As Serious as a Heart Attack

Back in August, one of my callers had
a serious family crisis. It left him
with a tremendous amount of stress,
and he wasn't sleeping much at all.

As a matter of fact, when we first
spoke, he hadn't slept for 3 days.

He wasn't sure if I could even hypnotize
him at that point. I wasn't sure what
would happen, either, but I knew that
we had been doing some incredible work
up until that point, and figured that
odds were good that he would be responsive
to the release that hypnosis could offer.

It took a little bit for him to get into
the hypnotic state, but he did get there.
Once there, I spoke with him about what
he was feeling, and part of the range of
emotions was guilt, as he felt he should
have been able to prevent what had
happened. The fact was there was no way
he could have.

When our session was over, and I awakened
him, he looked better (as I was watching
him on video) sounded better, and was
yawning for the first time in days. I
am not sure about the yawning part, but
I speculate that because he allowed himself
to come down from the highly stressed state
he was in, his body could now realize that
it was tired, and he was able to give himself
some rest.

The second time I spoke with him he told me
that the night we spoke he actually slept and
slept well and that when he went back to the
hospital the next day, the doctors and nurses
said that there was a difference in how he
seemed to be, and that he seemed much more
productive and helpful instead of angry.

A couple of nights ago we were talking,
and he told me that his left arm was numb
and that he was having chest pains. I had
been doing some hypnosis in regard to
stress relief when he told me that, but
made sure not to directly touch his symptoms
(a hypnotist should always be cautious in
that regard, as physical symptoms can be
the sign of something that should be
addressed by a doctor).

If his symptoms were stress related,
chances are good they would have likely
have gone away from the hypnosis we were
doing, but they did not. I highly
suggested that he ask someone at the
hospital about it.

He didn't want to. He wanted any efforts
to be focused on the person who he felt
needed them the most (the person who he
had been concerned about for weeks).

However, when he went to the hospital
yesterday, he did ask the doctor about what
he was experiencing, but only after he
resisted and first got a headache, and then
felt nauseous.

I am not sure if the resistance and the
physical symptoms directly correlate,
but it is interesting to note that has
come to feel very much like he is my good
boy, and that he needs to obey me. Apparently
my "suggestion" to talk to the doctor was
something he felt he needed to obey perhaps
so much so that he developed physical symptoms.
It is also interesting to note that once he
did talk to the doctor, the symptoms went away.

I never told him that he would experience
discomfort if he didn't obey me (I would
never do that), however it is how he interacted
with his unwillingness to follow what he heard
as a command.

In the end it was a good thing that he felt
he needed to obey me in that regard as it
turns out that he had had a heart attack,
and didn't know it. If he didn't say something
there would have been a good chance he could
have another, and that one would likely have
killed him. He is in the hospital today having
a procedure done.

I share this story with you for a few reasons.

One. I wanted to share how hypnosis can be to
help someone function effectively in a time of
crisis. I was able to help him acknowledge
what he needed to, and focus on what was
productive and helpful instead of being bogged
down in guilt and other unhelpful emotions.

Two. I also wanted to share this story because
people always say, "you'll never do anything
against your will" when it comes to hypnosis.

Here is a case where his "will" did not want
to speak to the doctors. He had no desire to
have that conversation, but felt compelled to
because of the effects of suggestions given.

Three. The mind is an incredible place. You
never know what is possible in both good and
bad ways. While the hypnosis we had been doing
originally had been erotic, it wound up having
real life benefits that were not predictable.

I always tell those I work with who want to be
a good boy that they need to take care of
themselves. He isn't even sure at this point
why he told me about his arm and chest pain.
Might that have been the part of him that knew
it would be in his best interest?

In some ways, I know he was unhappy about what
happened, but thankfully his gratitude at this
moment is much greater.

I am usually most respectful of a person's right
to choose. As a matter of fact, I really had
no idea how driven this guy was to obey me, and
was just suggesting what a concerned friend
might suggest, hoping that he would see the
benefit in speaking with a doctor.

I know he knows that I only want him to do what
is in his own best self interest, so I have to
hope that on some level that is what drove him
more than his need to obey me, even though
technically in this case they are truly one in
the same.

Sometimes we are meant to make a difference for
another, and we may need another's coaxing for
our own benefit. It should never be seen as an
act of an inferior man, but rather an act
of wisdom to know when something needs to be
done for our own best interest.

Last, but not least, while seeing a doctor may
never be desired, there are times it most
certainly is warranted. If there are significant
signs, please pay attention and DO something
about it.

It might just save your life.