When I started my hypnotherapy diploma at LCCH I was working as a freelance tutor, writer and alternative health practitioner. I was already aware that hypnosis could get rid of fears and phobias, and break unwanted habits like nail-biting or smoking; however, I was much more interested to know if it could unleash my hidden creativity. Could it, for instance, improve my ability to play diifficult Chopin pieces on the piano? Or even help me to write a book?
Like many writers I had mysterious blocks that prevented me from getting down to it. I started a lot of writing projects but never finished any of them. I found it easy to write short pieces for publication but impossible to get even halfway through writing a book. I was convinced that if only I could stop dithering about I would be able to accomplish my goal, but nothing I tried (writing groups, writing courses, books about how to write) seemed to make any difference.
Until I tried hypnosis.
In one of my course books I discovered a short section with suggestions for enhancing creativity. Using this as a guide, I wrote and recorded two 15-minute tapes to use in my self-hypnosis sessions, telling my unconscious mind what I wanted to achieve and how this would happen: for example, breaking the work down into easy segments that would fit the time I had available; being able to finish what I started; having a steady stream of inspiration even when I was busy doing other things.
Like many writers I had mysterious blocks that prevented me from getting down to it. I started a lot of writing projects but never finished any of them. I found it easy to write short pieces for publication but impossible to get even halfway through writing a book. I was convinced that if only I could stop dithering about I would be able to accomplish my goal, but nothing I tried (writing groups, writing courses, books about how to write) seemed to make any difference.
Until I tried hypnosis.
In one of my course books I discovered a short section with suggestions for enhancing creativity. Using this as a guide, I wrote and recorded two 15-minute tapes to use in my self-hypnosis sessions, telling my unconscious mind what I wanted to achieve and how this would happen: for example, breaking the work down into easy segments that would fit the time I had available; being able to finish what I started; having a steady stream of inspiration even when I was busy doing other things.
For a couple of months I listened to my writing tapes two or three times a week while in a hypnotic trance. After that I put them aside, becoming busy with other things, and eventually I forgot all about them. One day, out of the blue, I sat down at my desk and started writing, but this time it felt different. The usual "itching and twitching " was strangely absent, replaced by a new focus and concentration that enabled me to tune out distractions. Three months later I had written my book!
No, it isn't the next great Novel Of Our Time. Actually it's a textbook for use in my classes, but it fills a gap in the market and I already have good indications that it will sell. The strange thing is that I wrote it during one of the busiest times of my life, sitting down to type whenever I had a spare half hour, and somehow it just flowed. I am convinced that the tapes had a profound effect, removing whatever had been holding me back. Nor was it necessary to figure out exactly what was causing the block - hypnosis is about change rather than analysis. In my work as a hypnotherapist I now have a special interest in helping my clients release their own creativity, whether it be writing, painting, music - or simply searching for the way to a more fulfilled life. I believe the unconscious mind is raring to go, full of inspiration and brilliant ideas, if only we can reach into it and get to the treasure. Hypnosis is the key to overcoming our inhibitions. As the author Anne Lamott says, "...writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself..."
Meanwhile I have started work on my next book.www.blissfulbaby.co.uk
No, it isn't the next great Novel Of Our Time. Actually it's a textbook for use in my classes, but it fills a gap in the market and I already have good indications that it will sell. The strange thing is that I wrote it during one of the busiest times of my life, sitting down to type whenever I had a spare half hour, and somehow it just flowed. I am convinced that the tapes had a profound effect, removing whatever had been holding me back. Nor was it necessary to figure out exactly what was causing the block - hypnosis is about change rather than analysis. In my work as a hypnotherapist I now have a special interest in helping my clients release their own creativity, whether it be writing, painting, music - or simply searching for the way to a more fulfilled life. I believe the unconscious mind is raring to go, full of inspiration and brilliant ideas, if only we can reach into it and get to the treasure. Hypnosis is the key to overcoming our inhibitions. As the author Anne Lamott says, "...writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotizing yourself..."
Meanwhile I have started work on my next book.www.blissfulbaby.co.uk
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