No Pocket Watches, No Mind Control, and Usually a Lot More Than Hypnosis There is a particular look people sometimes give me when they find out what I do. I’ve seen it for more than a decade. Someone asks what I do for a living. I tell them: “I’m a hypnotherapist.” There’s a pause. Sometimes an eyebrow goes up. And then comes some version of the question: “So…can you make me cluck like a chicken?” Yes. That’s what I’ve spent all these years studying for. Poultry impersonation. Occasionally someone asks about a pocket watch. Sometimes they want to know whether…
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You Don’t Have to Relive Your Past to Change Your Relationship With It One of the questions I sometimes ask someone sitting across from me sounds a little strange at first. “When did this response make sense?” Not: What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you over this? Why are you still letting this bother you? Why can’t you just move on? When did this response make sense? Because sometimes the thing causing problems in your life today started as a perfectly understandable response to something that happened yesterday. Maybe yesterday was last year. Maybe it was twenty years ago. Maybe…
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Understanding Your Internal Alarm System A smoke detector has one job. Detect smoke. That’s it. It doesn’t know whether your house is on fire or you left the toast in the toaster thirty seconds too long. It detects something that might indicate danger and sounds the alarm. Loudly. Which is exactly what you want when there’s a fire. It’s considerably less helpful when you’re standing underneath it waving a dish towel because breakfast got a little crispy. But here’s the interesting part. The smoke detector isn’t necessarily broken. It’s trying to protect you. It’s just responding to something that isn’t…
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Understanding the Automatic Patterns That Keep Us Stuck “I know better.” I have heard some version of those three words more times than I could possibly count. I know I shouldn’t worry about this. I know I need to say no. I know I don’t need everybody’s approval. I know this person isn’t the person who hurt me. I know cigarettes are bad for me. I know I’m safe. Usually, the person saying those words isn’t confused about what they should do. That’s what makes the problem so frustrating. They already understand it. They’ve thought about it. They’ve probably talked…
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How the Mind Slowly Loses Its Sense of Order Mental chaos rarely appears overnight. It usually develops gradually as stress, unresolved experiences, and repeated thought patterns accumulate over time. Most people move through predictable stages before they finally reach the point where they seek help. Understanding these stages helps people recognize where they are and what kind of support they may need. Level 1 Background Noise At this stage, life mostly functions normally. The person works, maintains relationships, and manages daily responsibilities. From the outside, nothing seems wrong. But internally something has begun to change. Thoughts start looping more often.Stress…
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The Work That Finally Lets Your Nervous System Breathe Again People toss the word trauma around like it is a trend. A buzzword. A diagnosis. A label you slap on your chest when life feels heavy. But trauma is not a label. Trauma is not the event. Trauma is the imprint the event leaves behind in the nervous system. It is the unfinished survival response your body never got to complete. And that is the part most people misunderstand.Trauma is not stored in your memory.It is stored in your physiology. You do not relive trauma because you forgot something.You relive…
Comments closedHelping Kids Heal: Inside the Mindful, Hypnotic Journey of Supporting Anxious and Stressed-Out Youth
Helping Kids Heal: Inside the Mindful, Hypnotic Journey of Supporting Anxious and Stressed-Out Youth
Working with kids—especially teens—requires a different kind of presence. A different kind of patience. And a deep understanding that while the challenges they face may appear smaller on the surface, the weight those issues carry in their hearts and minds is very real. In my work with children, some as young as 10, I’ve sat with wide-eyed silence, emotional shutdowns, angry outbursts, and anxious tears. I’ve watched as little fists clenched from overwhelm, and voices cracked under the pressure of trying to “hold it all together.” And I’ve seen the transformation that happens when a safe space is created—one where…
Comments closedOne of the biggest misconceptions I run into as a hypnotherapist is the belief that hypnosis is some kind of magic spell—that I can just snap my fingers and instantly remove all of a person’s bad habits, fears, or struggles without them having to do anything differently. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a client sit across from me, eager for a transformation, only to completely resist making any real effort toward change. The classic example? At that moment, I know exactly how this is going to go. Because hypnosis isn’t a magic wand, and change doesn’t…
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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to extend forgiveness to others? A friend apologizes for a mistake, and you let it go. A loved one wrongs you, and you find a way to move past it. Yet, when it comes to your own missteps, the same grace seems impossible to muster. You find yourself trapped in a loop of self-criticism, regret, and shame—a negative trance that refuses to release you. The inability to forgive yourself, despite being able to forgive others, is a common struggle. It’s a pattern rooted in deep-seated beliefs about worthiness, responsibility, and self-perception. But…
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If you’ve ever tried traditional counseling or talk therapy and felt like it didn’t work for you, you’re not alone. Many people seek therapy with the hope of finding relief, clarity, and a path forward—only to feel stuck, frustrated, or like they’re endlessly talking about problems without resolving them. This isn’t to say that talk therapy doesn’t work—it’s helped countless people and remains a valuable tool in the world of mental health. But the reality is, traditional therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. If you’ve felt like something was missing or like you’ve hit a wall, it might be time to…
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