Musings on Hypnosis by Certified Hypnotherapist Donna Sherman, CHt

Artist: Alastair Magnald   Gratitude. Gratitude is the ultimate opposite of everything negative.  When you are truly grateful, you are truly open. Faked or false gratitude won't cut it.   The real true emotion of gratitude is one that permeates mind, body and soul.   It is very easy to feel true gratitude for the good things in Life.  Of course. But all of Life's challenges and heartbreaks and difficulties that come to everyone sooner or later,  what happens when you can find gratitude for those things too? A lot happens.   Talk about a magic wand!  Talk about an antidote for poison.  A balm for wounds.  Food for the starving.  Rain for parched land.  A warm blanket for the freezing. Gratitude feels simple but achieving this emotion fully,  is actually like hoisting up a pair of giant wings to take you anywhere.  Simple but extremely POWERFUL. Feeling thankful, even for those things that hurt you.  Feeling grateful even for those things th

  It is good to be back to my practice.  Though the circumstances were far from ideal,  it has been a time of real personal growth for me, and I feel that quite a bit of it will also be of great benefit to my clients.  I had two choices; I could let the loss of my partner do me in, or I could let it be an opportunity for higher knowledge and expansion.  Pretty sure there was never an option for a middle ground. I chose expansion.  I am glad that I did.   I had a good talk with someone today who asked me about what I do. What I actually do. I do not psychoanalyze people. Sometimes knowing why you do what you do, does not change the behavior. Sometimes too much focus on a particular problem or issue can actually reinforce it. Things do need to be acknowledged and understood to a degree, no doubt.  It is not about ignoring what may be negative.  But it is a perspective shift on the entire issue that will allow a person the most growth. So what does help? How

"The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali ***May 5, 2014*** As many of you may know, my partner of 15 years passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 26, 2014.   This (below) is the blog entry I had been working on and literally just completed moments before I got the call to tell me what had happened.   I could not make this fact up if I tried.   I post it here now, below, in the hopes that what it says it may truly reach some of you reading, as it is now resonating in ways for me personally that I never could have dreamed of when these words first were written:    ************************************************************* Do you remember the last time you almost busted a gut laughing?   Laughed so hard that tears ran down your face? Can you recall a sight you saw or a moment you shared with someone that took your breath away and changed your whole world forever? If asked, could you envision a memory when you triumphed over an obstacle and

  Artist: Quint Buchholz   Bombardment.  This is on my mind lately.  The swirling tornado of imagery, advertisement, updates, news flashes, texts, emails, articles, website links, sorrows, celebrations,  that we exist in the middle of every day. Our collective virtual plethorum of stuff that BOMBARDS us pretty much 24/7. It is an assault on the senses.  I guess every period in history has it’s unique challenges, and this would be ours.   Do you feel like some days; your thoughts aren’t even your own?   Do you ever wonder if, in a sense, we are all somewhat under hypnosis all the time? Fire. Radio. T.V. Computer. Smartphone. Oh the things we have gathered around over time, to stare at and glean from. At least the first 3, we used to do in the company of others, mostly. Now we stare at these little rectangles in our hands.   Alone. And we are hypnotized. I have heard the theory floated that modern Hypnotherapy is actu

March 13, 2014 Photo by Donna Sherman   On one of my certification tests, one of the questions asked: What is the most important tool in a hypnotist's “tool box”?   There were four possible answers.   Skill. Knowledge. Integrity. Confidence. All of them are beyond important.  All of them are necessary.  But which is the most important? Integrity. Without a doubt.  Above all else. My wonderful teacher instilled this in me and I remain every day in full agreement.   But how would a potential client know this?   How does anyone seeking help for anything know the person they choose is trustworthy?  Especially a hypnotist.  I invite you or anyone out there considering visiting a hypnotist to trust their gut.  Your “gut” is your subconscious and it knows.  You must listen to it. And do your homework. If you are unsure; get referrals.  Talk to other people who have worked with this person.  For any therapist of any kind, if they won’t offer referra

Well one month into a brand new year, I’ve barely had time to write but the musings going on in my mind have sure not stopped!   As this winter has taken us into the single digit temps I decided to try an experiment . I wanted to see if I could quickly warm myself up using only self hypnosis.   I wanted to see if it was possible to do a long walk to my parked car,  without abject misery, on a 5 degree night.  I was sure it was doable, though I had never tried it.   And just like everything I have found with respect to hypnosis,  once the right state of mind is achieved; it is easy!  Yes there I was in 5 degrees, wind chill very possibly below 0 degrees,  strolling comfortably towards my car.  Not shivering, not cursing, not wishing I was encased in a climate controlled spacesuit, just me strolling comfortably, getting into a deep freezer known as a parked car, and calmly awaiting the engine to warm up!   For any of you imagining me walking like a “hypnotised zombi