Ask for What You Want

Book Review: The Hypnosis Treatment Option: Proven Solutions for Pain, Insomnia and Other Common Health Problems

This book is a valuable addition to my bookshelf and should be read by anyone interested in or practicing hypnosis.

I like the fact that the author is not a recent hypnosis graduate nor someone who has gathered thoughts from other hypnotists and put them in book form. Instead, Dr. Scott is a chiropractor with more than 25 years of experience using hypnosis for himself and to help his clients.

The book's title, "The Hypnosis Treatment Option: Proven Solutions for Pain, Insomnia, Stress, Obesity, and Other Common Health Problems", states the author's intention. On this, he clearly delivers, providing his own personal experiences working with clients and references to highly regarded medical and professional journals. Under the collective term "other common health problems", the author covers smoking, fear of public speaking, fear of flying, bedwetting, labor pain, fibromyalgia, teeth grinding, pre- and postsurgical hypnosis, irritable bowel syndrome and many other issues where hypnosis has proven to be effective.

I believe the following audiences will benefit from reading this book:

• Those who are wondering what hypnosis is or is not and how it can be used. Part I (Chapters 1 - 5) covers: What is hypnosis (the process, how you would feel, how it works), myths and misconceptions, its history (including its use as an anesthesia), finding a good hypnotist and self-hypnosis.
• Those who are practicing hypnotherapists or consulting hypnotists. From my experience, there are many well-intentioned hypnotists, who are narrowly trained. That is they are well-trained in what hypnosis is and is not, and how to assist a client to access a relaxed state. However, often they are not trained to sit down with a client and fully explore the patient's presenting issue and underlying factors nor the metaphor that the client is living that holds the issue in place. As a result, they often use pre-written scripts (one suit fits all). Dr. Scott gives many experiences from his own or other practices that illustrate how a session can be customized to address the client's particular issue.
• Those who are affected by or have a family member who is affected by any of the mentioned ailments. Parts II and III of this book cover how hypnosis can improve your health by discussing how hypnosis has helped patients with various health conditions.

Does Chapters/Indigo Support Canadian Authors?

Chapters/Indigo is a major Canadian book retailer through its “bricks and mortar” and online stores. And in my opinion Chapters/Indigo does not fully support Canadian or local authors. Allow me to give you two examples:

• My most recent book, “Win-Win Influence: How to Enhance Your Personal and Business Relationships” (www.win-wininfluence.com)
  
  was published on June 23, 2012. Within a week, it was available for sale on the Internet at all Amazon stores around the world (USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada) and at Barnes and Noble. Today, almost three months later, in addition to the retailers mentioned earlier, it is available for sale at ebay.com, alibris.com, uread.com (India), booktopia.com.au (Australia), fishpond.co.nz (New Zealand) plus many other online retailers, but not at chapters.indigo.ca. This, despite the fact that my book is listed in Library and Archives Canada’s Cataloguing in Publication (CIP) program (CIP enables the cataloguing of books before they are published, and the prompt distribution of this cataloging information to booksellers and libraries. This statement comes from the Library and Archives Canada website).
• Chapters/Indigo to their credit does provide shelf space for local authors (for authors in large metropolitan areas, there can be considerable competition to have your books displayed on these shelves). However, if you are lucky enough to have your books on these shelves, your books are not listed as being available in the store’s inventory system even if your book is listed in Chapters/Indigo’s internet database.

As a result, even though your book is prominently displayed on the “local interest” shelves, the vast majority of in store shoppers are not aware of your book and its availability at that store, especially if it is a genre other than “local interest”.

I have found independent bookstores provide much better support for Canadian authors. For example, if they don’t have it on their shelves, they are very helpful in looking up its availability and ordering it for you. In fact, Ottawa based Singing Pebble Books (www.singingpebblebooks.ca/) has copies of my books on their shelves and my books are listed in their online catalogue – something that seems to be too difficult for Chapters/Indigo to accomplish.

This inaction by Chapters/Indigo has a negative impact on both me and Chapters/Indigo. My book sales are affected as the many regular Chapters/Indigo shoppers do not have access to my book while Chapters/Indigo is impacted as I am not able to list them as a supplier of my book in my various promotional activities. Thus I send these potential book buyers to Chapters/Indigo’s competition.

What would I like Chapters/Indigo to do?

At a minimum, I would like Chapters/Indigo to:

• Include all books that are listed in the Library and Archives Canada’s CIP program in Chapters/Indigo’s online database within one month of being published.
• Include books that are accepted for placement on the Local Authors shelves (only those books with an ISBN) in that store’s searchable inventory database.

I welcome your thoughts either supporting or adding to my views or providing evidence to the contrary.

Win-Win Influence: How to Enhance Your Personal and Business Relationships (with NLP)

Press Release

Roger Ellerton’s book, Win-Win Influence: How to Enhance Your Personal and Business Relationships (with NLP) was recently published by Renewal Technologies Inc. (www.win-wininfluence.com). According to Roger, “This book is not a quick read nor “tip of the month” book. It is for people who are serious about improving their win-win influence skills with others, be it at work or at home.”

Roger draws on his training and experience as a former university professor, federal government executive, certified management consultant and certified NLP trainer to illustrate his work with real life examples and present influence as a four step process that anyone can follow. His book is based on a principle promoted by Zig Zigler, “You can get anything in the world that you want, if you help somebody else get something they want.” The tips and processes draw their elegance and effectiveness from NLP – one of the best, if not the best, models for understanding and improving your communication with others.

According to Roger, you are continually influencing other people whether you are aware of it or not. And would it not be useful to work on having these influence situations turn out better for both of you? One error that people often make, including some seasoned sales professionals, is to present their idea or product in a way that makes sense to themselves; that is how they like to buy into an idea. But we are all different and have different “buying strategies”. You need to present your suggestion in the way that the other person can see the benefits they will gain and in the way they like to process information and to buy.

Patricia Fry (Ojai, California, patriciafry.com) says, “I recommend Roger’s book to anyone who can use assistance in enhancing his or her personal and business relationships. I'm convinced that anyone can learn how to become more successful in social and business situations and this book definitely offers steps in the right direction.”

According to Ronda Degaust (London Ontario, lifepotentialdevelopments.com), an internationally recognized life coach and trainer, “This book offers simple methods for moving from features to benefits, identifying what is important for the other person, establishing rapport, reading nonverbal behaviors and addressing potential objections.”

Win-Win Influence is Roger’s fifth book. Other books include: Live your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up and Parents’ Handbook: NLP and Common Sense Guide to Family Well-Being.

Roger Ellerton helps individuals and organizations to learn, to address challenges at work and at home and to get more of what they desire in life. He has accomplished this as a tenured faculty member at the University of New Brunswick, an executive in the Canadian federal government, a certified management consultant (CMC), coach, trainer, author and international public speaker. Win-Win Influence may be purchased from any online book store or through the website www.win-wininfluence.com.

All-Encompassing Change with NLP

After many professional development trainings and workshops, I have left feeling inspired, motivated and ready to change things with the best of intentions. Sadly, these desires often became faint, or have left me a few days after the event. I did leave my NLP training feeling much the same way, yet very different. I left not only with excitement about the future, but also with a new sense of confidence and solidity within myself. This grounded, integrated feeling within me hasn't left yet, nor will it. It is the foundation that I lean on everyday as I do daily visualizations, put ideas into action and continue to take steps forward to creating the reality that I desire. The fear and doubt that had so encompassed me before the training, is faint and often non-existent. A change really does take place on a neurological level. It is up to me to reinforce what I have learned.

Not only has the NLP strengthened me and given me new energy for myself and my own life, the knowledge and faith I have in the method is present in conversations that I have with other people. Through the process of sharing my experience and understanding of the material and the NLP model, others, too, have become intrigued and want to know more for themselves. Opportunities have arisen purely out of my own excitement and evidence of changed behaviour since taking this training.

I am a better coach, business partner and friend in general because of my ability to listen to myself and to others with a different sense of acuity and sensitivity. The heat and the triggers in conversation feel like bygones, and I am free to really be available and present to those involved. It has become clear to me that facilitating conversations is a strength of mine and this NLP training has definitely taken it up a notch or two.

During the training one of the trainers said, "The barriers disappear when the outcome is truly important to us." This has stuck with me as I re-evaluate what it is I want to do with my life and realize that the motivation comes when there is passion and then the barriers do disappear. I feel freed from limiting beliefs and empowered to really design what outcome I want for my life.

Thank you for the opportunity and the gift of each of the trainers!

Author: Anna Lisa Bond is a Coach, Facilitator, Wellness Practitioner and the founder of LEAP Professional Coaching and Wellness. After 25 years working in education, she felt the desire to take a LEAP. A LEAP into something that was creative, empowering, flexible and transformational. The journey alone has been all of those things for her. Along the way she created LEAP - Leadership, Excellence, Awareness and Possibilities - a place where conversations and experience facilitate change at a transformational level. Where will your next LEAP be to?

Practical Communication Magic

Transformational, practical, content rich, and MAGICAL is how I would describe the basic NLP Practitioner training offered by NLP Partners/Renewal Technologies Inc., Ottawa. Having taken many training courses over the years across Canada and the USA, this training was top notch giving me cool tools and processes to move my life and business in new directions.

If you have ever lost your motivation, as I had by the time I arrived, this program will get your juice back! I was given the opportunity to rediscover my passion, understand how the way I interpret the world impacts those I engage with, and spring clean the inner closets of my mind, setting a platform for success. Under the expert tutelage of John Sweetnam, Dr. Roger Ellerton, and Su Thomas, the senior trainers, and the excellent support of several other coaches, I learned the art and science of communication, and language use, in a new and exciting way.

Landing back in the reality of my professional and personal life, after completing the seven day intensive, I am focused and moving forward with intention, extremely happy to have once and for all dumped my inner critic in a virtual garbage can, along with other limiting beliefs that were keeping me stuck! I am now engaging with clients and colleagues in a whole new way, and in my first week back have shared the gifts of NLP with diverse workshop audiences, as well as attracted three new clients! I reckon that's a pretty good return on investment! I'm not saying it was easy, and who knows what'll happen from now on! One thing I do know is that we are only limited by our imagination! So what can you re-imagine......are you ready for the NLP challenge?

Author: Rachel Foster MN CMC CEC
www.rachelfoster.com
Rachel is an enthusiastic and seasoned professional with diverse experience in both the public and private health and human service sector in Canada and the UK. As a Certified Executive Coach and Certified Management Consultant, Rachel offers results-oriented leadership coaching, team learning, and conflict transformation, and loves to work with the toxic waste polluting our workplaces! Rachel is passionate about supporting you to discover your brilliance, achieve success, and be the very best you can be in everything you do!

NLP as a Life Changer

The room was filled with a charged atmosphere in anticipation of what was to come while people introduced themselves over morning coffee. What was this excited and eclectic group of people; coaches, an engineer, a retail manager, high school students and others gathering for? NLP training. What is NLP training you ask? It is an acronym for neuro-linguistic programming, a set of techniques allowing you to reprogram your mind and body. Or as Roger Ellerton, one of the trainers and author of the book Live Your Dreams: Let Reality Catch Up, says it is a program for making a better life for yourself and others. Roger's description certainly describes my personal experience well.

My conscious mind brought me to the course to learn new tools to help me in my life coaching practice to give my clients a faster and better experience in their quest for a better life. While I did not realize at the time, I believe it was my subconscious mind that drove me to take this training. It knew I badly need life changes; I just simply had not yet learned to communicate effectively with my subconscious mind. The NLP training allowed me to connect with my subconscious which had reams to tell me once I became receptive.

Did NLP help make my life better? Absolutely! Early on in the program my wife said to thank the trainers for "giving back her husband of many years ago" and my kids chimed in with "can you take this course everyday as you are so calm and understanding." When one of my daughter's friends remarked, "wow I wish my dad was so cool and calm and so much fun" I knew something was happening; this was on day three of a seven day program. Contrast this to only a short time before when family, friends and colleagues were constantly urging me to relax and start enjoying life. How did these changes occur so quickly and completely?

The primary difference between NLP and other forms of wellness development methods is that it is not nearly as focused on the past but primarily on creating a now and a future that you desire. It is also based on the premise that people are not broken, that they have arrived where they are on their journey by the choices they have made. This becomes very powerful when coupled with the principle that people have the resources within themselves to alter their lives to the point of creating the life of their dreams.

Over the years I had become overwhelmed by my work, my play, and my relationships or just about anything I did. Overwhelmed was my normal state in life. While usually performing competently and taking leadership in all I did, I just kept adding more and more to my responsibilities. President of this, vice-chair of that and so on. I was running totally on an urgency mentality and nervous energy to get more done with no time to notice the present. No matter what I did I felt the need to do more. An apparent upward spiral was, in reality, a downward spiral; a crash course. Does this sound familiar? Odds are that it does in this world of "more with less" and our need "to be productive". NLP can help with both of these maladies, while at the same time vastly improving our lives.

One of the techniques we learned early on was called anchoring. This is a technique based on classic conditioned response; a trigger brings on an outcome. A positive example of this would be that each time you smell pumpkin pie you have fond memories Thanksgivings past with family and friends. Another example might be "Every time she looks at me that way I get angry." We used NLP methods to create a positive response to a trigger. We established a trigger point, such as a knuckle, to invoke a calm and happy response; simply by touching that knuckle the state occurred. This is a technique I still employ with great success as I prepare to deliver a speech from a place of calmness.

The anchor became an important tool in our learning as calmness is a precursor to good learning. Another technique that worked particularly well for me was one called "swish pattern". I used this one, taking less than five minutes, to stop drinking Sprite light containing aspartame to having a glass of cold water each time I see a can of Sprite or even an ad for one. This was an established habit replace by a beneficial one in less than five minutes; I did this in early July and have not had a sprite since. Imagine how many habits you could change in a short time, such as replacing smoking with good health perhaps?

About day five of the seven day program I developed a mild dis-ease. As the day progressed the mild dis-ease gave way to extreme physiological and psychological stress. The experienced trainers and their aides recognized the signs and assured me that this was a very positive sign and that a major breakthrough that would change my life forever was about to occur. As we went through more exercises the tension continued to build until I reached a point where I said "I don't want to play anymore." I was assured that I was the one guiding the process and I would move forward as and when I was ready; to rest and observe if I wanted. I continued although only participating halfheartedly. When practicing a technique called "time line therapy" my partner Pete made me feel very safe and comfortable. During this exercise I realized my driven, compulsive and overachieving tendencies that lead to my feeling of being chronically overwhelmed were formed during childhood. People I held in esteem often told me that I was inadequate or to lower my expectations. I responding by making sure I accomplished more than any of them and at a higher level than those who told me I couldn't. Armed with this knowledge I am now free to choose what I do. I now choose what I devote my time to based on value to myself and others; I no longer need to prove myself to anyone. I am who I am and that's OK. This has given me an incredible power in creating the life of my dreams. I am no longer overwhelmed. I am "here in the now" with anyone I am interacting rather than planning what I do next. Not only did I get what I wanted for myself, but I got a gift I can share with my family and friends. Am I perfect yet? Not by a long shot, but that is OK too, I am who I am. I do not need to prove anything to anyone nor do I need the approval of others or to prove anything to them. That is my definition of personal freedom. The first line of the Introduction in Roger's book is "How many of us live our lives according to other's expectations?" I am afraid far too many do; I am very happy to be one who no longer does. What's next?

You recall my feeling of dis-ease that I mentioned having on day five. The more I think about this the more I realize that dis-ease is only a hyphen away from disease. My next challenge is to use NLP to achieve levels of health that are even greater than those I enjoyed as a youth.

I discovered things about my life that I had not known at the conscious level. Discovery is interesting, but the real value is that NLP allowed me to quickly learn how to change my life so that I no longer run on auto-pilot. I am the pilot of my life. The subconscious mind that brought me to the course for healing was successful. The conscious mind that brought me to get a tool set to help my clients is also well satisfied. The course was an incredible life changing experience for me and those I come in contact with. Thank you NLP Partners Su Thomas, Roger Ellerton and John Sweetnam; I will be back.

Author: Bill Wright is a life and career coach and certified NLP Practitioner specializing in helping educational and training professionals develop life balance leading to increased satisfaction and reduced burnout. He is a member in good standing of the International Coaching Federation. His book from Burnout to Balance to Brilliance™ for Educators is due out in May 2011. He can be contacted at bill@mycoachbill.com or www.mycoachbill.com.