Letting go

A couple of months ago I was going through quite a dark time, in terms of hypnosis at least.

At no point since September when I took my first steps into the hypnotic world have I ever had any complaints about my development as a hypnotist. I feel as though my skill and confidence has always been coming on by leaps and bounds, and the inspiration and confidence to try the next new thing never seems to stop flowing. It's an amazing journey and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Well perhaps something I could complain about is the lack of a steady stream of attractive young female subjects knocking on my door and demanding to be hypnotised right now, but I wouldn't because my girlfriend might decide to read this and apology meals out are expensive.

Anyway, given my recent successes with actually experiencing hypnosis as the subject I find it quite hard to believe that it was such a short time ago that I was very worried because nothing seemed to be working. For me it such a horrible feeling to think that perhaps I was just incapable of experiencing any of the amazing things I've been sharing with others. It had me thinking that there was something fundamentally wrong with me.

It was at this time that I went to a couple of my regular messageboards on the internet looking for help on this issue. I should, I thought, be able to get a straight answer to the question of whether my response would improve if I kept trying, or was I to be stuck being a hopeless case for life? I needed to know.

I was actually quite surprised, shocked even, at the lack of any useful response from anybody. Normally the hypnotists on these boards are brimming with definitive and helpful advice, but my experience has been that on this issue a significant number of hypnotists are pretty tight lipped, and most of the rest are just useless.

One phrase kept coming up though: "Let go"

At this point I was completely committed to being hypnotised and felt that I was holding absolutely nothing back in my attempts to feel something... anything, for something to work, and yet of course nothing was.

"Let go eh? Oh! Thankyou! If only I'd thought of that one earlier!"

I needed reassurance that people could get better over time. I was clearly missing something important about what I was supposed to be doing and wanted to know what that might be. But to keep getting that same, useless, meaningless, phrase over and over and over was so infuriating.

Let go of what?! I not holding onto anything! Be glad I'm not, because if I was I would probably throw it at you!

I am in a situation where I am able to look at this and find it amusing. I feel I have overcome this particular hurdle; I know now that I can become a brilliant hypnotic subject if I put my mind to it, which of course I intend to do. I eventually found that missing piece of the puzzle, and now it really feels as though hypnosis is working for me. The future looks exciting.

The reason why I am referring back to this now is that for some reason the thread I started on one of these forums has jumped back into life. More people have visited in order to advise me that what I really, really, need to do is to... that's right, you guessed it, "let go"!

Either that or first give me an anecdote of what their first time being hypnotised was like, how easy it was for them, how deep they went and what a profound experience it was. Just, in fact, what someone who's clearly upset that they aren't experiencing anything at all and wondering if they never will wants to hear.

Then they tell me I need to "let go".

For me this is a wonderful example of the concept of anchoring, albeit unintentional. At the time I felt that if just one more hypnotist told me to "let go" I would actually scream. A strong emotional response and compulsive action initiated by an external trigger.

I have since gotten this under control.

I now merely fantasise a mental image of myself brandishing a claymore above my head and screaming celtic war cries as I charge headlong into a crowd of hypnotherapists, who for are all for some reason dressed up as medieval monks and chanting "let go! let go!" from under their hoods.

Just a moment. I'm going to savour that image of flying severed limbs and pocket watches. It is rather satisfying.

So anyway everything's on the up and the future looks bright, but please don't ask me to "let go".