HYPNOSIS TO STAY IN CONTROL WHEN YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED

If you are one of the 10.9% of Rhode Islanders currently looking for work, you can’t control the fact that you don’t have a job (right now). But you can, and must, learn to manage your emotions.

Why? Aside from the obvious (maintaining your well-being), a positive attitude will keep you motivated and open to possibilities.

And your enemy is fear.

Hypnosis can help you reduce anxiety at the subconscious level. But consider this right now at the conscious, logical level:

At the height of the depression (25% unemployment nationally) President Franklin Roosevelt made a famous speech in which he declared "All we have to fear is fear itself." He knew that frightened people are not effective people. They do not make good decisions. They do not see possibility. They literally feel depressed.

Thanks to New Deal legislation, today’s unemployed face far less stress than our grandparents and great-grandparents did in the Great Depression. Today, we have extended unemployment benefits, social security, medicare, medicaid and other safety nets so that no one today has to face the desperation of the dark days of the 30s.

But, unfortunately, unemployment is more than just the loss of a paycheck. It can bring with it the loss of self-esteem, identify, sense of belonging, emotional security and balance. It can impact the unemployed workers health (both mental and physical) and damage his or her relationships with family and friends.

Start by Accepting that Unemployment is a Personal Crises

Unemployed people go through a process, almost like mourning for a deceased loved one. Emotions typically range from denial, to fear/anger, despair and finally acceptance. The faster you move through these stages the better you will be.

Why not begin by accepting that there are some things that are beyond your control?

Start by accepting that you can't change the fact that your former job ended, or the circumstances that ended it. You can't change the economy, your age, qualifications, household bills.

Then consider a few suggestions for moving forward. Like President Roosevelt’s speech they won’t change the facts of unemployment, but following these recommendations will help you change how you feel. Instead of wasting time on worrying about what you can’t change, you will be in control of what you can control: how you think, feel and act over the days and weeks ahead.

Control Your Time

Surely you will agree that your job is now finding a job. There are many books, articles and resources about how to get a job or “reinvent” yourself. By all means seek these out. Investigate every avenue to replace the lost income. Educate yourself. Become an expert on finding work.

But also recognize that without a job to report to, you will need to somehow replace 40 plus hours a week and the familiarity of a daily structure. You must, therefore, plan your day. Start with a written to do list. Block out the times you will be working and the times you will be doing other activities. Simple as that.

Part of good time management, especially when you are out-of-work, is balancing your life for good mental and physical health. Make a special effort to include time for exercise, family activities, recreation, spiritual and social events. Avoid the temptation to stop living a full life while you are waiting to get connected with your new position.

Adopt a Positive Attitude

You will probably get sick of hearing comments like "Just remember when one door closers another opens" or "Look at unemployment as an opportunity to reinvent yourself and figure out what you really want to do."

Both of those statements may be absolutely true, but it doesn’t help to hear it from others. However, there is one person you will listen to: yourself. Start by using self-talk to “sell yourself” on a positive attitude. If you are generally an optimist, managing your attitude may come naturally to you. If not you will need to work on it. Here are some specific steps to get you started:

· Write a gratitude list. List everything you are grateful for. Everything. Health. Family. Any resources. Update the list regularly and review it daily.

· Write an asset list. This is not a resume. It is a list of everything that makes you valuable. It includes the obvious: education, skills, work experience; but also include personal qualities like work ethic, personality, anything you can think of.

· Write an accomplishment list. Include anything you ever did that you felt good about. You might start with a spelling bee contest you won in second grade or the first time you rode a two wheeler, etc.

· Make a list of positive activities you can enjoy right now. Then start doing them. They can be personal changes like getting fit, stopping smoking, reconnecting with old friends or household repairs, listening to music you love, going for walks.

· Exercise. Daily exercise is the single best anti-depressant. And it can be free or very inexpensive. Being fit will also increase your self-esteem.

· Write a list of big personal goals. This may seem counter-intuitive. But it will break you out of the negative thinking trap. Include anything you think you might like to do. Places you want to visit. Things you want to have. Call it a dream list. And let yourself dream. Why not?

· Learn to live one day at a time. This strategy is one of the best ways to manage stress. Plan your day each morning. Review your day past each night. Work on focusing on each day. This is not Pollyanna denial. It is a proven emotional management technique for reducing worry.

· Refuse to get caught up in negativity. Avoid people whose negative attitude brings you down. Seek out positive perspectives socially and in the media.

· Work on your relationship. Acknowledge that you, your significant and family other are under stress right now. This is a time to communicate, spend time together. Avoid the temptation to pull back now more than ever.

· Watch out for negative habits. Be alert to your drinking, recreational chemical taking, eating habits, gambling, internet habits. Seek help if you need it. There are plenty of free 12-step resources in our state.

· Read motivational stories of people who turned unemployment into opportunities. Your library has them. Amazon.com lists 222 books under the subject “coping with unemployment.”

· Reconnect with your spirituality. Many people find a connection with a “power greater than themselves” a powerful, positive factor.

· Master the art of positive thinking. It comes natural to some people. If it doesn’t to you, it can still be learned. Amazon.com lists an amazing 27,253 books and cds under the subject “positive thinking.”

· Use your public library. If you don’t have a library card, get one. It is FREE and offers a broad range of support. Computers to use. Books and CDs to get. Events to attend. The library is a gateway to new interests, a way to get out of the house during the day. And discover the CLAN system that can get you materials from anywhere in the state. All FREE.

Network and Just Plain Talk to People

Don’t fall into the isolation trap (sending out resumes on the computer and calling it a day). Get out of the house. Seek out people. Not only can networking help you land a job, but it will also help you to feel connected with the world. Consider any opportunity for social interaction such as volunteering (kids’ sports coach, literacy volunteer, etc), taking courses, attending free lectures (check your library or read the list of events in this or other publications), getting more involved with a church or support group.

If You Feel Overwhelmed

If you feel overwhelmed, seek out counseling. Many counselors (and this hypnotist) offer a sliding scale and will be happy to cut you a break. And I will be happy to help. Let me know when you come in for the session whether you need a break off my regular fee. I am happy to offer it to help you get through this challenging time in your life.

Free consultations for those wondering whether hypnosis is right for them. Call 401-374-1890 if interested. I will explain hypnosis and do a test or two of hypnotizability. Either Warwick, Rhode Island or Seekonk, MA office.

Fear of Flying Class at Providence Learning Connection

NOTE: I will be offering a two session
fear of flying hypnosis group
at The Providence Learning Connection
July 27th and August 3rd, 2011.


Free consultations for those wondering whether hypnosis is right for them. Call 401-374-1890 if interested. I will explain hypnosis and do a test or two of hypnotizability. Either Warwick, Rhode Island or Seekonk, MA office.

New Smoking Cessation Website

One of my favorite applications of hypnosis is working with smokers who want to quit. There is nothing quite as gratifying as watching someone who has tried (and failed) for years to break free. Please visit my new site whether for yourself or a smoker you care about. Quitting is actually easier than you may think, especially with the two session program I have developed and refined over the years.

Declare Your Freedom From Destructive Habits

I believe that each of us has at least one oppressive habit we would like to break free from. Smoking. Overeating. Drinking too much. Overspending. Exercising too little.
As we celebrate our nation's independence this July, it might be wise to let the spirit of the holiday inspire us to declare our independence from our habits that enslave us. If you look closely, you will see that national and personal freedom have some interesting parallels.

To begin with, the Declaration of Independence was not a spur of the moment decision. As its text points out "mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

In personal terms, this desperate emotion is known as "hitting bottom" when it starts a personal revolution to free us from victimization by our unhealthy habits. A person must accept the unacceptability of the habit. They must also be angry enough to do something about it. People refer to this as being sick and tired of being sick and tired.

A distinguishing feature of the US Declaration of Independence is that it not only ended something (British rule), but also introduced a new idea into world consciousness
- the notion of self-rule.

It is important when starting a personal revolution that you develop an added dimension. Don't just quit something. Become something new and better.

Freedom from an addiction begins with a bold declaration that the person has gone to war with the habit and intends to separate from it absolutely. The alcoholic who accepts that one drink is too much and a thousand is not enough is on the road to recovery. Smokers who understand that one cigarette will likely get them hooked again, save themselves the trouble of reaching new, lower bottoms. There is nothing wrong with becomming fanatical about your insistence on being free. In fact, I have found that a degree of fanaticism is essential for success.

So, when in the course of human events, you reach a point where you are no longer willing to pay the price for your habits or addictions, the first step is to make a Personal Declaration of Independence. Declare yourself free of this addiction once and forever. The second is to begin to live, as though it were so. And it may not be easy. As Thomas Jefferson said, "Do not expect to be translated from despotism to liberty on a featherbed."

And, by all means, continue to celebrate your independence. Habits have a way of sneaking back when we least expect it. Just as the British decided to try to regain their "colonies" in 1812, addictions and old, destructive habits lie in wait looking for a moment of weakness. Be grateful for the change and be vigilant for any threats against your independence. Get it right and you can look forward to happy Independence Days in the years to come

My Idea to Stop The British Petroleum Oil Spill

I called BP with a suggestion. The operator said she would send me a form via email. That was a week ago. No form.

I have an idea that I am convinced will work. Maybe it is too simple.

Build a DOME heavy enough to overcome the pressure of the oil. Lower it over. Cap it off.

May not be a perfect solution. But wouldn't it stop upwards of 90% of the problem?

Then go in afterwards with filler. Or even put a valve in and pump the oil up to the surface.

I will try BP again but am posting here in the hopes that someone else may also run with it and solve a nasty problem that effects us all.

SURGERY WITHOUT DRUGS?

Yes. It is possible. And, over the years, I have helped several clients undergo surgical procedures, from minor to major, with no other pain management tool than the power of their minds.

In other words, they underwent surgery with hypnosis only.


Like the surgery described in the article linked to here, my favorite case history is that of a patient who was undergoing breast surgery. Hers was at Women and Infants hospital where I had been working in oncology helping cancer patients cope with the stress, pain and treatment associated with cancer.

Admittedly, she was excellent at hypnosis. There is a range of responsiveness. But it worked just fine. I met with her twice before the day of the surgery, induced hypnosis with suggestions for the day or the surgery. That morning I went to Women and Infants Hospital and hypnotized her in the preparation room. I was not invited into the operating theater. But, as it turns out, I wasn't needed. My client underwent her surgery with little discomfort much to the amazement of her surgeon and the staff.

In Europe, hypnosis is now increasingly being used in surgery. At one Belgian hospital, more than 5,000 surgical procedures have been carried out using a technique known as 'hypnosedation', which replaces general anaesthesia with hypnosis, local anaesthesia and a mild sedative.

Studies have shown that those who are 'hypnosedated' and avoid the side effects associated with general anaesthetics are able to return to work twice as quickly - 15days after surgery rather than 28 days.

If you are thinking about surgery with hypnosis as your primary pain management stratregy, there are two things to keep in mind. First, you must be an excellent hypnotic "subject" and enter a deep level of trance at will. Second, your surgeon and his or her team must be on board with your plan.

However, even if you don't go all the way with hypnosis, you can benefit tremendously from pre-surgery hypnosis. Hypnosis before surgery can:

Significantly reduce anxiety

before surgery

Reduce bleeding during surgery

Promote more rapid healing after surgery

Speed your recovery time

Reduce pain


If you are planning surgery, give me a call at 401-374-1890 to discuss how hypnosis can help you get through it with a minimum of discomfort and a more rapid recovery or drop me an email at john.koenig,hypnotist@live.com.

May Flowers

"Spring is nature's way of saying Lets Party!"
Robin Williams

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. "
Anne Bradstreet

"Whoosh...thank God the rains finally stopped and my basement is dry again."
John Koenig

Feel free to quote me.