By Reverend Prentice Kinser III, D. Min.
Copyright 2007, Ancient Otter Publishing (TM)
Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

From the moment I first leafed through Limitless Living, I knew that it would be thought-provoking and enlightening. This is a book about "encounters with the Mystery;" a travelogue through spiritual mysticism and the many ways in which humans can experience the sacred and the divine. The author, Reverend Prentice Kinser III, writes from the heart. He fills this book with stories, mostly from his own life, recording instances in which he has felt the presence of God, received "unconventional guidance," and glimpsed past lives.

Limitless Living is a beginner's guide to knowing oneself as a spiritual being having a human experience. Kinser, an Episcopalian Priest, hypnotherapist and pastoral counselor, provides exercises in which readers can identify their own encounters with "intuitive knowing" and trust that this guidance is not just wishful thinking. The author teaches strategies for accessing spiritual guidance and communication. He gives methods to "test the spirits" so that readers can determine whether the communication and revelations they receive are "of God" and true.

Kinser suggests several practices for finding one's own spiritual pathway: journaling, meditation, prayer, and Tai-Chi. He tells us that these methods can lead us to Love and Light, to an expanded knowledge of the true self, to an experience of God, and to a deepening and reaffirming of our life purpose and direction. He speaks of guardian angels and departed souls, mantras, chakras, mindfulness, mind-body healing, energy cleansing and near-death experiences. He tells of conversations with ascended masters and of past life recall. With respect to Native American traditions of shamanism, he relates his own vision quest, and the discovery of his power animal.

Continue reading "Limitless Living: A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth" »

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By: John Overdurf and Julie Silverthorn, Metamorphosis Press, 1995
(3rd ed.), 232 pages.

Reviewed by: Avner Eisenberg

Training Trances is a marvelous book for the experienced, or semi-experienced practitioner. Like many NLP and hypnotherapy books it is based on transcripts of a workshop led by the authors. The theme of the book is learning to conduct a hypnotic interview/session as Erickson himself might have done.

Continue reading "Book Review-Training Trances: Multi-level Communication in Therapy and Training" »

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Monsters and Magical Sticks, There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?

by: Steven Heller, Ph.D. & Terry Steele

New Falcon Publications, Tempe, AZ, 1987

There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis? This may appear to be a strange title for a book written by a man who has been in the field of clinical hypnosis for many years. So begins this delightful little book on hypnotherapy. Heller's point is both that there is no such THING as hypnosis - it is not a thing you can hold - and that in our everyday communications we are constantly hypnotizing and being hypnotized. Throughout the book he gives examples of clients whose problems are characterized as trances into which their family and friends have inadvertently put them. In a meeting with Erickson Heller asked, "Would you say that you perceive all presenting symptoms and complaints as being metaphors that contain a story about the "real" problem, and that your basic approach is to build metaphors that contain a story about the possible solution?" "Exactly!" replied Erickson. You might overlook this slim volume because of its small size, only 188 pages, and because of its seemingly flippant title, but you would be making a mistake.

The first four chapters talk about everyday experience seen as learning/hypnosis, and how often unpleasant memories are hidden from our conscious minds. Chapters five and six deal with beliefs and representational systems, including a discussion of eye accessing cues.

Heller has a light touch and shows frequent flashes of humor. For example, when he explains his view that lead and preferred systems are dependent on the circumstances he writes, "I am now going to go out on a limb. I hope that you will refrain from sawing it off while I am perched upon it." He is of course on solid ground, as he offers numerous case histories illustrating each subject and teaching his insightful and compassionate approach to change work. Subsequent chapters address other Ericksonian topics of conscious/ unconscious division, anchors and anchoring, and utilization.

Highly recommended.

Book review by: Avner Eisenberg

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by Muriel Prince Warren, L.C.S.W., D.S.W, and FAAETS

Self-Published: 2007 - Dr. Warren's email: MPW0801@AOL.COM
Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, and some debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness IS the way, so treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one."
-----With Your Eyes Wide Open, page 35

Can creative visualization and hypnosis fulfill your hopes and dreams and lead you toward the accomplishment of your goals? Author, hypnotherapist, and psychotherapist, Muriel Prince Warren says "yes." In With Your Eyes Wide Open, she tells her readers that with creative visualization we can relax the amygdala; the part of the brain that secretes stress hormones. Relax the amygdala and you can reduce the body's stress response. Instead of focusing on worries and fears, Warren encourages us to focus on our hopes, dreams, and goals and to reshape our "neural coding" for the better. Thus, we can improve the "deep unconscious wisdom system" of our minds.

Continue reading "BOOK REVIEW - With Your Eyes Wide Open: Life Without Stress" »

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By: Milton H. Erickson, edited by Ernest L. Rossi, Irvington Publishers, Inc., 1980

Reviewed by: Avner Eisenberg

When a used set of the Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson became available, I bought them thinking they’d be full of dense scholarly medical papers. Perhaps not easily readable, I reasoned they’d be useful for research some day. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I read volume I straight through and can’t wait to start volume II.

To reach for a comparison, if the literature on NLP is a finely carved ice swan, then The Collected Papers is the well from which the water was drawn to make the ice. One is reminded over and over that NLP is largely based on Erickson’s ideas and practices, and many of the presuppositions and concepts of NLP are hidden in Erickson’s clear and friendly prose.

For example, in an interview with the editor, Erickson lays the ground-work for matching predicates.

"…I’m a visual type, so I use visual memories. [Erickson goes on to explain how he first explores a patient’s early memories to determine whether they are predominantly visual or auditory. He then utilizes these predispositions in later trance work. One patient, for example, was able to distract himself from pain by focusing on the memories of the sound of crickets, which he enjoyed in his childhood." (p. 124)

In another passage he explains the use of sub-modalities in hypnotic anesthesia. “You can also experiment with altering your sensations and perceptions: warmth, cold, color, sounds, etc.” (p.126)

Elsewhere Erickson explains the use of minimal sensory cues, pantomime techniques, respiratory rhythms, and ”my-friend-John” stories.

Volume I, begins with a lengthy discussion of Erickson’s early experiments investigating the nature of hypnosis and establishing the difference between hypnotic and non-hypnotic realities. Though this section is a little long, it gives a clear view of the thoroughness with which Erickson approached the study of hypnosis. There are telling passages that record Erickson’s problems with the methodology and conclusions of Clark Hull, who first introduced Erickson to hypnosis. We see how Erickson carved out his own territory in hypnosis from the beginning o his career.

His thoroughness is illustrated again as Erickson describes his process for developing suggestions.

“In working out various hypnotic approaches, I’ve written them down in detail so that I could understand the actual meaning of the statement that I made. You can rearrange the wording to see the advantage of placing one phrase or one clause first and the other one, second. Years ago I’d write out about 40 pages of suggestions that I would condense down to 20 pages and then down to 10. Then I’d carefully reformulate and make good use of every word and phrase so I’d finally condense it down to about five pages. Everyone who is serious about learning suggestion needs to go through that process to become truly aware of just what they are really saying.” (p. 489)

The following chapters develop Erickson’s groundbreaking work in naturalistic, utilization, and confusion techniques. Also included is an illustrative transcript of Erickson conducting and induction with comments by Erickson, Jay Haley, and John Weakland.

A chapter is devoted to a hypnotic technique for resistant patients complete with discussion of the rationale, case histories, and another annotated transcript of the technique in action. There is also a thorough discussion of arm levitation and other hypnotic phenomena such as amnesia and catalepsy, and their importance in effective trance work.

This seminal volume ends with several papers on the possible dangers of hypnosis. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in practicing Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP. We see clearly the roots of NLP in Erickson’s own words.

To purchase the delux edition of the Collected papers of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. click the following link:

http://www.erickson-foundation.org/collectedworks/

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By: Anné Linden, with Kathrin Perutz
Published by Crown House, Ltd., Wales 2007

Reviewed by: Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Often, when I try to explain the intricacies of NLP to others who are not psychologically-inclined, I get one of two responses. One response is the "eyes glazing over" expression of the person who finds my explanation far too complicated. The other response is the enthusiasm of a novice who sees in NLP a path toward personal growth. Both people need an easy-to-understand approach to NLP that shows them how to use NLP for superb communication, accessing resourceful states, getting results, turning failure into feedback, and having more choice and flexibility in everyday situations. Mindworks by Anne Linden (with Kathrin Perutz) is the answer.

Mindworks is an "owner's manual for the mind" that allows readers to "make maximum use of the strengths and resources you already have." The book is divided into seven sections, each presenting a basic NLP presupposition:

* The meaning of your communication is the response you get. This section covers how to create quality communication in interpersonal relationships: rapport, observation skills, calibration, representational systems and how they are expressed (verbally and non-verbally), uptime and downtime, sameness and differences, and pacing and leading.

* You have all the resources you need. This section tells readers how to access their resources and develop their strengths and talents. The NLP tools are submodalities, anchoring, future conditioning, and body language.

* Success is the ability to achieve intended results. Here, the book delves into goal-setting, values, outcomes, motivation, ecological considerations, and strategies.

* You can turn failure into feedback. This section is a philosophical guide to understanding how to reframe failure-to discover the learnings, the see the new opportunities presented by failure, and to recognize that good that exists, alongside, or in spite of, the bad.

* The map is not the territory. In this exploration of language patterns, Linden teaches the Meta Model-a method of questioning that facilitates specificity and understanding of meaning.

* There is a positive intention behind every behavior. At this point, the text addresses our unconscious behaviors and how to manage them with an understanding of "parts", positive intentions, and reframing.

* There are always more choices. Flexibility is the topic. Linden presents tools for change: perceptual shifts and pattern interrupts.

The Authors
Anné Linden directs the New York Training Institute for NLP and is one of the most highly-respected trainers in NLP. Mindworks is an updated version of her well-received, Mindworks: Unlock the Promise Within (Andrews McMeel, 1997). She has also written The Enneagram and NLP (Metamorphous Press, 1994). I had the delight to interview her in 2004 for Anchor Point magazine and it is a distinct pleasure to review this book. Kathrin Perutz has written both fiction and non-fiction for many years and has published several books and reviews.
Conclusion
Mindworks makes NLP palatable for the non-practitioner---someone who simply wants to know how to use NLP in daily life. Linden weaves the instruction into
an upbeat, conversational delivery, with sample dialog, examples, and metaphors. Mindworks is a first-rate beginner's guide to NLP.

______________
Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D. is a Licensed Professional Counselor, certified hypnotherapist, and certified NLP trainer, with a private practice in Springfield, Virginia. She has recently published The Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program: An NLP and Hypnotherapy Practitioner's Manual. Her web site is www.engagethepower.com.

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By: John Miller

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Two recent books by John G. Miller, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question (Putnam 2004), and Flipping the Switch (Putnam 2006), give a refreshing look at personal accountability. Miller is an organizational consultant who teaches people how to take personal responsibility for their performance and hold themselves accountable for personal success, as well as the success of the organizations they work for.

QBQ! relates to the language of accountability. Its purpose is to tell readers "What to really ask yourself, to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination." Miller tells us that when we are frustrated, or when things go wrong, we tend to perpetuate problems by asking, "lousy questions," such as "Why does this happen?" or "When is someone going to fix this?" or "Who dropped the ball?" These questions lead to "victim thinking". These types of questions do not offer a solution. Better questions lead to better results. Better questions lead to better thinking.

The Question Behind the Question is the better question. Better questions begin with "What" or "How" (not Why, Who, Where, or When). Better questions contain an "I" and focus on constructive action. Examples are "What can I do?" and "What can I contribute?" and "How can I adapt?" The QBQ offers choice and points our thinking in the direction of change. The QBQ allows us to take ownership of our response. It helps us focus on the one person we can change-the self. The ultimate goal is action.

Flipping the Switch takes the QBQ a step further by discussing how the QBQ can be applied to the qualities of personal accountability in learning, ownership of the problem, creativity in thinking, service to others, and building trust. Miller calls these five categories "the Advantage Principles" of life. Asking the QBQ is like flipping the switch that guides us to the actions that demonstrate these principles.

Miller tells his readers how to ask the questions that elicit personal integrity and accountability. He also describes the most common roadblocks that keep people stuck and frustrated. He uses real-life anecdotes about everyday people to show how anyone can easily fall into the traps of blaming, prejudice, excuses, and resentment. Coaches, therapists, business managers, and anyone in a leadership position can appreciate the message.

Both of these short books are enlightening and easy to read. The principles are easy to grasp and the short anecdotes are often touching, even while they illustrate a point. The message offers a strategy for solution-oriented thinking. These two books bring home so clearly the concept that "the answer you get depends on the question you ask."

To puchase these books blick the following links:

Question Behind the Question

Flipping The Switch

Judith E. Pearson Ph.D. maintains a private counseling practice in Springfield, Virginia, specializing in hypnotherapy and NLP. She is the Executive Director for Certification for the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists. She has recently published The Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program: A Manual for Hypnotherapists and NLP Practitioners (Crown House, Ltd.). Her web site is www.engagethepower.com.

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How to be Separate and Connected

By Anné Linden
Published by Crown House, Ltd., Wales 2007

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Boundaries are "...that intangible distinction between our inner and outer worlds, between ourselves and others." These distinctions create separation and yet, are permeable, allowing people to exchange emotions and information. In her latest offering, Separate and Connected: Human Boundaries and How They Work, author and NLP trainer, Anné Linden explores the subject of human psychological boundaries and how to manage those boundaries in a wide variety of contexts.

Boundaries allow for both separation and connectedness. When boundaries are too rigid, they become walls, preventing empathy and connection. Conversely, weak boundaries result in a loss of a sense of self. For those with imbalanced boundaries, separateness means loneliness and connectedness means suffocation. Linden writes:

"The purpose of boundaries is to enable you to know and understand yourself...as separate and unique from others, while connecting with them; you can be a part of the world, allowing the world to touch you as you remain distinct from the world. The purpose of walls it to protect you from the world, from being overwhelmed by the emotions of others, by situations that are dangerous...The purpose of no boundaries is to give up all distinctions and separation and lose yourself in another, to merge with nature or a situation that is gratifying, satisfying and enjoyable." (p. 15)

Continue reading "Boundaries in Human Relationships: " »

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By Ronald A. Havens, Ph.D.

Crown House, Wales, 2007

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Cosmic consciousness is an altered, mystical state of peace, awe, enlightenment and clarity of awareness that creates new understandings, insights, and attitudes about life, self, love, truth, beauty, and spirituality. All cultures have stories of individuals who have experienced cosmic consciousness spontaneously, others who sought it, and those who could induce such a state in oneself and others. In Self Hypnosis for Cosmic Consciousness psychology professor Ronald A. Havens explores how cosmic consciousness can be achieved via Ericksonian Hypnosis. This is Haven's fourth book on hypnotherapy as practiced by the late Dr. Milton H. Erickson, and it is, by far, his best.

Cosmic conscious can be life-changing for some, and simply pleasant for others. The therapeutic value lies in the way it changes thinking, beliefs, and perceptions. According to Havens, it can,

Continue reading "Self-Hypnosis for Cosmic Consciousness" »

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By Brock Hansen, L.C.S.W.

Copyright 2006: Change for Good Press, Washington, D.C.

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

"Whether or not we think we can benefit from criticism, we are all going to get plenty of it and we might as well learn how to handle it effectively. Shame and anger will inevitably be involved and those powerful emotional responses so confuse and overwhelm our experience of criticism that we will have difficulty responding objectively and effectively." (p. 21)

Shame and anger are powerful, basic emotions that often haunt and torture us. Brock Hansen expertly explores these two emotions in this poignant and highly-readable book. Hansen, a psychotherapist and NLP practitioner who works with "shame-based disorders," writes that shame and anger are responses to criticism and that sensitivity to criticism is ubiquitous in our culture. His book teaches us how to understand these two emotions and how to improve our ability to give and receive criticism.

Continue reading "Book Review: Shame and Anger: The Criticism Connection" »

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By Paul W. Schenk, Psy. D.

Crown House Ltd. Wales, 2006

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., L.P.C.

Have you ever fantasized about being someone else, or wondered who you might be, if you were living at another time and in another place? Do you ever dream that you are living a life other than your own? In The Hypnotic Use of Waking Dreams psychotherapist Paul W. Schenk explores the therapeutic and spiritual implications of imagined alternative lives. Through "waking dreams" Schenk invites his clients to imagine themselves as another person, living another life, as a "dream character." The dream life provides the client's medium for working through current life issues and problems from another perspective.

Schenk hypnotically guides his clients to imagine being the main character in a fictional life---one made up entirely by the client. The client describes significant events in this imagined life and then narrates the dream character's death and after-life experiences. Schenk believes that the true power of the waking dream begins in the after-life episode, a time of philosophical reflection and spiritual exploration.

Continue reading "Book Review: The Hypnotic Use of Waking Dreams" »

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By: Dave Ellis

Crown House Publishing, 2006

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

In his newly published book, Life Coaching, author Dave Ellis defines coaching as "assisting people to create their own solutions, arrive at their own answers and discover options for themselves," while they are creating "the life of their dreams." I really can't think of a better definition of coaching than this, and Life Coaching is an excellent book for coaches who are already in the business, as well as people who want to enter the profession.

Continue reading "Book Review: Life Coaching - A Manual for Helping Professionals" »

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By: Rubin Battino, M.S.

Crown House Publishing, Wales, Copyright 2006

Reviewed by: Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Can change occur in a single session of therapy? Rubin Battino says, yes, it can, if both the therapist and client expect it. That's why Battino always conducts every therapy session "as if each session is the last one" in which he will see the client. In his latest book, Expectation, he writes that the crucial ingredient in the success of brief therapy is the expectation on the part of both the therapist and the client that rapid, meaningful change is possible and will occur, even in just one session.

Continue reading "Expectation: The Very Brief Therapy Book" »

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The Noonday Demon is reviewd in the New York Times by Joyce Carol Oates. Her review is titled "Im Not Ok, You're Not Ok.

If illness is a foreign country, mental illness is a yet more foreign country, one with a special stigma. No one takes pride in visiting this country with its imprecise, ever shifting borders and murky language; its frequent mimicry, as in nightmare parody, of ''normal'' behavior; its myriad terrifying symptoms that seem, to the healthy, simply ''all in the head.'' Our common-sense culture can generously accommodate physically ill individuals, but the mentally ill can be suspected of exaggerating, even of imagining, their own problems. Their minds, or brains, must have ''caused'' their ailments, since we have only the testimony of the afflicted to bear witness to what is ''ill'' in their lives.

To read the entire review: Click Here

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By: Gordon Emmerson, Ph.D.

Crown House Publishing Limited, Wales, UK, 2006

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

As a sequel to Ego State Therapy (Crown House, 2003), Dr. Gordon Emmerson has recently published Advanced Skills and Interventions in Therapeutic Counseling to give readers additional guidance and training in working with personality "parts" in therapeutic settings.

What is an Ego State?

In his earlier book, Emmerson wrote:

Egos state therapy is based on the premise that personality is composed of separate parts...called ego states. The state that is conscious and overt at any time is referred to as the executive state. Some non-executive ego states will be consciously aware of what is happening, while others may be unconscious and unaware.... An ego state is...distinguished by a particular role, mood and mental function, which when conscious, assumes first person identity. Ego states are a normal part of a healthy psyche...Ego states start as defense coping mechanisms and when repeated, develop into compartmentalized sections of the personality that become executive when activated. (p. 1-4)

Ego states begin in childhood as coping mechanisms, often in response to trauma or emotionally significant events. All ego states initially develop to protect or benefit the individual in some way. Ego states cannot and should not be eliminated, but they can evolve and mature. Ego states seem to have their own identity and feelings (although they should not be confused with the "alters" of multiple identity/dissociative personality disorder). The average person may routinely use 5 to 15 "surface" ego states that are "close to the surface of the personality and usually communicate well with one another." Other ego states, hidden below the surface, activate only in response to stimuli that trigger associations or memories of the past. Emmerson believes the unconscious mind is made up of underlying ego states (many of them holding repressed memories) that do not communicate with surface states. These "underlying" states are sometimes accessible only with hypnosis.

Continue reading "Book Review: Advanced Skills and Interventions in Therapeutic Counseling" »

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A Manual for Hypnotherapists and NLP Practitioners

Author: Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Reviewed by: NBCCH Staff

Until now, hypnotherapists and NLP practitioners have had to contend with a hodge-podge of methods for addressing the ever-growing epidemic of obesity. Now, Dr. Judith Pearson has put forth the first and only complete program for practitioners who want a complete model for working with overweight clients: The Weight, Hypnotherapy and YOU Weight Reduction Program, coming in November 2006, via Crown House Ltd.

In the making for over five years, the book describes Dr. Pearson's WHY eight session model program for weight reduction. The sessions consist of 1) introduction and goal setting, 2) reframing overeating, 3) self-hypnosis training, 4) stress management, 5) a hypnotic script for food selection, 6) a hypnotic script for improved eating patterns, 7) a hypnotic script for motivation to exercise, and 8) a hypnotic script for self-acceptance and lasting results. Practitioners are encouraged to adapt the program to their own clientele and their own preferences, using the program as a starting point. The program is administered to each client on a one-on-one basis, and each client can work through the program at an individual pace.

Dr. Pearson gives the rationale behind the program, the language patterns, and the criteria she used in developing her program. The factors that went into program design include safety, ethics, practicality, a result orientation, marketability, and client accountability. She sites research studies on the efficacy of hypnotherapy for weight reduction. No detail is overlooked. She provides office forms and tells practitioners how to administer and market the program and even how to record the scripted sessions. The manual comes with a CD containing a workbook of take-home assignments for clients.

The book also shows how numerous NLP patterns can be easily adapted for working with the problem of overeating. There are chapters discussing advanced NLP language patterns, meta-programs, sleight of mouth, and metaphors and analogies. There are also chapters on how to work with "stuck" client, how to conduct follow-up sessions with clients who have attained target weight, and how to market the program.

Judy Pearson's book is the first of its kind and she has done what no other practitioner has done, in publishing a complete program for hypnotherapists working with obese clients. The book is thorough and thoughtful, and the logic is impeccable. With this book, you will no longer rely on guess-work and ad hoc methods. With The Weight, Hypnotherapy and YOU Weight Reduction Program, you will have a viable program to offer overweight clients, and that program may very well prove an asset to your practice.

To order this book click here. Dr. Judith E. Pearson is the Executive Director for Certification for the National Board for Clinical Hypnotherapists. She is a licensed psychotherapist in Springfield, Virginia. Her website is www.engagethepower.com.

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By John Burton, Ed.D.

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., L.P.C.

According to Dr. John Burton, hypnotic language involves "structuring sentences in such a way as to invite the reader or listener into a trance state." In Understanding Advanced Hypnotic Language Patterns, Burton's sentences do much more than simply inducing trance. He teaches his readers and listeners to expand their thinking and to consider alternatives to limited perceptions and beliefs, and new possibilities for alleviating problematic emotions and behaviors.

In this book, Burton classifies hypnotic language into three general forms: cognitive, metaphorical, and introducing a resource state. He also posits four tiers of human information processing:
* Perceiving with the senses.
* Organizing information to create meaning, patterns, and frames.
* Making personal meanings and applying to self.
* Generating emotional states and personal beliefs.

He states that hypnotic language restructures these four processes as a "way of undoing and re-creating the meaning-making process, ending up with more effective life choices." Burton draws from theories of learning psychology, Gestalt psychology and cognitive psychology to support his point.

Continue reading "Understanding Advanced Hypnotic Language Patterns: A Comprehensive Guide" »

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By: John Burton, Ph.D. and Bob Bodenhamer, D. Min

John Burton, Ph.D. and Bob Bodenhamer, D. Min., co-authored Hypnotic Language. It presents some highly original thinking about Ericksonian language patterns. The authors draw upon a diversity of psychological models, including Neuro-linguistics, developmental psychology, Gestalt psychology, and NLP, to explain the cognitive underpinnings that make Ericksonian hypnotherapy effective.

Dr. Erickson's asserted that trance is a natural, routine event that occurs in everyone, throughout the course of the day. Burton and Bodenhamer take the definition further. They state that any time we focus inward to assign meaning, that is "trance. Thus, all communication invites the receiver into a hypnotic trance." In that moment, when the listener's mind travels between not knowing and knowing, there is an opportunity for influence.

Continue reading "Hypnotic Language" »

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A Manual for Hypnotherapists and NLP Practitioners

Author: Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.
Reviewed by: NBCCH Staff

Until now, hypnotherapists and NLP practitioners have had to contend with a hodge-podge of methods for addressing the ever-growing epidemic of obesity. Now, Judy Pearson has put forth the first and only complete program for practitioners who want a complete model for working with overweight clients: The Weight, Hypnotherapy and YOU Weight Reduction Program, coming in November 2006, via Crown House Ltd.

Continue reading "The Weight, Hypnotherapy, and YOU Program: " »

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By: Steve Andreas, M.A.

Six Blind Elephants, understanding ourselves and each other, by Steve Andreas, offers a "unified field theory" of personal change that goes beyond NLP to describe any experience of change, whether planned or spontaneous, resourceful or not.

VOLUME I: Fundamental Principles of Scope and Category.

VOLUME II: Applications and Explorations of Scope and Category.

DESCRIPTION, CONTENTS, INTRODUCTION, and EXCERPTS FREE at: http://www.realpeoplepress.com/booklist/new.html

Of all the books I have written, this one has been the most satisfying for me personally. Although it teaches some new patterns for personal change and evolution, the main purpose of the book is to demonstrate how ALL change can be understood using three simple elements, offering a way to integrate all the different change methods. I have enjoyed venturing beyond the usual range of NLP to unravel the structure of examples from other therapeutic methods, and from ordinary everyday experiences to deep spiritual ones. Although I had been thinking of it as an advanced book, my proofreader, with no NLP or therapy background, said that he wished he had read it twenty years ago, because it would have made his life so much easier. Steve Andreas

QUOTE: "This is a wonderfully clear book about how we think and make meaning, and how to change it. I hope all therapists will have the sense to read it."
--Ernest Rossi, author of A Discourse with Our Genes: The Psychosocial Genomics of Therapeutic Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.

QUOTE: "Steve Andreas is an important innovator in the field of psychotherapy, and in this book he has succeeded at a monumental task. The distinctions that he makes are templates for understanding the essence of human understanding."
--Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D., Director, The Milton Erickson Foundation.

To order this new two-volume book:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
US: Order from: Real People Press: http://www.realpeoplepress.com/booklist/ book.html and SAVE $8 by buying both volumes together for the special introductory price of $25, plus $6 shipping by Priority Mail, a total of $31 Also available from NLP Comprehensive: http://www.nlpco.com/ or Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/

INTERNATIONAL - EUROPE: Order direct from Anglo American Book Co. in the UK: http://www.anglo-american.co.uk/index.php?page=home . CANADA: Order direct from BK Ventures: http:// www.footprint.com.au/ or your local bookstore or NLP center. AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND: Order direct from Footprint Books: http://www.footprint.com.au/ or from your local bookstore or NLP center.

Posted by Ron Klein at 06:18 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

By Dan Short, Ph.D., Betty Alice Erickson, M.S., L.P.C. and Roxanne Erickson Klein, R.N., Ph.D.

Published by Crown House Publishing, Ltd., Wales, U. K., Copyright 2006

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., L.P.C.

Followers of Dr. Milton H. Erickson are sure to find pleasure and education in Hope and Resiliency: Understanding the Psychotherapeutic Strategies of Milton H. Erickson.

The authors provide a fresh analysis of his philosophy and psychotherapeutic work. Dr. Dan Short has teamed up with two of Erickson's daughters to write this book that is based on case histories, Erickson's own writings, and personal anecdotes from Betty Alice Erickson and Roxanne Erickson Klein. The book begins with a biographical history of Erickson's life and then explains six therapeutic strategies that the authors consider to be the basic cornerstones of his professional success with clients for whom he was often a "port of last resort."

Continue reading "Hope and Resiliency: Understanding the Psychotherapeutic Strategies of Milton H. Erickson" »

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By: Tad James, Ph.D. with Lorraine Flores and Jack Schober
Crown House Publishing, Bancyfelin, Carmarthen, Wales
Copyright: 2000

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Guide, is an excellent overview of Milton Erickson's methods, as well as those of David Elman and George Estabrooks. Tad James shows his readers how to develop an eclectic approach to hypnosis by combining elements of these three hypnotic styles and tells us that through hypnosis we can heal illness, create the future of our dreams, and control destiny.

Having studied hypnosis from its earliest beginnings, he provides an impressive bibliography of 246 books, some dating back to the 1800s. He offers a respectable history of hypnosis, summarizing the contributions of notables such as Mesmer, Braid, Esdaile, Liebault, Breuer, Pavlov, Hull, Erickson, Estabrooks, Elman, and LeCron.

Continue reading "Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Guide" »

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Book Review

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Hypnosis is about learning what you didn't know you knew and control what you didn't know you could...using your mind...daydreaming on purpose...thinking to help yourself...learning how to work to control your mind... Linda Thomson, Ph.D.

Meet Harry the Hypno-potamus who lives at the Ashland Zoo. Harry likes hypnosis! The zoo veterinarian, Dr. Dan, taught Harry self-hypnosis, when Harry was worried about getting an immunization. Dr. Dan told Harry how to use his imagination to keep his thoughts in his "favorite place" so that he hardly noticed the needle pinch. Harry even used hypnosis to reduce the pain from a toothache and to calm his anxiety about moving to a new home.

Harry has many friends and neighbors at the zoo, and Dr. Dan takes care of all of them. Dr. Dan teaches the animals to use their imaginations to solve a wide variety of emotional problems, overcome bad habits, and feel better when they are sick. Dabney the Gorilla, for example, was afraid of sleeping in the dark. So, with Dr. Dan's help, Dabney visualized walking through a mountain forest, feeling calm and happy. Then he learned deep breathing to relax, and imagined himself sleeping comfortably in his enclosure with his gorilla friends. Now Dabney is no longer afraid of the dark.

Continue reading "Harry the Hypno-Potamus: Metaphorical Tales for the Treatment of Children" »

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Book Review

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Want to read a book on hypnosis that is fun and easy to understand? Want to good book about hypnosis that you can recommend to your clients? The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hypnosis by Roberta Temes is both. The book consists of six parts.

Continue reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hypnosis" »

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Book Review

By: Hugh Gunnison, Ed.D., NBCDCH
Email: phgun@premierwireless.us

This book attempts to blend the Utilization Approach of Milton H. Erickson with the Person-Centered Approach of Carl Rogers using brief solution-based therapy. This eclectic foundation serves to act as a catalyst to increase the effectiveness of whatever primary therapy the reader is using such as Adlerian, analytic, cognitive-behavioral, eclectic, Gestalt, Jungian, Rational-Emotive, Reality, or any of the brief therapies. It also includes many counselor-client dialogues, two hypnocounseling scripts, as well as comments from Carl Rogers concerning the theories discussed.

"In this carefully crafted exploration of classic hypnotherapy. Hugh Gunnison has beautifully articulated the connection between the ideas and practices of Milton H. Erickson and Carl R. Rogers. This volume gently guides the reader to new understandings in a significant contribution to the work of the experienced counselor, social worker, psychologist or marriage and family therapist. Whatever their setting, practitioners are sure to find stimulating material."- Suzanne Moore. Clinical Counselor, Past Vice Chair, National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists.

"Many counselors are afraid of hypnosis, mostly out of ignorance or misconceptions. Hugh Gunnison helps dispel these fears and myths and shows the respectful effective nature of hypnosis in counseling settings."- Bill O'Hanlon, co-author of Solution-Oriented Hypnosis.

Crown House Publishing Limited
Editorial/Marketing Offices:
4 Berkeley St., 1st Fl.,
Norwalk, CT
06850
Phone Toll Free: 866-272-8497
Fax: 203-852-9619
Email: info@CHPUS.com

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Book Review

By Tom Saunders, M. D.

Crown House Publishing Limited, Copyright 2005

Reviewed by: Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Golfers at all levels of expertise and sports psychology practitioners will surely want to buy Golf: Lower Your Score with Mental Training by Tom Saunders, M.D. This book offers "scientifically tested ways to perform better at golf while actually enjoying it more." Without hype or sensational promises, but in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner, Saunders imparts the mental skills and strategies that make for an improved game.

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By: H.D. Johns, Ph.D.

All of the books on dog training remind me to remember that my dogs think of me as
another dog. A lot of the success of training depends on whether they see me as a
superior dog or a subordinate dog. If they see me as top-dog they will tend to obey my
commands, come when they are called and want to be with me. If they see me as an
under-dog they will be less responsive to my controls and may ignore my overtures. In all
of our interactions they will deal with me as though I were another dog.

Continue reading "What I Need to Know about Living I Learned from My Dogs" »

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