Mythbusters & Hypnosis: My Take | Video

I saw this Mythbuster Episode a while ago, and
have wanted to address it. It is an episode
about how hypnosis can't have you do anything
against your will. According to what they show,
they believe it proves that the statement is
"true."

Things like this trouble me because the validity
they give to the claim I believe gives people a
false sense of security. First of all, the
examples they give are one-offs. One attempt is
made, and it doesn't work. Second of all, those
that they do the hypnosis with are not necessarily
the "best" of all possible subjects. Third of
all, the suggestions are almost silly, and worded
in a no-nonsense, direct kind of way.

If someone was "likely" to do something against
his will, given a hypnotic suggestion, there are
variables that might give a different outcome.
First it would likely be more than one session,
maybe even many. Secondly, as all subjects are
not created equal, if a hypnotist had a deeply
suggestible subject, the odds of accepting a
suggestion plainly, or otherwise suggested, is
greater than one who is not. Third, give a
suggestion in a way that allows the mind to
accept it by it appearing to be something other
than it is will likely allow for greater acceptance.
In addition, there will be ways to make it difficult
not to have the person follow through. An ethical
hypnotist is not likely to do something like that,
(there are exceptions - for instance, when you ask
for/desire it by your own accord) therefore it
is not a true sampling of what would or would
not seem to be possible. Plus, if you were to
make it rewarding in some way for the person to
follow through it would also tend to skew the
possible end result.

Believe me when I tell you there are ways to
skew things when you are in trance. While it
may be "technically" true that you won't do
anything against your will, there are many ways
that things can be contorted and distorted...
and the only benefit there will be will be for
the other person.

If interested, view the episode for yourself,
and let me know what you think.

(You may also want to read this blog entry.)

Hypnosis and Weight Loss | Video

There was a time in my life that a relative of mine had lost
weight, and she had used hypnosis to do it. As a result,
long before I was ever a hypnotist, I got to experience
weight loss as a result of hypnotic suggestion.

The problem was, though, once I stopped the hypnosis, the
weight came back. What I now know as a hypnotist is that
when our unconscious has a plan, it seeks to fulfill it,
even if the actions are to our detriment. It is not that
we are seeking to hurt ourselves, it is quite the opposite.
We are seeking to give ourselves the familiarity that we
"need."

For instance, if food provides some sort of comfort, we
will seek it out when we need to be comforted. We can
change our habits - with or without hypnosis - but if we
do not change the piece of us that has a need that it
sees our old habit fulfilling, odds are we may at some
point find ourselves in the same predicament in the same,
or similar way.

I am reminded of this today because of a couple of news
items. You may remember Carnie Wilson had had gastric
bypass surgery several years ago. She lost so much weight,
she even posed for Playboy. After having two children she
gained much of her weight back, and is now wearing a band
and losing weight.

The other news item is about gastric bypass, hypnotic
style. People under hypnosis are given suggestions that
they are having the surgery. The news story shows two
women for whom this approach appears to be working. The
doctor in the story is skeptical about what hypnosis can
do.

Interestingly, I would say that if someone is suggestible
enough to lose weight via this method, s/he may have a
better chance of keeping it off, given that hypnosis is
working with changing what the mind believes unconsciously,
which the surgery (obviously) does not. Stories like
Carney's are "proof" that while it can work, there are
ways that it can also fail. Might it be due to the
unconscious mind?

Of course I wouldn't say that it is. However, it is an
important component, given that there are estimates that
90% of what we do is driven by our unconscious. So while
it may not be able to be determined to be everything, it
certainly is unlikely to be nothing.

At the same time, in the last several weeks as I have
changed the way I eat, I have lost 10 pounds myself, and
I am more convinced than ever that what is in our food
is certainly an issue. Certain foods, regardless of
calories, seem to affect my weight more than others.
So it would certainly seem reasonable to me that if one
was able to alter a person's diet and preferences alone
with hypnosis, it is quite possible their weight could
be affected.

In the end, gastric bypass whether hypnotic or real
ultimately affects a symptom, and unless the cause is
addressed, it seems to me possible that there will
continue to be an issue. Interestingly, the surgery
is many more times expensive than the hypnosis and
likely, by its nature, to be many more times dangerous
as well.

As with anything, we have choices to make and the best
ones we make come with as many levels of understanding
as we can get. Learn what you can before you do what
you do and you will be more likely to succeed at what
you are trying to do.

If interested, below are the videos I have been
referring to. Have a great night!

For Video/News regarding Carnie Wilson click here.

When Ignorance... | Video

is anything but bliss.

Tonight I went out to dinner. It is the first time
I have eaten food in the last two months that I
don't really know the contents or origin of, even
though I can guess, given what I have learned in
the last 60 days, or so.

It is no surprise to me tonight that I am not feeling
so great. But I am surprised because my mouth feels
"funny." I don't know if there is any correlation
between how it feels and what I ate, but it would
seem to me that there might be some.

I will go into more details in a future entry,
and explain a bit of what I have been finding out.
In the meantime, here is a video I HIGHLY SUGGEST
you watch - especially if you live in the US.

It will be a bummer if you take it at face value,
which might be all to easy to do. At the same
time, perhaps with knowledge comes other possibilities,
and other choices.

Watch it, and see what you think. Feel free to share
you thoughts, knowledge, and experiences below. If
you are willing, it can often be helpful for others.

Lingerie or...?

I was telling someone the other day that I
was looking at some wonderful lingerie, and
feeling a bit conflicted.

The reason for this conflict was that for
as much as I wanted to get some new lingerie
to tease my good boys with, I very much
wanted to get myself a bicycle.

I know it may seem like an odd thing to say.
But when one has resources, one can only get
what one can afford with those resources.

For as much as I would love to constantly
buy lingerie and create new and wonderful
opportunities for enjoyment for those who
enjoy my assets, it isn't always possible.

It just so happens this time a bicycle is
going to win out. The good news, however,
is that the person I was speaking with gave
me an interesting idea. When I told him of
my dilemma, he said he couldn't get me in
lingerie on a bicycle out of his head.

If I can manage to create an image of that
type (and I am certainly considering giving
it my best shot) perhaps it can be used as
a motivational tool for anyone who is looking
to be more active with working out...kinda
like the one I did with sneakers a while
back.

Unusual? Absolutely. Attractive? Oh, yes.
All me? Without any question. Desired?
Well you can answer that one.

Welcome to my world. :)

Have a great night!
 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

(More on) You'll Never Do Anything Against Your Will

In conversations that focus on this topic, there are 3 key components I can identify that are usually woven through the content are; the question of who is right, the question of who is responsible, and the question of what do we really "know."

Interestingly while these conversations go on, things happen within a context that includes hypnosis. How exactly a person gets to where he does might not matter as much as the fact that he does. Does it really matter if it is "his" fault? Does it really matter whose "fault" it is?

While we are so busy assigning fault, and having a need to be right as human beings (our egos so abhor being wrong), there are those who are going to be affected by hypnosis more strongly either by nature (their suggestibility) or nurture (the "coaxing" of a hypnotist/hypnosis) and maybe both.

I often tell people that while it is "technically' true a person can not be made to do something that s/he finds objectionable, there are many ways in which a person can be manipulated by the language used by the hypnotist, as well as their knowledge of how hypnosis works - which those who aren't as knowledgeable (many of those who seek to be hypnotized) can become susceptible to. One such extreme example is that of a man hypnotized by Derrin Brown to think he was shooting at a target at a range, but was instead "shooting" at a well known person - so while he may have found it objectionable to kill someone, that is not what he believed he was doing.

There is also the issue of suggestibility. Not all people have the same level of suggestibility. Those who are the least suggestible are likely to be the most skeptical - which of course, makes some sort of sense. If something isn't a part of a person's personal experience, it is frequently discounted, which often can be how human beings tend to be in matters they don't fully know or understand.

Conversations in which people will stick to the standard lines are difficult for me, as I have gone from a hypnotist trained (hypnotized?) to believe certain things about hypnosis to a hypnotist that has seen a myriad of ways that seem to counter what I should have "known." As a result, I believe the idea that people are always in some way "safe" when it comes to hypnosis could potentially lull someone into a false sense of security, if they happen into the "wrong" type of person/circumstance. (I think it also has the potential to cause other issues, which is a bit more than I think I want to discuss in this context.)

There is also the element of people not truly knowing themselves. We may think we know what we are capable of, and what we believe, but I have seen how those things can be contorted and distorted and expanded in ways that are not always welcome, but seem to become a part of the person's current experience, and when it can not be fully discerned, how is it able to be altered? And even if it happens to be a "true" part of the person, who is to say that it is going to be a welcomed one? Again, does it matter where it came from, or just that it arrived during the course of interaction with hypnosis?

I have, at times, seen how a person has some ability to pull back from things that might seem to be going awry, but I believe that there could be cases in which that might not be possible, if the person doing the manipulating had the ability to manipulate the bigger picture, and if the person being manipulated wasn't aware enough to know that s/he was being manipulated enough to question it or stop it.

In the end, it doesn't really matter who is "right," and if we get lost in an argument that focuses on who is right and who is wrong, I would suggest it takes away from the responsibility we have to ourselves and the others who may at some point be affected. Since there is much about the mind we don't know, what is the harm in having conversations that ask questions rather than ones that are full of potentially incorrect "absolutes?"

I don't know about you, but as I learn more about what goes into our products and foods, I find there is a myriad of "fact-based opinion" on the ingredients. Of course, everyone is right, and no one is wrong, and yet there are opinions that are in sharp contrast to one another. In the beginning, I was listening to one thing, only to be surprised by another opinion later. To say it was frustrating, is an understatement. At the same time, I would much rather know that the differences exist so that I can make up my own mind, rather than go down the path someone else believes is right, only later to find out how incredibly wrong it was - for me.

Despite the fact that we often desire absolutes, it might behoove us to realize that there really are very few things that are "one size fits all," and to be more tolerant of the experiences of others that don't seem to correlate to ours, and to ask more questions of their experience instead of judging them for varying from what we expect or think we "know."

Am I "right"? Of course my ego would like to think so. But, of course, it would be silly of me to say I am, given what I just wrote. I would think the point is for us to take life apart and put it together in a way that makes sense for us, taking the things that make sense, and disposing with those that don't. Trying to limit how things are seen probably isn't very helpful, as it is through the contrasts that we often learn the most. I know that is the contrasts that has made me the hypnotist I am today. (As of yesterday, it was 8 years, and counting!)

If I had stayed with what I "knew" and hadn't seen what I have in the course of doing erotic hypnosis, I would likely have turned out to be a very different hypnotist. So while I may vary with those who say otherwise, ultimately I welcome the conversation. It is through conversations like these that I become more clear about how I see things for myself and am better able to share my perspective.

If you read my "novel," thanks for taking the time!

--> -->Other Blog entries on this topic can be accessed here.

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There is the good. There is the bad. And then...There is the ugly.

Tomorrow will be my 8 year anniversary of being
Isis The Enchantress. I remember when I first
started doing this erotic, hypnotic "thing" I
thought it would be an awesome blend of the
sensual and erotic with the hypnotic.

I thought it would be fun.

I never imagined what I would find out along the
way. I never imagined the things I would learn,
and te experiences I would be exposed to. I
never imagined how I would be as a version of me
that now it sitting here, writing this to you.

What I was taught as a hypnotist is nothing in
comparison to what I have been taught in the
real life experiences of those I interact with.
What I suspect - even though it might seem
controversial to say this - is that oftentimes
the hypnotists are hypnotized.

It is difficult for me to reconcile the elements
of experiences of those who have gone in undesirable
directions with the things I was told in the course
of my courses. It is difficult for me to discuss
the "ethics" of responsibility, as where does the
responsibility ultimately lie? I have attempted
to discuss this topic before, and it is not an
easy one.

I remember a lawyer once telling me that experts,
by law, can get into trouble if they do not use
their expertise properly...or something like that.
In other words, an expert often should not be able
to claim to be innocent if there is in some way
s/he was able to say or do otherwise. I remember
thinking I wasn't sure that was entirely fair.

We live in a society that likes to place the blame
for things - on someone else. We will do whatever
we can to blame another for our issues. Why take
on the responsibility when it is so much easier
to point the finger?

I saw an article about a woman in Michigan who won
a million dollars. She thought it would be "OK"
to have the state continue to pay for her food,
as she wasn't employed. After all, the state was
still giving it to her, so why shouldn't she
continue to collect on that benefit? It isn't
against the legal law, but I know that there are
some who certainly take moral issue with it.

Then there is the case of a woman who is a school
teacher who was "caught" by students who it has
been alleged has done porn, on the side. Apparently
that is not against the law either, but what may
ultimately happen if it is found to be her is that
she could get fired for "moral turpitude," which
essentially means (for those who don't know) she
would be deemed morally incorrect in her actions.

I think how morals are treated and received is often
quite relative. Of course in both of these cases,
it would seem the women involved likely thought that
what they were doing was OK. In both cases, people
with similar "opportunities" may have taken a step
back and questioned whether or not the possible choice
to be made was a good one.

In life it seems to me that we are constantly presented
with the question of what we should do. I often think
about how well I might be received in the world if
those who don't know what I do, knew. I have questions
and considerations about what I do because I believe
that we should always have questions and considerations
with what we do. If we didn't, we would likely stagnate,
and run rough-shod over those around us, and maybe even
sometimes ourselves. Sometimes there are consequences
to actions and personally, I am not sure they are all
warranted.

At the same time, I have yet to meet The Perfect Human
Being who knows exactly how ALL humans SHOULD be at all
times. I have met several who think they know how
humans should be, but they are far from "perfect"
themselves. Of course, they are perfectly themselves,
but that is slightly different than being able to be a
model for all others.

So why am I going into all of this? I am discussing it
because once again I have been a witness to some very
ugly things, things that I would tend to believe have
to do with hypnotic suggestion.

I tell people over and over and over and...that they
need to be careful about what they do. Some of them
have already entered the rabbit hole, and already having
difficulty making choices based on what they want, rather
than what someone else has told them they want. Others
come in all fresh-faced, and with a blank, open mind,
with the attitude, "You don't know me. That could never
happen to me."

They are right. I don't know them. But what I do know
is more than I ever wanted to about what can happen when
the mind is played with by those who know what they are
doing. What I do know is of a couple of instances in
which a potential suicide had some correlation to what
had transpired hypnotically. It wasn't everything, but
I am unwilling to let it off the hook totally.

I DO NOT like saying these things. Hypnosis is a wonderful
thing. It can be a wonderful, life changing tool. I
enjoy what it can do, and love to bear witness to the
magic it offers. The profession works so hard to maintain
its credibility and there is a weird dynamic for some outside
of it that hypnosis doesn't work any way, but we better be
careful who gets their hands on it. There are many
misconceptions and skeptics and all kinds of things that
come together in one pot that often can be problematic,
at best.

I don't really know what THE answer is to any of these
things. I often have many more questions than answers.
I think the biggest problems come from when we think we
know things, and stop asking the questions. Whether I
am right or wrong, and whether or not you want to take
issue with what I have said and believe, isn't really
what is important, as what it comes down to is how you
choose to live your life, and the degree to which you
are satisfied with the results. Sometimes knowing
that there are some things you can never amend can make
you stop and think long enough to better understand
something that you perhaps weren't aware of and avoid
something potentially unfortunate and regretable.

Your life is a valuable one. I highly recommend you
guard it unlike any valuable you ever have had, or ever
will have. I highly recommend you consider who you
allow to play with it, and ask questions about how it
will be treated. I highly recommend you get the best
caretakers.

These, of course, are just recommendations, and if you
are a skeptic it might seem like serious overkill.
However, I guarantee that if you were ever in a position
to lose your skepticism you might find yourself in a
situation that leaves you less than satisfied and maybe
a whole lot worse.

If you intend to try out hypnosis no matter what, you
might consider you have nothing to lose by taking my
approach versus an indifferent one. You might consider
that I know a thing or two after 8 years, and thousands
of calls and callers. Oddly enough, I wouldn't want to
call myself an expert, as there is so much I am still
likely to learn, but even without that "status," there
might be a thing or two you could learn from me.

Please play, and STAY, safe
Isis

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I'm here...

"I'm here not because I am supposed to be here
or, because I'm trapped here, but because
I'd rather be with you than anywhere else in the world."
~ Richard Bach

I love this quote. It could be said of any
person in any relationship. Don't we all
want those who want us? Don't we all want
to be with someone by choice, rather than
obligation?

If you are "with" me...I want it to be
because you want to be, not because I
have "trapped" you. Even if it is just
for a few moments of undivided attention,
what greater gift is there than your choice?

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