I guess my first long-term girlfriend was right: I really do have a one-track mind. But I’m not sure she was talking about my passion for hypnosis!

I’ve been pretty busy recently developing our hypnotherapy training package, for therapists and hypnotists in Northamptonshire.

The focus is on therapy and personal development, rather then simple entertainment. The theme of the training course that we are currently developing is Therapeutic Inductions. (Remind me to copyright that term some time, before someone else gets there first and makes a fortune out of it!)

If you’ve ever received hypnosis, or even if you are a hypnotherapist, you’ll recognise the familiar structure of: Induction, Deepener, Therapy, Wake-up. The usual tension felt by therapists is between making sure that are “under” enough during the induction and deepening and then getting to the therapy where the real magic happens. The tension is that the therapist wants to focus on the therapy, to see people change, but ends up focusing upon the induction, because it is felt that if he/she doesn’t do that part properly then none of the rest of it will work.

It is hoped that our training will be incredibly useful for therapists, in helping them move beyond this tension and to focus on the change taking place in their clients, rather than on their own performance. Therapeutic Inductions enable a hypnotherapist to move away from the four-step process above, towards an understanding of inductions as setting the whole theme of – and often lasting the entire length of – a hypnotherapy session.

Obviously, this involves learning conversational hypnosis skills, but there’s far more involved than that. The last person I introduced these ideas to quickly realised that he now had the ability to create countless numbers of inductions, from practically any conversation. The great thing about that was that it gave him an endless number of ways to approach any problem.

As you can see, this is powerful stuff! So, if you are looking for hypnosis training in Northampton, or simply want to learn a new way to structure your therapy sessions, feel free to get in touch to be added to the mailing list.

Do you fancy being happier? I don’t just mean, “happy”, but happier.

If so, you’ll enjoy these words from the hypnotist, Adam Eason:

I dont know about you, but I would never want to think that I ever reached the pinnacle of happiness and could not go any further, would you?

Happy is static. In order to supercharge your internal dialogue and language in general, you can mobilise the words and get them moving onwards and upwards for you. You can change “Happy” to “Happier and happier” or “more and more happy” or “increasingly happy” or “progressively more happy” or “more and more appropriately happy.” Use whatever feels right for you, just use other words to develop and power it up.

It is that notion of being progressive with our language that leads on to levels of actual happiness in life. Happiness: everyone wants it and most people can’t get enough of it. Is there a way to become happier than you are now?

Now, I know that you know that I’d love what comes next:

Some research indicates that the saying “Think happy thoughts” is the way to go if you are looking for a way to increase your level of happiness. One study found that people who thought about positive events in their own lives for just eight minutes per day for three days felt better about their lives a month later. Their satisfaction with their own lives increased significantly by simply thinking about happy life events. So is that all we have to do? Just think about the day you got married, or the time when your kids were young, or your 16th birthday party when all your friends were there?

…In he same way as weight reduction, if you want to become happier, you have to be able to put effort into it. I’m not sure if simply thinking happy thoughts for a few minutes a day undoubtedly make you happier, but it definitely won’t work if you only do it for a few days!

If you really want to change your life and make yourself happier, make a plan and stick to it! Take a few minutes every day to reflect on happy times, or take up a new hobby you know you can keep, or decide to go out with good friends once a week.

Now whatever you do, decide it’s worth the effort to stick to a progressive plan of being an increasingly happier person…