Tony, you just made me laugh out loud! Thank you! Fantastic contribution…

He’s not going out of his way to get clients if he really is a professional. Maybe he’s someone who has played around with it a bit and failed, or just has a grudge against hypnotherapists and wants to make sure they get a bit of negative press whilst pretending to be one of them, or as you say, he’s just hyping up his very exciting book.

According to the article he was a 9 year old fascist spy during WW2 so that means he’s got to be knocking on 80 years old now. He also has a voice activated tape recorder and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has an Aston Martin with ejector seats in the garage that he’s forgotten about. It says a lot for the newspaper that they gloss over the nazi spying and focus on the mad, roller coaster ride of hypnosis.

It’s just another reactionary story to up sales figures and frighten people to stay within their comfort zones which, after all, is what newspapers want to do to ensure continuing sales, it’s just a shame that this time it’s hypnotherapy in the firing line. I’m sure the good folk of Sheffield will overcome this particular traumatic memory and embrace all the good things that hypnotherapy can do. I don’t imagine there’ll be a positive South Yorkshire Star hypnosis story in the near future. I checked out their website and other stories include “Grappling legend’s grandson pens wrestling musical” and “Fine for dog owner whose pet fouled the streets” so their reporters don’t seem to be in the Woodward and Bernstein mould.

Best to silently fume than pick up the cudgel and start another negative onslaught. Now, about England v USA……..

Alan, thank you for so eloquently and comprehensively articulating one of the main challenges that we can face as hypnotherapists… I hear you and know preciely what you mean.

ps. Fish trauma?! Hahahaha.

Thank you Phil, I enjoyed reading that insight… And Thank you Maria, some reali life quantifying there… Appreciated 🙂

Why, I ask you, isn’t every primary school child in the country taught about confirmation bias? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias.

It takes an effort to actually critically survey the evidence on something like repressed memories and the value of regression, rather than just simply absorbing whatever comfortingly confirms what you’ve already been taught and have practiced.

Without the awareness of that bias, and the many others we all have, you can quite easily end up living in a world of your own self-justifying nonsense. With it, you might just make the effort.

When they were in their teens, they would recall two events when they had been told off by myself but they would insist I had been unfair, that they had not been naughty. So armed with my home movies, I would prove to them, that I was not the wicked witch of the west, and that indeed they had misbehaved. Watching the recording, the correct memory would re-surface, and they would laugh, a little somewhat embarrassed at their convenient memory editing and life would go on.

Then as young ladies, these two remembered events would come up in conversation and to my surprise, the old wrong memory would be back!!! Then, I would not just show them the recordings but also remind them of the discussion we had when they were teens.
They would be as surprised as myself, how and why had they reverted again to the old incorrect account of events and the feelings that they felt at that time.

I really don’t know what to think about regression, repression but as per above, I have to say very uncomfortable because
1: It is unreliable, 2: Is it really about the reality or more about dealing with our negative perception of the recalled event? 3: Why do we need to know what happened? Is it not the case, if you cannot prove it or even if you can as per above, what really matters is that we change our belief and perception to a more helpful and positive one than the opposite?

Or are we to believe and feel sorry for the tremendous hard work and risk that this hypnotists is putting himself through in order to visit his past, all for the philanthropist action of sharing his inner dark corners and dazzle us with a story that is not a story but a travel into the past, wow! Who knows it might become a Hollywood blockbuster, so who will be laughing then? It certainly will capture the imagination of people but will take away from Hypnotherapy, as a perfectly safe and tested therapy. Lets hope he does not get trapped in his state or we will be missing on a brilliant story!

Helen, I have had so many emails today from people saying similar things to what you’ve just said… Thank you for that… Really, if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry.

🙂