Thoughts on Therapy
Over fifty-five years ago, Karen Horney wrote that "whatever the conditions under which a child grows up, he will... learn to cope with others in one way or another and he will probably acquire some skills. But there are also forces in him which he cannot acquire or even develop by learning. You need not, and in fact cannot, teach an acorn to grow into an oak tree, but when given a chance, its intrinsic potentialities will develop. Similarly, the human individual, given a chance, tends to develop his particular human potentialities. He will develop then the unique alive forces of his real self: the clarity and depth of his own feelings, thoughts, wishes, interests; the ability to tap his own resources, the strength of his will power; the special capacities or gifts he may have; the faculty to express himself, and to relate to himself and to others with his spontaneous feelings. All this will in time enable him to find his set of values and his aims in life. In short, he will grow, substantially undivereted, toward self-realization."
Psychotherapy can take many forms and use many tools and cannot be easily described in general statements. It is a complex enterprise that varies depending on the personalities of the therapist and client as well as the particular problems and issues that are being experienced. The roots of change can be found by simply observing an acorn grow. Is there enough light, water, and soil? What prevents the acorn from germinating? What change needs to happen to support the acorn to reach its potential?
Good therapy is about identifying the obstacles to growth and developing a creative and dynamic capacity to resolve or adapt to those challenges.
Whether you are coping with depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationships difficulties, career struggles, or just want to know and understand yourself better, therapy can be an excellent opportunity to think about where you have been and where you want to go.
Over fifty-five years ago, Karen Horney wrote that "whatever the conditions under which a child grows up, he will... learn to cope with others in one way or another and he will probably acquire some skills. But there are also forces in him which he cannot acquire or even develop by learning. You need not, and in fact cannot, teach an acorn to grow into an oak tree, but when given a chance, its intrinsic potentialities will develop. Similarly, the human individual, given a chance, tends to develop his particular human potentialities. He will develop then the unique alive forces of his real self: the clarity and depth of his own feelings, thoughts, wishes, interests; the ability to tap his own resources, the strength of his will power; the special capacities or gifts he may have; the faculty to express himself, and to relate to himself and to others with his spontaneous feelings. All this will in time enable him to find his set of values and his aims in life. In short, he will grow, substantially undivereted, toward self-realization."
Psychotherapy can take many forms and use many tools and cannot be easily described in general statements. It is a complex enterprise that varies depending on the personalities of the therapist and client as well as the particular problems and issues that are being experienced. The roots of change can be found by simply observing an acorn grow. Is there enough light, water, and soil? What prevents the acorn from germinating? What change needs to happen to support the acorn to reach its potential?
Good therapy is about identifying the obstacles to growth and developing a creative and dynamic capacity to resolve or adapt to those challenges.
Whether you are coping with depression, anxiety, interpersonal relationships difficulties, career struggles, or just want to know and understand yourself better, therapy can be an excellent opportunity to think about where you have been and where you want to go.
Clinical Hypnosis
Clinical hypnosis is a psychotherapeutic tool that can be used to activate under used resources, aptitudes, and skills in the service of accomplishing a particular goal. Hypnosis elicits the relaxation response. Additionally, this practice assists in turning the mind away from habitual patterns of response toward new and creative ways of problem solving. It is a state associated with selective wakefulness, controlled dissociation, diminished capacity for self-criticism, and increased suggestibility. Hypnosis is not associated with giving up control, being controlled, or giving away secrets. Rather, it is a tool that can be used to take back control of the self allowing the patient to use their own inner-resources to help themselves.
D. Corydon Hammon provides the following metaphor to describe hypnosis: "It is similar to what occurred when as children we played with a magnifying glass in the sun--when the rays of the sun are focused, they are more powerful. Similarly, when our mind is concentrated and focused, we are sometimes able to use more of our potential and more of the power of our mind for instance, to block pain. In this sense, instead of being out of control, like [one popular misconception about hypnosis], learning hypnosis is actually the ultimate in a self-control skill."
Hypnosis can be highly effective in smoking cessation and habit control, stress management and relaxation training, anxiety, insomnia, and pain management. Additionally, hypnosis can be an effective tool for performance enhancement surrounding activities such as sports, test--taking, public speaking, and various creative and artistic endeavors.
It is important to understand that as with all types of therapies, hypnosis is a highly effective tool for some patients with some problems. However, like all types of therapies, it also fails some patients with some problems.
I have a particular interest in using clinical hypnosis to help people unleash their creative potential, resolve chronic habit issues (weight loss smoking cessation, etc.), as well as utilizing hypnotherapy to build skills at stress reduction.
Clinical hypnosis is a psychotherapeutic tool that can be used to activate under used resources, aptitudes, and skills in the service of accomplishing a particular goal. Hypnosis elicits the relaxation response. Additionally, this practice assists in turning the mind away from habitual patterns of response toward new and creative ways of problem solving. It is a state associated with selective wakefulness, controlled dissociation, diminished capacity for self-criticism, and increased suggestibility. Hypnosis is not associated with giving up control, being controlled, or giving away secrets. Rather, it is a tool that can be used to take back control of the self allowing the patient to use their own inner-resources to help themselves.
D. Corydon Hammon provides the following metaphor to describe hypnosis: "It is similar to what occurred when as children we played with a magnifying glass in the sun--when the rays of the sun are focused, they are more powerful. Similarly, when our mind is concentrated and focused, we are sometimes able to use more of our potential and more of the power of our mind for instance, to block pain. In this sense, instead of being out of control, like [one popular misconception about hypnosis], learning hypnosis is actually the ultimate in a self-control skill."
Hypnosis can be highly effective in smoking cessation and habit control, stress management and relaxation training, anxiety, insomnia, and pain management. Additionally, hypnosis can be an effective tool for performance enhancement surrounding activities such as sports, test--taking, public speaking, and various creative and artistic endeavors.
It is important to understand that as with all types of therapies, hypnosis is a highly effective tool for some patients with some problems. However, like all types of therapies, it also fails some patients with some problems.
I have a particular interest in using clinical hypnosis to help people unleash their creative potential, resolve chronic habit issues (weight loss smoking cessation, etc.), as well as utilizing hypnotherapy to build skills at stress reduction.
