How J.L. Let Go of 25 Pounds in Less Than Four Months

J.L. first came to see me in late July, 2009. She had a list of issues she wanted to work on, including weight and getting more organized. She was feeling overwhelmed with the things she wanted to accomplish and couldn't imagine that she could succeed in any one area, much less all of them.

By the middle of November J.L. had let go of 25 pounds, de-cluttered four rooms, and painted four more. For the entire case study, go here: Awareness Hypnosis

Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee?

When life gets you down, how do you respond?

This little story was sent to me via email this morning. I don't know who the author is, but I thought I'd share it with you:

CARROTS, EGGS, COFFEE......

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

* * *

Which are you? Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and you’re your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?

Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

Health and Astrology

Years and years ago most doctors were also astrologers. The stars were heavily relied upon for information and guidelines for health. Here is a fascinating article that describes those doctor/astrologers' roles in health and medicine, as well as which parts of the body are ruled by each astrological sign : The Body-Sign Connection

Star Path Hypnosis

I'm pleased to announce an exciting new program that combines astrology and hypnosis: Star Path Hypnosis.

Star Path Hypnosis is a personal development program that uses the information in a person's birth chart to find where their strengths and potential issues lie. Then the person can decide what they would like to work on or enhance, and use the two hypnosis sessions for the accomplishment of that goal.

The first session is a consultation with the astrologer and myself (the hypnotherapist). In this session the program will be outlined and any concerns of the client will be discussed. This session also includes information gathering.

The second session will be with the astrologer. The client and the astrologer will decide which course of action would be best. If that includes the birth chart, then that will be drawn up and explained in detail. This session can take up to two hours. The client will have the opportunity to elect other modalities (Kinesiology, Tarot reading, bodywork) in addition to or instead of the birth chart.

The third session is with the hypnotherapist, and will involve gathering information that came out of the session with the astrologer, and deciding what part of that information to use with hypnosis. Then the client will be guided through a short hypnosis session.

The fourth and fifth sessions will be full-length hypnosis sessions, including discussions about the client's progress.

The client will be given a copy of the birth chart and recordings of the hypnosis sessions.

Cheryl Stambaugh, CH, LMP, NTS, is an astrologer, certified herbalist, massage therapist, and a therapeutic touch practitioner with many years of experience in these fields to her credit. She is very creative and intuitive. Cheryl works closely with her clients in designing programs that provide accurate information for them and their lifestyles.

Cheryl and I are pleased with this program and we believe that people will be very satisfied with their results.

The Star Path Hypnosis program will be available beginning December 1, 2009.

Half-Full, or Half-Empty?

People become frustrated with their lives, or themselves, because - try as they might - they can't get what they want, or they can't feel good. After many years of this, they begin to believe that they will never have what they want, or they will never feel good for any extended period of time.

This cycle of negative thinking - that is, thinking thoughts that don't benefit you - eventually creates the belief that you just can't get what you want. You can't feel good. And that belief perpetuates throughout your life, bringing you exactly the kinds of experiences that you believe in.

Once you believe that only 'negative' things will happen for you, then you will selectively - although unconsciously - only recognize those negative experiences; even though you are bombarded with a huge range of potentials every second, you will only choose those experiences that fit into your belief system. This, in turn, reinforces for you that you are right, you never get what you want.

Since everyone has the ability and the opportunity to choose what to feel and what to think, why not choose to experience what you want? How do you do that, after creating that negative pattern for so long?

First, recognize your thinking patterns. Be honest with yourself. Clearly understand how you view your world, and the beliefs you've built around your perceptions.

Second, understand that they are only your perceptions. The rest of the world does not necessarily draw the same conclusions, even though they may be encountering the same experiences.

Third, once you notice that you are beginning to think or feel negative about an experience, stop that train of thought in its tracks by saying - either to yourself or out loud - STOP! This will interrupt the conditioned thought pattern.

Fourth, choose what you'd like to think or feel instead of that negative thought or feeling. Don't base your choice on whether or not it's "real" - once you think or feel it, it becomes "real" for you.

If you really want to experience more of your desires, be persistent and determined in thinking the thoughts that will help you to recognize those opportunities when they come to you. After a while, thinking helpful, beneficial thoughts will become second nature.

My Hero, Pippi Longstocking

When I was young I was an avid Pippi Longstocking reader, and became a life-long fan. If you haven't ever read her stories, you're missing something.

Pippi Longstocking was a fictional Swedish girl who knew how to have fun! She had never-ending adventures with her horse, Little Old Man, her pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and her neighbor playmates, Annika and Tommy.

Pippi was extremely strong; as a matter of fact, she often carried her horse instead of riding him. The only person who could match her strength was her sea-faring father, Captain Ephraim Longstocking, who was always off on long voyages (or lost as sea) while Pippi remained at her beloved home, the Villa VilleKulla.

I loved Pippi because she was brave, daring, and assertive - and because she believed in herself. She could handle herself in any situation, she was a champion of the underdog, and she was fun. There were immeasurable ways in which she bested bossy or ill-tempered adults - usually without them even being aware of how she did that until much later.

I would like to think that I have some of her qualities. I have internal strength rather than super-human strength. I am generally a kind person, and I love to see people succeed.

Who is your childhood hero? Why them? Do you have any of the qualities that you admired in them?

Click on the Title of this entry for a Pippi Longstocking website

Are You SURE?

Absolutely do not come in for hypnosis unless you are positive that the change is one you really, really want, because if you do engage in hypnosis without being very sure, you will be disappointed at the lack of change you'll see. What usually happens next is to tell the hypnotist, yourself, and everyone else that hypnosis did not work for you - or that it doesn't work at all.

Deep down, you know what you want. You know what changes you're willing to make. You may not know HOW you will make those changes, and that's okay. A person can want change without knowing how it will happen. That's where hypnosis comes in handy.

Everyone can change. People change all the time; every breath you take changes your physiology from what it was before that breath. One of the most important ways to guarantee your own desire to change is to be willing to face your own fears or resistance about the change, because, let's face it, with change comes certain responsibilities to yourself.

You need to be perfectly honest with yourself. Be willing to see what fears or resistance you have to the change. Are you desiring the change for yourself, or is there someone in your life who is pushing you toward it? I know a consulting hypnotist who tells his clients that it is easier to get a new doctor, spouse, or whatever, than it is to try to change yourself for someone else.

So, instead of wasting your money and the hypnotist's time, be clear with yourself about what it is you really desire.