It seems that the pillars of our society are falling.  Actually, it is only the power centers that are caving in.  All it means is that the institutions that have held a majority of the power in our society are no longer able to do that.  And in my opinion, that is a good thing.  We have needed a reconstruction for a very long time.  Everyone knows there has been a power inbalance, and the gap between the haves and the have-nots has wideneed over time.

Now, I think we are about to see a shift.  On the surface it looks and maybe even feels a little scarey - especially if you are watching your money dwindling away.  Instead of listening to everyone else’s advice, though, about what to do, why not just take a few very short minutes and just become still.   Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.  As that breath comes in through your nose, mentally watch its path as it moves through your nose, down into your throat, your lungs, and then imagine it circulating throughout your body, coming out once again at your nose. 

As you do this, you will internally become still.  Your focus will narrow, and your mind will quiet.  In this stillness, if you practice it enough, you will find the answers.

Panic and worry will not cause you to find answers or peace out of this rocky new financial situation  we’re in.  Quiet and calm will restore your body, your mind, and your soul  to its natural state, where the answers are waiting for you to hear them.

Boy, the national news has been really grim lately.  Most of us aren’t old enough to have been around during the Great Depression, but anyone who’s read John Stienbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath can get a pretty graphic idea what those times were like.  The latest economic news has made it pretty clear that we could be headed there again.

Well, yes, on one hand that news is pretty gloomy.  And on the other hand, you have a choice about whether or not to let it effect you.  The dire predictions seem to me to be what my mother used to call “calamity howling.”  They are also very much future tripping.  Here is the way I see it:

Negative events are predicted by the media.  The predicted event is talked about on every television, radio station, and newspaper, and that news is repeated over and over again.  It isn’t long before almost everyone you know is talking about that negative event and becoming worried, scared, or anxious about it.  Eventually it is the main topic of conversation.  People are now feeling very stressed out and as though they have no control over what happens to them.  That is how we get into things called pack or mob mentality - where everyone begins to think and act like everyone around them, being swept away by the crowd consciousness.

That is not the only way the situation can be handled, though.  Here is another way:

Once you notice that you are feeling saturated by the negative news and it’s starting to make you feel worried, stressed, lethargic, whatever, it’s time take control of your life.  You can actively choose to stay from the crowd, so to speak.  Turn off the television or radio.  Refuse to let the news overshadow the good and fun things in your life.  Focus on the things that make you feel good.  And most importantly, remain present.

By staying in the moment and remembering to breathe deeply, you are experiencing the only reality that exists:  this moment.  Worrying about the future is just as useless and destructive to your body and mind as fretting about the past.  Those are two things that you have no control over - what was, and what may be.  Don’t waste your precious time on things that don’t even exist.  This second, this moment in time is what you have to work with.  And that’s manageable.

Did you know that ancient India, Greece, and Egypt all used something called Sleep Temples?  These were possibly like hospitals, or treatment centers.  Patients would be induced into sleep so that they would dream.  The course of treatment was decided by the content of their dreams which -it was thought -would help to explain the nature of their illness.  Of course,  we’ll never know  whether or not their sleep was hypnosis, or sleep.  Nowdays, we know that the two are not the same.

The word Hypnosis comes from the Greek word for sleep - hypnos.  In Greek mythology, Hypnos was the god of sleep.  So the name Hypnosis stuck, and it is the word we use, unfortunately, to discribe a state of mind that is the opposite of sleep.

I, along with my colleague, Loretta Rippee, Ed.M, C.Ht., will be offering a free stress workshop on Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.

During the workshop we will be talking about the different types of stress and the effect it has on your mind and body.  Participants will have the opportunity to share the things that stress them out.  We will be teaching and demonstrating some stress reducrtion techniques that anyone can use, anytime, to manage stress and  live a more satisfying life.

The workshop will be at our offices at 34 N.E. Boistfort, in Marketplace Square in downtown Chehalis.

We ask those interested to please call and register, since space is limited.

Please go to my website for further information.

Hi.  My name is Rita Ballard; I am a consulting hypnotist and the owner of Awareness Hypnosis.  My office is located in Chehalis, Washington. 

I have been registered as a hypnotist with the state of Washington since 1997.  I have always been fascinated by the mind.  It seems to be the driving force behind this vehicle that is my body, but it isn’t anything tangible, and to me, that’s fascinating.

So, I thought that one of the easiest ways to actually learn about the mind - without taking years of college and spending oodles of money that I didn’t have  - was to become a hypnotist.

Within this blog I will offer you random musings, hypnosis news, facts, and tidbits that I hope will be either useful or interesting to you (maybe both, if we get lucky).