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In the first blog on Christianity and Hypnosis, I talked about the past from the 1800's forward and how the Bible shows examples. As we continue moving toward more recent years, hypnosis has become more acceptable and my hope for the future is that it will be mainstream because of its helpfulness. However, there are still others who mistakenly see it as a tool of the devil. I have felt a need for the last 25+ years to educate people on the special God-given ability to overcome problems and or enhance their lives. Rev. Paul Durbin, Minister, and Hypnotist says the foundation of his work in hypnotherapy is based on what he refers to as the human trinity. Whether you are a Christian or not, you would probably know what we refer to as the Holy Trinity. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He believes we have a human trinity. Each one of us is a trinity within ourselves. I am a trinity; you are a trinity. The human trinity is made is up of the mind, body, and spirit. We are physical, mental, and emotional beings. These three aspects of being are so different and yet so integrated that one part of the human trinity cannot be affected without it affected on the other two. If you have a physical problem, it affects you spiritually and emotionally. If you have a spiritual problem, it affects you physically and emotionally. If you have an emotional problem, affects you spiritually and physically. Hypnosis can be used as a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious mind. Though you only have one mind it has 2 parts conscious and subconscious. The conscious is the logical, reasoning, and analytical two-plus part of your mind. The conscious part of your mind makes up about 10% of your thinking power. The subconscious part of your mind makes up about 90% of your thinking power. It does not think logically, and it is concerned with bringing your deepest wishes, desires, and expectations, even if they are not contrary to logic and you’re well-being. The subconscious mind does not care that your body is hurt, rather than your deepest needs are met. If your greatest need is affection, and the only time you experience affection is when you are sick, you may get sick to receive affection. This occurs even though you do not like being sick. Our minds take things out of context and we just do not know why it does this. The subconscious mind cannot tell you the difference between a wish and a fear. If the fear becomes dominant, the fear is received by the subconscious mind as a wish. We each come with our history: religious, personally, and professionally. Rev. Paul Durban said he came as a Christion Minister who looked upon hypnosis as a valuable tool for counseling. Coming from a religious profession and working in a church-related hospital, he was often asked, "Why does one of the religious faiths need hypnosis?” or “How can you use hypnosis? Isn’t there a conflict between religious faith and hypnosis?” He believed that these questions can be responded to by referring to the statement of Jesus in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” Hypnosis is one of the gifts of God which helps people experience the “more abundant life.” Hypnosis is neither anti-religious nor pro-religious. It can be used for good or bad depending on the hypnotist and the subject. Today, more religious groups accept the proper ethical use of hypnosis for helping people. Exceptions for Christian Science, Seventh Day-Adventist, and some individuals of the various church. In recent years, the Seventh Day-Adventists have lessened their resistance by using relaxation therapy and suggestion therapy. A hypnotist by the name of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby greatly helped Mary Baker Eddy overcome an illness and she used many of his teachings and techniques in developing the Christian Science Church. Though Quimby used hypnosis to help her, she denounced hypnosis while using techniques. Though many in various churches opposed to hypnosis are using the principle of hypnosis (relaxation, concentration, suggestion, and repetition) in their healing services, they denounced hypnosis. For those who opposed hypnosis on religious grounds, Rev. Durban reminded them of the words of Baptist Van Helmont, "Hypnosis is a universal agent...and is a paradox only to those who are disposed to ridicule everything and who ascribe to Satan all phenomena which they cannot explain.” The Roman Catholic Church has issued statements approving the use of hypnosis. In 1847, a decree from the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Cross stated, “Having removed misconceptions, foretelling of the future, an explicit invocation of the devil, hypnosis is indeed merely an act of making use of the physical media that are otherwise licit and hence it is morally forbidden provided it does not end toward an illicit end or anything depraved.” The Late Pope Pius gave his approval of hypnosis. He stated that the use of hypnosis by health care professionals for diagnosis and treatment is permitted. In 1956, in an address from the Vatican on hypnosis in childbirth, the Pope gave these guidelines. (1) Hypnotism is a serious matter, and not something to be dabbled in. (2) In it is scientific use the precautions dictated by both science and morality are to be used. (3) Under the aspect of anesthesia. It is governed by the same principles as other forms of anesthesia. This is to say that the rules of good medicine apply to the use of hypnosis. Except for exceptions noted no other Protestant or Orthodox Churches have any laws against the proper-ethical uses of hypnosis. Rev. Durbin says to the best of his knowledge, there has been no opposition to the uses of hypnosis in the Jewish faith when used for the benefits of mankind. A lot of the eastern faiths, such as Buddhism, Yoga, Shintoism, Hinduism, and others approve of the use of hypnosis and they often use hypnosis in their worship. The Moslem religion has no opposition to hypnosis as well. There are so many books referring to hypnosis declaring a profound dislike and misunderstanding of hypnosis and its uses. One such book by Martin and Deidra Bagdon Hypnosis and Christianity had written "Before hypnotism becomes the new panacea from the pulpit, followed by a plethora of books on the subject: it claims, methods and long-term results should be considered. Arthur Shapiro has said, ‘One man's religion is another man's superstition, and one man's magic is another man's science.' Hypnosis has become science and medicine for some Christians with little proof of its validity, longevity, or understanding of its nature. Because so many unanswered questions about its usefulness and so many potential dangers about its usage, Christians would be wise to shun hypnosis.” The Bagdon’s should be reminded that people have been harmed by the misuse of some Christian Churches as well as other religions. Should that mean since someone misused the Christian religion, we should all avoid it? Whether the Bagdon’s did study hypnosis or not, it was not without bias, or they would not be afraid of it. They would be amazed at their abilities, which I have found personally as well as with 25+ years of working with clients. Many of God's gifts have been used incorrectly, but that should not distract from the gift when used for the benefit of mankind and the glory of God. God blesses all activities that benefit people. Did you know there is a National Association of Clergy Hypnotists? The National Association of Clergy Hypnotherapists (NACH) joined the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) as Clergy Special Interest Group (CSIG/NGH) 1997 (Dr. William Curtis, a Presbyterian Minister, was the founder and first President of The National Association of Clergy Hypnotherapists and the first to received "The Hypnosis and Religion In an address to NACH Rev. Fred R. Krauss, said "religion has traditionally used hypnotic techniques in a variety of ways. The atmosphere of the religious service is geared to the induction of the trance state. The architecture, décor, and religious symbols have a profound spiritual effect on believers. The alter, cross, and flickering candles provide a fixation point for concentration and meditation. In prayer, most Christians bow their heads and close their eyes which can be a similar experience to hypnosis.” Rev. Krauss continued to say that prayer and meditation were the nicest hypnotic inductions of all. Everything is there that should be, including a harmony of body, mind, and spirit that enhances communication by God. By assuring the appropriate posture, closing your eyes, bowing heads, listening, and responding with an amen. In the sermon, the pastor uses voice inflections, modulations, and repetitive ideas with anecdotes, Bible stories, and other illustrations. Prayer and meditation are traditional Christian disciplines that parallel what we call autosuggestion. Of course, autosuggestions are not the only aspects of prayer for through prayer, we can open our minds to God. When we are open and responsive, prayer is communication with God. If I understand the point Rev. Krauss was making; uses of hypnotic procedures in worship and Christian experience are blessed by God. Jesus often spoke in parables or used stories that still bring vivid word pictures which teach lessons about life. Proverbs 23:7 KJ 7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Paul wrote in Galatians 6:7” for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap KJ”. My interpretation is what is shown through the conscious mind through thoughts and images into the subconscious tends to become reality. Mental images give the subconscious mind a model to work towards, good or bad. An example of this would be to think back to a time when you were angry, feel it, experience it, and let it go. Think back to a time when you were really happy, feel it, experience it and keep it. By thought, you make feelings present again. The use of positive imagery improves life and health. Until there is an image in your mind there can be no reality. All great inventions began with a thought in the mind. The people who were able to make the inventions were able to visualize or imagine the invention before they could bring it to reality. The same is true with music, great writing, or great living. Proverbs 28:18 wrote that where there is no vision, the people perish. Have you ever heard a broadcaster at a sporting event say, “It’s a new game folks?” That usually means the score is tied. It is like starting over again. The past is still there; however, we can begin from where we are now. They keep playing from where they were at. We begin where we are, but with the proper uses of relaxation, imagery, hypnosis, and uplifting expectations becomes a “brand new game.” As I said in the 1st blog of Religion and Christianity it took me, this ignorant of what a hypnosis person is, 30 years ago, to come around and understand that God gave me and you, this powerful gift to help us overcome problems, make changes to enhance our lives. Jesus said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to teach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to those in captivity to pain, fear, and phobias, give sight to the emotionally and spiritually blind and set at liberty those who are bound by unwanted habits. Rev. Durbin says, “as members of different denominations and religions, let us join hands in brotherhood to share the blessings of hypnosis with others. Thanks for reading these 2 blogs and hearing me out, this is a passion and a conviction I have felt for many years from God to help others overcome challenges, enhance lives, and what an honor it has been. If you would like more information and scriptures to go with these blogs, please send me a request.
If you listened to the video on my website, you know my story about how I got interested in doing hypnosis/hypnotherapy for a living. I was introduced to it by my brother who quit smoking after 1 session and decided to start a small side business helping others. I was not interested in the path he was taking. We were Catholic and I believed it was going against our faith. In my ignorance I would pray for him thinking he was beginning to do the work of Satan, this was something way out of my comfort zone, for a couple of years I refused to hear him out. However, over time I allowed him to educate me, after what I had heard, I began allowing him to work with me. One of the convincers was that Hypnosis was approved by the Catholic Church in the '50s as well as the American Medical Association to aid in healing. As I started my business over 25 years ago, people were a lot like I was, not believing in Hypnosis they would throw away my business cards as I would walk away from them. Some were afraid to look at me in the eyes, as if I had control over them, or doing something to them, a lot of others thought as I did, this was not something Christians should do. Again, to our ignorance, the name Hypnosis conjures up a lot of different thought processes, a lot of them are negative. They judged me as I judged my brother. I am sharing information from Rev. Paul Durbin Chaplain, Ph.D./Hypnotist in this and the second part of this blog. He said the first written recorded use is found in the book of Genesis 2:21-22. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man’s ribs. Then God closed-up the man’s skin at the place where he took the rib. 22 The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man. (NCV) “God used Hypnosis as an anesthesia so that Adam felt no pain”. Chaplain W. Leo Peacock has a New Testament illustration in a paper he wrote “Religious Hypnosis and Personal Control”. He is making a point with his interpretation of Matthew’s account of Joseph’s dream concerning taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-25) Peacock writes that this is a clear description of an individual being hypnotized, while under hypnosis given a post-hypnotic-suggestions which he immediately acts as soon as he came out of the hypnotic state (trance). Laying on of Hands The practice of “laying on hands” in the bible uses techniques from Hypnosis. Acts 28:8 NCV 8 Publius’ father was sick with a fever and dysentery. [a] Paul went to him, prayed, and put his hands on the man and healed him. There is also a reference in the book of Acts (Acts 14:9-10) where an apostle looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes resulting in healing. 9 As this man was listening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that he believed God could heal him. 10 So he cried out, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around. Rev. Paul Durban tells the story of 2 Roman Catholic Priest in the eighteen Century who used hypnosis to gain a reputation as a healer, Father Hell, and Father Gassner. Due to their influence, Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer played a significant role in the history of this industry. Father Gassner would those who wanted to be healed brought into a room and would tell them to wait. As they allowed their expectations to grow, Father Gassner would majestically enter the room, lower his cross on the head of the patient and command them to sleep. The patient would collapse and upon command would rise to praise God for Healing. Father Hell used hypnotic techniques and metal plates. He believed that illness occurred when the magnetism of the body was out of polarization. He would have his patients lie down and pass metal plates over them. His suggestions and the passing of the metal plates seemed to cure those who came to him for healing. This all leads to belief. In the more modern history of hypnosis is considered, to begin with, Franz Mesmer (1735-1815) was greatly influenced by Father's Gassner and Hell. Mesmer decided it was the metal in Father Gassner’s cross that caused cures as well as the religious significance of the cross. If the metal in the cross could bring cures, perhaps it could be used for healing. With this information and other experiments made by Father Hell in mind, Mesmer began to develop his theory of "Animal Magnetism.” In the middle 1800s, three doctors, Elliotson, Esdaile, and Braid, who coined the word “hypnosis” used hypnosis in their medical practice. Both Elliotson and Esdaile performed many surgeries with only hypnotic anesthesia, it has been reported that the mortality rate for major surgery was about 50%. There were several hundred people operated on by Esdaile (using hypnosis) mortality rate dropped to 5% and in none of the fatal cases was death an immediate outcome of the surgery. Dr. James Esdaile (1808-1859) wrote that (A) hypnosis is a natural God-given method is healing. (B) The power produced by the unconscious mind of one under hypnosis is similar both in quality, character, and degree with the power of the creator. (C) All men have within them special power given by God, the power of hypnosis—to direct their movement and provide for themselves. Doctors Mesmer, Elliotson, Esdaile were condemned by their fellow doctors for their uses of hypnosis. I remember reading some research on hypnosis and quitting smoking. The doctor said at the end of his research paper. There is not a lot of research on hypnosis, mainly because of the stigma that comes with it. He was incredibly surprised to see the results of his research and would continue to move forward learning and researching more. Please look for Part 2 of Christianity and Hypnosis for the more modern approach. You can also request another paper with more information and scriptures too along with both part 1 and part 2 .
Did you know that the American Cancer Society has it's National Great American Smoke Out campaign coming up here on the 19th of November? Goes on every year. Started out with a high school guidance counselor who asked people to quit smoking for a day, and the money that they saved from their cigarettes that they would put into a high school scholarship fund. Well, that was in the early '70s, and in the mid-'70s, the American Cancer Society took over the same premise and said, "Quit for a day," in the hopes that people will go for another day, and another day, and another day. What if you can quit in one day for life? That's what you do in my office. For most people, it's just one session. Let me tell you a few stories about some of the clients that have come in over the years. I've been doing this for 26 years. Many, many years ago, I had a man come into the office and his dad was passing away within the next week or two of lung cancer, and he didn't want to be going through what his dad had to go through. He came in to quit smoking. He quit. He brought three friends, and they quit smoking. They sent more people. More a hundred clients from that one referral, that one man losing his life because of the smoking habit. So, out of those referrals, they came from Dallas, they came from Chicago, they came from Belleville, Illinois. They came from northern Missouri, they came from southern Missouri. One man came up quit smoking. Actually, he left the office saying he, he didn't quit smoking, but he (laughs) never smoked again. So, about two weeks later, he comes back up from the- southern Missouri with a car full of friends saying, "Hey they all want to quit smoking", because he was able to quit smoking. Didn't even realize he quit it when he left the office. So funny. Then I had another lady who came in. Same story, with her mom was passing away within the next week or two as well. Before we started the session, she said to me, "You know, Karen," she says, "I just love the smell. I love the smell of cigarettes." And after the session, she told me, "You know what it is? I remember as a child my mom only had one cigarette a day and a cup of tea after she put us to bed. And so I would fall asleep every night to that smell of cigarettes." And when, she was able to let that thought process go, she was able to quit the smoking habit. I had a lady come in one time who had a chronic illness, and she was extremely sick, uh, m- in a lot of pain, and had gone to the hospital the week before, or that weekend before, and the doctor wouldn't admit her when he found out that she was a smoker. Said, "I'm not admitting you." So, she came to the office and we were able to get her to quit smoking so that she never, ever had to be in that position again. Earlier in the years, I heard cosmetic surgeons that requested people quit smoking prior to surgery, I think it was, like, six weeks out, so that they will be able to heal faster and heal better. And so nowadays, I have heard lots of different types of surgeons that are recommending that people quit smoking up front, really quickly, so that they can heal faster from the surgeries. I cannot tell you how many different stories that I could that I have of people, who just, just want to quit, you know? They love the smell, or they, or they don't love the smell. They loved that they could just sit down and take a break, or that annoyed them. They have problems with not getting enough air going up and down the stairs. Whatever the reason is, they will come in and quit smoking, again, one day for life, versus one day a year. What about that? Is that you? Let me ask you this question if you do smoke cigarettes. Out of the cigarettes that you smoke, one pack, two packs, three packs, how many do you actually enjoy, where you're really, really getting something from it? Sometimes people will say, "None." Sometimes people will say, "That first one in the morning." Sometimes people will say, "Three to five." Sometimes they'll say, "10." So, think about that. Five minutes to smoke, so three to five cigarettes a day, 15 to 25 minutes a day of enjoyment for a lifetime of what? So if you're interested in quitting smoking, if you're interested in letting this habit go, if you're interested in moving forward, give me a call, Karen Glavin, at Glavin Hypnotherapy+. My phone number's 314-285-5721. My website is www.glavinhypnotherapy.com, and I always like to say, when you come to Glavin Hypnotherapy, we're helping you bring back the joy into your life. Give me a call.
Karen Glavin: Hi, welcome to Glavin Hypnotherapy Plus. I'm Karen Glavin and I'm a consulting hypnotist. I wonder what your thought processes were when you first heard about hypnosis. I know many years ago I was really skeptical and then my brother went and got hypnotized and was able to quit smoking in one session. 30 years later, he's still smoke-free. He was so impressed with the processes that he became certified and opened up a small business so he could help family and friends overcome challenges as quickly as he was able to. However, I'm still so skeptical. He was able to educate me over time and he told me about the American Medical Association, as well as the Catholic Church approving of hypnosis back in the fifties. And then there was a bump in the road where it negatively affected my life. I was in my early thirties and I was really struggling, so I asked him if he would work with me and he did. Three to four sessions and it completely changed the direction of my life. I remember opening up my eyes in that last session and thinking to myself, "Wow. The world really needs to know about this." So, I followed in my brother's footsteps and I got certified, and 25 plus years later, here I am hypnotizing hundreds and hundreds of people helping them to quit smoking, lose weight, and my favorite area to work in is helping people overcome limiting beliefs. We tend to sabotage ourselves and become our own worst enemies, so just a few sessions that quick can really change someone's life. I also help people to improve sports performance as well as creativity. A lot of times people will ask me, "Does hypnosis really work?" And jokingly will say to them, "No, I just like to take people's money for a living." And then I'll explain to them that hypnosis is something that we do every day. Did you know that you hypnotize yourself every day, many times a day? And what we're doing in a session is helping you to make the changes so that you can have the desired results that you are looking for. My client's ages start with the age of seven on up to senior citizens. I'm also pediatric certified as well. So, if you're experiencing challenges in your life, you have some bad habits you want to overcome, quit smoking, or have limiting beliefs that you would like to change, give me a call. Karen Glavin at Glavin Hypnotherapy Plus. The office number is 314-285-5721 and email address is karen@glavinhypnotherapy.com.
Welcome to Business Innovators Radio, featuring industry influencers and trendsetters sharing proven strategies to help you build a better life right now. Angie Lewis: Thank you. Welcome to this episode. I'm your host, Angie Lewis. On the show today, we have Karen Glavin with Glavin Hypnotherapy Plus. She's had this business for 22 years, and they are located in O'Fallon, Missouri. Karen, thank you so much for joining me. Karen Glavin: Thanks, Angie. Glad to be here. Angie Lewis: Will you tell our listeners a little bit more about your background and how you became involved in your current industry? Karen Glavin: This is not a place where I ever thought I would be. That's what a lot of people think about hypnosis. It's got stigmas and all sorts of different things behind it. I was one of those people that believed in those stigmas. My brother, who was an analytical engineer, a very, very smart, intelligent man, went to somebody to quit smoking. In one session he was able to quit smoking, and he had to know how and why, so he went and became certified. Karen Glavin: He would come to all of our family functions and he would bring ... this was back 20-something years ago ... a boom box so he could play some music and what we call script books. They're just basically the wording prescription, the words that we use when we're giving suggestions. He would come with those to every family function. I would say, "No, get away from me." I wouldn't let him work with me. Karen Glavin: I started going through a really, really tough time and things were getting really bad, and he just ... it was Christmas of '93 and he said, "Hey, let me work with you." He started to tell me more about really what hypnosis is and he started educating me on the process, that it was approved by the medical association, the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association in the '50s, to use as a tool to help with healthcare. Karen Glavin: It's also been approved by the Catholic Church in the '50s, where a lot of people, including myself, thought it was Satanism and bad stuff. Those are the reasons I wouldn't let him work with me. I finally gave in. I was not the nicest sister because I made my mom stay in the room. I knew she would protect me. Karen Glavin: Anyway, we did the session, and it was a very basic session at that time. He didn't have all the tools that I use now, and didn't have years of experience behind him like I do now. He did a very basic session with me, and I was able to make a major change in my life that I needed to do that was going to affect a lot of people. I did make that change within three months. I wanted to make sure that if I did make that change, I was doing it right and doing it for the right reasons. Karen Glavin: I did, and then things got harder, and I started shutting down and not functioning. I wasn't in a great place to begin with. I wasn't strong enough for the changes that I had made. I called him up and I said, "You think you can jump in here, buddy? Do something with me." He did another session with me, and it was just like I was completely released from all those pressures. When I opened up my eyes, I thought, "Man, the world just really needs to know about this." Karen Glavin: That's how I came around. It just came on by accident and I sort of fumbled into this career. It's been unbelievable, what I've been able to see happen in clients' lives over the years. It's just something that I absolutely love. The industry is growing. It's been growing for years, but it's really cool now that the medical community is now finally doing medical research on it, which we didn't have back then. Karen Glavin: I actually saw a research study about a year or so ago, and I was reading through the research and at the very bottom of it, the doctor that had done the research said that there isn't a lot of research out right now because ... this was an older study, not a brand-new study, because there's quite a bit out there now ... but he was talking about because of the stigma, doctors didn't want to get their names connected to it. Over the years it's evolved, and people are really starting to understand. That's where I was from when I first started this. I really just wanted people to understand what happened to me could probably happen for you. That just turned my whole life around. I've been doing this ever since. Angie Lewis: That's really amazing. It's one of those things that people don't talk about often. Can you talk a little bit about who your perfect prospect is? What type of people do you work with? Karen Glavin: That's a hard one for me. Everybody asks me that question all the time. "Do you work with just smoking? Do you have a specific, or athletes? What is it that you work with?" I have a system that I use that works with just about anything, whether they're coming to overcome problems or they're coming to enhance their lives in some way, whether it's be a better athlete, build creativity or whatever. Karen Glavin: That really has always been a challenge for me on what would be the perfect prospect. Mostly I work with a lot of smokers, people wanting to quit smoking, and that I love, especially because most of the time it's just going to be one session for them. I love to be able to do that for people, and they leave and they'd had this thing that's been controlling them for so long. Karen Glavin: Also, working with athletes. To be able to take somebody who's kept his vision and his dream and his talent, and they've only been able to get themselves so far with it, and be able to take them far beyond what they actually thought they could do. As you know, when you're working with an athlete or athletes themselves, they just realize there's so many different things that go into what's holding them back, what's keeping them from being what they want to be, or are they having constant injuries? Karen Glavin: You know, those are things that the mind can be causing to keep them from succeeding because they're not thinking they're worthy of, or whatever the challenge may be. Also when it comes to those injuries, healing faster when you're using hypnosis, and that's where that tool, working along with what the American Medical Association said way back in the '50s, using that tool to help them heal faster and be able to get back into what they love doing. Karen Glavin: Then I'm also pediatric certified, so I work with children as well. I work with athletes from all different ages, all different degrees, whether it's just a weekend athlete all the way up to professional could be used. I know Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, they actually, from my understanding, traveled with hypnotists when they were doing their sports when they were at their peak. Angie Lewis: What are some of the misconceptions about your industry and the work and the results that it produces? Karen Glavin: There's a lot of misconceptions, and everybody likes to blame it on Hollywood, but it actually goes back to the 1700s. That's the really sad part for me, is it hasn't changed. It's starting to change, but it's taken this long for people to respect this industry and to understand it. There were these incredible doctors back in the 1700s that would go. Karen Glavin: There was one in particular that went over to Calcutta, India, a very, very intelligent man, ran a hospital, and he would use hypnosis for anesthesia, so that people that are doing surgery, they wouldn't have any pain. It always made me think of the old country, Western movies when I was a kid. They'd have a board between the teeth and they were cutting out the bullets. I'm thinking back then, the 1700s, this man, this educated man, is doing these surgeries, and they literally ran him out of town. Karen Glavin: It was story after story like that. People think you're asleep. They think you're not in control, especially when you watch stage shows. What you perceive isn't really what ... what we perceive is happening is happening, yet the hypnotist never has control. We are just giving suggestions, and it's up to our clients or the show for people to take them and put them into their own actions. There's a lot of little pieces that go together in there, but then there's a lot. Karen Glavin: Then you go back to the religious community. For years, people would come up to me and say really nasty things because they thought that this was Satanism. They thought it was bad, and, "How dare you do this kind of stuff?" I remember going into nutrition stores and talking to them about doing referral customer things, and they tore up my cards when I walked out because of the type of industry it is. They didn't understand what it is. They didn't understand the bigger picture of it. Karen Glavin: That still, to this day, is out there. Actually, there was a post on one of my Facebook posts recently. Somebody responded back to it in a really negative way. I was deciding whether to contact the person and explain to them, or just to let it go. There's a lot of misconceptions out there. There's just so many. Then Hollywood, they've played around with it quite a bit too. Angie Lewis: Yes. Yes, they have. Will you talk a little bit deeper about how you help them? I know when we talked before, you mentioned the power of the subconscious mind and that's the root of everything that we deal with today. Karen Glavin: Everything's stored in your subconscious mind. Under hypnosis, I like to take it down to easy terms, but this is what I will tell clients. You're basically going to sit in my chair, sit in the chair, relax. They're going to be listening to music, and I want them to ignore me. They're thinking about maybe a dream vacation or a vacation they've taken in the past. Maybe if they like to hunt, or if they're an athlete, they will be thinking about their sports. We've talked a little bit ahead of time about ideas, and just basically ignoring me. Karen Glavin: They just start to relax. Again, they're allowing themselves to relax. It's not me. All I'm doing is talking. I have no control over what's actually happening. Then the goal is to get to the root cause, get rid of what is causing the problem or keeping them from going forward or whatever it could be, get rid of that, and then just filling them up with really wonderful suggestions, rebuilding them back up again, and really that's it. Karen Glavin: Now for me, my sessions, I book out a two-hour time period. The sessions are about an hour to an hour and a half long. We have plenty of time to just sit back and talk and have the client get very, very comfortable with what we're doing or we're going to be doing. When I say we, I mean the client and myself. Then with the session, for the most part, the actual session is about 45 minutes or maybe sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little less, just depends on the client. Every time you're hypnotized, it's different. If you were to come Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, every day the way you felt and what you experienced would be different, because it just depends on the mood of the day. Karen Glavin: The first time you come, you might feel a little stressed, a little nervous. You may not relax as much. You may hear everything that's going on. You may come back the next day, just relaxed more. You know what's going to happen now. You're going to maybe hear part of it, maybe hear not part of it. Usually by the third session, people, if they need that many, usually come in and sit down and just say, "Let's go." Karen Glavin: They're ready to go because they love the relaxation, they love the feeling. Sometimes they'll go really, really deep. Then there may be a day where they may have had some problems at work before they came or some traffic issues and they're a little bit stressed, so they're not going to relax as much. Every time you're hypnotized, it's different. Angie Lewis: Okay. That's a really interesting point. How would someone know when it's time to come and see you, or that the hypnotherapy would be what they need? Karen Glavin: Basically when they identify a problem, but most people come when it's the last resort. "I've tried everything. I don't know what else to do. I'm just going to try hypnosis because I just don't know what else to do." That's what a lot of people say when they come. It's so cool, because they just sit down in the chair, they relax, we have the session. The peacefulness, it's just so peaceful, feels so good. Karen Glavin: You open up your eyes, the problem's gone, and they're relaxed and they feel peaceful. They take that feeling with them for about a day or so. A lot of times my clients will tell me what a wonderful night's sleep they've had after the session or that next day. An actual session itself is almost like an eight- to ten-hour nap. It's very relaxing, and you feel really, really good after the session. Angie Lewis: You said the actual session feels like a 10-hour nap? Karen Glavin: Yep, a 10-hour nap. Angie Lewis: Can you explain it? Can you elaborate a little bit more about that? Karen Glavin: It's just because they're able to relax everything. You're relaxing all of your muscles, your mind, everything is relaxed. A lot of times people will come in with neck pain or shoulder pain and they leave without it, or had a headache when they come in, they leave without it, just because they were able to relax so much. That's just the side effect of hypnosis. Angie Lewis: It sounds very powerful. Karen Glavin: It is. It's wonderful. It's a great way to make a living. It's a great way to help people. It's a great way to overcome problems, because it's so fast. We're dealing with the subconscious mind right there, and getting in and getting rid of the root cause and then making things change. Angie Lewis: What are your thoughts about the overmedication of people? I know there's a lot of talk about that. How does hypnotherapy align with medicine or not? Karen Glavin: That's a really tricky question for me because I'm not a medical doctor, so what I say is just opinion. I can't make any medical claims or anything that, and I make sure that every client hears that and knows that before we work with them. Karen Glavin: What I know when I'm working with a client, and that's the area I'll address, is there are so many ways of overcoming problems, and your mind knows what it is, and your mind knows your body. We can go in and start asking the questions, and the mind knows what it can be and helps people to overcome those problems. A lot of times people have experienced anxiety and just edginess and all of those kinds of feelings, and it could just minimally be one session. Karen Glavin: I remember being in class. This is 20 something years ago. There was a lady there who had experienced panic attacks, severe, severe panic attacks, and she was not able to get out of the house. Somebody just told her. They had hospitalized her for a little while. They had had her on all sorts of different medications, nothing worked. Her friend took her to a hypnotist, and one session, that was the end of it. Karen Glavin: Our mind is very powerful. Since we go right in and work with the subconscious mind as a hypnotist, we're working right there, it just knows what to do and fix the problem versus putting band-aids on it. That's okay to say, because in this day and age, you have to be very careful how you say things, but your mind's very powerful and it knows you. Karen Glavin: You'll be amazed. If I could only just say, be able to put it out there, what's happened in people's lives since they've been here in this office, it just truly is amazing. That's about all I probably should say right now, as far as the medical. Angie Lewis: That makes sense. I think that clear distinction about your subconscious mind being connected to your body, it makes sense how hypnosis could be right for people who are looking to have problems solved. Karen Glavin: Correct. Angie Lewis: In terms of hypnotherapy professionals, what type of person would be great to go into this industry, since it seems as if the industry is growing? Karen Glavin: I would say somebody with a heart, somebody that really wants to help, somebody that's got a lot of common sense, and somebody who's really going to pay attention. I have a lot of clients that will come here and say, "Oh, I know how to do this and I know how to do that, and I've been hypnotizing people for ever and ever," but that can be dangerous because your mind is very literal. You want to be very, very careful. I mean, there's a lot of people out there that say, "Hey, I can do this," and they don't get certified but they go out, and that's really hurt our industry really bad. Karen Glavin: Going back to the mind being very literal, I can talk to the mind, and if I'm going to tell you, when we're working with a weight loss client or weight reduction client, "You're going to burn 500 calories in an hour," you're literally going to start developing a fever or could develop a fever. You've got to be very careful with the wording you use. Karen Glavin: You have to have somebody who's going to be open to pay attention to all of the little things that are involved in what we do, and in real life, how important your words are. When you're working with the literal mind, things that have been said [inaudible 00:18:33] a little creative. There's so many different ways of hypnotizing people. There's no specific way, but you need to have some education behind you. Angie Lewis: What inspires you most about your work? Karen Glavin: Oh, my gosh, inspires me, is to be able to watch somebody made changes. I was working with this friend who's a personal trainer, and he does a lot with kettlebells and he does a wide variety of different things. He basically wanted to go to Ireland to do this program. He was the only American that was invited to go and be part of this program. He's from St. Peters, Missouri. Karen Glavin: He had to qualify. Part of the qualification was he had to take a kettlebell half his body weight, and he had to take it from the ground up one side of his body and on that same side back down, but he couldn't get it on the other side of his body. Couldn't make it all the way up and then all the way back down. We did one session. He was able to do it immediately. You can actually see it, video on my Facebook page of him doing that. Karen Glavin: Anyway, he was able to do that, and because it was able to do that, he qualified to be able to go to Ireland. He brought the program back here to the States. He's had many people come through the program, and very successfully. The really awesome thing that happened this year was he just hosted a training in the United States for that program. The people from Ireland came over, the trainers came over from the program and were training the Americans, all because he was able to make that one change. Angie Lewis: That's very powerful. In one session, this happened? Karen Glavin: Correct. Angie Lewis: That is very powerful. What did you wish people knew about your industry? Karen Glavin: I wish they would look at it as just something that's a great way to overcome problems, something that you would respect versus not respect, to realize that we do not have control over you. We can't make you do anything that you wouldn't want to do. If you go watch a stage show, you can watch different people on the stage show and you can see how each one will act a different way. That's different personalities will do different things. It has nothing to do with what the hypnotist is telling them to do. It's more of that's their personality and how they're going to respond. When you're looking at our industry, people are thinking, "Well, he's got a lot of control over her and he's making her do these things." That's not really what's happening at all. Karen Glavin: Those are some of the thoughts that I have as far as what I'd like people to look at our industry, to look at it as a tool that you can use to enhance your life, whether it's overcome problems, whether it's you're creative and you are wanting to write a book but you have a block, or you just want to be able to take your talents far beyond what you thought you could do. There's just so many areas, working with children all the way on up to adults, that you can do to help people overcome problems. Karen Glavin: I've worked with families. I've worked with children and families. I've worked with the parents. I've worked with people with surgery. When you have surgery and you have hypnosis, your body heals so much faster and you're back out and about. It's just that you get to get in, you take care of the problem, you're done with the problem, and you get to go on with your life and enjoy the changes that happen. Angie Lewis: Karen, thank you so much for the insight on hypnotherapy. Thank you so much for joining me and sharing your experiences. If people want to learn more about you, about hypnotherapy, how can they reach you? Karen Glavin: You can find me on Facebook at Glavin Hypnotherapy+. You can contact the office at (636) 240-8786, or check out my website at glavinhypnotherapy.com and my email address. You can just click on it and email me from there. You can private message me. A lot of times people would prefer to do that over talking over the phone, but either way, you can contact me. I am in O'Fallon, Missouri, and I'm waiting and excited to be able to work with people and show them really more of the incredible abilities that their mind and their body have. Angie Lewis: Perfect. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you joining me today. I look forward to talking to you in the future. Karen Glavin: Thanks so much, Angie. Angie Lewis: Thanks for listening to Business Innovators Radio. To hear all episodes featuring leading industry influencers and trendsetters, visit us online at businessinnovatorsradio.com today.
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