Associated Press on Alternative Medicine....my response

The failings of the US health care industry have never been more in the spotlight. Not only is the health care industry crumbling under its own weight, similar to the auto and banking industries it is so huge and integral to our economy that it is helping to fuel an even bigger crisis nationally. The Obama administration is faced with changing the system which, if ignored, threatens our national solvency and security.

As a health care solution for a large nation, ours has proven that it does not take care of people proportionally to the amount of money it costs us all in far too many cases. By virtue of its "free market" foundation, it is shown that the profit motives of a corporate health industry create demand for costly, invasive procedures at the neglect of more effective, less invasive simple measures. The poor get no treatment, and the rich get way too much. Risks are increased, costs are increased, good responsible citizens go bankrupt every day trying to pay for unexpected costs, businesses go out of business, and all the while the health and wellness of our nation continues to decline.

Perhaps the "a best defense is a good offense" attitude has helped fuel a recent AP series on Alternative Medicine, which was negatively biased against complementary health treatments. I wrote a response to these articles -- which attacked alternative medicine -- and portrayed the two fields of complementary and conventional medicine at odds with each other: Alternative Medicine Maligned. The issue of complementary and integrative medicine is just one small piece of the giant puzzle. But the promise of good integrative medicine -- less invasive and costly care of the whole person in ways that encourage the body's own innate healing ability and the overall wellness of a person -- is certainly pointed down the right direction.

The ultimate answer will be balanced. We will all need to assume our share of responsibility. Doctors, hospitals, and healthcare institutions --- pharmaceuticals -- complementary medicine practitioners -- insurance companies -- the government -- and us. Yes, as in me, you, and all of us.

Health can not be paid for and bought...insured and forgotten. Our wellness is determined by our values, our personal choices, and our willingness to look within and without and take responsibility for ourselves. The solution-makers should not spend a lot of time pointing fingers -- let's all agree to share the burden and remind each other that it is never too late to start making different choices.

Hypnosis used by Professional Cyclist - Article in USA Today

I was excited to find a recent article in USA Today on professional cyclist Levi Leipheimer. The focus of the article is how this star athlete's use of hypnosis has led to an "athletic epiphany."

At the advice of a bicycling coach in October 2006, Leipheimer added mind training to his conditioning regimen through the regular nightly use of a CD containing positive suggestions and visualizations. Since then, he's won the Amgen Tour of California event two years in a row (and as I write this, he's holding his lead in what could be his third Amgen victory!) and was third in the 2007 Tour de France. Read Tour of California leader Leipheimer helped by hypnosis CD.

The lesson learned by Leipheimer and other top athletes applies to all of us. Whether you want to improve in a sport or performance art, release unwanted weight, stop smoking, feel more confident, or achieve some other goal, "when you get the mental part down, the body follows."

Happy New Year! Hypno Wellness gets a new name and location

January is the traditional season of fresh starts and new beginnings. In celebration, HypnoWellness is moving to a new location and getting a new name:

Inner Wellness Center of Grays Harbor
(Located in The Eye Center building near Walmart)
207 South Chehalis, Suite 204
360-593-2214 (free 30 minute consultations, so please call!)

www.graysharborinnerwellness.com
www.graysharborhypnosis.com

Some of you know I have been looking forward to being able to offer hypnotherapy sessions, HypnoBirthing® classes, and energy healing sessions full-time for several years. After a lot of work and planning, it feels good to finally be here. One phase ends, and a new one begins…

Happy New Beginnings to you, too!

“You have stinkin’ thinkin’ and need a check up from the neck up!”

I like this quote which I heard from a master hypnotist/healer Robert Otto. Much of the time, what “ails” us is being driven by the content in our subconscious minds. Fears, false beliefs, negative thoughts/emotions -- this is the stuff that often needs to be discovered, released and reframed into something more beneficial, so we can reach our goals.

For instance, I often tell my weight loss clients that if it were just about eating less and moving more, they'd be thin. When that doesn't work, there's a conflict somewhere -- an energy inside working hard against them. While they push, push, push to reach their goals, something else in them is pulling them back. It often feels like an internal tug-o-war.

If you've ever tried affirmations -- postive expressions of your goals that are stated in the present as though they've occurred -- you know that it can feel like a part of you believes, but a part of you resists. If we don't deal with what's under the surface standing in our way, it's harder to change. We can use lots of conscious will-power, but not get where we want as fast as we want, because the creative energy within is divided.

There's always a good reason for the tug-of-war feeling. The "gold" we look for at the subconscious level are the blocks that are still active in you. These often started as creative adaptations, or “solutions” to some problem. They usually have their roots back to when we were a lot younger and didn't have the maturity to understand what was really happening.

Once hypnosis has been induced, we have access to a vast part of the mind that contains all our beliefs, emotions and memories -- it's a part of us that influences us constantly, but which we can't get to intentionally when we're in our ordinary conscious state. Once hypnosis is induced, we work with regression (following feelings into an earlier memory), we use Gestalt work with dreams, we use visualization and metaphor, parts mediation, and other approaches.

While I have a plan for every session, I’m flexible too -- I always trust the sub-conscious mind and where it takes us. I believe we're all always on a path toward healing. There’s a deep part of YOU that wants to heal, and when we do hypnosis together, this part of you is in the driver’s seat.

Food for thought : Women speak about their births....

This 5-minute video is a collage of quotes from women about how they felt having vaginal versus cesarean births. It was created by a Master's student in the College of Nursing at Seattle University.

Today 1 in 3 American births are cesarean - contrary to popular belief, this has increased risk to mom and to baby. It has also increased the costs in a medical/insurance system that is caving under itself.

While no one can argue that a surgical birth can be life-saving in true emergencies, women who are tempted to believe they are better than physiological birth have been misguided and need much more education.

Watch HypnoBirthing in the news! Call me for Grays Harbor classes

Kathryn Beck, a HypnoBirthing practitioner I know of through our online Group for HypnoBirthing, was part of a news piece in New York City the other day. She and one of her moms were interviewed, and it's a good little clip to give you a sense of what HypnoBirthing is -- a way to experience natural childbirth in a comfortable and (yes!) even enjoyable way. Listen to the mom talk about how she had pressure, but no pain.

And notice the doctor -- he seems pretty skeptical. (I am doubting he's actually witnessed a HypnoBirth.) Interestingly, he seems to imply an epidural is a better way by default to have birth without suffering. There's a basic assumption today that Nature is flawed and that chemical and surgical birth interventions are superior.

After talking to many women who did NOT have a positive experience with an epidural, I know that too often women are not fully educated before they opt for inductions and epidurals.

HypnoBirthing stands on the otherside -- we teach that when women are properly prepared -- emotionally, mentally, and physically -- birth is natural, comfortable, and one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences a mother can have.

If you are in the Grays Harbor area, and you are interested in hypnobirthing classes, please contact me -- 360 593 2214

Watch the tv clip! http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=112802@wcbs.dayport.com

Dilbert and hypnosis...who knew?

I just found this impressive article on hypnosis by Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. Surprisingly, he does a very good job describing what hypnosis is -- and isn't -- about, and it's clear he's familiar from first-hand experience. I don't completely agree with everything he says, but overall it's a great synopsis.

Most importantly, this article can help demystify the process for the person who is just starting to investigate hypnosis.