Finally PART II of my interview with Sue Nordemo, RN,www.monarchhealthcoaching.com, on how hypnosis can help writers' block. The summer here in PA has been long and hot. Long because I've been working on fixing up an apartment with my husband. Something that took me out of my comfort zone. I was happy I did it because it gave me more confidence and who knows, now I can always tap into the experience if need be for writing purposes.
"It’s learning how to be in a highly 'open' state [of mind], and not letting that conscious mind be in the way." --Sue Nordemo, RN
Q: I know you’ve been saying this throughout, but anything to add on the benefits of hypnosis for the writer? It’s going to get [them] very relaxed, and it’s going to increase self-confidence, boost self-esteem, and when they go to a publisher, it’s going to give them the confidence, especially if they have to talk to someone on the phone. If you’re going to a big-time publisher, being confident when you walk in there, the hypnosis can certainly help you with that there’s no question about it. addressed also. It’s very individual, very individualistic.
Q: How exactly do you get to a ‘state of hypnosis’? I do a relaxation [technique] and use guided imagery as part of what is called the ‘Induction’ where you’re getting the person into a nice relaxed state. So I find out “Do you have a specific place where you like to go on vacation and relax, or maybe your backyard, or your bedroom?” I have people describe that to me. And maybe get some names, and I will jot some notes down. The more [specific], the more real it becomes. You’re literally painting a picture for them.
Q: How do you know when they’re in that state? I can tell they are, I just know that they are. Because for a long time I was doing hypnosis with very little vision (about 12 years I was legally blind), and I can remember having to rely on my hearing and sense of feeling, which became much more pronounced. And it was interesting because I talked to my former teacher, and I told her about it. She said, “Oh, you shouldn’t be doing hypnosis.” I said, “Excuse me, you’re telling me blind people can’t do this? I’m going to tell you right now I totally disagree with you.” And I gave her my reasons why and she called me a week later she said, “You’re not going to believe this, but I had this blind psychologist call me wanting to learn hypnosis.” So she said, “I took her into my class and she was one of my best students!”
I just trust they are in it, sometimes the eyelids will flutter, their breathing may increase a little bit, before they start to become relaxed, I just know by looking at them. I’ve only been doing it for about 17 years. That’s how I stopped smoking. It’s good for all kinds of issues, all kinds.
You know the main cause of writers’ block I think is what I’ve been saying … somebody may say something to them, in the past or in the present moment, that triggers a memory. Or it does something to their self-confidence, puts them right down instantly. That’s stuff I’d have in the script-work. Some hypnotists will write out an entire script with their client,and I don't do that. I pretty much do it off the top of my head. I may have a script in front of me that addresses specific issues, but then I'll interject what I've gotten from my client into that script.
Q: What’s the benefit of having the hypnosis session placed on CD? You listen to it as many times as you want, like getting a private session every time you listen to it! The key here would be is to teach people how to do the self-hypnosis because that's what it is. You're not going to have [a hypnotist] sitting there every single time while you're trying to write your book! You need to do it yourself, so I think certainly wording has to do with self-hypnosis yourself, it's very important, that's part of the 'piece' as we call it the hypnotic writing.
Q: Can you elaborate on Hypnotic Writing? When I was painting, you get into that hypnotic state where you're so focused on what you're doing, you're totally unaware of everything else that's going on around you. You get into the ZONE; you've heard sports people get into the zone, runners, and tennis players. Basically you're getting into the hypnotic zone to do your writing, to do your painting.
You can spend two or three hours, all of a sudden you have no concept of the time going by; it's like “WOE, where did the time go?” You were in a hypnotic state, that's all it is—It’s learning how to be in a highly "open" state [of mind], and not letting that conscious mind be in the way. The more you practice, the better you get at it.
I just thought of another writer, I saw her interviewed, the one who wrote TWILIGHT [Stephenie Meyer]. That first book, she had an incredibly vivid dream, every detail of one of the woodland scenes. Fascinating to hear her talk, when she woke up she based the whole book [on the dream]. I remember her saying that, "Safe to say, all creativity comes from the subconscious mind."
When I look back, Edison, I can remember going to see his summer home in Florida, then we went into his laboratory and there was a cot where he used to take ten naps he never slept for 6 or 7 or 8 hours, he'd sleep for an hour or so, and when he woke up that's how he got all his inventions. I'm sure of it, he was in a hypnotic state, he wasn't really asleep. So he was tapping into his subconscious mind.
I now encourage my clients to do the three steps that I teach for self-hypnosis, which is very easy. I just send them the three steps and review it with them. This is very important as it helps them with any issues that may come up during the writing process.
Whether it's weight loss, smoking cessation, overcoming fears, or achieving success in your personal or professional life, Certified Hypnotist , MTT practitioner, and Reiki Master Teacher Susan Nordemo will help you unlock your potential for success. Contact Sue at www.monarchhealthcoaching.com or (603) 882-4944.