| Question: | | | | cultivate a felt sense of light-heartedness, humility, |
| Hello, I am about three months away from taking my | | | | cheerfulness, and the capacity to feel deeply without |
| diploma exam and I have found that, where I was | | | | shame, judgment, or avoidance. |
| once in a position of confidence with my skills and | | | | Comparing is the root of fear. --Upanishads |
| optimistic about my college/course and hypnotherapy | | | | To compare, you need an other. Maintain the |
| in general, the further along I have come the less | | | | transparency of what seems to be other in the world. |
| confident I feel and the more I know I don't know! (if | | | | Reflect on the Warrior's qualities of clear-thinking and |
| you get my drift!) I worry that as a 'new' practitioner | | | | discrimination. Humility (not humiliation) is the foundation |
| out there - I just won't serve my clients well. | | | | of these qualities. Cultivate them continually, so you |
| I wonder if some of you who are so much more | | | | achieve a habitual mode of self-correction, wake-up |
| experienced and at ease than I am ever felt the same | | | | calls, and deep releasing breaths as you think about |
| way and if you did, how you dealt with the self-doubt. | | | | details of action. |
| My answer and the excerpt: | | | | There are nuts-and-bolts details of action to be |
| This dilemma is a really great gift to you. It gives you | | | | performed. While you're doing them, your inner state |
| the opportunity to resolve some very common issues | | | | and view make all the difference in the world. When |
| that your client's will have first hand. This will give you | | | | you open to inner guidance and let a Higher Power |
| some genuine empathy for them, and, sensing that, | | | | take over, it doesn't mean you don't do anything. It |
| they will be very receptive to your guidance. If you | | | | means you do the common-sense things without |
| relate to it as a learning experience, it will be a real | | | | getting caught by hope and fear, praise and blame, |
| Godsend! | | | | good and bad, gain and loss; because none of those |
| First: disconnect your Self-esteem from your | | | | standards are your standards. They are fearful egoic |
| estimation of your competency. | | | | standards. Your standard is to honor, impeccably, the |
| Second: Never put your Self-esteem at the mercy of | | | | sacredness of life through right action. You must find |
| your evaluated competency. | | | | out what that means in an ever new and expanding |
| Third: Practice having absolute Self-esteem -- you are | | | | way, moment-by-moment, forever. |
| a human being like the rest of us and have a right to | | | | Your work is not a survival issue anymore; survival is a |
| exist and contemplate the human dilemma with the | | | | matter of faith. Your work, like everything else, is a |
| rest of us. You are entitled to learn from every life | | | | way of celebrating and honoring life, fearlessly. |
| experience without giving yourself belittling fearful | | | | With this view, let us examine some of the |
| suggestions and without accepting belittling fearful | | | | common-sense, nuts-and-bolts tips about starting and |
| suggestions from any quarter. | | | | sustaining a business. |
| Fourth: If you find you are not competent enough to | | | | 1. You need to know who you are.a. Recognize your |
| serve your clients (you will learn that from their | | | | areas of interest and your strengths.b. Create a |
| feedback - no need to criticize yourself), cheerfully | | | | succinct, conversational presentation, in 25 words or |
| note the areas where you are lacking and get more | | | | less, describing your work. That way when you meet |
| training. No need to feel bad about yourself. No need | | | | people and they ask what you do, you won't find |
| to entertain fearful thinking. | | | | yourself saying, "Uhhhh...." Unless you want to. |
| Fifth: If studying and practicing until you do have the | | | | 2. People need to know you exist.a. Who are you?b. |
| needed competency prove unattractive to you, you | | | | What service do you offer?c. Why do people need |
| can cheerfully assume this is not the profession for | | | | it?d. Where are you? |
| you and begin a new exploration to find your true | | | | 3. Advertise. (However, keep in mind there are people |
| passion -- no harm, no foul, no shame. | | | | who make six figure incomes on referrals alone. |
| I recently had a psychiatrist take my hypnotherapy | | | | Maybe not at first.)a. Target your clientele.b. Utilize |
| training. He shared that in the course of the doctoral | | | | advertising that will reach your targeted clientele. |
| phase of his work he stopped dreaming, lost weight | | | | Alternate news media or the food co-op newsletter, |
| and became extremely anxiety ridden. And he had | | | | for example, might be most the most useful |
| been in practice with clients for years since then, still | | | | publications. If business people are your clientele, target |
| anxiety ridden and unable to recapture his dream life. I | | | | local business news periodicals. Web presence is |
| feel outrage and sadness when I hear about toxic | | | | essential.c. Find as many forms of free advertising as |
| environments masquerading as learning environments. | | | | you can.i. Give free talks at service organizations.ii. |
| Granted it could happen that a person could make a | | | | Radio or TV talk shows.iii. Calendar listings are often |
| learning environment into a toxic environment by what | | | | free.iv. Press releases.v. Networks and support |
| they make of it in their own mind. In this particular case, | | | | groups.d. Telephone book yellow pages.e. Flyers, |
| it was some of both at the very least. | | | | brochures, and business cards.f. Put yourself in |
| Let's make sure you don't make the same mistake | | | | circulation. Go to meetings where your work may be |
| with yours. Find some help from a good hypnotherapist | | | | of interest and benefit.g. Write articles for local |
| near you. I work with people all over the world by | | | | periodicals.h. Bulk mail.i. Teach seminars and classes.j. |
| phone with excellent results if you would like to work | | | | Host a booth at appropriate fairs. Share information, do |
| with me. | | | | demonstrations, offer free sessions through a drawing. |
| When you are ready, I hope you will study with me. I | | | | (A note about drawings: set a time limit on the prize. |
| have on-site and distance learning options. | | | | The point is to get people to act. Of course, all the |
| I am including here an excerpt from my book, Finding | | | | losers are interested people who now are part of your |
| True Magic, on creating and maintaining a practice. | | | | mailing list.) |
| Creating and Nurturing a Dynamic Practice | | | | 4) What to charge?a. You must do your own |
| It is very important to start with the right view, the right | | | | soul-searching about this. It is important that you can |
| appreciation of context, and the right perspective | | | | ask for compensation without hesitation or shame. The |
| when approaching the business of therapy. | | | | egoic mind can act this out convincingly, but there will |
| As has been emphasized in this book relative to | | | | be a contraction within it, no matter how well disguised. |
| therapy, there is a unifying ground to the work that | | | | Your approach should be more genuine. This will |
| must be recognized and kept in awareness. An | | | | necessitate not merely deciding on a figure, but getting |
| important sameness, the egoic process, underlies and | | | | a clear, comprehensive grip on your relationship with |
| pervades all problematic states. This same egoic | | | | money and time.b. Don't treat advertising like rent; treat |
| process stands ready to infiltrate your mental | | | | it like an investment. Rent is something you pay |
| equilibrium when your focus turns to livelihood. It is fine | | | | because you need a place to live; you don't examine |
| to have subpersonality departments that run different | | | | your return on the money spent. But with an |
| areas of your life, as long as they are fluid and | | | | investment, if it's not giving you more than you put into |
| transparent, integrated, light, and joyful. | | | | it, you try something else. When you advertise, you |
| When it comes to livelihood, that is, survival issues, it is | | | | have to be patient in an appropriate way and give it a |
| very easy for rigid, fear-based, egoic thinking to take | | | | chance, just like an investment. Give anything you try |
| over. If there are hard-line divisions between parts-the | | | | at least six months, perhaps a year.c. Here are some |
| therapy part and the business part-a Jekyll-and-Hyde | | | | money books to enrich your thinking. There are host of |
| personality shift can arise. The hard-line and | | | | web-marketing books as well.i. Guerilla Marketing, |
| contradictions can go largely unnoticed by the therapist, | | | | Levinsonii. The Unabashed Self Promoter, Phil Lautiii. |
| due to our capacity to negatively hallucinate shadow | | | | Money Is My Friend, Phil Lautiv. Marketing Without |
| parts. | | | | Advertising, Michael Phillips and Sally Raspberryv. |
| It is important always to remember that the underlying | | | | Seven Laws of Money, Michael Phillips and Sally |
| principles we rely on in therapy-the most basic and | | | | Raspberry |
| root reliance being an ever-expanding connection to | | | | 5. Establish a daily habit of meditation; do it for the |
| the inherently pure guidance of Self/Source-apply in | | | | sake of all beings if you must have a goal. Meditate as |
| everyday life, to us as well as to our clients, even | | | | an expression of faith, opening, humility, and gratitude, |
| when it comes to money. | | | | even if you don't think or feel these things. It doesn't |
| As Dave Elman would say to a resistant client, "Some | | | | matter what you think. Just meditate with this inner |
| people are willing to do it the easy way, and some | | | | conviction no matter what you think or feel. |
| people want to do it the hard way." | | | | 6. Become a mentor; ask someone to mentor you. |
| The hard way is fear-based and survival driven/self | | | | This a form of self-nurturing and guidance. It will help |
| reliant. The self here is the fragmented, trance state | | | | you with your skills. It will help you avoid the trap of |
| self, the doer, who thinks "I have to do it right, work | | | | becoming the dried-up kind of therapist who helps |
| hard (i.e.,contracted, no joy or lightness, no trust or | | | | others as a way of avoiding his own problems. We all |
| faith), make a competitive effort. It's all very well to | | | | have blind spots, and we can forget the perspective |
| open to inner guidance in hypnosis to work on | | | | and struggle of the client to trust, to become |
| emotional issues, but this is money we're talking about, | | | | vulnerable, to open. This practice will help your |
| and its every man for himself!" The hard way includes | | | | cultivation of humility. I personally am available for |
| pride in doing and "helping" (also fear-based). Don't ever | | | | graduates in either capacity, on an individual or group |
| give something to a client; he must give it to himself. | | | | basis, and I refer clients to those so engaged. |
| Can you let go of your accomplishments? Can you be | | | | 7. Go For It! |
| invisible? Moreover, can you accept dishonor? | | | | Until one is committed |
| If we you honest with yourself , you will notice this | | | | There is always hesitancy, the chance to draw back, |
| egoic urge coming up on a daily basis, every moment. | | | | Always ineffectiveness. |
| Don't get moralistic about it, as in, "I shouldn't be thinking | | | | Concerning all acts of initiative and creation |
| feeling this." That just buys into the egoic trip and you | | | | There is one elementary Truth, the ignorance of which, |
| go into denial, thus coming under the complete control | | | | kills countless ideas and splendid plans; |
| of that which you are denying: that you could have | | | | That the moment one definitely commits oneself, |
| fear-based, money-grubbing thoughts. Let egoic | | | | Then Providence moves, too. |
| minding be; be nice to it; tickle it; display it humorously; let | | | | All sorts of things occur to help one that would |
| it arise and fall. Don't act or react in relationship to it; | | | | otherwise not have occurred. |
| instead, focus on the higher/deeper intent and open to | | | | A whole stream of events issues from the decision |
| that guidance. Consider this an essential expression of | | | | Raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen |
| generosity to yourself. | | | | incidents and meetings and material assistance which |
| This will help you stay tuned to the easy way. | | | | No man could have dreamed would have come his |
| The easy way is the way of faith, the way of | | | | way. |
| unwavering greater vision, even when brushing your | | | | -- Excerpted from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, |
| teeth or washing your face. In the easy way, you | | | | by W.H. Murray |
| always take the first step first, the right step first, the | | | | Whatever you do, or dream you can do, do it. |
| beginner's mind step first. It is the way of remembering | | | | Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. |
| the source of formlessness, purity, and timelessness, | | | | Begin it now. |
| before entering into endeavors in the world of form | | | | -- Goethe |
| and time. To accomplish this, it is necessary to | | | | You may know of Goethe as one of the great writers |
| understand how each moment is its own first step, | | | | of all time, but you may not realize he was an initiated |
| how the formless pervades each moment of form; | | | | adept of esoteric spiritual teachings. Take what he |
| this makes guidance and support abundantly ever | | | | says, and Murray's eloquent understanding of the |
| present. This is a description of humility, as opposed to | | | | same principles, as the words of a Magician who |
| the pride and fear of the Doer.- Do you recognize it? | | | | realized in his own life the faith and synchronicity of |
| Are you willing to cultivate it? | | | | which he speaks. |
| Going the easy way, there is no competition, therefore | | | | Goethe states a technical dynamic of the phenomenal |
| no grievance. There is no other because your | | | | world, which arises out of a deep thoughtfulness. The |
| relationship is with the flow of interdependence with | | | | point of this book is to help you cultivate-for clients and |
| the universe, your synchronicity factor; not with the | | | | for yourself-thoughtfulness, heartfulness, soulfulness; |
| world of others, the world of hope and fear, as | | | | not mere technical competency. When you have it, |
| constructed by the egoic mind of time and poverty. | | | | cars going by, birds cooing, or the commotion of others |
| Therapy, business, housework, shopping: everything is | | | | won't be distracting. From what can they distract you? |
| inside the circle of sacredness. Everything counts and | | | | From your experience of being sacredly, gratefully, |
| is touched by the power and law of this sacredness. | | | | alive...moment-by-moment...now!) |
| When we deny it, we create and give in to the power | | | | ©Copyright Jack Elias, 2006, All Rights Reserved. |
| and law of the world, which is the egoic mind trance. | | | | Excerpt from Finding True Magic: Transpersonal |
| The mark of this easy way is not merely thinking | | | | Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy/NLP by Jack Elias. |
| about virtuous ways. The mark is the effort to | | | | |