old resentments and bitterness. Hypnotherapy can help to create positive new channels of thinking and behaving. A spiritual practice of some sort can reinforce the infinite nature of our being and give us much-needed perspective.

What works for you?

Be Kind Because Everyone Is Fighting a Battle

2010-04-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I get contacted by high school students who want to interview a hypnotherapist for a paper they're writing. So when V.J. from Washington High School contacted me via email, I was happy to schedule an appointment for her to come in.

Communication was informal to the point of irritation for me. Aha, I thought, here's a high school student who really doesn't know how to write. What a shame!

V.J. turned out to be a sophomore, so was younger than the usual juniors and seniors working on the projects I've been involved with before. She seemed ill at ease and tentative. The first question she asked me was rather surprising, "Why did you become a psychologist?"

"I'm not a psychologist," I answered. "I'm a hypnotherapist." Well, she didn't even know what that was and stumbled on the word again and again. She had found me on TherapyTribe.com and assumed that since I was listed there I must be a psychologist. She hadn't looked at my website. So what have you done, I found myself wondering with a mental snort. I forced myself to be patient and kind when I really wanted to be snippy and condescending.

Her questions were rudimentary and even with my extended explanations about the nature of my work, we were done with the formal interview in about 15 minutes. So I offered to record a hypnotherapy CD for her and she accepted.

"What's going on in your life that you might need some help with," I asked perfunctorily.

Her reply shocked me to the core. Her father had been murdered last year. Her step-mother and step-brothers were now on trial for the crime. V.J. has had to go back and forth to the San Joaquin Valley to attend the trial. Her biggest problem was that she had a hard time "facing" the step-mother she had grown attached to, had gone shopping with, etc. V.J. mentioned that it had been hard for her to concentrate on school with all that was happening. But she was trying because it had been important to her dad for her to get good grades so she had actually pulled up her poor grades to an all-time high since his death.

Amazing how quickly perspective changes when we stop judging and start listening with our hearts.

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

2010-03-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

My client "Sarah" is about as stressed out as anyone I have ever worked with. Her ex-husband is volatile and not complying with several key court-ordered actions. Of her three children, two have serious medically-diagnosed psychiatric conditions. Frequent court battles have left her frazzled and she has been hanging on by a thread. Her physician urged her to seek me out, issuing a formal prescription for my work.

The last time she came in, her youngest son was with her. He's ten and struggles with attention and anger management challenges. A beautiful boy, he sat in my waiting room very patiently for the first hour of her appointment. Sarah and I have just begun our journey together so we're still in the foundation-laying stage. Lots of EFT and relaxation, including the CDs I've been making for her in my office that she can listen to at home. The deeper work, the Essential Healing (tm) will come later.

When it came time for me to record a new relaxation CD for Sarah, I suggested her son join her.
I pulled the cushions off the waiting room couch to make a comfortable spot for him to lie down. By the time I came back into my inner office, he was tucked in at his mother's side on my famous "big blue chair." And there he stayed.

I don't have the words to describe the sweetness of that recording session for me. I chose one of my favorite scripted inductions, one I call "Core Empowerment," adapted from one of Del Morrill's scripts. I love it because it reinforces the fact that everything we need to live a happy, healthy life -- no matter what -- is within us: comfort, security, wisdom, wellness, confidence, success, peace, etc. It was as important a message for the son as for the mom.

After all these years of sharing it with clients, the script is familiar enough that I only needed to glance down every so often, giving me lots of opportunity to fill my eyes with the sweet scene before me: Mother and son, holding each other, completely relaxed and contented, enjoying a respite of peace in an otherwise extremely chaotic world.

No matter when Sarah listens to the CD, she'll have a sensory memory of her son at her side, both of them relaxed and peaceful. And the next time I record that particular script for someone, I'll have the heart-memory of these precious moments of sanctuary I was able to provide for one mother and son.

Perfect!

2010-03-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

With spring in the air and some extra time on my hands, this seemed a good opportunity to thank some of the physicians who refer to me. Like the Easter bunny, I delivered flower arrangements yesterday to various medical offices in San Ramon and Danville. It was a pleasant activity and put me in a state of gratitude.

In addition to some of my old favorites, I decided to reach out to a fertility specialist who had been recommended by one of the other docs. My work is so very helpful with fertility and I've been searching for the right specialist in the medical community to partner with. My networking efforts in this direction have been met with a deafening silence ... until now.

Here's what Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh said in her thank you email: "This is exactly what I've been looking for. I've been referring patients to online resources for relaxation cd's and info on meditation etc but having you provide this as a resource would be superb."

Yes. Yes! Exactly what I wanted: a win-win partnership. Perfect! Thank you.

Check out this extraordinary fertility specialist's great website: www.draimee.org

Down the Rabbit Hole

2010-03-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Since I gave up Solitaire for Lent, I have been surfing the internet as never before.

Today I discovered that according to one website, I'm a paralegal. My last day in a law office was January 31, 1992. I saw my first hypnotherapy client on May 11, 1992 and never looked back. The same website had my husband (with last name misspelled) working in Atlanta. I think he's been to Atlanta once or twice.

Are there people who get their jollies by making stuff up and posting it? And once the misinformation is "out there," how can it be corrected?

I imagine George Orwell is smackiing himself in the head and saying,"Wow, who would have ever thought that I didn't go far enough!"

Enough with the rain!

2010-03-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

As of today, I am DONE with the rain. Done. Enough. Finished. Quite fed-up, thank you very much.

And it should feel better to have said so. But it doesn't.

Hey, this stuff really works!

2010-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

That's what my son said when hypnotherapy eliminated his chronic migraines. That was about 15 years ago.

Yesterday I heard, "Your CD is really working!" from R. who is working with me to ease the symptoms of chronic IBS. It was our third session. "It's amazing," she said. "I'm so shocked that it's so simple!" After her first session her sleep improved and the sense of urgency caused by the IBS had eased. She's more relaxed and peaceful all around.

She's attracted to the types of foods that trigger IBS such as milk chocolate, ice cream and Pepsi. I asked her to bring her favorite candy bar and some Pepsi to her next session. I will teach her EFT and watch her amazement as her interest in those things just disappears.

I'll keep you posted!

Sun Starved

2010-02-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

“Lil’ darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter. Lil’ darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here. But … here comes the sun!”

That George Harrison song has been my earworm for weeks now. We Californians are just not equipped for all the rain we’ve had. Isn’t that why we pay the big bucks to live here – away from all the weather extremes people in other states endure?

Here We Go Again

2010-02-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out drawers in my office when I came upon something I’d written over six years ago: a listing of specific intentions for changing thought-patterns that were in my way.

Several issues from that time happen to be in my face right now; issues that, in spite of lots of work, have surfaced again and again my whole life.

My first reaction was to be totally discouraged and frustrated with myself: What was wrong with me? What about all my tools and resources? What about all those sessions for myself? Why so little progress? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah …

Eventually I calmed down, stepped back, and eventually another angle presented itself.

This was, after all, about core issues. Everyone has core issues. It comes with being human. For “Beatrice” it’s poor body image; for “Mary” it’s abandonment; for “Phil” it’s the drive to take responsibility for everyone and everything; for “Yvonne” it’s insecurity; for “Emily” it’s scarcity; for me it's often victimhood in some form or another.

Almost by definition core issues are those we work on, think we’ve eliminated, and come face to face with again … and again … and again. This is the proverbial onion that reveals yet another layer long after you’re ready to throw it away.

Time moves on, we move on. So it's impossible for the issues to be exactly the same. I had to stop beating myself up in order to see that, of course. Detachment offered me the higher perspective to recognize how far I've come in the six years since composing that original list -- a journey along the ol’ Sacred Spiral of life that brings me closer and closer into alignment with my Higher Self.

Wasting Time

2010-02-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

I have had a heck of a time staying on task lately. I have a pile of stuff I need to do: forms required by the company that handles my business credit card charges, balancing my business checkbook, entering my AmEx charges on my Quickbooks program, two more condolence cards to write, on-line e-book tutorials to catch up on before the program expires at the end of the month ... just to name a few. I haven't even wanted to read emails, let alone respond to them.

What have I been doing instead when I'm not seeing clients at my office? Playing solitaire. And not an interesting, challenging, mind-expanding-strategic solitaire but stupid Vegas-style-mainly-chance solitaire. I click on the icon and off I go into a strange limbo-land where my eyes get drier and drier, my body stiffer and stiffer, my mind more and more blank.

Ah, yes, the blankness! It occurs to me that in spite of a daily hour-long handwriting practice and three yoga classes a week, my games of solitaire are the closest I get to meditation these days.

In retrospect, I think it was the earthquake in Haiti that put me over the top. Avoiding any and all news coverage of the disaster, I made the donation and just kept going.

Processing heartache seems to be taking all my disposable energy these days. Solitaire, anyone?

Hello from the Andes

2010-02-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

I met Lilo Selven nearly 20 years ago when we were both enrolled at the Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy. Born in Switzerland, Lilo spent her early years as an international model. We joined forces in L & L Enterprises, creating and presenting some wonderful workshops together.

Lilo answered an inner call from Peru about ten years ago. Her healing center just outside of Cusco, Casa de Serenidad, draws people from all over the world. She is one of the most loving, resilient and optimistic people I have ever met. In the aftermath of torrential rains and mudslides in Lilo's area, here is a recent email from her, reprinted with her permission:

Dear friends - thanks so much for caring and sending healing prayers and meditations to the people in the Andes.

We here at the "Casa" are ok. so far, we had less rain and some beautiful, sunny days again. I moved back to my facilities to sleep at night, but we are not out of danger. I have been very involved in making a difference in this very ignorant consciousness around here. The association finally built some kind of a barrier at the most crucial spot right above my facilities, where there have been continously mud and rocks coming down. Yesterday about 50 people came up to that site, the major of Cusco and other VIP's, including the whole media. Now it's all over the news, that the association of Santa Maria and the community of Larapa below us could be in great danger due to this new openning/crack way up on my sacred mountain and a possible major land-slide if we have more haevy rainfalls. There are finally some studies on their way about the facts and possible dangers. Of course, there are always unknown factors, since Mother Nature has her own way to cleanse and let go.

Lots of Lightwork, prayers and keeping Faith keeps me going. I refuse to believe that the mountain of "Apu MachuPicol", (see picture in my web-site under "Accomodation and Location") which is my greatest ally and guardian and has called me to this sacred site to built a sanctuary for humanity will not protect all around here. The beauty in all of this is that this event has been alterting many who were asleep about the forces of nature and ongoing changes and that the need for humanity to pull together as "One" is crucial for its survival and in order to make a difference. In the end it serves as a heart-opening event, like all other challenges and disaster occuring on this planet at this time in history.

Please keep us in your heart and prayers. A heartfelt "thank you" to all and many blessings,
Lilo Ccoyllor
www.shamanspirit.net

'CASA DE LA SERENIDAD'
Spiritual and Shamanic Retreat
Asociacion Santa Maria P-8, San Sebastian
CUSCO - PERU
Phone (51-84)792224 - Cell-phone (51-84)-984671867
www.shamanspirit.net

Save the Cursive!

2010-01-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

Apparently there's a new book out on different things that have become obsolete and cursive writing is on the list.

Well, that's a really bad idea. Yes, I own a computer and use email and even have begun entering names and addresses in my iPhone rather than writing them in an address book. BUT I love my brain too much to stop writing by hand. And cursive writing is better exercise for the brain than printing.

Think about the path from thought to the action of writing. There's definite pre-frontal cortex activity there. The ability to link letters to each other is a reflection of our ability to connect ideas, concepts, thoughts. So when children learn how to write in cursive, they are also improving their ability to think.

Does this sound like something we want to eliminate ... or emphasize?

Gary Craig Retires!

2009-12-27T21:31:00.001-08:00

Excerpt from my letter to Gary Craig, creator of The Emotional Freedom Technique:

Dear Gary,

When I took your training at Marilyn Gordon's Hypnotherapy Center on May 3, 1998, I had no idea it would be a life-changing event. Your work has been an integral part of my work ever since. I have been particularly proud to share your extraordinary integrity, humility and compassion each time I introduce EFT to a new client or audience.

Your decision to retire brought tears to my eyes. There are no words to express my gratitude for who you are and all you've done.

With blessings, love and light,
Lucy Grace

Trust In the Moment

2009-11-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

In all the work I've done with the Vimala System of Handwriting, in the teachings of Nara White Owl, in my dabblings with astrology, and all the other esoteric studies sprinkled throughout the past twenty years of my life, the theme of "learning our lessons" is a single, unifying thread.

From what I can see, the lesson these days is TRUST; trust that there is an overall movement toward the good in this Universe. Staying in the moment is a direct path to staying in trust. As has been pointed out again and again across millennia, across philosophical and religious lines, this moment, moment by moment, is really all we have.

The promise of sanctuary lives in this moment. Beyond this moment is the chaos of uncertainty and the fear that brings.

We are at the forefront of a new paradigm. Life has never been like this before. We look ahead and it seems as if all the possible paths are blocked off. The heart starts to hammer and anxiety ratchets up. Anxiety is an excellent fertilizer for worry and as the brain becomes more and more full of worry, creative thought is squeezed out. Our focus narrows down to all the things great and small that are not working in our lives. The spiral that invites us upward in spirit ends up screwing us down into a dark, sticky abyss.

The problem is not a paucity of options, but a limited scope of vision. I’m sure of it.

Long time no write!

2009-11-19T15:08:00.001-08:00

What a time it's been! For my clients, friends and self, the past couple of months have been unusually intense. I have responded by easing up on my commitments, including this blog. Instead, I have allowed myself more mindless pursuits like finishing up the season of "Mad Men" and the latest episode of "The Good Wife." It's been incredibly satisfying to watch certain shows whose turmoil only lasts 44 minutes or so before being neatly and happily resolved.

Last Friday, November 13, my husband and I had just merged onto 101 from 128 on our way back from a much-needed vacation in Mendocino. I still don't know what came over me, but I turned to him and said something like: "It feels as though something significant has shifted. I don't know why or how, but it's huge -- like tectonic plates shifting. I know it sounds really weird, but I feel suddenly as though our world has changed somehow and life will never be the same."

When we arrived home, we heard of three deaths that had taken place over the few days we had been away. One was a 6-year-old girl in Oakland who had been born with cancerous melanomas, one was the cherished 22-year-old son of my Alphabetical Sister, Robin in Rhode Island, and one was a man in his 50's in the San Fernando Valley, the father of one of my kids' friends. All the services had been completed for these dear ones. Since January, I have attended 6 funerals of people who were each precious to me.

There is no doubt that our resilience muscles are being toned. There is no doubt that uncertainty is one of our few certainties. I can only hold fast to the hands of my Guides and Angels and trust them to keep me going in the right direction.

How does hypnotherapy work for weight management?

2009-11-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

"Natasha" wrote the following note some weeks after her third session with me. I have made some edits to make reading the message easier but the content is all hers:

Wow, life is great. I lost 9 lbs to date almost effort less since 9/2. I love my husband and his words don't hurt me as often. I also don't put myself in a position of being hurt because now I trust my decisions and don't look for confirmation as much. I say to myself before I go to him, if I don't get the affirmation from him that I am hoping for then 1) is he being an ass? 2) does he have to believe as I do? Usually No. 3) is he capable of the feelings I am hoping for?

Walking through these questions first when I head into an emotional discussion allows me to still love him for who he is and then I can still be who I am. So far this has been very freeing.

I do the same with my best friend who is similar to [my husband].

For eating, I eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I sometimes have a 10am and/or 4pm snack. I only weighed myself three times so far because I am in tune with my emotions and healthy eating. When I eat unhealthy, I am not really enjoying it. Not sure why right now, but I don't need to know.

She did it!

2009-10-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

"Elaine" was in on Wednesday. She was almost in tears at the thought of driving her daughter from Danville to a class in Lafayette that afternoon. "Perfect!" I said.

We took it step by step: leaving the house, driving through the town streets to the freeway entrance, onto the freeway, then exit by exit to the 680/24 split, the dreaded overpass, and finally to the Pleasant Hill Exit. For nearly the full 90-minutes of our session, we tapped. By the end of the session, she was able to go through the entire route in her mind without fear.

As she was leaving, I asked her to email or call me to let me know how the actual drive went. When I hadn't heard from her by Thursday afternoon, I called her. Had it gone so badly that she was too disappointed to call?

Nope. Turns out that it went so well that she forgot it had been a big deal to begin with, forgot her promise to check-in with me. When I reminded her how frightened she had been, she turned sheepish. It was hard for her to relate to the intensity of the fear she'd experienced for so many years after such an effortless drive.

And that, folks, is exactly how it's supposed to work.

How much do you charge?

2009-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

In my circles of friends and colleagues, it's common to speak in terms of "an exchange of energy" when describing the collection of fees for services rendered.

Setting fees has been problematic for me from the very first client I saw, nearly 18 years ago. How does one put a monetary value on one's skills? On healing? On wellness?

When I say I have a "sliding scale," some people are puzzled by the phrase. It means that my fees are adjustable, according to the client's financial situation.

Some years ago, there was one troubled man I saw over a period of several months. He was a referral from Dr. Len Saputo of the Health Medicine Institute and because of debilitating back pain, could only work part-time. Dr. Saputo was using photon light therapy on him and although there was some improvement from that, Dr. Saputo astutely figured that there must be emotional components to the pain that prevented the complete "cure" possible. I offered to see "Jim" at $25 per visit. He was fearless in our work together, never refusing to go into what I think of as the "tender places" in order to heal. As he got better and better, he was able to work more. I realize that I expected him to offer to increase his weekly payment to me as his financial situation improved. When that didn't happen, I understood how naive I'd been in my expectation.

I'm better at setting those boundaries these days. As important as it is for to me to be of service when I can, and to price those services to be accessible, I know it is also up to me to ask for what I feel those services are worth. People who don't blink at dropping hundreds of dollars for a single dinner at a fine restaurant put up all kinds of resistance when asked to pay my full fee. Sometimes I can laugh about. Sometimes.

These are the days of miracle and wonder ...

2009-10-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

My newsletter column this month was about two quirks of the subconscious mind: one, that it can't tell the difference between what's real and what's imagined; two, that it has no sense of time.

One of my clients commented that as logical as that second quirk sounds, she found it impossible to believe that "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." She offered the analogy of an amputation, asserting that once the limb is gone, it's gone forever and the impact of that injury must be dealt with every day.

I explained that the work we were doing together made the difference between the ability to live life feeling healthy and whole versus experiencing "phantom limb pain" for the rest of her days.

A Work In Progress

2009-09-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Often when things get really, really slow in my work, I take it as a sign that I need to do some healing work on myself. When I taught hypnotherapy at Marilyn Gordon's Center for Hypnotherapy Certification in Oakland, CA, I always encouraged students to go for a tune-up healing session with a professional at least once a year. I still feel that putting myself in the role of being a client every so often is the best way to stay in touch with how difficult it is for a person to pick up the phone, ask for the help, and keep the appointment. Boy was that theory validated big time today!

You'd think that after nearly 20 years of working on myself it would get easier. During the night, I woke up with anxiety and did several rounds of EFT to calm my agitated spirit. In the morning, I left in plenty of time and yet managed to miss an easily recognizable turn. I ended up wandering long enough to make me 15 late for the appointment. Once I got there, I had trouble following the simplest directions because I had somehow forgotten how to distinguish my left from my right. And, in case all that wasn't humiliating enough, I discovered that I had left my purse -- and wallet -- at home.

The practitioner was gentle, understanding and very kind. I had a terrific healing session. I left her office a bit dazed but feeling lighter and freer.

Chances are that some of you reading this have had similar experiences getting to my office, especially for your first appointment. As the saying goes, we are all one. Everybody's got "stuff," and everybody faces resistance in letting go of our stuff; even me!

Fore!

2009-09-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Got a call from Mr. D, a golfer I've been working with. He was beside himself with joy. Over the weekend he shot a 78 on an 18-hole golf course. Now, I'm not a golfer but even I recognize a terrific score when I hear it. He's been hovering in the 90's, with an occasional dip into the high 80's. This was fabulous news for us both.

Spiritual Midwifery

2009-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

I am of the opinion that sometimes we have issues, especially physical problems, whose sole purpose is to bring us closer to Spirit. Sometimes, my most valuable role in healing is as a spiritual midwife. Over the years, in the course of my work, I have witnessed many remarkable spiritual awakenings. One happened yesterday that I will long remember.

This was the fourth or fifth visit of this particular client to his "House of Healing." I call these kinds of hypnotherapy sessions where the client speaks to me while in a deep hypnotic trance Essential Healing because such work produces dramatic results. Usually after one or two Essential Healing sessions, a client's issue clears up.

For this man, the decades-old issue wasn't budging but he was feeling lighter, clearer, more peaceful after each session. Even his wife noticed the improvements in him. His "Inner Wisdom" was adamant about his ability to completely overcome his problem, so the lack of progress was a little frustrating for both the client and me. Because of his Inner Wisdom's unequivocal promptings, we kept at it.

So, there he was in his House of Healing, which for him was very much like an old Greek or Roman temple. He described in detail the few objects in the House as well as the landscape around it. Then slowly, with long pauses in between, he described a feeling of great peace, deep acceptance. He said he'd never felt like this before. Tears began to slip down his cheeks. This man who professed no particular faith, religion or spiritual beliefs quietly said, "I am filled with the grace of God."

Before his Essential Healing session concluded, his Inner Wisdom appeared more tangibly than ever before with yet another assurance that his problem could and would be resolved. After what I had witnessed, I couldn't possibly doubt that.

Some things are not for everyone

2009-09-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

In my August e-newsletter, I wrote about an extended training I had with Donna Eden, energy medicine guru. I was so impressed with her genuineness, her expertise and her caring. When she recommended 5 daily energy exercises for "every body," I took on the practice.

I don't know why, but something about those 5 exercises did not work for me. I became overly emotional and depressed at the same time. My husband noticed. My Body & Brain teacher noticed. Both urged me to stop the exercises and I did. I very quickly felt more like myself again.

Donna Eden's work continues to inspre me and I continue to be fascinated by its power to heal. At the same time, because of my own experience, I am more cautious about recommending those 5 daily exercises to my clients and friends. This energy stuff is serious business and a "one size fits all" approach is apparently not the way to go with it after all.

A new level of awe

2009-07-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

In 17 years of doing this remarkable work, I have witnessed some truly amazing things. Just when I think I've topped the "awe" chart, something new happens that extends the chart.

This afternoon, "A" was in deep trance in the client chair. This was her first "Journey," accessing her vision of Sacred Space and interacting with her Guides and Angels. As concerned as she was about "What if I don't see anything ... What if it doesn't work ... what if, what if, what if ..." she was doing beautifully. She met with an angel she identified as R-ielle, as well as several Guides and a deceased loved one.

At one point, I looked at the clock and noticed that our time was almost up. Without thinking, I waved my hand in the direction of the chair where she was lying, as though to say, "Time's up!" It was a totally mindless act on my part.

Imagine my shock when the fingers of her right hand curled, one at a time, and "A" said, "Someone is moving my hand!" She was still in deep trance, eyes completely closed. She was not aware of my action in any way.

Un-believable. Except I was there. And it happened. As I am fond of saying, "For all this and more, I give thanks."

My Life as a Frog

2009-07-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

When we think of symbols for "transformation," the butterfly comes readily to mind. Sure it's impressive to go from sturdy, fuzzy, crawling caterpillar to delicate, exquisite, flying butterfly. No argument there. I just think it's highly significant that the whole process is accomplished in total seclusion.

I don't know about you, but I don't have the luxury of going off to a quiet, safe, secluded place when I have growing and changing to do. Just the opposite seems to be true for me. Here I am, compulsively comparing my AmEx statement against my checking account balance, sitting in summer traffic, trying to call my mother every day, doing my best to avoid hysterical accounts of potential geo-political catastrophes just about everywhere ... and ... oh yes, also making huge personal shifts in how I think, feel, behave and react. I know I am evolving from a five-sensory being to a multi-sensory being, as Gary Zukov described in Seat of the Soul, all while living my life as a healer, wife, mother, daughter, sister and citizen of the world.

Because of this, my new hero is the frog. Not nature's most attractive animal, yet one I can thoroughly relate to and admire.

The transformation from tadpole to frog takes place step by step in the real world. The tadpole is still in the pond when it begins to realize it needs air, not water; legs, not fins. There have got to be some days the creature doesn't know where he belongs, how to get around or even how to breathe. Sound familiar?

So, today I salute the valiant frog, just as I salute all of us conscious humans who are struggling with all this change and yet still keep going. Yay us!

Why allopathic medicine gets a bad rep

2009-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

I pride myself on being a bridge between worlds and people and groups of people. Many of my colleagues are rabidly anti-allopathic (Western) medicine. I prefer to take a more measured position, reasoning that if my appendix is ready to burst, it would not serve me to "tap" on myself as the remedy. Doctors have their place, as does surgery.

All that said, I wanted to scream yesterday when I heard the following story. "T" is a vibrant, dynamic powerhouse of a woman in her mid-sixties. She owns her own company and leads a very spirit-centered life.

It has been determined that "T" has "pre-cancerous cells in her cervix" which have a "30% chance of becoming cancerous." Every medical practitioner she has consulted with has recommended that she have a total hysterectomy. When she asked about keeping her ovaries, she was told that most women don't ask those kinds of questions and why does she want to keep equipment in her body that she no longer needs. Even her homeopath -- who also happens to be an MD -- counseled her in this direction.

"T" is telling me that she has a great resistance to the surgery, especially to the removal of her ovaries. She feels as though her doctors (and she can afford the best) are simply checking off boxes on a list marked "What to do for women over 60 having 'women's problems'" rather than actually assessing her individual situation. Her questions have been met with increasing impatience and condescension.

Using deep relaxation techniques, I facilitated a conversation between her, an angel protector she encountered in the course of the journey, and her body. The angel told her that she's been under so much stress that her body is acting up. Her being out of balance has put her body out of balance.

When I guided her to look at her cervix, she saw it was clear. Her uterous was clear. Her ovaries were clear.

Unfortunately, with the entire medical community filling her head with dire images of cancer spreading throughout her body, trusting her own wisdom seems foolhardy rather than the way to go. She's already postponed the surgery twice and is fearful of a backlash from her doctors if she postpones it yet again.

What's wrong with this picture?

Before we parted, I suggested that she shift her prayers to something along the lines of, "Show me with crystal clarity the path I need to take; I'd like a billboard telling me clearly what to do."

2009-06-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I leave today for four days of intensive advanced training with Dr. Vimala Rodgers. Vimala has a unique perspective on handwriting as a tool for personal, professional and spiritual excellence.

It is sometimes a challenge to keep up with Vimala. She is truly a visionary and as such, is often far ahead of what most people -- including me -- can grasp. She is Mensa-level brilliant and has no use for most of what we might call our "modern world." She had never heard of a Wii until faced with one at a Christmas gathering last year. The reality of such an invention puzzled her. Why would anyone want to participate in life through such a filter? If you want to play a game, go play the game! Why play a game that plays the game?

I have been working with The Vimala System of Handwriting for 15 years. I never would have imagined the changes in my outlook and reactions to life that my daily handwriting practice has solidified in me. And yet, among all the tools I offer to clients (and even speak about to family and friends), The Vimala System creates the most resistance and skepticism. At times I've crossed over into that camp. But the results in my life bring me back to this extraordinary tool.

Trainings with Vimala are usually non-stop. They take place at retreat centers -- but there is very little "retreating." Instead, we're usually in class every moment we aren't eating or sleeping. It can be grueling. Still, we return, again and again. What magic might we miss out on otherwise?

I'll let you know how "Sacred Symbols" goes.

2009-06-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Part of my problem with having a blog is the name "blog." It sounds suspiciously like a Lewis Carroll invention marrying, say, "bleah" with "slog." Anyway, certainly not something worth someone actually taking the time to read, let alone write.

Yes, I know I sound like a cranky old woman. I AM a cranky old woman when it comes to certain things -- and it's tough to let you readers see that side of me because who wants to work with a cranky hypnotherapist?

Hypnotherapists must be perfect, without vices, right? After all, if I don't have my life totally together, what gall to suggest that I can help you get your life together? So, it's very challenging for me to reveal that I have a favorite punctuation mark (I love semicolons and trust me, they are woefully underused). I'm a nut I am about grammar ("lay" needs an object, folks, and should never be followed by a preposition -- "lay down" makes me cringe like nails on a blackboard); and I'm addicted to Mamy Susan, an obscure form of Solitaire on my computer. I realize that these things don't just make me sound pleasantly quirky, they make me sound like a vintage Saturday Night Live charicature.

'Twas brillig and the slithy toves ...

2009-06-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

This work is never boring.

The day began with a 15-year-old soccer player who wanted to improve his ability to manipulate the soccer ball with greater control. I made a custom hypnotherapy CD for him that he can listen to either during the day or at bedtime.

My second client has been working with me to regain her sense of balance after her husband announced he doesn't love her anymore.

After lunch with Linda Schwan, a wonderful cranial-sacral massage therapist in Walnut Creek, an awesome session with a client I haven't seen in a year and a half. She's been unable to stay asleep in spite of a variety of natural/herbal remedies. I used touch hypnosis to help her relax very deeply and she was able to go to a Sacred Space in her mind and speak with her Inner Wisdom. Her Inner Wisdom told her the reasons for the insomnia and suggested she write a list of gratitudes every day to shift her mind to the more positive place she needs to cultivate.

Better and better and better. Better and better every day, better and better in every way ... as all is moving toward the good. And so it is.