April 7, 2020
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Hypnosis and Meditation

I hope this months newsletter finds you all healthy and finding new ways to spend time alone or with loved ones. I want to remind you that I am currently doing virtual sessions at a decreased cost per session of $100. This has been working very well for those who have chosen this option.

This month, I’d like to talk about Meditation. The idea of Meditation and “Mindfulness” has been a growing trend for the last few years in the U.S., but we know that it has been around since the beginning of humanity. The oldest documented images of meditation are from India and date back to 5000 to 3500 BC. Wall art paintings depict people sitting in meditative-like seated postures with their eyes half closed, presumed to be in meditation.

Most of my life, I thought meditation was just another way of describing the act of prayer for those who worship or believe in a higher power. Sometimes I heard meditation described as “quieting your mind”. Well, if you are like most people, the idea of quieting your mind can seem like an impossible task. I tried it a few times in my mid-twenties (about 20 years ago) and got frustrated at not being able to stop the constant stream of thoughts. I thought that there was something wrong with me that I couldn’t.

About ten years ago, I read a book called “Wishes Fulfilled, Mastering the art of Manifesting” by Wayne Dyer. This book was basically a “How to” book on meditation. I had read other books about meditation, but none ignited a fire in me like this one. I read the entire book on a flight and I couldn’t tell you where I was flying to, but what I remember was being so excited to get home and begin practicing meditation and creating the life I really wanted. In case you don’t already know who Dr. Wayne Dyer is, he is a very famous author and spiritual thought leader who passed away a couple of years ago. I highly recommend any and all of his books.

Since that time, I have been practicing meditation and it has been life-changing. I learned that it’s called “practicing” because it is something to learn and practice like anything else one wants to become proficient in or even good at. It is not easy. It takes dedication and patience with yourself. I can honestly say that it has been the best thing I could have ever learned in the area of health and self-care. It is also a powerful tool for creating what you want in your life.

At first, it’s not easy and can be frustrating, but then it turns into something very enjoyable, almost an escape from reality. It can become the best drug you’ve ever been on, and the good news is, your own brain produces the chemistry to make you feel better than anything you could find outside of you.

Guided meditation is a wonderful option and there are many to choose from. You can Google, “Top 10 guided meditations for “____” whatever you like, and from there you can find endless resources. For beginning this practice, guided meditation is a great way to start.

This brings me to the question, “What is the difference between meditation and hypnosis?” The answer is, there isn’t much difference. Especially if you are listening to a guided meditation. When a person relaxes and doesn’t have that constant stream of thought happening, their brain goes from “Beta” to “Alpha” or even “Theta” brainwaves. Alpha and Theta are the hypnotic brainwave states.

You could accurately say that we are in a state of hypnosis a lot. This is important to know because when you are watching TV, news, movies, video games, it is very likely that you move into the hypnotic brainwave state. The media that we take in every day very much affects what we think, believe, and how we feel on a daily basis.

When you receive Hypnotherapy for a specific issue, you are given personally tailored suggestion and instruction to create new thoughts and ultimately new behavior, which happens more easily because of being in the hypnotic state. So, you could say then that when you reach that hypnotic state in meditation, which you can absolutely do with practice, you could effectively create changes in yourself if you are thinking the thoughts or imagining what it is that you want.

Maybe during this time of seclusion, you could try it, begin your meditation practice now. I promise, it couldn’t hurt. Below you will find a YouTube video that includes several well-known celebrities talking about their meditation practices. I really like what they have to say about it and I feel much the same way they do. A lot of people could watch a video like this and think that meditation works for these people because they are special, or talented or wealthy and that things just go their way, but I can promise you that there is not a person who cannot create a better life with meditation if they do the work of
practicing.