In the Chair Day 3.5

Day 3.5? What the heck does that mean?  It means that my follow up appointment at the SWIHA hypnotherapy clinic is tomorrow and I can't help wondering what it will be like.  It also means that I'm supposed to be cleaning my kitchen. :-)

Every night as I go to sleep I ask for protection and guidance.  Some nights I have dreams that I believe are guidance.  It was just such a dream that led me on this quest for hypnotic assistance to begin with.  Of course I'd rather do it myself - wouldn't we all? But I already know that if I could do it myself I would have by now.  That doesn't necessarily make it easier to admit the need and get the help... it just makes it necessary.  I decided long ago that I am willing to do whatever it takes to heal.  Whatever it takes. 

And so when I have a dream that seems like guidance, I follow the guidance and trust that God will put me in the right place at the right time and connect me to the right people.  So far that seems to be working.

I had another dream recently, one that told me the next step.  I'm not sure how that next step is supposed to go.  For the first time, I will be going to a hypnotherapy session without having already a good idea of what will or will not work.  I just know what I dreamed and what it means.  I'm already connected with the right hypnotherapist and I can't wait for the next step!

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My First Handfasting

Back in July I was ordained on-line at the Universal Life Church Monastery. I've always wanted to be a minister, and now I am one!  Granted, it seems like a strange way to go about it, but really I agree with the tenet of the church, which is simple and easy to remember:  Freedom of religion as long as it does not harm anyone or interfere with the freedom of any other.

Not even half an hour later a line started forming for my services as an officiant.  Not literally a line, but literally less than half an hour later I had my first person who was looking for an officiant.  And then I got another, and then a third.

Then last Thursday I got a text from a friend, "our officiant canceled, would you be willing to do it instead? We have the words."  I was planning to attend the wedding as a guest, instead I got to officiate.  I don't have a very Pagan/Wiccan background and so my knowledge of handfasting was very close to zero.  The only thing I knew about it was that my church had a certificate of handfasting that I could order. LOL

In renaissance garb, at the arboretum, we had a non-traditional non-denominational handfasting/wedding.  I'm pretty sure that was the most fun I have ever had doing anything.  Ever.  Bring on the weddings!

In the Chair Day 3

Although satisfied that something necessary was accomplished two weeks ago (In the Chair Day 2), I was not actually convinced that what I had wanted to accomplish had been accomplished.  I knew there was energy work to be done, and I also suspected that the main thing I wanted cleared had not been cleared.

During a lovely visit with my mother I had an opportunity to do the energy work.  That was pretty interesting, actually, because for the first time ever I found myself whining that clearing the energy block was going to hurt.  A dark wedge had certainly been embedded pretty deeply, and it had been held in place by the rock that was destroyed in the chair, but ... did I really want to keep it just because getting rid of it might hurt?  No.  I reminded myself that what hurt was that it was there and once it was gone it wouldn't hurt.  So that part got done relatively easily.

In my mind's eye, I could still see the person who went unnamed during my first trip to the chair.  I was pretty sure that meant the person was still there, and I was planning to write and record a script for myself to finish this part of the work.  That was when I received an email from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (affectionately known as SWIHA) notifying me that they had a hypnotherapy clinic coming up.  Ta-daa!  I did both my hypnosis and my Reiki training at SWIHA, I know how helpful it is to have clients during clinics, and so I usually try to be a client when I get an email.  The timing couldn't have been better!

Plan A was to go ahead and write the script, then take it to SWIHA for the lucky therapist who drew my straw to read to me.  But... aren't clinics supposed to be practice?  Yes they are.  Did I really want to interfere with that?  No, not really.... Ok, fine, I decided to go with Plan B and trust that God and the Universe would provide the right hypnotherapist, and all would go well.

The short version:  I got the right hypnotherapist and all went well. :-)

The details:

As per the usual, I met my hypnotherapist and observer in the lobby of the SWIHA Clinic.  We went to our assigned space and got settled.  I put the problem to the hypnotherapist.  Said what had been accomplished already and what I felt was left to be accomplished.  We discussed scripts - the hypnotherapist initially seemed a little uncomfortable with what I was after and would have been perfectly happy to read my script to me (had I actually prepared and taken one).

Instead, we discussed script options and what elements I considered key for any ad-libbing that might happen.  That ad-libbing was, in fact, likely to be necessary.  I felt we started out with something that we all (including the observer) believed would work.  Yay for Plan B!

This time there was nothing for me to argue with.  I followed along just as closely as I had in the previous session.  In fact, I was following so closely that for a moment I seriously questioned whether I was hypnotized - but, once again, I passed more than one am-I-really-hypnotized test.  (My eyes were glued shut, my arm was stuck down.)

When I reached the "house" that I was supposed to be reaching, it was actually a giant blue shoe with a red roof.  "Ha!" Says my peanut gallery, "of course it was a shoe!"  No, not of course.  I found that quite annoying.  There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.... I'm not the one with all the children! It was actually quite upsetting.

My hypnotherapist told me that I could change the outside to look however I wanted it to look.  Oh! Yay!  I made it as opposite as possible.  A white clapboard house with green trim.  There was still a toe sticking out on one side and a could see a bit of shoelace hanging down....

My hypnotherapist told me to look in the window.  I didn't need to, I knew the stupid SHOE was in there.  My hypnotherapist said there was a picture of me in there. Immediately the image of me in red was there.  My hypnotherapist said it was an image of me when I was fit.  The red image was quickly replaced with a different image.  One I actually didn't expect, but certainly one that worked for me!

We went inside.  We found all of the junk and clutter, and a person.  Many people.  But mostly the one person.  We told that one person to leave.  To leave and take everything that wasn't mine along with him.  To leave and take all of his people along with him.  To leave and not come back.  The shoe sort of deflated and faded away.

When my hypnotherapist said that the person couldn't come back because he didn't have a key, I busted out grinning.  Nothing has felt that fantastic in some time.  He doesn't have a key!  He can't come back!  YAY!!  It was a bit difficult to watch him walk out and away... but it was also a tremendous relief.  Tremendous.

We did the clearing up, we made sure the room was clean and clear, and I was out before I could be counted out.  Whoops, I maybe should have given warning about that - I typically come out of hypnosis quickly.

What a fantastic experience.  I had the giddy feeling of release that I expected.  The hypnotherapist had some additional suggestions for things that I hadn't thought of - including a follow-up at the next clinic.  What a great idea!  I'll be there!

Here's hoping some of my readers will be there too.  It is always well worth the time to visit the SWIHA Hypnotherapy Clinic.  But don't take MY word for it....
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