| Advanced Neuro-Noetic HypnosisTM is designed | | | | Starting with my exposure to and multiple classes |
| as a system that is solidly supported by scientific | | | | and courses that I took with California psychiatrist |
| research, which then logically progresses to | | | | Daniel Amen, MD, I started appreciating the |
| specific protocols. The intent is to create a | | | | importance of energy in the brain and how its |
| system with a strong evidence-based rationale | | | | distribution activated, idled, or inhibited the |
| that provides more efficient and effective | | | | functioning of the various neural substrates. This |
| techniques. Previously, I covered its origin and | | | | detailed understanding led me to understand the |
| guiding principles. In this article I will continue my | | | | importance of balance and how hypnosis can be |
| discussion by giving brief explanations regarding | | | | used to shift energy and thus affect which |
| the five core concepts upon which it is based. | | | | functions of the brain were available or altered at |
| These are patterns, balance, inhibition, plasticity, | | | | any given time. Of course, my interest in |
| and entrainment. | | | | neurology did not stop there. I began passionately |
| Before getting into these I want to again give you | | | | digging into neurology textbooks and research |
| some of my reasoning. During my initial | | | | articles. This led me to conclude that there is no |
| certifications and the beginning of my doctoral | | | | way that a hypnotherapist could even think about |
| courses, I was constantly exposed to a variety | | | | claiming credibility lest he or she had at least a |
| of script writing techniques, which were to be | | | | fundamental appreciation of neurophysiology. |
| used to produce guided imagery for different | | | | My studies soon led me in slightly a different |
| things such as habit cessation and healing. The | | | | direction as I began showing interest in the |
| presented rules were rather simplistic. I was | | | | Savant Syndrome. Wisconsin psychiatrist Darold |
| instructed to use positive words and phrases and | | | | Treffert, MD, has made a lifelong study into |
| a mixture of metaphor and direct suggestion. In | | | | people who both suffer from autism and display |
| turn, this was justified in terms of "whole brain | | | | prodigious savant abilities. What he found was that |
| thinking" clichés and even more advanced | | | | due to trauma or genetics the brains of these |
| concepts such as Robert Sperry's left-right brain | | | | individuals had areas that were dysfunctional and |
| and the triune brain. From that point, it was hoped | | | | therefore demanded less energy. The resulting |
| that the wonderful entity called the subconscious | | | | shifting of the energy to other neural substrates |
| mind would somehow miraculously figure out a | | | | was considered by Treffert a sound theoretical |
| solution and change the subject's life. This was | | | | justification for their amazing abilities. My |
| pretty much how I started my career as a clinical | | | | conclusion was that if areas of the brain could be |
| hypnotherapist. While I was pleased by the results | | | | inhibited merely by selective thinking, then it is |
| that my clients experienced, later when medical | | | | possible to enhance the certain brain-based skills. |
| doctors began challenging my rather anecdotal | | | | Furthermore, for most of us all it takes is an |
| claims, it was through efforts to find research | | | | activation of an area of the brain by using specific |
| evidence and my pursuit of neurology, quantum | | | | thought patterns to shift energy away from |
| physics, and energy modalities that my way of | | | | areas unnecessary for a specific activity. This is |
| thinking suddenly changed. | | | | another way of looking at inhibition. When you |
| Although I do not read scripts during sessions, the | | | | couple this concept with the "use it or lose it" |
| techniques that I use and the scripts that I | | | | theory of the late-Canadian psychologist Donald |
| produce for my commercially available products | | | | Hebb, Phd, then you can easily conclude by |
| are a far cry from the instruction just described. | | | | repetitively activating certain areas strengthens |
| By understanding more about how intelligence | | | | capabilities. This is the foundation of my mastery |
| works, how the brain and body function, and how | | | | program as it explains how to rapidly improve |
| change happens in nature, I began to radically alter | | | | reading comprehension as well as golf scores. |
| how I composed a script. For instance, I now | | | | My interest in brain inhibition took me down |
| consider things like creating antithetical imagery, | | | | another avenue. Allan Snyder, PhD, at the |
| shifting cognitive-limbic orientations, changing | | | | University of Sydney, and Alvaro Pascual-Leone, |
| space-time perceptions, and using the brain's | | | | MD, at the Harvard Medical School were using |
| anticipation and simulation powers. While I will not | | | | Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to inhibit parts of |
| cover these individual ideas either in much detail or | | | | the brain to see what would happen. When they |
| possibly even at all in these series of articles, I list | | | | used TCM (or other techniques) to inhibit parts of |
| them here merely to let you know that there is | | | | the subject's brain, they noticed enhanced |
| so much more to writing ANNH scripts than most | | | | performance in specific areas - a fact that |
| hypnotherapists currently realize. So for now let's | | | | supported my mastery theory. In turn, this |
| get back to the ANNH core concepts. | | | | tended to agree with brain plasticity theorists who |
| Early during my investigation into the credibility of | | | | insisted on the brain's capability to reorganize after |
| hypnosis, I stumbled on several influential ideas. | | | | strokes or other trauma. Then I stumbled upon |
| The first was a rather recent statement by NLP | | | | the work of Edward Taub, PhD, the University of |
| founder Richard Bandler, PhD, who said that our | | | | Alabama Birmingham, psychologist who uses a |
| survival instinct is not as important as our drive to | | | | unique concept called "constraint therapy" to help |
| maintain the familiar. Then I was exposed to the | | | | stroke victims recover. Taub says that the brain |
| ideas of Wayne Perry, a California sound | | | | has a tremendous untapped resource of "spare |
| therapist, who focuses on rhythm and | | | | tires" just waiting to be called upon. Again, my |
| entrainment. Next, I remembered an artificial | | | | mastery theory takes advantage of this resource. |
| intelligence textbook that I had recently acquired. | | | | All in all, these studies supported the evolution of |
| Together these ideas came to be what I call | | | | my thinking. In order to help someone improve |
| Pattern Theory. | | | | their mental happiness, improve performance, and |
| This collection of attributes and characteristics | | | | even affect personal health, a clinician must |
| sum up the basis of how things work and change. | | | | understand how the brain functions, uses energy, |
| Realizing that everything around us and in us is | | | | and can reorganize. This quickly emerged as a |
| made up of interconnected patterns, without | | | | major consideration when I looked at how clinical |
| understanding their nature you will never be able | | | | hypnotherapy is - and should be - practiced. |
| to effectively direct transformation. Artificial | | | | However, I felt something was missing. How can |
| intelligence researchers, who have attempted to | | | | a neurology-based form of hypnotherapy most |
| model the human mind, state that all patterns | | | | effectively address transformation? In as sudden |
| have structure, encoding, and recall attributes. | | | | flash of the obvious, this took me full circle back |
| Considering Bandler and Perry's influence, I came | | | | to Pattern Theory and especially Wayne Perry's |
| to the conclusion that a pattern's first instinct is to | | | | comments about entrainment. A system - or |
| resist change and then adapt or entrain when | | | | pattern(s) - adapts to remain harmony with each |
| resistance is futile. On top of that I realized that | | | | other. However, such transformation needs to |
| the clinician's primary role is to change pattern | | | | overcome a pattern's natural tendency to resist |
| encoding by representing an antithetical stimulus | | | | change. Therefore, like an emerging fashion |
| sufficient to create an adaptation. | | | | statement that is met with initial disdain, eventually |
| I know that this sounds complex and rather | | | | there comes a state of enthusiasm that results in |
| daunting. However, consider this statement: | | | | an inevitable adjustment - i.e. a new fashion trend. |
| "Change in a subject will never occur until it is | | | | Thus, this is how I came up with the concept of |
| realized in the mind of the clinician." I want to | | | | antithetical - to borrow German Idealist Fredrick |
| rephrase this yet again as, "Be the change that | | | | Heigel's term - change. |
| you want to see in others." By creating a | | | | When a subject comes to a clinician, they are |
| stimulating (i.e. antithetical) entity, the clinician will | | | | normally in a situation where a previously |
| be inspiring an adaptation in the subject. Likewise, | | | | stimulated transformation failed to create a |
| by inserting into a script positive, emotionally vivid | | | | harmonious situation. Therefore, the clinician's role |
| imagery, you are creating an antithetical situation, | | | | is to create another antithetical condition, which will |
| which encourages transformation. | | | | result in a new process of entrainment with a |
| A final note about Pattern Theory involves the | | | | more functional harmony. Milton H. Erickson, MD, |
| concept of multiple intelligences. As I looked | | | | was a master of this. He sometime called this |
| closely at the true definition of consciousness and | | | | "symptom substitution." Provided that the |
| intelligence, which involves an awareness of the | | | | antithetical situation is created - such as through |
| environment and an ability to adapt, I realized that | | | | the use of specifically designed imagery - the |
| each and every one of the patterns in the | | | | intervention should work. Of course, if this is done |
| interconnected matrix has a significant level of | | | | by a clinician who has more of an appreciation for |
| intelligence. The obvious question then was where | | | | the dynamics of the brain, then it stands to |
| is there a subconscious mind? If so, where is it | | | | reason that the intervention will be more |
| and does it have a scientific basis. This led me to | | | | effective. (However, clinicians who are still mired in |
| the earth-shattering conclusion that our blindly | | | | the subconscious mind mode will also benefit their |
| indoctrinated concept of the subconscious mind | | | | subjects despite the fact that they have little |
| was a myth. In its place I came to respect the | | | | appreciation of what is really happening.) |
| existence of a virtual orchestra of intelligences | | | | This is a rather cursory explanation as to what I |
| just waiting to be directed by the conscious mind | | | | mean by patterns, balance, inhibition, plasticity, and |
| - or the clinician. This, not the subconscious mind | | | | entrainment. In the next article, I will go one |
| concept, seemed to better explain what was | | | | further step by explaining in more detail just how |
| actually happening. | | | | these are used in a system for transformation. |