“Can a book put you in a trance?”
I’ve been practicing hypnosis since the 1960s. I’ve written books such as Hypnotic Writing and Buying Trances, so the question was not out of line.
“Why do you ask?”
“I thought maybe I could just read and have change happen.”
“You mean without doing anything?”
“Nothing more than read. I’m tired of struggling to change.”
“You have to want to change,” I pointed out.
“I do! But everything I tried so far doesn’t help.”
“You think reading a book will?”
“You’ve told me of books that have inspired people to change. Can you write one for me?”
“Specifically for you?”
“Yes.”
“You prefer that over my just putting you into a trance?”
“You’ve done that and I’m still me.”
“You’ll always be you,” I explained. “You’re simply wanting to be a new and improved version of yourself.”
“If I could do it on my own, I would. I think I’m resisting change in our sessions.”
“Why would you resist what you want?”
“Huh?”
“You said you are resisting change. I’m asking why you would resist changing into what you say you want?”
“I guess a part of me doesn’t want the change.”
“And why would that part not want what the rest of you wants?”
“That’s what I don’t get, Doc. I mean, I want to change, and I’m here with you to change, but I’m obviously not changing.”
“And so you think a book will do it?”
“A book by you, yes. You could make it hypnotic and the message might bypass the critical part of me that is blocking change.”
“This sounds like you created a solution for yourself.”
“I guess so. Will you do it?”
“If I wrote such a book, what do you think would be in it to convince that part of you to finally change now?”
“You could tell me a story and I’d be so interested in the story that I wouldn’t notice that a change took place while I was reading it.”
“You’re pretty clever,” I said.
“Well if I were truly clever, I wouldn’t need the book I’m requesting.”
“If I told you a story in this book about how a person changed by simply taking action in the direction of the change they wanted, would you accept it?”
“If it’s a true story.”
“There a hundreds if not thousands of books by and about people who have overcome adversity and all odds to achieve breakthroughs and transformations.”
“I”d like to be one of those people.”
“What do you want to achieve?”
“I already told you. I want to improve myself so I like myself.”
“If you liked yourself right now, how would you feel?”
“Better than I do now.”
“Yes, but what would you be feeling?”
“I don’t know, Doc. I guess peace, love, appreciation.”
“Can you remember a time when you felt that way?”
Silence.
“Well, I remember getting a good grade on a paper in school and I felt proud of myself.”
“Do you have a memory from even earlier than that?”
“Not really.”
“Think for a moment…”
Silence.
“Well there was a time when I was a little kid and my mom said I did something good.”
“What did you do?”
“I think I cleaned my room.”
“And you felt what?”
“Proud.”
“Pride in yourself is a healthy feeling,” I explained. “Do you feel pride these days?”
“No.”
“What about for trying to take care of yourself by seeing me?”
“I guess that’s a good thing.”
“How do you feel knowing it’s a good thing?”
“Some pride, I guess. But how do I get past all the negative stuff about myself?”
“You are remembering the negative but you are also remembering the positive. Maybe you can do more remembering of the positive.”
“Doesn’t seem easy.”
“Tell you what. I’ll make it easy for you.”
“Finally.”
I handed out two coins.
“Which do you want?” I asked.
“Does it matter?”
“One is a good coin. The other is a less than good coin.”
“I’ll take the good coin.”
“Why?”
“Well because it’s good. It’s the better choice.”
“And why wouldn’t you want the less than good coin?”
“I don’t want to have a coin less than what I could have.”
“I see.”
We stared at each other.
“I think I see your point, Doc.”
“What is it?”
“I can choose.”
“Choose what?”
“The good memories.”
“And why would you choose good memories?”
“They feel better.”
“Do you still want me to write a book for you?”
“It’s your choice, Doc.”
Love
Dr Joe
Note: Other Imaginotions by Dr. Joe Vitale
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-one/
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-two/
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-three/
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-four/
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-five/
https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/imaginotions-part-six/
How can “self-help songs,” well, help your self?
My six singer-songwriter albums all contain original tunes of “song therapy.”
They often contain positive messages of motivation, transformation, and inspiration.
It’s my way of helping you through challenges and tough times with songs of encouragement.
In many ways, my songs are “coaches” in lyrical form.
My newest album, The Great Something – now on iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, and more – contains the most advanced and memorable self-help songs of my career so far. But don’t take my word for it. Note –
Stephen Oliver said (used with his permission) “I just received my copy of your new CD, “The Great Something”. As soon as I got into my home office (I’m a freelance writer), I put it on the stereo. I’m listening to it as I write. Now I’m in a quandary. I can’t decide whether it’s incredible or ‘merely’ fantastic. Either way, I love it. I’ve already added it to my night time playlist, along with all your other CDs.”
And Jimbo Berkey said (used with his permission) “After listening to your newest album, “The Great Something,” I am convinced that it is the most powerful and compelling message that anyone who hasn’t begun this journey could ever encounter.” (Jimbo went on to buy 20 more copies of the CD to give out to people.)
Let me explain how you can use self-help songs like the ones on The Great Something in your life:
“The Hook”
When you are facing a situation where someone or something is about to “set you off,” take a breath. The self-help song “The Hook” (on my One More Day album) contains the message “Don’t Take the Hook!” It’s a reminder that you don’t have to take the bait. In general, whenever you get upset, it’s when you went unconscious. Something or someone flipped your internal switch and you got mad or sad. The song “Don’t Take the Hook” is your reminder that you have choice; you don’t have to get engaged or outraged. You can always walk away. You can even walk away singing, “Don’t take the hook!”
“The Glad Game”
But if you do take the hook and find yourself upset, you can always play The Glad Game to recover. I wrote this self-help song because of the famous book, and many movie adaptations of it, called Pollyanna. “The Glad Game” (on The Great Something album) is your reminder that you can find the good in any situation or person. You may have to really look. But it’s always there. Always. This upbeat swing-rock-dance song will show you the way.
“Look for the Light”
One way to find the good, or play The Glad Game, is to “Look For the Light.” This self-help song, also on The Great Something album, is a reminder that there is light (or good, or glad, or positive) in any and every situation. This song was born when someone asked me how to handle political fighting and opinion conflicts that split people. I spontaneously said, “Look for the light.” There are always people doing good things, and good causes you can find and support. But you may need to pause and look for it.
“Empowerment”
You’ll find yet another way to use lyrics as affirmations in my self-help song “Empowerment” on my album The Healing Song. This instrumental cried out for my voice, so I allowed inspiration to guide me in speaking hypnotic commands of inner strength. Listening to this track alone can strengthen your mental core, so you can have, do, or be, whatever you imagine and work toward. I listen to this song every time it shuffles up on my playlist. It’s powerful.
“There’ll Be Days”
After my private songwriting lesson with rock legend Melissa Etheridge, all of my music became more focused. The self-help song “There’ll Be Days” (also on my latest album, The Great Something) is my favorite song for conveying wisdom in a traditional singer-songwriter folk format. It’s a reminder that some days will be tough, and some will be tender, but you can get through them all if you smile and remember this song. I know it doesn’t sound humble at all, but I think this song is pure genius. At least I can’t stop listening to it. It’s hauntingly beautiful.
“The Great Something”
When you need reminded that you aren’t alone, and that the dark night of the soul will pass, you might listen to “The Great Something” (the title track on The Great Something album). This self-help song was directly inspired by my lesson with Melissa Etheridge. She advised me to write in the first person. I took her advice to heart and wrote the most personal, raw, and revealing song of my life so far. I listened to it earlier today to remind myself that “The Great Something” – what others might call Divine, Universe, Nature, Gaia or something else – is with you always.
“Some Thoughts”
Everybody has thoughts, but not everybody knows they are not their thoughts. The self-help song “Some Thoughts,” on my One More Day album, is an upbeat tune reminding you that some thoughts serve you and some thoughts suck. But you can play the jukebox in your mind and just select a different song/thought at any time.
“You Gotta”
The self-help song “You Gotta” (on my album titled Sun Will Rise) is a pep-talk in song. With saxophone, guitar and an upbeat drum (by the drummer with the same name as me), this one is designed to urge you to get up, get moving, and move toward your dreams. “You gotta dream, dare, grow and go” is an affirmation and command. After all, any dream you want to attract requires movement from you, as life is a co-creation.
“Everybody’s Going thru Something”
The most popular music video I ever had created is the one made to breathe life into the self-help song, “Everybody’s Going thru Something” (on my very first album, Strut!). I wrote this song to remind us that we all have dreams and we all have pains. If we can be more understanding, we can bring more peace to the world. (See the music video at the end of this post.)
“Remember”
The smokey-bluesy-jazzie self-help song “Remember” (on the album Reflection) is a hypnotic-poetic ballad revealing the creativity technique I used to make numerous albums. The technique is called The Remembering Process and Daniel Barrett, my producer, and I wrote a book explaining it called, naturally enough, The Remembering Process. With baritone saxophone and a smooth groove, this spoken word song offers you another way to enjoy creativity. For some reason I want to say this song is really hip.
If this intrigues you, please see All Healing Music, the portal for almost all of my healing music (many recorded with Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon) and self-help songs (all recorded with my band of legends: Daniel Barrett, drummer Joe Vitale, Glenn Fukunaga).
Remember, what you listen to also programs you.
Choose wisely.
Ao Akua,
PS – Audio samples of my singer-songwriter albums are here: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JoeVitale1
PPS – You may also be interested in a blog post I wrote last year about Motivational Songs at https://www.mrfire.com/music/motivational-songs/
The two most popular books I’ve written are hands down Zero Limits and AT Zero, both about ho’oponopono.
Both led to an awakening for readers worldwide.
Both went beyond the Law of Attraction and the movie The Secret.
Both told the incredible but true story of Dr. Hew Len, an unusual therapist who helped heal an entire ward of mentally ill criminals in a Hawaii state hospital.
His method of healing is called ho’oponopono.
The basic four phrases of this Hawaiian healing method – I love you, I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you – are easy and practical.
Just say them inside yourself while addressing your connection to the Divine, or what I sometimes call The Great Something.
That alone works miracles, as my books report.
But there’s more to it.
I’ve been studying and practicing this method for more than ten years.
I’ve taught it, written about it in two books, shared it on numerous shows and in movies, used it publicly and privately, held three seminars with Dr. Hew Len teaching it, recorded healing music and songs with it, created a basic certification course in it, and much more.
I’ve also gone beyond it.
As I’ve explained in such books as The Awakening Course, ho’oponopono is actually a third stage tool.
There’s still the fourth stage of awakening, which is beyond basic ho’oponopono.
There are more methods, phrases, tools, and techniques to help you relax into the moment and be at peace.
There are deeper ways to attract miracles.
There are more ways to clean and clear.
There are other ways to awaken.
What are they?
I’ll be sharing them at a private event March 10-12, 2017 outside of Austin, Texas. Details are at http://advancedhooponoponolive.com/
I won’t be doing it alone.
I’ll have Austin All Natural magazine editor Michael Abedin (above left) speak about Reiki, Bach flower remedies and forgiveness. Michael is a terrific storyteller and riveting speaker. His insights will startle and soothe. He also tells good jokes. He’ll tie all of this to advanced ho’oponopono.
Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon will be discussing the use of Ho’oponopono infused music and its ability to align spiritual vibration, clean data/memory/beliefs, and clear your ethereal passages for Divine inspiration.
He and I have made several inspired albums of divine music. We will share how music heals and helps. We will also show you how to apply inspiration in any area of your life. You will learn to clean memory so you can receive inspiration.
Dr. Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist, will teach you about hypnosis and how to re-program yourself, enabling you to better practice Ho’oponopono. Dr. Steve will even be sharing an empowering hypnosis session. Together he and I will explain that you are in a trance right now, and how to awaken from it.
Dr. Steve is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist who has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 25 books on such topics as hypnosis, the law of attraction and weight loss. Steve has also created over 9,000 hypnosis audio recordings and 22 different online certification programs, which are sold in over 140 countries.
Chuck Pennington will show you how to harmonize with the Universal Mind and take that energy home with you. He will teach you how to create a Ho’oponopono Mastermind so you can help others as they help you.
Have you ever gone to a seminar, gotten home, and a week or two later that “seminar buzz” wears off and you’re right back where you were?
Chuck will show you how to maintain that buzz and to make sure that not only your thoughts, but your actions stay in harmony with the clearing and cleaning energy of the sacred spiritual advanced ho’oponopono weekend.
Harry B-Happy Bartholomew is a former Buddhist Monk, music producer and energy healer practicing and teaching Reiki, Adhisthana healing, Medicine Buddha healing, 42 eyes and hands of the Great Compassion Sutra, who first started practicing Ho’oponopono in 2008.
One of his main practices is his work doing empowerments using Gongs, Singing Bowls, and Ho’oponopono. During this spiritual retreat, he will not only perform these empowerments for all in attendance, but will also talk about his journey, how he uses his gongs and bowls as cleaning and empowerment tools, and how you can develop your own tools.
Everyone attending will be given a crystal, which will be infused with energy for clearing and healing. Many things in ho’oponopono are talismans, and this crystal will be set aflame with the clearing energy of the group. You will be able to carry it and use it as a touchstone for clearing.
I will of course review the basic ho’oponopono process, and teach everyone advanced methods of clearing and healing, including how to use EFT and ho’oponopono, and the new phrases for cleaning. I will share stories and processes that have never been revealed before, many of my own discovery.
There will be other speakers besides those listed above, too. Check the main site for up-to-date information.
Everyone attending will be certified as Ho’oponopono Advanced Practicioners.
If you have suspected that there is more to spirituality, healing and ho’oponopono, then this weekend spiritual retreat will be your cup of tea.
Details are at http://advancedhooponoponolive.com/
Expect Miracles.
Ao Akua,
When my drummer was here recently for the recording of my sixth self-help singer-songwriter album, titled The Great Something, he talked about how much he loved the old 1960’s hit television show, The Twilight Zone.
It’s Twilight Zone-ish enough that my drummer has the same name as me, grew up in the same area of Ohio as me, and went to the same college as me – but we never met until five years ago, for the making of my first singer-songwriter album.
But it gets even stranger when one night an episode of The Twilight Zone aired on television – one I don’t recall ever seeing before.
As I watched, an idea for an “instant change” self-help technique came to me with a jolt.
Oh, this is good, I thought to myself, laughing.
Wait till I tell everyone about this!
And this is where the story gets really interesting.
But let’s start at the beginning.
I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone TV show.
I was five years old when it first aired in 1959, but I saw virtually every episode after that, and still watch them today. Each show was genius. Great acting, great stories, great lessons.
Over half of the 150 episodes were written by the man who created the show: Rod Serling.
Serling deeply influenced me when I was a teenager.
I studied his scripts, short stories, and movies to unlock his mastery at writing.
I loved his screenplays for Seven Days in May and Requiem for a Heavyweight.
Talk about hypnotic writing!
Rod Serling’s Advice to Writers (1962)
DON’T LET SENTIMENTALITY REAR ITS UGLY HEAD!!!
MAKE PEOPLE THINK… STUN THEM… GRAB YOUR AUDIENCE IMMEDIATELY
DON’T OVERLOAD DIALOGUE
HAVE A POINT OF VIEW… DON’T ACCEPT SOMEONE ELSE’S CONCEPT
OVERALL THEME LEADS TO CHARACTERS THEN ON TO PLOT
RESEARCH BACKGROUND FOR ANY STORY
CONTINUITY… TIE SCENES OR PARAGRAPHS TOGETHER
I almost signed up for the Famous Writers School, as Serling was on their board (as was John Caples, another writer who would influence me decades later).
It didn’t happen. I was still in high school, and my parents couldn’t or wouldn’t swing the tuition for the correspondence course.
But something even better happened.
I met Rod Serling.
He was giving a presentation in Youngstown, Ohio, not far from my home. Two friends and myself went to hear the great one speak. It was around 1970.
I was too excited to sit still.
I was star-struck and eager to meet the icon.
He walked out on stage, cigarette in hand, tanned, tiny, unshaven, tight lipped, and uncomfortable.
I was instantly disappointed.
Serling was a chain-smoking little man with darkness and insecurity in him.
He said if there was a thump at night, he’d be the first one outside in his shorts.
He said he was the only boxer who had to be carried into as well as out of the ring.
He was articulate, self effacing, and entertaining.
But I wanted to see a super human, not a mortal.
Though I was shy and nervous, I managed to ask him a question.
I raised my hand.
He nodded at me.
“Do you plan to write your autobiography?” I asked.
“No,” Serling replied. “Nothing much has happened in my life. It’d be boring.”
I was shocked.
Here was one of early television’s most influential writers.
A creative mind on the level of genius.
He wrote screenplays for some of the most haunting TV shows and movies ever.
He won several Emmy Awards for his work.
He served in the war and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, as well as trauma and wounds that would give him nightmares his entire life.
He was known as “the angry young man” of Hollywood, fighting with TV executives over censorship, racism, and war.
He was also unhappy.
“I was traumatized into writing by war events,” Rod Serling explained. “By going through a war in a combat situation and feeling the desperate sense of terrible need for some sort of therapy. To get it out of my gut, write it down. This is the way it began for me.”
And he thought his life story would be boring???
It was a turning point for me.
I decided if this insecure man can become a scrip writing legend, than there was a chance for me to make it as an author, too.
And now, before I get to the point of this entire article, let’s pause for a commercial break….
Be the first! Preorder my new album “The Great Something” as a limited edition collectible audio CD. All original transformational songs. All dedicated to Melissa Etheridge. You’ll get a surprise bonus gift when it ships in March. See http://www.thegreatsomethingalbum.com/
And now let’s continue with this article….
Back to the episode I saw the other night.
It took place in an office.
A businessman is talking to his secretary.
He is preparing to go on a trip.
He goes to his phone, starts to dial his wife’s number, when suddenly someone shouts, “CUT!”
The man freezes.
He watches as his office walls are moved.
And then he sees an entire film crew looking at him.
He is on a movie set.
The yelling of “CUT!” caused him to freeze.
He is almost traumatized by this turn of events.
He didn’t know he was on a set, or in a movie, or was an actor.
Imagine how you would feel if right now you heard a booming voice yell “CUT!” and then you saw the walls around you move apart, only to reveal a film crew that has been watching you the whole time.
The episode is from 1960. It’s #23. It was written by Richard Matheson. It’s called “A World of Difference.” Howard Duff is the key actor. Find it and watch it sometime.
And now let’s get to the point:
Here’s how I discovered a self-help “instant change” technique:
Whenever you notice anything not going the way you want it to, mentally or out loud yell, “CUT!”
And then do, think or say something different.
Use “CUT!” as a command to change your mind or even a situation.
For example:
A friend was complaining about her day.
I listened for a moment.
Then I blurted, “CUT!”
She stared at me.
“Let’s redo this scene,” I said. “Say your lines differently this time.”
I had to explain the entire Twilight Zone episode to her before she understood what I was doing, but my “pattern interrupt” caused her to smile and begin a new conversation.
Another example:
I was served dinner at a restaurant.
I was about to complain about the dish when I remembered that complaining doesn’t help. It’s far wiser to state an intention instead.
So I yelled “CUT!” in my head.
“State what you want,” I told myself, “not what you don’t want.”
I then stated that I wanted my food heated up a little more, and the server smiled and handled it. No one was offended by a complaint, and I got what I wanted from the intention.
Do you see how this works?
I’m simply pretending that life is a stage play or television show.
As long as “the show” entertains me, fine.
But if I or someone in my real life reality show gets “out of tune” or goes “off script,” I can simply say “CUT!” and “Let’s do the scene again!”
“In almost everything I’ve written, there is a thread of this: man’s seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself.”- Rod Serling
My own philosophy of life states that life is an illusion, anyway.
We’re all actors and actresses on the stage of life.
The problem is, we are all in a hypnotic trance and believe our roles.
“Awakening” is all about realizing you are acting out a script, though unconsciously.
By saying “CUT!” and pausing, you start to awaken from the trance and redirect your life.
In a real sense, you become the scriptwriter of your own life.
How cool is that?
I’m having fun using this self-help method in my daily life.
If I notice my thoughts start to go downhill, I just yell in my mind, “CUT!”
And then I choose to “redo my lines” by thinking more upbeat thoughts.
I doubt anyone involved with the making of The Twilight Zone ever thought of this way of retraining your brain and interrupting patterns, but I like thinking Rod Serling is smiling from above.
If not, then “CUT!” and “This time put a smile on your face, Rod!”
Ao Akua,
PS — One of my favorite screenplays by Rod Serling was titled, Patterns. It was a live television drama in 1955. It became a movie in 1956. Yelling “CUT!” is a great way to break a pattern. Just sayin’.
I know you might be one of those people who feel like the Law of Attraction just doesn’t work for you.
I understand and I want to help.
So let’s begin…
Have you ever had one of those days where gravity wasn’t working for you?
Where you can’t seem to keep your feet planted on the ground and you wind up floating around in the atmosphere?
Of course not.
Why not?
Because gravity is a LAW.
It doesn’t work some days and not work other days.
It’s *always* working, and you are experiencing the effects of it all the time, at every moment.
Even right now.
But you probably never spilled a cup of coffee and said, “Darn that Law of Gravity!”
Instead, you realized it was your actions coupled with the existing law that caused the accident.
Well, the Law of Attraction is exactly the same.
It’s a LAW – not a feel-good principle or some kind of new-age voodoo flake-out.
You can’t “do” the Law of Attraction wrong.
It doesn’t turn off and on, like a light switch.
It’s not subject to fate or fancy.
It is a powerful but neutral force that is constantly operating.
Just like gravity.
And that means something extremely important –
It means that what you have right now (or don’t have right now) is – on some level – exactly what you want.
The good stuff and the bad stuff.
The abundance and the lack.
You’ve attracted all of it.
Why?
How?
Because your conscious thoughts aren’t all there is.
Below the surface, a complex and deep-seated collection of beliefs are exerting an extremely powerful force in your life.
When these subconscious thoughts are in harmony with what you consciously intend, you attract it.
But if there are “counter-intentions” present within you – that is, thoughts and beliefs that run contrary to your conscious wishes – you will not achieve the results you want, no matter how much you want them on the surface.
This is not cause for blame or guilt.
After all, you weren’t aware of the unconscious beliefs working.
What this is all about is awakening.
I’m probably the only teacher in the movie The Secret that has stood my ground about this.
I’ve taken heat for it, too.
I feel like Freud when he introduced his idea of the unconscious mind in the late 1800s and was booed off stage.
He didn’t back down.
Neither have I.
So how do you get clear of those contrary beliefs within your unconscious mind?
How do you get rid of the inner roadblocks and go warp speed ahead, right to whatever it is you’re trying to achieve or attract?
It took me some time to figure out the answer to that question.
But once I did, it was as if all the limits in and around me shattered.
I thought life was good before – I had no idea it could be THIS good.
I thought I’d achieved a pretty high level of personal and professional success – but the success I experienced once I got clear absolutely blew me away.
I had finally discovered –
“The Missing Secret” that makes the Law of Attraction work the way you want it to – 100% of the time.
There are two ways you can learn this “Missing Secret.”
1 – Get my Nightingale-Conant bestselling audio program. http://www.nightingale.com/missing-secret.html
2. – Get in my famous Miracles Coaching program. http://www.MiraclesCoaching.com
Obviously, the coaching program will require a bigger investment, but the results will be dramatic and fast.
But I understand if you’d rather invest in the audios and listen and awaken at your own pace.
Either way, the choice is yours.
Which will you choose?
Ao Akua,
PS – Consider: If the Law of Attraction is already working but you aren’t seeing the results you want because you don’t understand it yet, how much more incredible will your life be once you use the Law with conscious intention and crystal clarity? As I often say, “Expect Miracles.”
Here’s your choice:
1 – Get my Nightingale-Conant bestselling audio program. http://www.nightingale.com/missing-secret.html
2. – Get in my famous Miracles Coaching program. http://www.MiraclesCoaching.com