tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35357697686191153772011-07-07T22:20:07.893-07:00Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-38187511558176981992008-11-05T20:11:00.000-08:002008-11-05T20:17:20.653-08:00

PLEASE NOTE!This blog is moving! Actually, this blog has Moved!Please make note of the new address and use it from now on:www.dougobriensblog.comIt's actually easier.It gives me more flexibility and the ability to make the blog better.Please forgive and inconvenience. See you at the new address!Doug

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-56505417845520064532008-10-31T19:52:00.000-07:002008-11-01T05:50:53.271-07:00

A long time ago I had the good fortune of needing therapy. Of course, such life passages happen to all of us, but what was fortunate for me is I fell into the office of Jungian Analyst David Bennett. David was great. From day one he offered me insights and ways of looking and thinking about life's journey that will stay with me forever. Among them was what he called "the Renegade factor." As I'm

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-11310870790699170722008-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:002008-10-26T19:44:56.777-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsBinds come in two forms, single and double. Seems like most people have heard of double binds and we'll get to that next time. Right now we're going to talk about the elegantly effective single bind. It goes something like this:Don't (x) unless you want (y).More Specifically it is this:"Don't (their current behavior) unless you really want (your outcome for

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-25043120703644565952008-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:002008-10-19T22:14:10.704-07:00

I've lost count of how many marathons I've run. It's under 18 and more than 12.Along the way I've run thousands of miles in an effort to get in shape enough to run them well and ultimately qualify for Boston. The thing is, I can't really do that anymore. I mean, never say never, but it would appear my calf muscles have other ideas. Every time I get competitive and try to race or do too much, they

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-18012633715926107282008-10-12T13:18:00.000-07:002008-10-12T14:00:50.648-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsTruisms are like bread and butter... you can make a meal out of them if you have to. Truisms are simply statements that are true for just about everybody, AND are a perfect setup for embedded commands. Keeping in mind, of course, that an embedded command comes from altering your vocal tonality and accompanying analog marking.As an example you can make Truisms

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-2569793949791741072008-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:002008-10-05T21:42:23.444-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsEarly in my NLP/Hypnosis training I was in Santa Cruz, California, attending a workshop. After class one day I walked along the beach with a more advanced student who knew a lot about language patterns. When I asked her how to begin gaining facility with them she turned to me and said, "you'll find that the pattern called 'Quotes' is one of the easiest, yet

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-43401529802566936672008-09-26T18:51:00.000-07:002008-09-26T19:31:10.325-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsIn an expanded form, 'Pacing and Leading' can be used as a trance induction in and of itself. The general concept of pacing and leading is central to Erickson's work. You establish a rapport with a person when you pace their experience.In this language pattern, you make note of true, experiential facts (or 'wonder' about them) then connect them with a

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-26776827252047547252008-09-21T17:42:00.000-07:002008-09-22T06:02:34.403-07:00

View from the balcony of the Camelot Hotel at Myrtle Beach, SC.Perhaps the most amazing thing about working for John Morgan Seminars and traveling the country and doing 2 hour Hypnosis programs for weight loss and smoking cessation is that they actually work. Years ago I taught, in my hypnosis classes, of the superiority of private sessions because they were tailored to the individual. Basically

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-66099322594260107462008-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:002008-09-13T09:08:56.746-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsNegative Commands/SuggestionsBefore we look further at this category of language pattern a quick word...By the term "Negative Suggestion" we don't mean something nasty. We're not in the business of suggesting negative things to people, like suggesting to someone that their nose will fall off.What we're instead doing is giving a positive suggestion hidden

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-75880993477212692792008-09-06T21:35:00.000-07:002008-09-09T22:03:50.639-07:00

Neo-Ericksonian Approaches to Psychotherapy & HypnosisOne of the major principles of doing therapeutic work I learned from Dave Dobson is the idea of "Pebble Kicking."What is Pebble Kicking? Well, I'm reminded of a story. Actually, a couple of stories.The first story is about a Spiritual Teacher who was walking with one of his disciples along the banks of a river on their way to a hootenanny. (

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-72808432185080862382008-08-27T20:19:00.000-07:002008-08-27T21:02:02.974-07:00

Ericksonian Hypnotic Language PatternsTag Questions —are little questions added on to the end of a statement that change it into a question. They are also referred to as "tie downs." Tag Questions are similar to the previous pattern the "Resistance Dodge," but different.Rather than dodging resistance, with tag questions you are endeavoring to get agreement, aren't you?They soften a statement into

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-21614733763242424662008-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:002008-08-21T21:27:06.527-07:00

Ericksonian Language PatternsThis installment features two different ways of dancing with resistance. In the pattern I call "The Resistance Dodge," when your client exhibits resistance you offer a tag statement that is really a bind. Stops them in their proverbial tracks. With the "Resistance Pace" you use their resistance the way an Aikido expert would use an opponent's own weight.The Resistance

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-75537860809118356662008-08-10T21:38:00.000-07:002008-08-10T22:16:02.324-07:00

Ericksonian Language PatternsMilton Erickson once likened traditional psychotherapy to “psychological archeology.” He didn't see much point in spending too much time analysing a patient's past and trying to find out the reasons "why" they were displaying certain behaviors. He saw these behaviors as habits. I like to call them patterns. He told stories to illustrate his point, sometimes evoking

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-91085768291046821812008-08-04T05:48:00.000-07:002008-08-10T21:37:38.578-07:00

Ericksonian Language Patterns —Embedded Questions are the same thing as embedded commands only different. They are often really statements but are responded to consciously as a question. This is because their grammatical structure is that of a question, but your tonality in delivering them is that of a command. (In most examples below I'll omit the question mark.)"I wonder if you can tell the

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-34188671333916687172008-07-25T20:50:00.000-07:002008-07-26T10:23:49.098-07:00

Ericksonian Language Patterns —Embedded Commands are commands that are placed within the framework of a larger sentence structure, thereby sneaking by the conscious mind. e.g., "Very often, people find that they discover many useful inner resources while in trance." Some suggested sentence openings: "Maybe you'll... I don't know if... A person may not know if... Maybe you haven't...,yet." (More

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-90767438199286346952008-07-19T21:59:00.000-07:002008-08-10T22:11:31.873-07:00

Patterns of Indirect Suggestion – A.K.A.: Ericksonian Language Patterns In a therapeutic setting we strive to achieve the client's goals with elegance. Sometimes, however, change is difficult and resistance, conscious or otherwise, is a natural response. By using the following language patterns we are able to bypass the conscious resistance and to communicate with the subconscious mind.Milton

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-53728444458496357442008-07-08T22:11:00.000-07:002008-12-11T09:04:32.477-08:00

I have an acre of lawn to cut.That's a lot of grassLast weekend, when I spent several hours on the endeavor, I discovered that mindless, repetitious activities are made even better when done at high decibel levels. Nothing like a Toro Lawn Horse if you want to wake the neighbors.I was reminded of the story of Milton Erickson in the Boiler Factory - how he realized that he had somehow, overnight,

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-39417152074229263252008-05-14T20:55:00.000-07:002009-10-12T18:43:09.841-07:00

Just returned from my first ever visit to Australia.What a fantastic visit!My friend Jonathan and I went down to teach a class called "Your Irresistible Voice in Trance." It is a class that combines Jonathan's expertise in Voice Production with my understanding of Ericksonian Language patterns and how to use the voice when doing trance work.We had a delightful time working with truly wonderful

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-71573161135546415292008-04-22T19:31:00.000-07:002008-04-22T19:48:33.980-07:00

It's pretty groovy what these kids can do these days.See the neat looking winged-face guy?Who knew? That's Hypnos. The Greek God of sleep.I hire this young friend of mine to make my new blog look pretty and he comes up with guy they named Hypnosis after. I didn't even know there was such a guy. I'd been taught that hypnosis was the Greek word for sleep. I like it better that we have our own

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-76682713053663649902007-12-14T05:45:00.000-08:002008-12-11T09:04:32.835-08:00

Balance is one of my favorite concepts.In golf, in ballet, in music, in risk vs rewardIn lifeIn GeneralIn Generals tooRight now I'm adding this blog because the page needed more space in the lower halfto balance out the headerLooks better now.D

Doug O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17593136031447095569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3535769768619115377.post-5609643886437455202007-12-14T05:40:00.000-08:002008-04-15T13:15:58.056-07:00

Hello.This is my first post ever.Nice huh?Well that's gonna do it for now.I don't like to set the bar too high.D

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