Breathe in Snowflakes, Breathe out Stardust!

            I have nothing against Mickey Mouse.  His face smiles from my Apple watch and says, "Good Morning Pal" or "Good Afternoon Pal" to me and all my patients as well as chuckling and telling us the time. The kids, and parents get a laugh out of him. 

            But Mickey Mouse hypnosis is another thing.   I didn't come up with the term; my mentor, Michael Yapko did.  It's when the clinician just uses the tired old stereotypical script that everyone thinks of if they don't know the real deal, as used by doctors, nurse practitioners, and therapists-like me- who have spent thousands of hours learning the craft and, most of all listening to and caring for patients.  

            Learning relaxation breathing is great, but that is not clinical hypnosis.

It is not simply about getting relaxed; in fact, many young people get pissed off about being told to relax and do the opposite.  It is not about going to some generic favorite place, even if it is one we might enjoy, like a tropical beach.  For some, the beach is all about sunburns and getting sand in their shorts.

            Mickey Mouse hypnosis is typically what you get from the hypnosis apps now available from the Apple Store.   I've tried out a few of them myself.

I meditate regularly, usually in silence.  Meditation is much like self-hypnosis.

The other night, I was tired, and wanted some prompts.  So I tried out an app called Hypnobox, and since it was near bedtime, I chose a half hour session entitled "Restful Sleep."

            Set to the loud sound of waves, a British narrator with a stereotypically deep Ian McKellen voice intoned,  "Breathe deeply.  Breathe in relaxation. Breathe out tension.  You are getting tired. You are sinking into a deeper state of relaxation, deeper, deeper, deeper."

            For some reason, I began to visualize myself going deep into a manhole, then down a mine shaft.  Not very relaxing. 

            So I tried a session simply called "Relaxation."  The soundtrack--waves crashing into my eardrums, Ian McKellen clone intoning "Breathe in relaxation, breathe out tension,"  was the same.  Before I could discern a single difference between these two sessions, I turned it off, and simply listened to the sound of our pellet stone in the living room, where I sat on the floor, my back against an ottoman.   I noticed my breathing, and felt my body settle.

            Then, a smile came to my face, as I thought about some alternatives to the standard hypnotic schtick.  Instead of "Breath in relaxation, Breath out tension,"

how about?

            Breathe in corn, Breathe out kettle corn?

            or Breathe in broccoli, Breath out ice cream?

            or Breathe in green beans, Breathe out chicken nuggets?

            or Breathe in burgers, Breathe out French fries?

            or Breathe in lizards, Breathe out dinosaurs?

            Breathe in a bicycle, Breathe out a school bus?  Why not!

            Breathe in a minnow, Breathe out a whale.

                  or the reverse!

            Breathe in thunder, Breathe out lightening.

            Breathe in snowflakes, Breathe out stardust!

            I chuckled as I thought of all the possibilities.  Because guess what?

It's ok to chuckle during meditation or hypnosis!  My only complaint with leaders like Jon Kabat Zinn is they can be just too serious!

            The point is this:  Self-hypnosis, or meditation, is different for everyone. It should be unique to the individual.  Working with a clinician who can customize a session and recording for your, or even making one up yourself, is better than getting an app, or listening to a famous guru's guided meditation on the web.

            If you do, just use the app or the guru as a starting point.  Remember, it is your own imagination, your own skills, and needs which should drive the session.

            After all, it's your Mind, your Body, and your Spirit!