FIND THE ANSWER NOW! ARCHIVES

Q: "Can anyone increase their IQ under hypnosis?"

No. Absolutely not. We know from studies that hypnosis combined with appropriate music can on a short term basis (a few hours) increase IQ. Lozanov's work is the best documented in this area. Aside from this, hypnosis alone will not increase your IQ long term.

Q: "What is your take on the General Sensate Focusing Technique?"

It's a bit like mindfulness in a lot of ways...and that is a good thing. It's also probably rooted in Gendlin's "Focusing," another good thing. I don't know what all the rituals any particular teacher or coach might have, but focusing in general is a helpful, awareness generating skill.

Q: " What is your opinion of the natural laws, like the law of compensation, cause and effect, attraction and so on?"

There are so many of these "natural laws" discussed in metaphysical literature it is very hard to comment on them as a whole. As a rule, there is no evidence to support them as "laws" but obviously as general principles some gain more value. Certainly someone who produces great value has a higher tendency to be compensated than someone who does nothing every day and never adds value to the world. It's also reasonable to assume that there is an effect for every cause. What you don't always know in advance is what the effect will be for a cause.

Q: "Why do men seem to start all wars, commit most murders and generally create all the evil in the world?"

The simple and fast answer is that testosterone and the evolutionary need to pass on my genes in contrast to someone else's. This doesn't let women off the hook of course in the course of evil and violence. There are plenty of trouble making women in the world but the questioner is definitely correct in that men ram airplanes into buildings, murder innocent people, commit rape, start wars, and cause most of the evil in the world. The only saving grace for keeping men around is the other end of the bell curve which shows that men contribute far more useful inventions, literature and art than women. The same is true with IQ, for example. Men tend to have much higher and lower scores, creating a flatter and wider curve, than women who cluster more toward the middle of a curve.

Q: "What are the most important tells in body language?"

Depends. In liking? In deception? Let's pick liking. Off the top of my head, I observe pupil dilation and body synchronization before anything else. Then I look for liking signals like nodding, direction of body, touching, eye contact when it isn't necessary, length of eye contact and smiling. It's hard to put them in a hierarchy without a context to discuss them in. See Irresistible Attraction video/dvd in catalog.

Q: "Can Hypnosis help in the recovery of stroke patients?."

Recovering from a stroke is often a long term process which could benefit from a compassionate and skilled hypnotherapist. However, to simply say "hypnosis can help" is certainly something one can't say. I'd say in some cases it is very possible and I would encourage the family to see APHP for the best trained therapists around the world. Recovering froma stroke is serious business and the yellow pages is not the place to go for help.

Q: "What line of patter do you use to take clients from Esdaile/Coma state to Sichort State?"

Great question. We don't use patter or scripts when we do deep trance hypnosis with subjects. We've now helped over 100 hypnotherapy students experience various "levels" of deep trance. We've learned that scripting doesn't assure a specific level. We've also learned that previously believed states or levels of trance are very fluid and not something which can be evaluated by simple tests of limbs, eye closure/opening, catatonia, etc. We discovered three years ago that scripting designed for deep trance brought about varied results from no experience to reports of out of body experiences. Suggestions to go "ten times deeper," to the "basement" and the like are helpful to some and confusing and rousing for others. I wish I could tell you what specific commands are generally effective but our experience with some of the finest hypnosis trainers and researchers in the United States is that such commands don't exist and don't work on any kind of a predictable basis.

Q: "You spoke of a Fibromyalgia paper recently on a newslist. What are the results? Where can I get the paper?"

I'm going to release the paper when it is ready for the scientific community. The results are generally positive. Clients who flew in from all across the country received marked improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms over the long term (six months or more) and these results were improved when the clients coupled hypnotherapy with SSRI medications like Zoloft, Effexor or Prozac. The sample is small, from my personal clientele but the results are consistently positive. The improvements were recorded using a SUDS scale and generally the reports went up 3-5 points for daily pain experience. The model of therapy was the CARPETS model which is best described in Miracles of Hypnosis (audio program in the catalog) or Advanced Hypnotherapy Home Study Course (video program in catalog).

Q: "I would like to improve my tonality when using embedded commands. What resources do you recommend?"

I suggest you work with a drama/theater coach. Most NLP practitioners sound like a 75 year old Milton Erickson when using embedded commands on the videos I have. Find someone who is objective that knows NOTHING about NLP/hypnosis and work with them. That is your best opportunity to discover how you are using the tools you have learned.

Q: "What is the best source for reports on research in the mind/body field?"

We try to report regularly in our E-zine and on this site but my favorite go to place is ScienceDaily.com.

Q: "I'm wondering if you are familiar with (names a hypnosis training center in one of the United States). Any recommendations? Also could you give me a comment regarding the Spiegel Eye Roll. Can it be used as an effective induction?"

a) We don't specifically comment on training schools aside from our own. Go to APHP for a list of schools that meet the highest requirements in the world as far as ethics, legally licensed, and high standards. They aren't ALL listed there but many are.

b) The Spiegel Eye Roll is an old hypnotic tool that has limited value. (This is NOT to take away from the work of Spiegel which is broad and deep in the field of hypnosis. We all owe a great debt to Spiegel and his research work!)

c) The eye roll technique certainly can be used as an induction.

Q: "Do you have copyright free music available? I am constantly making copies of audio cassettes for clients and need some new material."

Yes! We do have copyright free hypnotic music available. Please see our catalog :
Copyright Free Music Set,by Hypnosense

Dreams is a softly orchestrated piece. It has gently undulating background, with an occasional muted piano accompanying the sound of human voice chorus, the whole providing an ethereal quality to encourage and support relaxation of body and mind. An ideal for background to relaxation, stress reduction, or suggestion sessions, providing the perfect backdrop for the spoken voice.

Cascade is a traditionally styled piece of orchestral music with piano, massed strings, a choir, and a plaintive oboe that flits in and out of the scene. It's carefully unstructured measures make it perfect for use as background for any hypnosis session, it is unobtrusive yet relaxing and provides a perfect accompaniment for the spoken voice.

Tranquility is a wonderfully relaxing stroll through an audio landscape which includes the sounds of pianos, oboe, violins, and choral voices. You may use it in your consulting room, or on cd, or tape cassette freely for commercial sale.

Q: "I heard a disturbing report about depression causing brain shrinkage. What do you know about this?"

Stress seems to be the culprit, but no one really knows how to stop or reverse the atrophy that can occur with depression.

A European anti-depressant seems to counter the shrinkage according to a new study of primates' brains. More research is needed to see whether other medications might help.

German researchers tested the new anti-depressant called tianeptine. This drug is sold only in Europe. Interestingly, the anti-depressants most popular in the U.S., Prozac and similar medications, work by blocking the dissipation of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which is important for mood.

Tianeptine does the opposite.

Major, long term depression can cause the region of the brain called the hippocampus to shrink. In some cases, the brain shrinkage can be as much as 20 percent! The hippocampus is important for learning and memory. This may explain why memory loss often accompanies depression.

The region does NOT seem to bounce back after the depression is cured.

The reason the atrophy occurs is a mystery. Neurons may die or shrink, or ones that should have been born to replenish may not be. It does seem linked to a stress hormone called cortisol.

If you suffer from depression, make sure you are under a physician's care. And keep informed of research in this area.

Q: "I read that you helped someone make $2,000,000 in hypnosis. How did you do it? How can I learn?"

There are a couple of specific programs that you can utilize to earn $50,000 per year or more...with ease. The $2,000,000 is NOT the norm but it did happen. (This is one of my over-achieving students that really went for it!) Here are four programs you need if you want to take it seriously and make it happen. 1)Psychology of Persuasion , 2) Growing Your Practice on A Shoestring 3) Covert Hypnosis. I'll tell you what I tell all the people who ask about this: Just do it. Read the material, listen to the tapes and DO exactly what they say. Almost everyone who has verbatim followed the model has done quite well for you and many of them now outearn me in their practice.

Q: "What is your opinion of conventional wisdom about body language (crossing arms = hostility, etc.)? Do you think this is subject to over-interpretation by the lay person? What are the benefits of paying for coaching in body language?"

Conventional wisdom about body language is mostly inaccurate. I rarely find people who can interpret nonverbal cues with accuracy and in fact, scientific research shows that even police officers and state troopers who deal with inconsistent signals all day long are not adept at interpreting body language. The book, Irresistible Attraction has a great deal of useful information about body language. So does the VIDEO by the same name. The Covert Hypnosis has the most recent information I have culled from the best sources. I will direct you to these inexpensive sources in the catalog. When I coach people to improve their body language, it simply makes the difference between success and failure because about 2/3 of all communication is nonverbal communication. Gore lost to Bush not because of Floridians but because of TERRIBLE body language messaging. We loved Clinton because of the nonverbal messages he sent and we will continue to be persuaded unconsciously. If your income depends upon your communication, then utilize the programs/book listed above. If you have a high income possibility or are seeking a presitigious position in public life you should e-mail me personally.

Q: "When is regression therapy dangerous?"

Regression hypnotherapy can be dangerous when the client is unstable emotionally. It can be dangerous when working with PTSD and when a person is MPD. These issues are all covered in the Advanced Hypnotherapy Home Study Course in the catalog. If you are looking for a therapist, I generally recommend a licensed practitioner or one who has had a great deal of regression therapy experience and is of the highest ethical standards. For such a therapist, see APHP. Ethical therapists from around the world are listed there.

Q: "I can spend 1000's of pounds on different books but in all honesty I can't afford to waste my money. I have read your site and feel if anyone can help me you can. What one or two things should I buy? What one or two things can I do while I'm waiting for that book/tape set?"

Most books about practice building and marketing are terrible. In our catalog you will find a few programs that are based upon PROVEN models of promotion. They are easy to use and follow and sometimes have dramatic results. Pick up: Growing Your Practice on a Shoestring (Video) Complete Guide to Watching Your Practice Grow (Audio Set with FREE ads and manual), and Covert Hypnosis (Contains latest marketing info for face to face communication.

In the meantime, answer these questions while you wait for your programs:

1. What is it about your practice that is going to be different from everyone else's?
2. Why trust YOU instead of someone else?
3. What is unique about you compared to the rest of the pack?
4. What specifically will the client benefit from in working with you?
5. How do I know you are as good as you say you are?

Q: "Is fashion a symptom of tribal instincts? Why do we feel the need to conform to social identity?"

Fashion is a function of religion, custom, memes, adventure, social identity, and personal statement. Consider that each piece of clothing you wear is advertising something about you. What is it saying you are? What is it saying you want?

We feel the need to conform because it is genetically beneficial for us to do so! When we conform we live longer (on average) and blend into the crowd making it more difficult to stop our genes from passing on to the next generation.

These questions are covered in detail in Talk Your Way to the Top, Irresistible Attraction and Covert Hypnosis. ENJOY!

Q: "How can I get started teaching your "Psychology of Persuasion" as mentioned in your tape series, "Growing Your Practice on A Shoe String?"

You can teach my work by making a complete proposal to me and receiving a license to do so. I look forward to hearing from you!

Q: "How can I learn to do math in my head like you do? I saw someone's website where you had an article about becoming a genius and I want to do that."

Watch for this in the next issue of the E-zine! If you currently don't subscribe go to the top of the home page or the bottom of this page and click on "Join E-zine" It's free and I will cover this next!

Q: "Lately I've caught myself saying negative sounding things to my children such as, 'If you don't do your homework you're going to fail that class!' I don't want them to have a negative attitude - so how can I change this?"

Words can create favorable feelings, or they can set the stage for failure. Some helpful phrases for bringing about a positive state of mind are:

As you relax before the test...(assumes you will be relaxed)

When you feel ready to write the essay...(assumes you will feel ready)

The first thing you will notice when you know the answer...(assumes you will know the answer and that you will notice it)

Imagine how good it will feel when you are done with your homework...

As you understand the book, it will be easier to write about...

Now look at some very simple ways to get the same point across, yet create a positive mental state in the listener. The first phrase is interpreted as negative by the unconscious mind. The second sends a more receptive and positive message.

It won't be too hard to get it done this way.
It will be easier if you do it this way...

If you can't do it right, then don't turn it in...
When you do it the right way, you will feel good turning it in.

Don't run in the hall.
Walk slowly please.

You will find it easier to use more positive phrases as you give your mind time to re-interpret the message you want to send. Allow yourself to become more aware, and make a conscious effort to use more positive phrases with your children, and with all your listeners. You'll find more communication tips like these in the book, Talk Your Way to the Top.

Q: "While studying for my clinical hypnotherapy certification, my professor mentioned several times that when one is in a trance state, the unconscious mind has the mind set of a 10 year old. When I questioned him as to the source of this statement I was informed that it was an accepted fact, however I have been unable to substantiate this anywhere. The reason for my concern is because I was instructed to speak in a tone of voice and in a manner that would be easily understood by a 10 year old, I find this a bit uncomfortable and am having some difficulty utilizing this technique."

Your instructor is wrong. There is no evidence, anywhere that indicates that a person in just about any kind of trance has the mind set of a 10 year old. So, forget the technique. It's not important. For your instructor to be errant on such a basic point may mean it is worth pursuing an alternative training elsewhere.

Q: "If hypnotherapy and NLP are so effective...why do so few Clinical/Organisational/Sports Psychologists use them?"

There are several answers to this. First, visualization has actually been shown to be effective in helping athletes and performance in general. However, many techniques championed by NLP trainers are absolutely useless when tested. The same is true for many hypnotic techniques. Therefore, it's critical that the coach-mentor selects techniques and strategies that have been shown to be successful in enhancing performance.

Now, it's also important to know that because of the many fundamental errors in NLP, many psychologists have completely abandoned the study of NLP. This is also a mistake. My research has shown that there are strategies that work within the field of NLP. (We've put the proven NLP strategies and tools together on the NLP Home Study Course.)

Hypnotherapy is not geared to performance enhancement. Some hypnotic techniques are and some are successful.

Q: "What is the 'Assumption of the Obvious' Language Pattern?"

When we give people credit for knowing something they really don't, they generally will say nothing, allowing us to believe them to be smarter or more aware than they really are. Think about that for a moment.

Once we realize how important this is in understanding human behavior, we can then bring the concept into the communication/persuasion process in an elegant manner. In each of the phrases below, the assumed knowledge word or phrase is italicized.

• "You probably already know that you'll feel better when you quit smoking."
• "People can, you know, lose weight with this plan."
• "You will now realize how smart you have been for having purchased this book."
• "Sooner or later you will know this is the right church for you."
• Eventually, you may notice how happy I make you feel."

Q: "I think I have hyperacusis. How do I get rid of it?"

Hyperacusis is sometimes the same as phonophobia or the fear of sounds. It can also be an extreme sensitivity to sounds or certain volume levels. In other words some people experience discomfort when sounds are loud, others experience discomfort when they hear certain sounds like glasses clinking together or children shrieking.

Hyperacusis is a common experience and one that is treatable. There are numerous options. First, remember that fear conditioning has caused the hyperacusis, in all probability. Therefore deconditioning the fear from the sounds is a critical step in the healing process. Anti-anxiety medications and anti-depressants are particularly helpful. A well trained hypnotherapist can help you but be wary. Many therapists (not just hypnotherapists) will tell you they have experience when they don't. Drop me an e-mail for recommendations. Keeping a constant level of noise on in the background is an excellent tool for beginning the desensitization on your own. Avoid extremely loud environments. Also avoid environments that are too quiet. There are no herbal remedies that have been shown to help hyperacusis. This is only a start. Multimodal therapy is a must.

Q: "What are some words that will help me determine whether a person is visual-oriented, auditory, or kinesthetic? Also, is it possible to be neutral, none of the above?"

Visual-oriented people will commonly use the following words in general conversation:

• see
• look
• show
• clear
• envision
• illuminate
• view
• appear

Auditory-oriented people will commonly use the following words in general conversation:

• hear
• listen
• be heard
• question
• rings a bell
• sound(s)
• tune in/out

• grasp
• touch
• get a handle on
• solid
• catch on
• make contact
• feel
• concrete

• know
• understand
• experience
• think
• process
• conceive
• consider
• learn
• sense
• I understand you.
• I am not sure about that.
• I know that to be true.
• I want to communicate with you.
• I understand.

Q: "What are meta-programs?"

Metaprograms are keys or filters to the way a person processes the world. They can be described as internal patterns. They help determine, direct, and guide behavior.

Our brain has alot to take in, analyze, compute and organize. Vast amounts of data, really, with each interaction. Metaprograms help a person to decide and make sense of experiences.

Some examples of metaprograms would be "moving toward vs. moving away", having an "external vs. internal" frame of reference, sorting by "self vs. others". There are many more. For a more detailed discussion of metaprograms, see Psychology of Persuasion.

Q: "What role does exercise play in mind body health? "

In a study at the University of California-San Francisco, it was found that elderly women who exercise regularly are less prone to suffer mental decline. This seems to be another indication that physical activity helps stave off some of the frailities of aging.

"This finding supports the hypothesis that physical activity prevents cognitive (mental) decline in older...women," said the study author, Kristine Yaffe, a psychiatrist and neurologist.

The researchers tracked nearly 6,000 mostly white, healthy women age 65 or older living in planned retirement communities whose mental faculties and levels of exercise were evaluated over a six to eight year span.

Those in the highest quartile of exercise - measured by calories expended walking, gardening, or in more rigorous activities - were 26% less likely to develop cognitive decline than those in the quartile that exercised the least.

Researchers said that for every mile per day the women walked, they lowered their risk of mental decline by 13%. Walking speed was not a factor.

Yaffe cited several possible benefits of regular exercise, including increased cerebral blood flow, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in the body and brain, and stimulating nerve cell growth.

Clearly, exercise is beneficial to our mind body health as the years progress.

Source: USA Today, Monday, July 23, 2001.

Q: "Do smells (pheremones) make a difference in attraction?"

A Swiss study involved the sniff test in which a group of women took a whiff of T-shirts worn by men that had all been carefully preserved in a cardboard box. The women were asked which T-shirts smelled most "sexy" to them. When the results were studied, it turned out that fertile women chose the T-shirts worn by men who had immune systems that were dramatically different from their own. The researchers concluded that, by smell alone, the women chose the man who would provide the best genetic match by providing the strongest mix of immune factors for any offspring.

However, women who were taking the Pill at the time of the Swiss test, and who were effectively infertile, preferred T-shirts worn by men whose immune systems were most similar to their own.

The Swiss scientists concluded that, because the women's bodies weren't prepared to conceive, they instinctively chose men most like members of their own (presumably safer) families.

You probably don't realize it, but when you shed skin cells you're also sending little bits of your hormones into the air. These pheromones -- from the Greek word "pherein" meaning "excitement carrier" and the word hormone -- send all sorts of signals to other men and women.

In the insect and animal world, pheromones alone can trigger a powerful mating response, but it's been unclear if the same thing holds true for humans. When humans smell something, the odor is picked up by the nose and passed on to the brain, which registers and recognizes familiar smells, "An Onion!" In animals, pheromones are detected in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and head straight to the brain regions that drive automatic instinctual responses such as mating.

For many years, scientists believed that the human VNO degenerates while we are still infants so that by the time we become adults, we simply don't smell pheromones and aren't affected by them.

That view began to change after Anatomy Professor David Berliner discovered an electrical response from the VNO area in the human nose when it was exposed to powerful hormones.

Berliner's discovery backed-up the work of Winnifred Cutler, Ph.D., a biologist and behavioral endocrinologist who conducted experiments in the 1970s which you may have heard about. She found that women with active sex lives have more regular menstrual cycles than did women who have sporadic sexual encounters. Dr. Cutler also discovered that adult female roommates who were exposed to a distillation of female hormones collected from people living with them all fell into the same menstrual cycle. She also discovered that exposure to men's underarm secretions regularize women's menstrual cycles.

It appears then that pheromones have a sex-specific affect, but do they have a specific affect on sex? That question is a bit murkier.

Two basic human hormones (or steroids) excreted by humans are gender related: androstadienone for men, estratetraenol for women. Drs. Suma Jacob and Martha McClintock of Chicago University published a study in the February, 2000 issue of Hormones and Behavior that described how men and women responded to the hormones.

The two researchers ran a group of psychological tests to compare how the thoughts and moods of the study participants were influenced by the hormones. They found that women responded positively to both the male and female hormones, while men's moods and thoughts got worse.

McClintock says that while men and women responded to the "human pheromones" they didn't experience an uncontrollable mating urge. "Although androstadienone clearly had an effect on the women's moods, the steroid would probably not trigger specific behaviors, which would be a characteristic of compounds known as pheromones," McClintock said. "Human behavior is influenced by a wide range of stimuli as well as learned societal restraints," she added.

Despite McClintock and Jacob's research, the scientist who conducted the earlier studies on women's menstrual cycles believes androstadienone and estratetraenol are key to human sexual response.

Still, most scientists remain somewhat skeptical about the power that scent holds over our lives. Unlike our insect and animal counterparts we humans have a more complex brain which weighs many factors when deciding to pursue a potential mate.

Source: ThriveOnline Magazine, August 1, 2001

Q: "What is 'triangulation' in relationships?"

A. In The Dance of Anger, Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., explains it in this easy to understand manner.

Sometimes we are not aware that we are detouring strong feelings of anger from one person to another. Or, that underground anxiety from one situation is popping up as anger from somewhere else.

It is not simply that we are displacing the feeling from one person to another. We are actually attempting to reduce anxiety in one relationship by focusing on a third party. We unconsciously pull them into the situation to lower the intensity of the original pair.

This pattern is called a triangle, and triangles can take many different forms. Keep in mind that on an everyday basis, triangles are at work in most human contexts, including work, friendships, etc. But, once a triangle becomes rigidly entrenched, it can block the growth of the individuals in them and keep us from identifying the actual sources of conflict in our relationships.

The lesson learned is that whenever we recognize our anger or strong feelings, our communication should be directed toward the person involved, and we should in most cases not pull an outsider into the mix.

Q: "How can hypnotherapy be used for asthma and allergy sufferers?"

A. In our Advanced Hypnotherapy Home Study Course we deal with Allergy Relief in depth. Devin Hastings and myself detail appropriate protocol and cautions that are significant because the worst case scenario is death when making errors here. Asthma responds well to the mind/body response. See the Mind Body Certification Home Study Course. And asthma seems to be treatable in some cases with hypnotherapy. This doesn't mean that all asthmatics can be cured nor does it mean that some people will achieve relief in all cases. In our experience, regression, ego state, some NLP strategies and the like all have a significantly high potential positive response when the techniques are utilized with the precautions we note in the above two courses.

Q: "Why is self-hypnosis a valuable adjunct to therapy?"

A. Self hypnosis can be utilized for many outcomes and results. If you want lots of details, see Through the Open Door. For the moment consider:
a) Stress Reduction. This is the single most valuable health benefit of self hypnosis. Done daily and timely (during volatile stress episodes) self hypnosis can add years to your life and reduce coronary incidence and incidents!
b) For outcome and results oriented work, self hypnosis can be effective in utilizing the Attraction Principle of the Mind/Brain. See The Attraction Principle, also available on this website. This is probably the single most important concept in goal achievement and this is where I use self hypnosis every single day.
c) Self hypnosis can also be utilized with the aid of an audio cassette player and pre-made recorded tapes to help distract the conscious mind from various pains, tinnitus, fibromyalgia, allergies, etc.
d) Sometimes self hypnosis can make significant gains when combined with classical music in learning. This is often called suggestopedia.

Overall self hypnosis is a powerful tool if optimally utilized.

Q: "Why is it important to use, whenever possible, a patient's metaphor 'already in place' for their disease or illness when designing guided imageries for them? "

A. If I understand the question correctly, the question is asking, "does a person have a metaphor 'already in place' ...holding their disease in place? The answer to this piece is sometimes. Cancer and ALS, although part of a larger picture of life, aren't the kind of diseases that are "caused" by metaphors, they are going to enter into someone's life from various causes, only a small percentage being a person's personality or outlook. On the other hand, multiple chemical sensitivity is often part of a larger outlook or wider metaphor and is absolutely necessary to start with the current metaphor "in place" and work OUT of the current life story and reframe that story into a different life story with different outcomes. Of all the questions I've ever answered, this is one of the more complex because of the way the question was worded. We can revisit this again if the inquisitor sends a clarification.

Q: "When treating a subject for rheumatoid arthritis what role do emotional factors play? "

A. Sometimes a big one. There is evidence to show that RA can improve as stress levels are reduced.

Q: "I have read about a “miraculous” type of psychotherapy called “Be Set Free Fast” by one Dr. Nims. How does it work and what is your take on it?"

A. The question of how does it work presupposes that it really works! Therefore I can’t really answer the question. We have no evidence that it does work. I haven’t taken the training but I imagine because Nims trained with Callahan (TFT creator) that it is an “energy healing” and utilizes tapping. You can see the article on this website that describes our first study about EFT/TFT Research Project and tapping. I know many practitioners that are EFT providers and they are wonderful people. However, our research shows that while meridian point tapping does reduce anxiety and fear, so does ANY tapping. Therefore until we see ANY evidence about any of the tapping claims we simply can’t recommend them for practitioners to utilize as stand alone techniques. We also cannot recommend readers to utilize therapies until we know their efficacy. We are certain that there is absolutely no harm in the actual tapping and I suspect there is no benefit beyond the very important expectancy effect.

Q: "What is communication dynamics?"

A. Never heard of it. So it’s probably an old ham with a new label.

Q: "My question is will your program work with weight control?"

A. We have one of the best documented studies (if not the best) in the field of hypnosis. If you want to know how our program works, order the 3 Video tape set titled Hypnosis for Weight Loss in our catalog. It is very detailed. We offer no amazing claims. Our research shows a 19 pound average weight loss in 8 weeks and also the same after 6 months. I’ve read many claims by many other therapists but we have 1700 people to testify to our program. Yes. It works quite nicely.

Q: "Do you know of a good reference for collected therapeutic stories and metaphors?

A. Before I answer this question, the usage of stories without actual therapeutic work preceding metaphor work has not been shown to be effective. However, that said I do like Marlene Hunter’s Creative Scripts for Hypnotherapy. Please remember to listen to your client for at least 10 hours (read that as doing therapy) before considering reading them a story. Your clients will thank you and so do I!

Read more questions.