Mike Mandel Hypnosis

I got a great question sent to me by email from a recent customer of Mike’s hypnosis CDs.  I thought I’d answer it here because it is a really common question.

Is it okay if your mind wanders during the hypnosis part? I listened to it today and I felt my mind drifting onto other things. Does concentrating really hard on just following everything said in hypnosis increase its effects? I would think so, but it was mentioned in the CD that ‘zoning out’ is okay because your unconscious mind is still following the CD. I just wanted to find out what someone else’s experience is like.

I have had this question from people at least 10 times over the last year. So for those of you wondering, it is probably the most common question.

It is totally normal for your mind to wander during hypnosis.  During the induction (this is the term for the process of getting into trance), your mind is focussed and you are following the instructions or comments of the hypnotist in a consious manner.  But what you may not realize is that Ericksonian hypnosis is designed to overload your conscious mind.  You see, you can only keep track of 7 plus or minus 2 “chunks” of information at any one time.  For some people it is 5, for some it is 9.  Beyond this, you can’t keep them in your conscious attention.  Hypnotists use this to guide you into trance (if you want to learn more, check out the side links on how to learn hypnosis).    As you begin to enter trance, you will feel like you are spacing out, or zoning out.  It’s completely normal.

Your unconscious mind can keep track of your breathing, your body temperature, your blood’s pH level, liver enzymes, and literally millions of other body functions.  Keeping track of a few words is child’s play for the unconscious mind.

So what does hypnosis feel like?  For me it’s a complex feeling.  I tend to feel heavy in the head, but light in the core of my body.  For other people it will be different, but you’ll get to know exactly what that particular feeling is like, and you’ll learn to calibrate to that feeling so you know immediately when you are in trance.  This will help you get there even faster in the future.  It’s awesome.

One last comment:  if you think you’ve fallen asleep while listening to Mike’s CDs, you probably did not actually fall asleep.  You can tell because when the CD track is over, you tend to “wake up” immediately.  If you were truly asleep, you would not wake up at the end.  You’d stay asleep.  This should be an excellent indication to you that you were in fact in a deep hypnotic state.

Enjoy your trance!

I got the following email from Linda Ferguson of NLP Canada Training.  For those of you interested in learning hypnosis, they have an upcoming evening course, and Mike Mandel also has a full two-weekend course coming up.

The email is reprinted here:

We are delighted to offer you three distinct chances to learn more about trances this spring.

Motivation: Introduction to Ericksonian Hypnosis

Thursday, April 10, 7:45 PM to 9:45 PM, 47 Queen’s Park Cres. E.

A rare opportunity to experience Ericksonian Hypnosis and learn how it works and how it shapes the practice of NLP.  Chris Keeler will demonstrate Ericksonian trance inductions, explain some of the background, and lead participants through exercises in rapport and language patterns. Come to relax, to learn, and to laugh out loud.

While recovering from polio as a young man, Erickson took a famous canoe trip. Throughout his career, he got people “unstuck” by getting them outside, climbing mountains or working in his garden.  We think Erickson would be pleased that we are offering this evening training by donation to Trails Youth Initiatives.

Mike Mandel Hypnosis

This site is the exclusive online store for Mike Mandel’s hypnosis CDs.  These CDs provide an easy, affordable entry into hypnosis.  They are relaxing, energizing and completely practical.  The trance on the Stress Relief CD is so thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable that it allowed me to fly comfortably through turbulence - and to stay comfortable on subsequent flights.  Visit the site to buy CDs and to learn more about Mike’s unique expertise in hypnosis.

Ericksonian Hypnosis Certification

Our main course offering in Ericksonian Hypnosis is this two weekend course taught by the incomparable Mike Mandel.  With more than 30 years experience, Mike offers hypnosis training that is elegant, effective and energizing.   He guarantees that advanced patterns will be explored, played with, and used to maximize fun.  This course is a celebration of the style, patterns and outcomes achieved by Milton H. Erickson, MD.

April 26/27 (9 AM to 5PM) and May 2 (7 PM to 10 PM) and May 3/4 (9 AM to 5 PM)

$1790 + GST

Working with the best in the field is expensive: working with less than the best costs more in the long run.  That’s why NLP Canada Training offers a no fees, no interest payment plan that can be customized to your finances.  We want you to be able to afford the best - and Mike Mandel is the best.

The following link is Linda Ferguson’s recent blog entry on two ways you could be wrong about hypnosis.  We thought it was worth sharing with readers.

People are either intrigued or vaguely put off when they find out that I run courses in hypnosis. Much of the emotion comes from misconceptions about what hypnosis is and when it is useful.

Read the rest here…

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Paul McKenna’s TV show “I Can Make You Thin”.  I heard about this TV show from a good friend, and fellow hypnotist who also trained with Mike Mandel.  Apparently, McKenna got the gig because he hypnotized Ellen DeGeneres in order to help her quit smoking.  It worked, naturally, because he used NLP along with Ericksonian Hypnosis (a very powerful combination).

I’m not sure if McKenna’s show is an ongoing program or just a special for a few weeks, but it is worth watching.  Last night’s episode was about emotional eating, and he interviewed several folks who all described over-eating due to the stress in their lives.

Stress is a killer, and over-eating due to stress is quite common.  Therefore, a “diet” is not a solution, and eliminating the stress certainly can be a MUCH better solution.

Obviously this is why we are fans of Mike Mandel’s “Stress Relief with Self Hypnosis” Audio CD. Eliminating stress to reduce excess weight is important.  Remember, stress is responsible for the majority of all illness!

We just found out that renowned hypnotist Mike Mandel is now represented by Speakers’ Spotlight, Canada’s best-known agency for booking corporate speakers.  Mike is a truly exceptional speaker.   If you visit Mike’s page on Speakers’ Spotlight you can check out his video (video link is in the left sidebar).

For those of you who are interested in studying Ericksonian Hypnosis with trainer Mike Mandel, there is a course starting on April 26, running for two weekends.  There is no better way to learn, folks.  The cost is $1750, and in our opinion it’s worth every penny (we are just telling you about it, nothing it it for us).  Seriously interested people should contact NLP Canada Training, who runs the courses.

We are officially open for business.   Thanks to everyone who helped pull this together.