There is a great article in BusinessWeek, May 29, 2006, page 14, entitled Management. It is a small Q & A featuring a psychologist commenting on Freud's legacy in organizational psychology. The specific question is: "What about employee motivational programs?" A. "Most tend to be behavioral-cognitive. They would be more effective if the unconscious-process piece were added. If you take a strict behaviorist approach, you don't have the piece that explains why people aren't staying on track."

Interesting, isn't it? Actually referring to that "unconscious-process" piece, but never actually identifying or admitting to any kind of hypnosis work. Earlier in the article, the psychologist comments on making the "unconscious conscious" or, the more acceptable, "invisible visible".

I find that so many professionals are so afraid of the "hypnosis" word. Not understanding what is hypnosis (everything) or what isn't hypnosis (nothing).

People define hypnosis in all kinds of ways, from "bypass of critical faculty and the establishment of selective thinking" (Elman, 1964) to a state of consciousness similar to sleep to that which makes up a theta brainwave state, whew it is no wonder the public is confused and fearful. We tend to be afraid of the unknown and to most people hypnosis represents the unknown rather than a normal process of mind. We go thru hypnosis at least twice a day. Once when we are waking up, once again when we are going to sleep. We slip into trance any time our concentration is so focused that we miss exits when we are driving or fail to hear people talking to us when we are reading or cry/laugh at a movie.

So let's make a pac to use that idea every time we are going to sleep to count backwards from 10-1 and as we begin to count let our eyelids relax so completely so that we can test them and they will stay closed and then as we begin counting from 10-1, between each numeral , think something, in a positive way, such as the Coueism, "Every day and in every way I am getting better and better."

Feel free to personalize as you wish.

"Watch HypnoSurgery Live" I spent a week training with Gil Boyne & John Butler at the A.C.H.E convention.

Blogging again ... I've missed it - I hope you've missed reading it as much as I've missed writing it! For more information on Cancer ... to follow-up on the Cancer blog , click Cancer Blog. I’m starting from where I am now rather than catching up. I've been busy - mostly developing courses for the school, and scheduling events.

Yesterday I went to the radiation oncologist for "films".  These films are like a simulation of the actual radiation treatment, but more a refinement of the earlier films.

The staff is so kind & warm & friendly that I felt instantly at ease once again even as I continue to venture deeper into the unknown.  The table is rock hard with a little cushy pillow and a mold which they place above my head for the placement of my arms.  I have to admit lying there for 30 plus minutes yesterday with my arms above my head made for slightly stiff shoulders.

As the machines went round and round my body, and the staff gently realigned my body, I again began to consider how lucky I was that this was caught so early.  And as I continue to learn more about cancer, I realize that it is not anyone's fault that this happens...though I do take full responsibility for everything that happens to me, one should release negative emotions as they come up.

After the staff had finished the initial run, they asked me to lie quietly as they reviewed the films making certain that the films were well done.   As I lay there, quietly, reflecting on what was happening to me, I gently and quietly began to cry.  Partially feeling sorry for myself and partially feeling a great big fear of the unknown were what I revealed was responsible for my emotional response.  I like to use NLP-like techniques to "chunk down" my behavior.asking myself, "why" am I having this response.  Continuing to use NLP, I took the response a step further beginning a "reframe". Was the scene in color or black and white, moving or still, where in my space was this scene, what distance or proximity, was I associated or dissociated?   Answers: Color, moving, up close & in my face, very associated.  So I changed the sub modalities, made the scene black & white, made it still rather than moving, moved the machine farther away and out of my face ( I made it smaller and moved it off to the side) and, finally, I dissociated - I separated myself from the machine, so I became me again and not part of the machine/scene.  And I wasn't crying anymore, I felt at peace.

Here's the plan....

Tomorrow I go to Radiation Oncologist for "films".

Tuesday, I begin chemo concurrent with radiation. ( I don't know what time yet)

The radiation will be 5 days a week at the same time each day.

They are going to do the chemo one day a week - Week One, two days a week - Week Two, three days a week - Week Three, four days a week - Week Four, up to five days a week - Week Five....all depending on how I tolerate it.