Peter ODell's NLP Weblog

Holiday Survival

Peter O'Dell — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:51 +0000

The holidays are coming–sooner than we want or expect in a lot of cases. Over the years, I’ve probably heard more gripes about the holidays than any other subject, with the possible exception of family in general.

So, why is it that “everyone” realizes that they grew up in a dysfunctional family, but believes that no one else they know did??? But, I digress.

I put together a CD a few years ago that I gave to clients and friends that addressed what seems to be the biggest sources of stress in the holidays.

Through the magic of digitized everything, I can make it very easy for anyone to get a copy (well, a copy of the content, anyway, if not an actual physical CD). Here is a little more information about it and where to go to download it.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, I want you to enjoy it to its fullest extent! I have a FREE hypnotic Holiday Survival package. This is my gift to you this year.

There are no strings attached. Nothing else to buy. No “opt in” form you have to sign up for. No “squeeze page.” Nothing. Nada. Zip. Just go to the link below, download the zip file, unzip it and benefit from it.

There are two audio files and a pdf that pretty much repeats what is written here.

Listen to the intro first—it is shhort, only a few minutes. Next is the full hypnosis session (about 30 minutes) that will do several things for you:

it will deeply relax you, which will reduce the overall holiday stress
it will help you deal with all the celebrations & parties
it will help you use your intuition to select the presents you need to/want to buy
it will help you deal with the presents you get, particularly the “weird ones”

I suggest you replay the whole hypnosis session whenever you feel stressed. And you can replay it for each gift you have to buy—until you get the hang of doing it on your own. After a few tiimes, you should be able to simply close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and do the process for picking the right gift.

Most of all, just lighten up and have a great holiday season!

Peter

Click here to check it out: http://www.success-is-easy.com/DownloadProducts.htm

PS This last message is only for those that wallow in the morphic field of stupidity! It is a hypnosis recording. For the sake of all those that you love and that love you, do not use it in your car. Only listen to it when you can do so safely. See, I told you this message was not for you, but you read it anyway, didn’t you.

Three Ways Hypnosis Can Transform Your Life

Peter O'Dell — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:15:08 +0000

Hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness that all people enter and leave several times each day. Unfortunately, few recognize and make positive use of the benefits that this state of being offers.

Hypnosis can be viewed from different vantage points. From a bio-feedback perspective, hypnosis occurs as the brain waves fall back from normal Beta consciousness (a wide-awake state) into Alpha and Theta levels (light, dreamy sleep-like). We pass through this state each night when we fall asleep. And we reverse the process in the morning when we awaken. Daydreaming and similar activities are signs of naturally reentering this state at other times during the day.

From an awareness viewpoint, hypnosis occurs as the attention span focuses down to essentially one thing, while the analytical mind is being distracted from critically monitoring what is going on. If we have ever “become lost” in a TV program, movie or book, we have been hypnotized. The person experiencing hypnosis may lose his sense of time, feeling that hours have passed in seconds or that seconds have passed in hours. At one time or another we have all had these hypnotic experiences while driving. Some of us may experience this condition while working, particularly if we are deeply involved in our work (or if it is extremely repetitive and boring). Other characteristics of hypnosis may include losing awareness of one’s body or one’s location.

Anyone who can follow simple instructions can be hypnotized, but some people do seem to make better subjects than others. Artists, writers, and others involved in creative endeavors seem to be unusually adept at achieving a deep trance state quickly. Likewise, insecure individuals who fear losing control may tend to block the process initially. Often these individuals are associated with occupations that demand high levels of logic and demand rigidity. In the final analysis, the only ones who cannot be hypnotized are those incapable of cooperating or those who choose not to cooperate.

From a therapeutic stance, hypnosis can be used to induce change in a person’s life. This is possible because under hypnosis, even in a light trance, the average person is at least 25 times more suggestible than in the waking state. Furthermore, most of the “filtering” of the logical mind is momentarily reoriented, which is also conducive to change. Hypnosis can help a person in the following ways:

1. Hypnosis may be used to add something to life that is missing. An example might be someone who would like to develop a personal exercise program but lacks the motivation to do so. Hypnosis could be used to help the subject build a powerful burning desire to exercise.

2. Hypnosis may be used to take something away. For instance, someone might be interested in stopping smoking. A skilled hypnotist can help the subject lose his interest in smoking and change his self-image into that of a non-smoker.

3. It may be used to release a person from irrational fears and other forms of limiting beliefs. As an illustration, suppose that a subject has a beautiful voice and would love to sing publicly, but is afraid of the audience. Hypnosis could be used to release the subject from the bondage of his fears regardless of the source, allowing him to become the person that he has been inside.

To summarize, hypnosis is a natural state of consciousness that with skillful guidance can be used productively by the population at large. Objectively, it involves moving the brain-wave activity down from wide awake (Beta) to that area half-way between being asleep and awake (Alpha and Theta). Subjectively, it involves narrowing down the focus of attention to one thing and redirecting the critical mind temporarily disabling normal filters. Bright, creative, flexible people seem to make the best subjects. However, almost anyone can be hypnotized given a desire to enter an altered state and a willingness to participate. From a therapeutic perspective, hypnosis can be used to add something to a person’s life, remove something from it, or release a person from binding fears so that he may express his true self.

The TRUTH about HYPNOSIS is that it is a natural, safe, effective means to achieve rapid change in your life. Take a moment and think about some part of your life you want to change. Just imagine what it will be like when that problem is in the past. Doesn’t that feel good? You can make that a reality by picking up the phone and calling for an appointment now.

http://www.success-is-easy.com/ComingEvents.htm

I Remember The First Time I Did It

Peter O'Dell — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:13:25 +0000

I suppose I started fantasizing about it in high school. But I was alone, and, of course, you can do it to yourself, but there is nothing like doing it to someone else. I was socially inept, so I spent a lot of time alone with my fantasies.

But the first time I did it with another human being was years later. I was married—oh, wait, your mind is in the wrong place. I’m talking about hypnosis and hypnotizing someone else. You just have a dirty mind, don’t you? Well, so do I, but I digress.

I had been doing self-hypnosis since high school, although I may not have quite understood that this is what I was doing. I just called it relaxing my mind.

Anyway, my wife and I were working for the same company and commuting together. One evening as I was driving home in rush-hour traffic at 70 MPH, she was bitching about her day. And she was not calming down.

So, I just started saying out loud to her the words that I had been using on myself for all those years. After a few minutes of “doing an induction” off the top of my head, I glanced over to see that her head was slumped over onto her chest. Wow!!!

I kept talking to her about how relaxed she was and how none of “that stuff” mattered. And then I “counted her out” like I had done for myself so many times. Her energy was transformed. She was calm, and her voice had a relaxed tone to it when she said, “Wow, how did you know how to do that?”

That gave me the courage and inspiration to start looking for some formal training in hypnosis. It was not easy to find in those days. But I was persistent and expense be damned. I knew this was something that I just had to know more about.

Family and friends started asking me to hypnotize them—Wow! I went from “nerd” to life-of-the-party over night!

Now, I have been hypnotizing people professionally for over 27 years. And I can’t think of anything more fun to do with another person—well, actually, I can think of one thing, but you already know I have that kind of mind.

Hypnosis FUN Da Mentals October 8, 15, 22, 29 9:30 – 11:00 PM EST (US) $29.95

Click this link to Sign Up Now http://www.success-is-easy.com/ComingEvents.htm

Lies They Tell About Hypnosis

Peter O'Dell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:00:34 +0000

Have you ever wondered what the truth is about hypnosis?

Lies They Tell About Hypnosis
Hypnosis is often misunderstood by those who have never directly experienced it. Much of the misinformation comes from the movies and TV shows. Here are the major “lies” that have been told about hypnosis.

Some people mistakenly believe that hypnosis is not safe. That is false. Hypnosis is a normal state of consciousness. Unfortunately, few people make good use of it on their own. You go in and out of hypnotic states several times each day. Some common places you experience natural hypnosis are while riding in or driving an automobile, while watching TV or a movie, and while daydreaming.

Some people mistakenly believe that a hypnotist can control them. That is false. You are always in control and always decides whether to cooperate with suggestions.

Some people mistakenly believe that they might reveal some deep, dark secret while in hypnosis. That is false. You are more alert in hypnosis, so if you would not tell the hypnotist something now, you certainly would not when in hypnosis. You would just say, “That is none of your business.” Yes, you can talk and communicate while in hypnosis. You can even laugh if something strikes you as funny.

Some people mistakenly believe that they might not “wake up.” That is false. Hypnosis is not sleep, so there is nothing to “wake up” from. You are four- or five-times more aware than in your normal state of mind. If need be, you would immediately remove the relaxation from your body and return to normal awareness.

Some people mistakenly believe that they cannot be hypnotized. That is false. Everyone capable of understanding is capable of being hypnotized. However, hypnosis is a 100% cooperative effort, so you can always choose not to go into hypnosis. It is always your choice to go into hypnosis. It is always your choice to go deeper into hypnosis. It is always your choice to stay in hypnosis. It is always your choice to follow the suggestions you hear while in hypnosis.

Some people mistakenly believe that they lose consciousness when hypnotized. That is false. Consciousness is heightened during hypnosis. You will be even more aware of what is going on. Your hearing will improve while in hypnosis. Your thinking will be clearer. Your body may appear to be asleep, but your mind will be much more alert than normal. Imagination, concentration and memory all dramatically improve while in hypnosis.

Some people mistakenly believe that a hypnotist can make them do bad things that they would not normally do. That is false. Any suggestion that violates any strongly held feeling, moral, ethic or religious belief will be automatically rejected by both your conscious mind and your unconscious mind.

You don’t have to believe me. Find out for yourself:

October 8, 15, 22, 29 9:30 – 11:00 PM EST (US) $29.95

Click this link to Sign Up Now http://www.success-is-easy.com/ComingEvents.htm

Peter

He Is Ninja, I Am Samurai

Peter O'Dell — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:32:26 +0000

I have not had any martial arts training of any sort in this life time. I say that neither confessing nor bragging. It simply has not been on my path.

In the early ’70s, I lived with my first wife on Bank St. in the Village in NYC. On a rainy fall Saturday night, we ventured out to Queens to a party that went quite late. We came home around 3:30 Sunday morning on the 8th Avenue Line and got off at the 14th St. Station. Emerging onto the surface, Manhattan seemed a ghost town–no people, no traffic, no open business, nothing. Eighth Avenue was just six lanes of north-bound vacuum.

We were walking south on the east side of 8th. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure emerge from the shadows on the west side of the street–I have always had excellent peripheral vision. He is coming toward us at an angle that I calculate will put him on the sidewalk just behind us. Even now, common sense tells me that this is a time to panic, to freak out. Scream and run like hell.

But that is not what I did. I carried on with the banal conversation I was having with my wife. But deep inside me, I went into a state of perfect calm. The only out-of-the-ordinary movement I made was to switch the rolled-up golf umbrella I was carrying from my left hand to my right. My whole attention was focused on every step the interloper was taking.

Just as he lifted his left foot to come up onto the curb from the street surface, I whirled around simultaneously grabbing the umbrella with both hands, lifting it high above my head and screaming “HAAAAAAAAAAA!” My right foot was thrust forward, and I was in a state of perfect balance. Instinctively, I knew that if he took one additional step towards us, the umbrella would crack down at the juncture of his neck and shoulders. Somehow I knew that if this were a real blade and not an umbrella that his head would roll down the sidewalk.

Fortunately, at some level, he was a man of reason and simply took flight down the dark street at a rate that would have impressed Bob Hayes. My wife was startled to say the least, “What the hell just happened?” That was my question, too. What the hell just happened?

Flash forward 30-some years. I am sitting in a theater in Boca Raton with wife number 3. “The Last Samurai” is just getting good. Tom Cruise has been captured by Ken Watanabe and is being taken to mountain village. As they ride into the village, I begin to sob softly. I cannot control it. The new wife says, “What the hell is going on?” That is my question, too. What the hell is going on? It is a good movie, but not THAT GOOD.

A year or so later, we bought the DVD. In one of the bonus features, Edward Zwick, the director, is talking about the production of the movie. It was filmed in New Zealand (I think) and the company had taken great pains to reproduce a period Japanese mountain village. Before filming, they brought in several older people who had lived in such villages to get their response. Their response: they began sobbing softly, to the last man.

I think these things happen to other people, not just me. But they tune them out, discount them. But at some level, we all have these responses. My first wife (very Jewish) was fascinated with Ireland. She read books about it and drove me crazy talking about it (with a name like O’Dell, I have an obvious connection to the “Old Country”). Once when I had her deeply hypnotized, she began speaking with a male voice, heavy Irish accent and warning me that I was “fooling with the devil’s toys” and to “be gone with you.”

I am a tennis fan–big time. The US Open is winding down. And there is one extremely popular player that I cannot stand to watch. My skin crawls when I see him. They say that he moves like a cat, that he floats on the court. I don’t know, because I do not watch him play. And he frequently dresses in all black.

Why should I dislike him so intensely? It makes no sense. I should just forget about it. But I cannot. He Is Ninja. I Am Samurai.

http://www.success-is-easy.com/PastLife.htm

Why Not Now?

Peter O'Dell — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:35:46 +0000

For over 100 years (since 1904, Max Planck) we’ve had absolute proof that the world we see around us is an illusion. If you can see it, touch it, taste it–it really does not exist. Society preaches just the opposite!

The history they taught us in school is hugely biased at best–outright lies in a lot of cases.Case in point: WWII. They say the Allies defeated the Nazis. Reality is they defeated Germany. The Nazis just packed up and moved, while systematically infiltrating US & Soviet industrial complexes. Skeptical? Look up “Operation Paperclip,” then listen to Ike’s farewell address at the end of his second term.

Most of the religious crap shoved down our throats was created by Roman politicians in 325 AD.”Primitive” Christianity was very different than the official State Religion created by the Roman politicos. Do you think they might have had an ulterior motive???? (And the “Protestants” picked the wrong things to protest.)

All this adds up to tons of limiting beliefs. Every culture and sub culture has its own set that are passed down from generation to generation. And it is usually set up in terms of “God says” do this and don’t do that.

My conclusion: There are no “rules” except act with kindness and do as little harm as possible. No one “on the other side” cares what we do with our body fluids. Limitations are all self-imposed. Might as well choose to be happy all the time and have a good time.

Action step: I’m doing my “bucket list” now–why wait until some ass in a white coat tells me I have only a few months left.

BTW: NLP has some wonderful tools for getting rid of limiting beliefs. Check it out: http://www.success-is-easy.com/GetStartedWithNLP.htm

Context–The Part We Often Neglect

Peter O'Dell — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:00:03 +0000

Alfred Korzybski is credited with the idea that every experience has four component parts: content, structure, process and context. A large part of NLP work focuses on structure and process (“nothing in content worth knowing”).

Reframing often has to do with manipulating context, but otherwise we rarely focus on it. I think it deserves more attention. A recent trivial event in my house illustrates the power context has for enhancing or changing meaning.

It is the dog days of summer in the US, and that means one thing: Broadcast TV is at its lowest point of the year. Mostly dismal reality shows (may be why we take so damned many anti-depressant drugs).

In our house, this is the time to catch up on some TV series that we do not have access to or that we have skipped. Get the DVD collection from the local library, start at the beginning, etc.

Last summer we picked Weeds, which is on Showtime, a channel that we do not have. Fantastic show.

This year, we picked Entourage. We do have HBO, but just never got hooked into the series. I remember watching one or two episodes, but they were late in the first season. The show did not strike me as funny or interesting. So, not followed.

But with the DVD set, we started with the first episode. Ho, hum, but maybe worth watching one or two more episodes. By the third, we were hooked. Great writing. Interesting, fun likable characters.

Near the end of Season One, we got to the episodes I had watched a few years ago and dismissed. In the context of knowing more about the characters, the show was hilarious. The difference in my experience was like night and day.

And so it is with all events–particularly painful memories. Even more so, painful memories that influence the formation of limiting beliefs. What was the context for the person when they were formed? Can you switch the context or invent possible alternatives?

Play the memory again in that different context. What does that do to the belief?

Try it. You might find you like it.

Goals & Specifics

Peter O'Dell — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:21:37 +0000

There are some business goals I have been working on for about a year now. Let’s be kind and just say that progress was slow–think in terms of glaciers. A few weeks ago, I began working with a business partner. His skill sets are different from mine, and that is a good thing.

Through him, I have found out that I was basically going about the whole process wrong. It is not that the things he is suggesting are all that esoteric or obscure. Nope. I just did not go looking at these areas for ideas on how best to do the projects.

You could say Idid not do my homework (didn’t). But that sort of accusation does little to prevent future occurances. As I look back over the goals I set up, I was just to damned specific in the “hows” of what I wanted to accomplish. Had I left those areas a little more vague, I might have been open to looking around to alternative approaches.

In the long run, it may be a blessing in disguise. My partner is good at things that I am not, and I am good at things that he is not. I think we have a great future together.

In the meantime, when I set up new goals, the “hows” are going to be real vague.

Turning Points Or Tipping Points?

Peter O'Dell — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:11:24 +0000

I was watching a Frank Kern video last night, where he talked about making a decision that changed his life–and it impacted a number of his friends. And they made decisions that impacted his life. And so on.

But do most of us actually make decisions? Do we really decide what we want and go after it? Or do we drift along until the current becomes overwhelming and we are thrown onto a new path (more a tipping point than a turning point)?

In my younger days, my life was largely one of drifting into the tipping points. I’ve never been afraid to make a decision, but so many of them were “bad” decisions because they were so heavily influenced by the subconscious emotions.

More and more, I am moving into a world, where I make decisions consciously. That is not to say that my conscious mind has taken over for the subconscious. I am not so naive to believe that such a thing is even possible–nor would I want it. No, I am saying that I have cleaned out enough of the garbage and crap in the subconscious that I can now communicate with it in ways not possible before.

And this clean up, this taking out the mental garbage, has been almost totally done with NLP techniques. For that, I am truly thankful.

That is what NLP has done for me.

Lost? No Longer Lost?

Peter O'Dell — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:45:30 +0000

I admit that I am a fan of the quirky guilty pleasure. After watching the finale, I poked around on some of the fan website. Most of the talk seemed to center around Jacob and the symbolism of his name. Lots of references to the Christian Bible. Maybe they are on to something. Maybe not.

As I watched the different beach scenes from different time period with colossal statue, I thought there was no question that it was Egyptian. For one thing, the statue is holding an Ankh in each hand. That is the symbol of LIFE from ancient Egypt. It can also represent life and death, balance of energies, male/female. And the tapestry that Jacob is weaving sure looks Egyptian to me, but I only saw glimpses of it.

And it was necessary for the Oceanic Six to return to the Island. Jack originally brought his father to the Island in a coffin. Now, Locke had to substitute for the father and return in the coffin in Jack’s fathers (Christian???) place.

And at the end, we find out that the Locke we’ve watched for the last couple of weeks is really a much older character seen briefly at the beginning of the finale with Jacob. He tells Jacob that he wants to kill him and that he is looking for a loophole. Just before “Locke” orders Ben to kill Jacob, Jacob looks at him as says “you found your loophole.”

Is any of this starting to sound familiar? How about Osiris and Isis and their prolonged battle with Seth, evil brother of Osiris. There are several versions of the Osiris myth (many of them can be found with a simple Google search). But they all involve the fight between Osiris and Seth, Seth sending Osiris’s body away in a coffin, Isis bringing the coffin back so that Osiris can come back to life and rule, further treachery, and eventually Horus (son of Osiris), returning to do battle with Seth (good vs. evil). Eventually, Osiris will come back to life and rule all the earth.

Many mythology scholars argue that the Osiris myth was the model of the Jesus myth that the RCC has promulgated since 324.

It is not a one-to-one match, but I think this is where the final season is headed. Maybe Jack’s dad (Christian) will be revealed to be Osiris returned to life to rule the living and dead. The Egyptians have always said that Christianity is “their” religion with different names and labels.