Click on your previous answers to find out interesting details about yourselvs.
While driving alone:
This is the phenomena of hypnosis. By driving unconsciously, yet safely, your subconscious mind had taken over
the familiar task of driving, even to the point of following the same familiar route, while your conscious mind was
engrossed in thought. This is how the post-hypnotic effect works. It’s how your mind learns. Your mind establishes
subconscious learning and then, while your conscious mind is preoccupied, the subconscious mind automatically
performs assignments it has been “trained” to do.
Repetition is part of the learning that makes behaviors automatic. Unfortunately, this also includes some
behaviors you may wish to change – such as smoking or late night snacking. Through hypnosis you can adjust those
trained behaviors so that you automatically function in the way you would prefer, without the struggle of “willpower,”
(and the disappointment of “crash and burn” when willpower breaks down.)
Did you notice that in spite of the fact that your mind was not on what you were doing, you were still able to drive
safely? This is your subconscious at work. Remember when you first learned to drive? How difficult it was to
coordinate the steering, the brakes, the accelerator and the blinkers while watching all four corners and the road
ahead? Remember how you had to concentrate on each movement? It took all of your attention just to do th
simplest thing. Now you do it all without thinking. This is the power of hypnosis. While it’s the slow, cumbersome
conscious mind that figures things out at first, it’s the subconscious mind where learning actually takes place. Once
the subconscious mind is trained, responses become automatic. The conscious mind can only maintain a small
amount of information for analyzation, reason and logic; and the subconscious maintains your memory and your
learning so that you don’t have to “figure it out all over again” each time you perform the same exercise. The
subconscious mind performs its instructions perfectly even though the conscious mind is preoccupied. What it
doesn’t do is read the map.
Notice how quickly you react to sudden changes and safely maneuver through dangerous situations while driving.
This is your subconscious at work. Before you can even think about how to respond to a sudden stop or an
unexpected lane change, you have already moved out of harm’s way. This is the genius of your subconscious mind.
When an emergency occurs, your subconscious mind instantly reacts protecting you from injury. The stress and
emotional upset you feel is a result of your body’s natural response to “fight or flight.” When danger occurs, your
brain fires off chemicals intended to temporarily shift your body and mind into the perfect performance state for
responding to danger. Once the crisis is over, relaxation returns and everything goes back to normal. In a perfect
world, that is.
Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of the fear. If the mind begins to ruminate over what “could have happened” the
brain will still perceive endangerment and continue to generate chemicals that cause stress. A tense driving situation
can leave feelings of frustration even after you are no longer driving. Stress, too, can become a habit.
There are some pretty wild drivers out there. Some people interpret the actions of other drivers as a personal
affront, when in fact, their driving mistakes actually have nothing to do with them. Even when there is no actual
danger, driving sometimes becomes a metaphor for other stressors. Stressors while driving may resonate with
similar stressors from other areas of your life and driving itself feels like a battle ground – the guy who cut you off in
traffic might symbolize the guy who took credit for your work; or the slow truck in front of you may personify the
barrage of prohibitive “red tape” that made selling your house so cumbersome; or the person talking on their cell
phone might epitomize those arrogantly self-involved lunkheads who careen through life oblivious to anyone else’s
concerns – especially yours! In this case, you may find yourself provoked – responding to the perils of driving, and to
other drivers, with exaggerated outrage from an accumulation of feelings now being activated within your nervous
system. In other words, agitation while driving might really be “misdirected aggression.” In order to avoid
confrontations and/or processing problems on their own terms, the mind finds creative ways – such as redirecting
difficult emotions away from the real source of upset and onto other drivers instead – as an outlet for built-up steam.
Because relationships with other drivers seem anonymous, it becomes a “safe” way of expressing repressed
“unacceptable” feelings and still escape the imagined consequences that prevented self assertion at the time of
instigation. Understanding your priorities, and becoming comfortable with engaging opposition in the process of
resolution, can help you to be more effective – and stress free – in many other areas of your life. Hypnosis removes
confusing mental clutter so that when you are encountering normal altercations, you can settle the conflicts without
interference from a stockpile of unresolved tensions. You can learn to identify your own stressors as they arise and
release them before they begin to infiltrate other areas of your life. Your daily activities become more relaxing, you
take appropriate actions at the right time and easily access more resourceful states in demanding circumstances.
You may or may not find any of these specific examples true for you – I could not possibly know the impetus
behind your upset from an answer on a quiz – but you may want to consider whether you are under more stress than
you realize. (For more information about stress, read the articles
“What Causes Stress”, and
“What Type of Stress Do You Have?“
Songs get stuck in my head
You have already experienced the power of your subconscious mind at work. When a song gets stuck in your
head and you feel compelled to sing it out loud – this is very much like a post-hypnotic suggestion. You just
automatically begin singing along with the song in your head! This is a sign that you have a natural capacity to
accept post-hypnotic suggestions. Possibly you are also auditory by nature, and will easily retain the hypnotist’s
words.
Just as you automatically began to sing, hypnosis can also encourage you to automatically behave differently as
desirable suggestions are incorporated into your mind – whether it is to change your eating habits, stop smoking or to
play a better game of golf. You’re a natural.
A catchy tune repeating in your head, also known as an earworm, is sometimes fun, (like the one that gets you
dancing and singing along and, besides, it is your favorite song), but sometimes it’s just irritating. (Remember the
scene in Disney’s “The Lion King” – where Scar asks Zazu to “Sing something with a little bounce in it”? Zazu starts
singing ”It’s a Small World,” and Scar shouts “No! No! Anything but that!” Even the folks at Disney acknowledge that
this song is annoying.) Some tunes just seem to stick around. When a certain event or phrase prompts a song in
your head, it is your subconscious mind making connections to your memory bank.
Musical memory is powerful. A catchy tune – playing like a background track in your mind – can be cued by the
slightest association. Hearing a song from the past can also ignite a flood of memories. This is why advertisers love
jingles. A brand name embedded in music can get into your head so easily. This, too, is hypnosis at work. (In the
excellent Pixar animated film, “Inside Out,” the main characters – personified emotions who guide a young girl named
Riley from the “headquarters of the control center” of her mind – get exasperated by a song from a chewing gum
commercial that keeps popping up uncontrollably.)
Most likely you are also a bit audio-sensitive and so sound is a very powerful element for you. Because sound is
one of the best ways to reach the subconscious mind, it is one of the most powerful devices in the hypnotist’s tool kit.
You have a definite advantage here as the echo of positive suggestions will ring resolutely through your
subconscious mind long after your hypnosis session is over.
Although you are not someone who is ceaselessly plagued with familiar refrain playing repeatedly in your head,
you have experienced the power of post-hypnotic suggestion when a song took root in your subconscious mind. This
is how post-hypnotic suggestion works. Just like the song, the mind begins to remind itself of the hypnotist’s
instructions even after the session is over solidifying them into the subconscious belief system. Many hypnotists will
allude to lyrics or play music softly in the background making use of the mind’s natural ability to assimilate ideas
through song. Melody seems to surreptitiously penetrate the mind so effortlessly. Even for people who are not
particularly musically minded, music can trigger responses, memories and ideas, and yes, remain in the mind for a
lifetime. If someone were to sing the first line of an old jingle from years ago, you most likely would be able to sing
the next line and name the product. Now that’s some pretty strong hypnosis! Music has the ability to shift your state
of mind, trigger recall and open your acceptance of new ideas as your mind and body entrain to it’s vibratory power.
You are someone who most likely can relax to the music, enjoy it and feel yourself connect to it as it’s surreptitious
power gently transforms your mental state. In that same way, with hypnosis you may not later remember everything
that is said, but you will notice changes in your attitude and behavior after your session is over.
Really? Lucky you. Some people constantly have songs that they don’t even like running on a loop through their
head. Most likely, you’ve avoided this scourge because your mind tends to focus on other things. Or perhaps your
are not particularly musical and don’t notice songs much. Or perhaps visual and/or kinesthetic experiences have a
stronger impact on your mind than auditory input. Or could it be that you have become skilled at quickly clearing your
mind of musical clutter before it gets annoying? Whatever the reason, you don’t have issues with those pesky
melodies, known as “earworms” playing in the background of your mind.</p>
<p>If you do get these melodic intrusions, but are so skilled at deliberately getting rid of them that they are
unnoticeable, then congratulations! Your ability to clear your mind of unwanted, repetitious refrain is an asset that
you can use as a practical reference for “letting go” of other kinds of adverse mental clutter – a plus for going deeply
into hypnosis. By clearing your mind you create space for accepting suggestions for new beliefs and habits that you
do want.
I daydream
You have already demonstrated that you can go into hypnosis and enjoy it very much. The fact that you often
daydream indicates that you have an active imagination. The feeling of hypnosis is very much like daydreaming,
although hypnosis does quite a bit more. Hypnosis is focused. It helps you to unlock your subconscious mind,
engage hidden resources and make positive adjustments to the way you think, feel and act. The difference between
hypnosis and uncontrolled daydreaming is like the difference between going on a trip with a good GPS, and driving
without a map and no destination in mind. One will get you to your intended location, the other will get you to “who
knows where.”
Daydreams are also powerful, though. You may have noticed that your imagination actually induces
emotions. Notice that joyful emotions from daydreams seem to stay with you even after you have “come back to
earth.” On the other hand, when people ruminate over a slight, disappointment, frustration or other kinds of negative
daydreaming, it fires off emotional chemistry that limits perspective and hinders fulfillment of desire. The next time
you catch yourself drifting off, check in on your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Are you envisioning
scenarios of happiness, triumph and fulfilled desire; or are you projecting past resentments, worries, or reasons why
you cannot have what you truly want? (Most people, when doing this exercise, are shocked to discover how much
negative thinking has crept into their daydreams – and what’s worse, it is usually the same old thing that they already
mulled over in their head ad nauseam – like listening to someone who continually complains about the same old thing
yet does nothing about it. Aghhhhh!)
Your mental environment truly does determine your experience. It’s important to note, however, that it’s your
subconscious mind, not your conscious thinking, that makes this determination. Your subconscious is estimated to
be about 95% of your mind, leaving your conscious mind with only 5% of your mental power. This is why people get
frustrated with practicing “positive thinking” and repetitious affirmations – your thinking mind has very little
power. Your true beliefs are in your subconscious mind, so even though you may consciously think and say one
thing, if you find that your actions are not in alignment, it’s probably because your subconscious believes something
else and you, most likely, are not even aware of it. Your perspective is created by your points of focus, and
constitutes the difference between seeing opportunities everywhere and seeing nothing but roadblocks. A positive or
negative mindset is the difference between a happy and successful life, or a life filled with struggle.
Experts estimate that your mind has about 50,000 – 70,000 thoughts every day. Unfortunately, most of it is a
plethora of mundane repetition. Not innovative or original at all. Imagine how dynamic you would be if you could
control the output of your thought processes and direct them toward the outcomes you want!
The fact that you sometimes daydream indicates that you are familiar with the state of hypnosis. The feeling of
hypnosis is very much like daydreaming. The difference between the two is that hypnosis is like going on a trip with a
good GPS, and daydreaming is like driving along with no map and particular place to go. One will get you to your
destination, the other will get you to “who knows where.” Staring off in the distance with abandonment is satisfying, of
course, and not totally unproductive, either. But hypnosis differs in that you engage your subconscious to unleash
your hidden resources and the make deliberate adjustments to the way you think, feel and act.
Daydreams are powerful. You may have noticed that your imagination actually induces emotions. Pleasant
feelings from a satisfying daydream seem to stay with you even after you have “returned to earth.” On the other
hand, when people ruminate over a slight or other kinds of negative daydreaming, it fires off emotional chemistry
limiting their perspective and hindering their mood. Emotions produce chemical responses in the brain that influence
developments in the mind and body right down to the cell level. In a very real sense, positive or negative emotions
can enhance or diminish your physical and mental health, your life experience and the fulfillment of your ambitions.
The next time you catch yourself drifting off, check in on your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Are you
envisioning what you want, or are you contemplating what you don’t want, or reasons why you can’t have what you
truly desire? (Most people, when doing this exercise, are shocked to discover how much negative thinking
permeates their daydreams – and it’s usually the same old stuff they already mulled over ad nauseam.)
Your mental environment truly does determine your experience. It’s important to note, however, that it’s your
subconscious mind, not your conscious thoughts, that make this determination. Your subconscious is estimated to
constitute about 95% of your mind, leaving your conscious mind with only 5% of your mental power. This is why
people get frustrated and eventually stop practicing “positive thinking” and affirmation exercises – your thinking mind
has a minimal influence on altering your habits and perspectives. Your deepest beliefs are in your subconscious
mind, so even though you may consciously think and say one thing, your subconscious may believe something else
and you, most likely, are not even aware of it. In spite of all the logic in the world your automatic responses, your
behaviors and your emotions will continue to follow the belief system of your subconscious mind. Perspective is
shaped by the content of your subconscious awareness producing a life story of either abundant opportunities,
happiness and success, or one filled with struggle, disappointment and reasons “why you can’t get ahead.” By
communicating directly with your subconscious mind while in hypnosis, success is an easy choice to make.
Hypnosis is very much like daydreaming. You allow your imagination to float through alternate realities and open
your mind to experiencing expanded possibilities. In hypnosis, however, you can communicate with your
subconscious mind directing it to abolish unwanted habits while installing new and constructive behaviors.
For you, the challenge is to “suspend disbelief,” freeing the imaginative side of your mind to innovate without
interference from the logical, rational and analytical side. Releasing your commitment to “left brain thinking” and
allowing your mind to awaken to the limitless creativity of the right side will prove to be magic for you. It’s a skill that
can be developed through focused imagination, practice and repetition. Enhancing the power of your creative mind
through training with a good hypnotist can help you to break through resistance, free yourself where you feel stuck
and escalate into higher achievement. You will be amazed at the speed and ease with which you can dissolve long
held barriers to success when you enlist the power of your subconscious and engage the greater capacity of your
mind!
I trust my intuition more than my logic.
The fact that you trust your intuition more than your logic is a good indication that you are a natural for
hypnosis! Because you already feel comfortable working with the right side of your brain, where intuition resides,
then most likely, you will also be able to implement the intuitive/imaginative side of your brain to create conditions and
outcomes. The infusion of intuition and logic is the perfect formula for getting exceptional results. (Albert Einstein
once said: “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” This very analytical guy understood the value of working with
the “right side of the brain” as well as the “left.”) Enhanced intuitive wisdom is one of the side benefits of practicing
hypnosis on a regular basis – a talent you already have that is well worth further development!
Your logical nature requires that you have solid, physical proof before you act. Although you can be quite abstract
in your thinking, it is usually constructed through logic, analyzation and the determination of probabilities. As a
means of calculating future possibilities, your rational thinking has served you well many times, but it has also been
known to hold you back from reaching your potential as you may sometimes be uncertain how to proceed where
there are ambiguities, unknowns and variables. You very likely hesitate to take a leap of faith on unconfirmed or risky
opportunities. Overanalyzing and overthinking is the bane of the logical mind. Do you get really inspiring ideas and
then talk yourself out of them? Strengthening the faculties of the right side of your brain and incorporating them with
the functions of left side will serve you well. The thinking mind is quite useful for certain types of enterprises; and the
intuitive mind excels for others. Consider the thinking mind as a tool that you use for tasks that are best
accomplished through abstract reasoning and logical analysis; however, it is not so suitable for undertakings that
require inspiration, originality and creativity. Just as a while hammer may be the most practical tool for pounding in
nails, it’s rather ill suited for washing windows. (Proper tool for a proper job and all that.) With hypnosis, you can
access more of your internal resources and expand your mental capacity. The combination of intuition and logic is
the perfect synthesis for getting outstanding results. (Albert Einstein once said: “The only real valuable thing is
intuition.” This very analytical guy understood the value of working in the “right side of the brain” as well as the “left.”)
For you, hypnosis can activate neurological pathways to insight and knowledge on that you once missed. It will
actually enhance your logic and give you confidence when when decisions must be made but the facts are obscure.
And hypnosis can also help to incorporate your intuition with your logic to reveal deeper understanding and increased
potentials.
I express my emotions during a movie or TV show:
It is a wonderful sign that your sensory connection to your emotions is so intense you “can cry at
commercials.” Emotions and imagery are the language of the subconscious mind and your ability to generate strong
feelings will be a huge advantage for you when you go into hypnosis. Because you can arouse your emotions so
intensely, you are already proficient with one of the components of a great hypnosis session. Feeling your emotions
and shifting them to create new experiences or to illuminate memories is one of the most persuasive ingredients in
hypnotherapy. Your ability to recognize
effectively in a hypnosis session.
Most of the time, you express your feelings very easily. Particularly feelings that are enjoyable. You radiate
happiness to everyone around you. You love to laugh and look for opportunities to find joy. You use your
imagination and emotions in a positive manner and it serves you well whether you are aware of it or not. Being able
to evoke positive emotion is one of the key elements of hypnosis and you do this naturally. You can learn to apply
your emotional power even more productively. For example: reframing your perspectives and changing your
automatic responses in areas where you feel blocked or out of control, or letting go of deeply embedded attitudes and
behaviors that you’re ready to release. Your natural ability to immerse yourself into your feelings can also
conceivably put you in a position to apply the force of your emotions to launch yourself toward your goals. Emotions
are the impulse that motivates. And mastery of your emotions is magical empowerment. Being adept at applying
emotional strength purposefully is the fuel of successful people who make a difference in their own lives and the lives
of others.
The quiet expression of your feelings hides the depth and intensity of the emotions burrowed deep within you. But
that doesn’t mean you aren’t feeling them. Many quiet types have a rich foundation of emotional awareness that
provides them knowledge and understanding. Feeling your emotions is essential to consciousness. True, some
emotions are obscured even from your own awareness. But they aren’t inert. Emotions, felt or not, influence your
actions. In hypnosis, feeling your emotions is far more important than an outward display of them. It is through your
feelings that you will discover insight, gain mastery over your impulses and be able to make adjustments to your
automatic responses. Because the language of the subconscious mind is emotions, symbols and imagery, allowing
yourself to be in communication with your feelings for exploration and modulation is a key component of a successful
hypnosis session. Freely examining the subtleties, nature and messages of your feelings is a liberating experience.
When you recognize your unique wisdom, you can use it to claim the lifestyle you want and establish your place in
the world. It is in your feelings that you reveal your highest calling and by comprehending the power of these feelings
and learning techniques to interpret their messages that you can release roadblocks and launch yourself toward
excellence.
Even though you do not openly articulate your emotions, that does not mean you don’t have feelings. It is
possible that you were either raised to be stoic and behave rationally; or, perhaps that sometime in your life you came
to believe that displaying emotions was a dangerous vulnerability; or, it just may be that subtlety in emotional
expression has been part of your natural personality since birth. It really doesn’t matter whether you show your
feelings to others to have a successful hypnosis session – but it is important that you do feel them yourself. Emotions
are held in your subconscious mind and operate through your nervous system to generate the sensations we call
feelings. It’s not until you feel them in your body, that you become aware of your emotions. Buried emotions, both
past and present, can be unearthed and explored in hypnosis. One of the beauties of hypnotherapy is that residual
feelings that ignite destructive or unwanted behaviors can be processed and released without uncomfortable
disclosure or divulgence into your privacy.
It is true that expressing every little feeling you have to anyone who will listen is simply immature self centered
behavior, but being able to identify your feelings and take necessary actions is a substantial aspect of personal
development and maturity. For this you must establish rapport with your emotions. It is only by recognition of your
feelings that you can discern how they effect your perspective and behavior.
In hypnosis, images and emotions are elicited to contact the subconscious mind so you can clear blockages,
discover hidden resources, expand your capabilities and achieve success in areas where you previously had little or
none. What you don’t know about yourself really does run your life, and giving yourself permission to increase your
emotional insight will enable you to become adept, flexible and able to shift from an ineffective state to a vitally
creative and empowered position.
I cringe when I see someone get hurt in a sports event.
You have an empathic quality so strong, that you actually feel the physical pain of other people. Because your
body tends to react empathically, for you, developing a good sense of your personal boundaries, while retaining your
awareness of the feelings of others would be advisable. Cultivating awareness of the emotional and physical
experiences of others without suffering their pain as if it were your own will free you to respond appropriately and
compassionately to their difficulties more easily. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the way to keep your own
space clear is by non-resistance – allowing for recognition of others suffering without obstruction or recoil.
It will help you to differentiate between your responsibilities and those of others, protecting you from overwhelm
and/or emotional confusion. By allowing the feelings emanating from others to move through you without resistance
you can keep yourself clear of unhealthy energies, particularly if you are a healer or are in some way involved with a
person or persons with long-term illnesses. The mind/body connection has been long recognized as fact, even in the
most conservative medical circles. Without the ability to distinguish and release the pain of others, and to identify
your own feelings and then process them, it would be all too easy to fall into a trap of experiencing the symptoms of
someone else’s illness to the point of weakening your own immune system.
The ability to feel others discomfort, is a gift, though, but only if it is recognized for what it is and that your belief
system does not become convinced that the injury is actually your own. If you are a caretaker, a healer, or a parent,
appreciation of someone else’s physical symptoms can give you insight as to what is needed to help those in your
care to heal. Fortunately, it is possible to have and develop this valuable acuity and remain free of empathetic
suffering.
Your gift of empathy is also an indication that you will experience hypnotic suggestions fully with your senses. This
is a big plus! The more real the imagery and sensations in your hypnosis session appear to be, the more significant
the results.
You have compassion for others physical pain while being able to maintain a clear appreciation of your own
body’s sensory intelligence. This is actually the norm. You may (or may not, depending on the circumstances) feel
and respond to the emotions of others. This is another type of empathy. Physically, though, you have a good sense
of your boundaries. You trust the competence of others where matters are outside of your jurisdiction. Your sense of
boundaries will make it easier for you hold your space, tune out distractions and direct your awareness where
instructed while in hypnosis. Clarity is important in a hypnosis session, and you have the ability to “keep it real” and
maintain focus.
When I imagine the past, I feel the emotions all over again.
Because you have so little trouble recalling previous feelings, you will be very successful utilizing emotional
memory in a hypnosis session, and this is good. Emotions and habits activate in your subconscious mind where your
automatic responses and behaviors all begin. In hypnosis you can illuminate your past and present, enlighten your
perspective and reframe memories in a useful way. With detrimental feelings neutralized, the subconscious mind is
free to change its responses to circumstances and events in congruence with your ambitions. By allowing your
emotions to process in a healthy manner, you can use them to change your behaviors and to clear the obstacles that
have been preventing you from reaching your potential.
Because you have access to your emotional memory and can recall past feelings, you have good references for
activating this most powerful element of your imagination. In a hypnosis session, connecting to your emotions is
where a great deal of the work is done, and engaging emotional retrospection allows you to shift the landscape of
your subconscious mind. In hypnosis you can broaden your view of circumstances, reframe memories and alter your
behaviors accordingly. Like Pavlov’s dogs, certain events will trigger automatic physical and mental responses
regardless of your resolve or your determination to do otherwise. This is why willpower eventually gives way to a
backlash of the same old unwanted habits. It’s your feelings that installed these associated responses in your
nervous system. By altering your emotional references you can adjust these automatic responses to comply with
your intentions and produce the necessary conditions for constructing the life you want to live.
Very likely you stay present most of the time and have the ability to put the past behind. Forgiveness is easy for
you as you do not spend much time ruminating over old resentments. This is a wonderful advantage as it allows you
to live fully engaged in the moment. This can also be helpful for you in making changes in your life with hypnosis – if
you are also capable of evoking and feeling emotions if you choose to do so.
If, however, your inability to feel past emotions is because you have a hesitancy about venturing into the world of
emotions either past or present, then it would be advisable to begin learning how to communicate with your feelings –
one of your most powerful instruments for personal development and understanding. Whether you experience the
“feelings” of your emotions or not (that is, the physical sensations prompted in your body when an emotion is
generated) your emotions are still in full operation in your subconscious mind. In hypnosis, we sometimes elicit
certain feelings to reframe impactive or undermining past emotions residing within your nervous system. These
feelings, if left unresolved, sometimes become stimulated, like a resonant frequency, when prompted by similar
emotional “frequencies” in present time, ultimately causing undesirable behaviors.
Old habits and behaviors that you may logically know you do not want just don’t seem to change, because logic
dictates nothing in the emotional part of your mind. It is your emotions that drive your responses, and your nervous
system reacts automatically to these emotions regardless of reason. The emotional drive is just too strong, and too
quick, for logic to overcome – even if you aren’t sensitive to it. With hypnosis, you can master your emotions and use
them to reach goals and achieve successes that have so far eluded you. Barriers and personal limitations
disintegrate as you increase your flexibility and expand the capacity and extent of your resources. Having the full use
of your emotive faculties and becoming adept at applying them can launch you toward your goals, freeing you to live
the life you really want.
My leadership style is:
You have resolve. Once you make a pledge either to yourself or to someone else, you follow through. You take
the actions necessary to get the outcome you want and are not deterred by saboteurs or outside distractions. You
stay the course until it is completed. You are good at setting up systems, usually by studying ones that are already
working, and skillfully operate them in a structured manner so that people and parts work perfectly together to
complete a project on time and according to specifications. Diligence and focus are two of the most important
qualities a hypnosis candidate must have, and you have the discipline necessary to take action and complete the
work. You take responsibility, accept accountability, are goal oriented, and follow through on commitments. This
makes you a good candidate for a hypnosis program as you have the determination to keep going all the way to the
finish and will not be diverted from the process.
In your subconscious mind, though, there may be “commitments” or “decisions” you have unconsciously made
during a time that you needed them, but that now stand in you way. These would be those old habits or responses
that seem to always reappear in spite of your best efforts to be rid of them. If you are ready to release these
inhibiting impulses in order to meet the requirements for creating the life you now desire, hypnosis can help you to
discard them and re-establish priorities in alignment with your new goals. Free from conflicting interests, you can
discover new pathways for achievement unencumbered by the old stumbling blocks that in the past made progress
such a struggle.
Your flexible leadership style is a great sign. It tells me that you have a willingness to let go of strategies that are
not working when it’s time to move to a better plan. This attitude will also allow you to get rapid results in hypnosis.
Flexibility is strength. The most powerful person in the room is the one with the most flexible perspective – and that
would be you! Because you don’t get “hunkered down” into fixed ideas or rigidly insist on always doing things a
certain way, then in hypnosis, you will also be able to transition easily into a more resourceful state for overcoming
restrictions that stand between you and the outcomes you desire. Flexibility is the key to being able to widen your
perspective, grow and make adjustments in your thought patterns and behaviors. In hypnosis, you will find innovative
ways of dissolving obstacles once you discover them, and modification of your habits will come to you more easily
than most.
Your leadership style tells me that you have or have had close connections with some very supportive people in
your life. In groups you can gently calm altercations and prevent polarization. It’s important to you that everyone is
taken into account. If you believe that someone is dissatisfied, you will do your best to restore balance and find
solutions that work for the highest good of all. You recognize the talents and expertise of others and can assemble
and direct people expertly. You encourage the members of your team, make sure they have what they need and
inspire them to do their best work. In hypnosis, your desire to be open to finding creative solutions and your
willingness to take the perspectives of others into account will be an asset. You appreciate that by incorporating the
intelligence of others, you increase your own knowledge.
When making changes, employing the same strategies that have kept you stuck just won’t work. In these
situations a new set of eyes is always good. Your willingness to listen, consult and consider increased options is the
perfect approach for a hypnotherapy client. You personify the adage: “The person in the room with the most flexible
perspective is the most powerful person in the room.” Your ability to trust and include others is an asset that will also
help you to accept the positive suggestions of your hypnotist during the hypnosis session.
Because all hypnosis is self hypnosis, your willingness to do most of the work yourself is an asset. All personal
change endeavors require that you do the work. No one else can do it for you. You must follow the hypnotist’s
directions and take action if you want the results. You have always been conscientious about your assignments and
your hard working attitude is a sign that you can do very well in a hypnosis program.
However, your strong sense of responsibility can sometimes become overwhelming – and a source of stress. Are
you uncomfortable making demands on others? Is it possible that you are hiding your true wisdom? That you are
reluctant to allow others to “see” you? Or do you question your ability to influence others? Are you neglecting to
embrace your power or share your vision for fear of judgement or non-support from others? Or could it be that you
don’t like to impose and find it easier to do things yourself than to ask? Are you afraid people may become upset with
you? Are you, perhaps, trying to avoid the possibility of confrontation? Or are you such a perfectionist that you don’t
believe that anyone else will do the job to your satisfaction? Or could it be you want to make sure that everyone else
is happy, so you take most of the burden upon yourself? People pleasing eventually backfires as those who spend
their time putting others ahead of themselves soon discover their own needs are being neglected. Unwilling to ask
for help, or afraid to show vulnerability, their personal power begins to collapse.
It is also possible that you are more comfortable giving than receiving. However, in order for giving to be effective,
a balance of giving and receiving needs to flow in a complete cycle. If one side becomes blocked, the entire cycle
stagnates and you may find yourself “stuck.”
Because you work without complaint, most people assume your are fine when in fact sometimes you do need a
little help. And further, because everyone is unaware of how much you are doing, your efforts are often under
appreciated. Most people usually do not offer assistance unless you ask for it. With hypnosis, you will become more
comfortable identifying the strengths of those around you and enlisting cooperation, benefitting you and everyone
else.
You have a wonderful instinct for connecting with others and knowing just what it takes to inspire them to do their
best work. You are big picture oriented and have learned to make use of your strengths while allowing others to
excel at theirs. You assign tasks with an instinctive understanding of each person’s capabilities. When it comes to
the details, you are open to suggestion and trust the competence of your team members. You respect a variety of
talents. You have a natural sense of what people need and are happy to give it to them. Your capacity to let go of
control to allow for progress is a good sign that you will work well with a hypnotist. Because you have the confidence
to relinquish control where the process is best served, you will be a natural at following the hypnotist’s directions,
closing out interference from your analytical mind and enjoying the hypnotic experience.
When being given new directions:
This is the most important question in the entire quiz and your answer is the best one possible! The fact that you
“commit, focus and are willing to learn” tells me right there that you have the potential to do impressive work while in
hypnosis. Why? Because being able to follow through with a commitment that you made to yourself, to keep your
focus on your objective and to be open to learning are the most important parts of a hypnosis program. It determines
the extent of your success! And it can bring you to that level of accomplishment known by the elite few who can
make real changes in their lives and successfully achieve goals that previously seemed unobtainable. This answer
alone makes you one of the top candidates for realizing outstanding achievement in a hypnosis program!
You have a rebel in you that has a great deal of resistance to change. You prefer to do things your own way and
want to be able to “pick and choose” what works for you and what does not – often before you give it a try. When
confronted with being “told what to do” you feel as if your own power is being challenged. It’s commendable that you
are aware of this, though, and that you answered the question honestly. Noticing your own defiance is the first step
to freeing yourself from internal opposition and becoming teachable.
I guess by now you have probably figured out that the “rebel” in you does not always necessarily have your best
interest in mind, but is simply “acting out” as a means of self expression. Now your real challenge is to take
command of the rebel inside – to become the leader of the “rebellion.” Have the rebel fighting for you instead of
against you. You can do this by showing the fighter in you exactly what it is you really want to revolt against –
whether it is cigarettes, poor eating habits, or any other behavior that has been causing you problems. Once the
“rebel” has a cause, you have control – allowing it to defy the source of the problem and advancing you toward the
improvements you want in your life. This will be very important when learning hypnosis. Being able to relax and
allow your subconscious mind to say “Yes!” to the suggestions, and “Yes!” to change will set you up for the results
you desire. Incidentally, hypnosis can help you to stop rebelling needlessly against yourself, too.
When someone gains your trust, they have truly earned it. Getting the “Why?” out of your head and allowing the
“Wow!” to come in is the first most important step of awareness. This is also true for going into hypnosis. In hypnosis
setting the analytical part of your mind aside so you can work with the creative/ intuitive side is imperative. You
suspend disbelief so your imagination can roam free. You want results, and those results are initiated by the
creative/non-analytical part of your brain.
When working with the mind, the answer to “Why?” will always be the biggest “booby prize” of all. It only leads to
another “Why.” Overanalyzing and overthinking is the bane of the logical mind and often leads to inaction. Some
people overthink things as a way of distracting themselves from addressing other issues that are too overwhelming.
For others, it is a way of retaining their strategies and consequently, remaining stuck.
Real and substantial change requires a leap of faith. Your cautious nature can sometimes hold you back from
taking the risks that would lead you to success. A good balance between knowing when to rely on thinking and when
to trust your feelings will serve you well. Thinking without taking action only produces stagnation. In hypnosis, the
challenge for you will be turning off the “thinking/reasoning” (left side) of your mind temporarily so that you can use
the “intuitive/ creative” (right side) unencumbered by analytical deliberation. Freed from interference from the
unending chain of “why -because – why” thinking, your subconscious mind can focus on creative solutions to your
challenges and discovery of your hidden talents. A good hypnotist will help you to connect to the intuitive/creative
side of your mind developing your mental muscles while you relax and make the changes you want.
You like to have clear working systems. Ambiguity leaves you frustrated. It is possible, too, that concern from
pending deadlines distracts you from learning a new system. Or perhaps you are doing too much already and
slowing down progress to switch systems leaves you feeling uneasy.
If, on the other hand, your discomfort is because you cannot tolerate the embarrassment of those awkward
blunders that come with learning, then you’re expecting too much of yourself. Learning requires mistakes. Being
O.K. with making mistakes will help you to advance immensely. Insistence that you do everything perfectly right
away is stifling and serves no purpose other than to supply fodder for beating up on yourself. It is important that you
learn to love your mistakes and see them as learning tools. After all, if you now know that it doesn’t work, you won’t
do it again – you’ll keep finding other ways until you get it perfect! That’s the process of getting better at anything.
Living on auto-pilot may feel safe, but you end up feeling “stuck” because of it. Hypnosis is an effortless way to gain
flexibility, learn quickly and unlock the barriers that prevent you from moving forward. Hypnosis can help you to
stretch your boundaries, shift your state of mind and create conditions that will save you time and aggravation when
learning new systems is required.
To solve tough problems I rely mostly on:
Excellent! This brings you to the top of the list of people who can become successful in a hypnosis
program. Because you rely on experts you have shown that you have the ability to seek out alternatives, listen, take
direction and adjust to new information – and hypnosis is very much about learning to incorporate new resources and
perspectives. With the guidance of the hypnotist, you open yourself to discovering better solutions to old, persistent
or even recent challenges. Personal change is a balance of admitting where you’re stuck and “turning it over to
someone else” followed by taking personal responsibility and action. Hypnosis is really very easy and enjoyable if
you follow the simple instructions of the hypnotist. All change is predicated upon “willingness,” and being able to let
go and learn is the path to wisdom. Because you know how to avail yourself of expertise, incorporate new
information, reconsider your approach and leverage usable advantages, you are exactly the type of person who can
make the best use of a hypnosis program.
You are extremely self reliant. Your unique experiences have a great deal of influence upon your choices and you
tend not to “follow the crowd.” You notice things that most people do not and catalog them in your mind for later
reference.
Although you have no qualms about helping others when they are in need, you don’t like asking for help. When in
a pinch, or while under stress, surrendering control is difficult for you. This can be overcome, of course, if your desire
to grow and move into new territory becomes strong enough that you’re ready to consider a new
approach. Accepting help, while at first may feel awkward for you, is the way out of repetitive patterns that you wish
to change. You probably have heard Einstein’s observation: “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that
created it.” This is very true for personal change. Working with the right person can help you to reveal new avenues,
but it does require trust and compliance. By incorporating your own experiences and accessing some of the
powerful, but hidden areas of your own mind, hypnosis can enhance your capabilities and act as a catalyst for latent
talents. Hypnosis can help you to increase the scope of your experiences by enlarging your appreciation of them.
The more you willingly accept new perspectives, the more you increase your options and your freedom to choose.
Excellent! You get an A++ on this answer! You are already using one of the key components of hypnosis – the
use of your imagination to increase your options. Without a doubt, you are a prime candidate for successful
hypnosis! Your natural comfort with your imagination is an indication that you are good at using the creative
dynamics of your mind. Hypnosis would make the innate ingenuity you have that much stronger. You have the
talent. For you, adding hypnosis to your lexicon of skills would be like switching from gigabytes to petabytes in your
imaginary “cloud!”
Your connections to others is very important to you and you get tremendous strength from the abundance of love
you share with those close to you. The kind of support you have nurtured among your friends and family has always
helped you and will continue to do so. Be aware, though, that when making life changes, its your own goals and
vision that matter. It is important that you know what is right for you. No one, not even the person closest to you and
most well meaning, can possibly really know your mind and, therefore their opinions will have more to do with their
own ideas about you rather than what is truly in your best interest. Remember that sometimes others are confused
by your need to grow and make changes because they see you as perfect just as you are. When retaining the
services of a professional hypnotist, reassure friends and family that you are simply becoming an even better version
of yourself and the changes will not diminish your relationship with them at all. Enlist them as allies and they will not
feel their position with you is threatened.
I love that you have a strong faith that gets you through tough situations. Combine faith with responsibility and you
have forged a considerable alliance for success. Hypnosis is very much about faith. Faith is the power that allows
you to keep going with conviction, knowing that you will get the results you want by taking the necessary steps. Faith
is the power that allows you to forgive and begin anew, and faith is the power that urges you back on the path should
you stray, and faith is what keeps you going when things get a little tough. Keeping faith and knowing that the actions
you take are the ones that will get you results is the kind of reassurance that can keep you going all the way to
success. Your faith is a huge commodity for hypnosis. Hypnosis fuses your faith to your goals and integrates them
with the power of your subconscious to manifest your dreams into reality.
When you think of someone you love...
You are very kinesthetic, (you connect to your emotions and memories in a physical way) so your imagination will
flow with extraordinary tactile sensations while the hypnotist guides your subconscious awareness with positive
suggestions. A hypnosis session is, in many ways, quite similar to taking in a movie. You feel the emotions
viscerally and become involved with the experiences as the action takes place in your mind, yet you know that you
are actually reclining comfortably in your chair. In hypnosis, your imagination participates in creating alternate
realities and new experiences. Meanwhile, as you relax, your subconscious assimilates the soft transformational
imagery that allows you to make concrete changes in your life.
You are very visual, so you will quickly picture the images described within the hypnotic suggestions. For you, a
hypnosis session will be quite similar to watching a movie. You will envision the images and observe your emotions
and while seeing the portrayals and stories appear in your mind, you’ll still be mindful that you are being entertained
while relaxing in a chair. Keeping your goals in sight, your exquisite visionary powers will paint colorful visions of
positive outcomes, directing you toward success. Meanwhile, your subconscious mind clears away mental clutter to
reveal hidden assets and illuminate your path to success.
You are auditory, that is, you have an acute appreciation of the sounds in your surroundings and learn most easily
through verbal instruction. You can hear vocal subtleties most others cannot. This is a big plus since most of what
you will be doing in a hypnosis session will require listening. Not only to the voice of your hypnotist for directions and
to cue your imagination, but also for tuning in the faint whisper of the profound voice of your subconscious. For you,
hypnosis will be like listening to a story, or having a conversation. It will be easy for you to hear the deeper meanings
implied in the expression of vocal tones and linguistic nuances as your subconscious mind orchestrates the hypnotic
suggestions in the way that resonates best with you.
Do you feel others emotions?
You are most likely an empath. An empath is someone who can actually feel other people’s emotions. This is a
quality that gives you considerable insight to others, as well as compassion, but most empaths need to learn how to
use their gift. Like music or art, a person can be born with a talent, but it still must be developed if it is to
flourish. Learning to separate your own feelings from the feelings of others is an essential survival skill for empaths.
Some empaths take responsibility for the feelings of everyone around them which can become exhausting. In order
to focus on your own mission in life, the first step an empath must learn is to maintain emotional boundaries.
Hypnosis can help you to make the distinction between your own feelings and those of others – and be able to identify
interference from residual sensitivities lingering within your nervous system. Clarity, particularly in an emotionally
charged environment, can help you to stay at your best and put you in a better position to help the people who matter
to you most. The difficulty of being an empath is that the onslaught of so many emotions sometimes becomes so
chaotic that you may feel as if you were flailing around in a confusion of rapidly changing emotions. Some empaths,
in order not to become overwhelmed, will unknowingly push down all difficult feelings, neglecting to process even
their own as they present themselves. This is a recipe for stress. Hypnosis can help you to properly sort through the
melee of atmospheric emotions so that they flow through you naturally without the pressures of built-up or conflicted
feelings.
Your empathic attributes are a definite asset for hypnosis. You are intrinsically familiar with a wide range of
emotions and will be able to switch them on effortlessly as you follow the hypnotist’s instructions. Hypnosis can also
help you to separate your feelings from those of others so that you do not become engulfed in a whirlpool of
environmental hysterics. It can help you to understand your own feelings and to maintain resourcefulness in
tumultuous climates. Once you have mastered the ability to identify the origin of feelings penetrating your emotional
body – and gain proficiency in releasing them – you are in a much better position to develop your gift for the good of
yourself and others.
You have optically triggered empathic qualities. You are sensitive to visually observable nuances during
conversation. This capability allows you to quickly create rapport with groups and individuals. You are extremely
compassionate, but you need to remain cognizant of your own feelings and consciously separate them from those of
others. It is an essential skill for keeping control of your life. To be constantly taking on the feelings of everyone else
is exhausting – especially when you’re around individuals who are depressed or upset. In order to focus on your own
objectives, you must learn to maintain your emotional boundaries. Hypnosis can help you to decipher the array of
emotions permeating the atmosphere, to identify the emotions still lingering from past events and to recognize your
honest heart-felt understanding of present circumstances. Clarity, particularly in an emotionally charged atmosphere,
positions you to be more effective in your own life and helpful to the people who matter to you most.
Your gift, indicates that you can have very compelling hypnotic experiences. Your connections between emotions
and visual imagery can help elicit the necessary shift in your internal conditions that will lead to the results you want.
Your ability to feel emotions is one of your strong points. Referencing visual and emotional anchors can help you to
make dramatic transformations while in a hypnotic state.
You have a good sense of boundaries and are very likely the kind of person who can stay calm and take
appropriate action in emotionally charged situations. You are not easily drawn into the drama of others. When your
involvement is necessary, you show intelligent discernment and offer valuable suggestions even during controversies
where emotions run high. You can keep a cool head and remain positive when others may have slipped into an
attitude of hopelessness. You seek out people and situations that are productive and prefer to move forward without
fanfare or hysterics.
You are a bit baffled by those who seem to think you should “just know” what they want and how they are feeling
without having to tell you. For you, communications must be clear. You have very little patience with guessing
games, assumptions or egotistical folly. You would rather take action where real possibilities exist. You have no time
for gossip, but if someone does have a problem and needs to talk about it, you will be glad to lend an ear and do
what you can for them. Once a conflict is settled, you are quick to release the incident and move on to something
new.
Your natural tendency to disassociate yourself from surrounding distractions will make it easy for you to remain
focused in a hypnosis program. Your ability to maintain your own temperament regardless of interference from
others will also be helpful during your hypnosis program should someone attempt to sabotage your efforts to change.
(Yep, this actually happens – frequently when people try to lose weight or stop smoking.) It usually isn’t intentional.
Sometimes relatives, friends and colleagues will inadvertently tempt with offers of food or cigarettes. Sometimes
companions who bonded with you through a shared behavior, feel threatened by the absence of a common
denominator – as if they were losing their “partner in crime.” Sabotage is conspicuously present in co-dependent
relationships. You, however, have a natural shield protecting you from subversive forces that helps you to remain
undeterred by subtle pressures and negative influences. Your good sense of boundaries will keep you on track while
maintaining steady progress during the course of your hypnosis program.
Do you remember your dreams?
Dreams have a purpose. Among the reasons we dream is problem solving, organizing memories, processing
emotions and understanding new information. You may occasionally ponder the meaning of a dreams, but the truth
is, there are no hard-and-fast rules about dream interpretation. A dream can sometimes just be as prosaic as a
reference to the late night movie you saw just before falling asleep, or it can be profoundly metaphoric for a situation
in your life. The symbols themselves are always personal, so books about dream interpretation and friends who offer
their own analysis of your dream are usually missing the mark. The best advice I have ever heard about dreams is to
pay attention to them and trust your own insights, but do not pay attention to your nightmares. Nightmares are simply
your subconscious working out conflicting feelings and throwing out the “trash.” They are not cryptic messages of
impending doom.
Provided that you are not having disturbing night terrors or abnormal dreaming (such as being unable to tell
whether you are asleep or awake, or are having excessive nightmares); and provided that you aren’t having so much
REM dreaming that you wake up exhausted; or that the dreams are not the result of depression and/or spending too
much time worrying; or from having too much vitamin B6 in your system; and that they are not a side effect of anti-
depressants, sleeping aids or other medications; and that you do not have other complicating factors that may lead to
an unrestful sleep – then you have an unusual advantage. However, if the dreaming is disturbing, disruptive to sleep,
exhaustive or interferes with your life in some way, hypnosis can help you to correct it.
Assuming that your dreaming is simply wildly vivid and you happen to have excellent recall, then this is very good
news! Most people rarely remember their dreams, yet you can remember many animated and hopefully, awesome
dreams. Most likely, you also have a strong imagination, and that is one of the best traits to have for hypnosis.
If your exceptional dream recall is because you are consciously practicing “lucid dreaming,” (a type of dream
control where you purposefully direct your mind to generate specific dream-time experiences that you want to enjoy
such as flying over exotic landscapes or encountering enlightened individuals to gain knowledge and insight) then
you already have shown a talent for the kind of mental focus used in hypnosis.
Or maybe you’re just gifted with outstanding dream recollection. Either way, the kind of connection you have to
your subconscious mind indicates that you would be fantastic at employing the hypnotic state for transformation and
communication with your subconscious mind.
This is pretty normal. You can, of course, learn to remember your dreams more easily if you want. Some people
keep a dream journal by their bed just to write them down when they first wake up so they can review them later for
insight. The problem with this and most dream interpretation is that the symbols in a dream are a very individual kind
of thing and their meaning is subjective. In spite of what you may have read in books, there are no hard and fast
rules for dream symbolism. For example: where the ocean may symbolize spiritual totality or freedom to one person;
to another it could symbolize drowning, overwhelm and uncertainty; and yet to another it could represent courage or
internal strength. It could represent primal craving, anger, peace, merger, expansion or simply anticipation of a
planned beach vacation as well as myriad of other personal associations including references to the movie,“The
Titanic” that you watched just before falling asleep.
Hypnosis is similar in that regard. When having a hypnosis session with a professional, a certain amount of time
must be spent exploring your mental landscape. During the hypnosis session, your subconscious mind will accept
the suggestions of the hypnotist in the way that’s best for you. Just like dreams, they are assimilated according to
your own understanding while the subconscious incorporates them in alignment with your own needs, values and
desires.
This is not unusual. You are having dreams, of course, as it is vital for the subconscious mind to have this venue
for solving problems, processing emotions and to understand events – remarkably all while you are asleep. Dreams
can be interesting, but interpretation of them is not an exact science. Everyone has their own subconscious
references. When people offer their interpretations of someone else’s dream, it’s usually pretty far off the mark as
dream symbolism differs from from person to person and exists mostly outside of conscious awareness.
No one really knows exactly what occurs in the dream state, but it appears that the limbic system – including the
areas of the brain that process emotions – is activated during sleep; while other areas, most notably parts of the pre-
frontal cortex (the area of the brain that allows for logic and judgement) are inactive. If you aren’t dreaming much,
then you’re probably getting a pretty good night’s sleep. It is in the delta state, that period of dreamlessness, that
sleep is the most restful. That is until your brain enters the REM sleep state and parts of your brain are activated. As
the brain subjectively interprets the signals, dreams increase the brainwave frequencies into corresponding states of
theta, alpha, beta and even gamma before dropping back down into the delta state. Although you may not be aware
of it, you actually wake up and return to sleep many times during the night blurring the delineation between dreams
and the waking world. The dreams are remembered for a short time before you return to the sleep state. Some
people, hoping to get a glimpse of their dream world, keep a journal next to their bed so they can write down their
dreams immediately upon waking for later recollection. Because your dreams are the expression of the primitive,
non-linear part of your brain that can create images and emotions, but is devoid of the capacity for reasoning, the
ability to remember dreams consciously is, for most of us, quite elusive.
My usual temperament is ... :
Your calm and relaxed temperament is a very good sign. It is important to relax while going into hypnosis. People
who can unwind easily go into the hypnotic state much more quickly than those who cannot. It is a skill that can be
developed, of course, but you, apparently, will not need to go through a lot of de-stressing in order to get into a
relaxed hypnotic state.
One caveat. If you answered the question about your Patience as “Easily exhausted” or “I have patience to a
point and then blow;” or if you answered the question about Driving as “I get so upset with all the stupid drivers out
there,” then consider this: You may be holding in feelings and are more tense than you realize. In this case, it is
possible that emotions you do not like are being forced down until the pressure builds to a level of such critical mass
that it could lead to angry outbursts or even physical, mental, and emotional problems.
Staying calm and relaxed has nothing to do with avoiding uncomfortable feelings, it has to do with the ability to
process those feelings. Listening to your own internal wisdom, giving it proper respect – and appropriate expression –
is an important learned skill. Holding in distressing feelings builds resentments that later plays out as emotional
turmoil and “negative daydreaming.” Most people have never been taught how to process and release their
emotions. They are simply reprimanded for “acting out.” So while pent up emotions may not always be evident, they
are still held within the nervous system.
Hopefully, though, you are among the fortunate few who have learned how to truly free themselves from
destructive or negative feelings and really can remain calm and relaxed all the way to the core. In todays world, this
is uncommon and you are among a rare group of people who can maintain serenity and keep a peaceful space,
quickly release the inevitable stressors in life, let go of unresolved emotions and return easily to an optimal state. For
hypnosis, this is very good news. Hypnosis usually begins with an induction partly intended to bring the client into a
beautiful tranquil state, and for you it’s easy to unwind and sink into deep relaxation.
I love that your usual temperament is “enthusiastic and ready to go do something.” You are a doer! The kind of
person who does not hesitate to take action and move forward! This is one of the best answers in the entire quiz! I
love working with doers because they really get results! When you reinforce passion, commitment, accountability,
responsibility and action with the power of hypnosis, it’s amazing how much you can achieve!
Congratulations for being aware that you are under stress. This is the first step to correcting it. For many people,
stress often goes unnoticed and eventually builds into a chronic state. At this point they are critically stressed, yet the
feeling gets to be so familiar that they erroneously believe it is normal. It is not. Stress is the “fight or flight” response
that evolved as an emergency survival mode. In a crisis, the mind becomes hyper-focused on only those things
relevant to the threat, limiting awareness. It also shifts the body into overdrive. It is an extreme state intended for
short spurts when in peril but over longer durations it is dangerous! This temporary fight or flight state can save your
life in high risk situations. But in todays world, where we lack the menacing predators of our ancestors, it insidiously
creeps up into a life threatening condition that goes unrecognized until it is too late – like the frog in the boiled pot. (If
you put a frog in boiling water, he will jump out. But if you put him in lukewarm water and then boil it, he will not
notice the gradual temperature change and stay there. Don’t try this at home. It doesn’t turn out well for the frog.) It
has been estimated that 80% of all doctor visits are due to stress induced conditions. Learning to control your mental
environment can reverse the progression of stress so you can live a healthier, happier and more productive life.
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be almost boasting about how much stress they have – as if it
were a badge of honor proving that they are very busy and important? How confusing is that! Because stress
actually restricts a person’s perspective. They actually are in a state of narrowed focus that limits intellectual
capability and renders less productivity!
In reality, there are no stress situations – only stress responses. A situation that may stress one person is
another’s idea of the perfect day. Everyone responds differently to circumstances according to their own preferences
and personality. Learning how to recognize your stressors and taking steps to halt their momentum and return to a
calm and relaxed state is one of the keys to living a happy and healthy life. Hypnosis is a fast and effective way to
eliminate stress and expand your mental resources. (For more information about stress, read the articles:
“What Causes Stress” and
“What Type of Stress Do You Have?”
My patience is...:
Excellent! Now ask yourself this: “Are you as patient with yourself as you are with others?” If you answered yes,
then good! There’s a reason patience is considered a virtue. Patience is the ability to remain in an unstressed state
through trying situations. It is quiet resolve when progress is slow. And it is the difference between giving up
(accepting failure) and persistence (the road to success.) It is the difference between enjoying the journey (mindful
presence) and struggling to get to the end (delaying happiness.) It is the difference between simply tolerating people
or circumstances and appreciating their potential. It is serene confidence. Your high capacity for patience is
assurance that everything you do is worthwhile.
But if you answered no, then pay attention. It is essential to have as much patience with yourself as you have for
others. If inner turmoil exists when you keep trying unsuccessfully, or find that you become frustrated with yourself
and give up too easily, or if your progress is plagued with derogatory self-talk, then you may need to check your self
esteem or your expectations of yourself. You deserve as much consideration as anyone else. Hypnosis does require
that you develop the fortitude and humility to forgivingly dismiss the criticism of the thinking mind and immerse
yourself into the present moment. Fortunately, even those who find that sort of thing difficult still can go into hypnosis
with the guidance of a good hypnotist.
On the other hand, if you can be serene and resolute while diligently pursuing goals even in the face of
unforeseen difficulties, then congratulations! You are very likely to be successful in a hypnosis program. Having the
patience to slow down in order to get somewhere faster is a learned skill that few people have. One step at a time is
how all work gets accomplished, including self improvement. You can be very successful with hypnosis because you
already understand the virtue of keeping a relaxed mind to reach your ambitions.
You are under more stress than you may realize. Is it possible you’re holding in some of your feelings? That
perhaps emotions you don’t like are being shoved down until the build up of pressure becomes explosive?
Recognizing the subtle changes in your emotional field and processing them quickly is critical to your well being.
Holding in feelings can cloud your understanding of current circumstances leading to confusion and a negative
mindset. Or embarrassingly, blast out sideways into the proverbial “greatest speech you’ll ever regret.” Processing
feelings is not the same as expressing them. Verbalizing every wild thought that comes into your head does not
resolve anything. Often, even after what initially may feel like a satisfying burst of outrage, an emotion still churns
and bitterness lingers. Acknowledging and releasing emotions is core to the forgiveness process. Yet it’s elusive for
many people. Easier said than done. Especially self forgiveness. Someone may be genuinely willing and truly
would like to let go of animosity, yet the resentment continues to smolder. “How?” they ask, “How can I get rid of this
mental torment?” With hypnosis, you can communicate with your feelings so that frustration and residual tensions
don’t override your patience. You can learn to remain calm and, better yet, free so that you can connect with your
innate creativity to find inventive solutions to exasperating situations.
You have internal deadlines that either consciously or subconsciously you believe you are not capable of
meeting. You have your mind fixed on what needs to be accomplished and every delay feels like an enormous
obstacle. While you may or may not consider yourself to be a competitive person, you frequently feel a sense of
“being behind in the race.” You may become impatient with others, but most likely, you are impatient with yourself
most of all! It may look like it’s your boss, your kids, your partner, the bills, the house and all the other responsibilities
that are piling up on you, but it really is just you! The expectations you set for yourself are not being met. You
wonder what it is that you are missing that keeps you from being where you “should” be by now. This sense of
urgency that seems to overshadow everything you do has been a real “killjoy” for quite some time. You stay busy,
busy, busy and it feels like it will never end – as if every time you get close, a barrier goes up or the bar gets set even
higher.
Haste and productivity are mutually exclusive concepts. You would benefit greatly from hypnosis. It will help you
to release yourself from the trap of “I’ll be happy (or able to relax, or secure, or any other outcome you really want) as
soon as I get _____.” Impatience is a demonstration of stress, and stress limits your perspective and mental
capacity. Becoming free from impatience will help you to open your mind to creative solutions and establish the
conditions you need for success. You’ll be able to get much more accomplished with much less effort. You will work
more efficiently and have more time for yourself. You will be able to set goals confidently knowing that you can meet
them – and most importantly, genuinely enjoy the journey.
When I become interested in something, I start to see it everywhere.
This is an example of how your attention is drawn to what is already in your consciousness. It is your interest that
caused your mind to pay attention to these things. This phenomena is similar to the post-hypnotic effect. The
subconscious mind seems compelled to search out certain things once it has fixated on them. You can exploit this
natural tendency in order to reach your objectives. Just as you may notice a car, dress or other object, the mind can
be instructed to notice “opportunity” or “negativity” – working either for or against your true desires. This is how you
shape your perspective – and it’s your perspective that determines your life experiences.
Most things go unnoticed in the background. For example: Right now, you probably weren’t even thinking about
your breathing, or about how your clothes feel next to your skin, or the ambient sound of the air moving through the
room – until I just mentioned it. In fact, everything outside of this page is probably vague and the details are blurry
even though it is all within your line of sight. Hypnosis can train your mind to hone in on what you want (some fun,
perhaps?) and to disregard what you do not want (like annoyances.) It can also help you to automatically perform the
way you want, whether it is to change your eating habits, stop smoking, focus, accelerate your learning or play a
better game of golf – the list is endless.
You have an excellent awareness of the connection between your mind and your sensory experiences and are
able to notice new developments in your life. Reinforcement of incremental breakthroughs during a hypnosis
program is best achieved by an appreciation of the evidence. Especially of changes in your behavior. Observation of
your progress strengthens your results and because you already have a keen awareness, you will notice the
cumulative confirmation of your changes.
Perhaps you have never noticed this particular phenomena, but you can be certain that your mind does spotlight
specific items of interest. Most of the information that comes in through your senses is not even recognized. But
once something comes into your awareness, it becomes a larger part of your experience. For example: you may not
have been aware the way your shoes feel on your feet; or noticed the background sounds in the room; or whether
you are taking an in-breath or out-breath – that is, not until I brought to your attention. Hypnosis lets you determine
your points of focus, and consequently your experiences. If your mind is fixated on problems, then problems seem to
materialize wherever you go, and if it’s focused is on opportunities, then opportunities constantly present themselves
to you. In hypnosis, you communicate with your subconscious mind and instruct it to highlight assets and establish
the prerequisite conditions necessary to produce your objectives. With your awareness directed toward success and
your capabilities expanded, you see more of what you have available to achieve your goals and discover more
avenues for overcoming obstacles. Where you once struggled, you seem to glide with “effortless effort”.
The quality most people notice about me is that I am:
Your comfort with the “right side” of your brain is excellent and you can spontaneously devise some very
innovative solutions to life’s challenges. Like any talent, creative ingenuity must be nurtured in order to thrive.
Instruction and practice are required in order to be your best and even those who are naturally inventive need to
foster their gift. Hypnosis magnifies your innate creativity and intuition. It gives you the essential skills necessary to
master your emotional power. It can ignite inspiration and free the expression of your imagination. Because you
have a natural affinity for “right brain” thinking, hypnosis could be an invaluable mechanism for developing your
talents.
The hypnotic state is familiar territory for you. Hypnotherapy is accomplished through the use of feelings and
images and this is the jurisdiction of the creative, intuitive, emotional and imaginative right side of your brain – your
personal comfort zone! You’re an excellent candidate for hypnosis!
Perhaps you have never noticed this particular phenomena, but you can be certain that your mind does spotlight
specific items of interest. Most of the information that comes in through your senses is not even recognized. But
once something comes into your awareness, it becomes a larger part of your experience. For example: you may not
have been aware the way your shoes feel on your feet; or noticed the background sounds in the room; or whether
you are taking an in-breath or out-breath – that is, not until I brought to your attention. Hypnosis lets you determine
your points of focus, and consequently your experiences. If your mind is fixated on problems, then problems seem to
materialize wherever you go, and if it’s focused is on opportunities, then opportunities constantly present themselves
to you. In hypnosis, you communicate with your subconscious mind and instruct it to highlight assets and establish
the prerequisite conditions necessary to produce your objectives. With your awareness directed toward success and
your capabilities expanded, you see more of what you have available to achieve your goals and discover more
avenues for overcoming obstacles. Where you once struggled, you seem to glide with “effortless effort”.
The biggest challenge for you will be in turning off the “analytical” side of your mind (the left brain) during hypnosis
so that you can use the “intuitive, creative” (right side of the brain) freely. In hypnosis, it is the right side of the brain
that does the heavy lifting. Strengthening the “right side” is not difficult. It’s really just a matter of training (and one of
the side benefits of learning to use hypnosis.) The fact that you have a preference for analytical/logical thinking does
not preclude you from going into a deep hypnotic state. There are already areas of your life where you use your
emotion, imagination and creativity. With practice, you can increase the visionary intelligence and strength of your
“right brain’s” faculties. Some of the world’s greatest icons of the “logical professions” such as mathematics, law and
science became successful by enhancing their imaginative capabilities. Linked to an amplified “right brain,” the “left
brain” escalates exponentially into what most people call “genius”!
I commit to something when:
One of the most important answers in the entire quiz is this last one – your ability to commit. Commitment is a
fundamental element of effective change. What drives you to commit does not matter as much as the degree to
which you are driven to commit. But it is good to know what it takes to motivate yourself. You are passionate about
what you choose to do and it is that passion that stimulates your resolve! Hypnosis can help you to cultivate your
enthusiasm and direct it toward the goals that are important to you. Since your committal is energized by inspiration
and desire, then sustaining the intensity of your determination all the way to the completion of your goals is essential.
With hypnosis – and by taking responsible action to make the improvements you want in your life, reaching your
ambitions is easier than you think. Really. Easier than you “think.” Because the thought is always more difficult
than the task. Hypnosis can help you to invigorate your passion and keep it alive all the way to success.
You have great respect for authority and you see your best results when working with a trainer, a guide or a
mentor. This is a tremendous advantage for hypnotherapy. It indicates that you are willing to take advice and follow
directions. You understand that your best successes are found in the follow-through of a well advised plan with a
good dose of encouragement. You like having someone you trust in your corner to keep you motivated. It is already
in your nature to be accountable to someone else in order to make changes. This quality will help you when working
with a hypnotist. Since it is authority that drives your commitment, then for you, coordinating with someone who
will keep you on track is not just a nicety, it’s a necessity. The best course of action for you includes measurable
steps and a solid partnership with a trainer or authority – in this case your hypnotist. By adjusting your mindset, you
can meet your requirements – even those that seem insurmountable – and hypnosis can help you to do just that. Your
cooperative nature signifies that you are able to make valuable use of instruction and this suggests that you’re an
excellent candidate for hypnosis. Willingness is the most important trait of a hypnosis candidate. With the aid of an
expert hypnotist – and by taking action – realizing your ambitions is easier than you “think.” (And I do mean “think.”
Because the thought is always more difficult than the task.)
You are the kind of person who is very good at following through all the way to the end as long as you can
maintain a feeling of certainty. But you do tend to hesitate before taking that proverbial “leap of faith” – particularly in
areas where you have no personal track record. In the quest for self improvement, it’s important for you to never lose
heart when things go awry. The road to progress is filled with set-backs. But remember: as long as you keep going,
there’s no failure. Surges of success are sometimes followed by small regressions, particularly when letting go of
long held attitudes and habits. The difference between stagnating in a mundane life and embracing achievement is
the ability to make adjustments and get back on course after disappointments. Establishing new habits sometimes
initially meets with resistance, but struggle can be overcome. By changing your subconscious conditions from the
assumption of defeat to the expectation of success you effortlessly make changes in your behaviors and lifestyle.
Since for you, it’s all about seeing the results, you need continual support of your vision, reinforcement of your
confidence and a solid process that helps you maintain consistency with your practices in order to succeed.
When making major changes in your life, sometimes that daunting “leap of faith” must be taken. This is where the
belief in your ability to accomplish unseen objectives is your strongest ally. If the only results you can believe in are
the ones you’ve already seen, then you will be limited to what you have been getting all along – repeating the same
old strategies that have been keeping you stuck. To enter new territory, you must allow yourself to release the
limitations of your past and expand your lexicon of believable outcomes. Hypnosis can help you to envision your
possibilities in a very real way so you can see future results, ignite your motivation and take action to establish a new,
different and better life for yourself.
For you, hypnosis can intensify your vision and keep you motivated by constructing credible models of future
outcomes, changed behaviors and revised beliefs in your subconscious that can pave your way through the old
mental restrictions and the seemingly formidable obstacles that once stood between you and victory.