I think the song went like that anyway. ;-)

Last weekend on my hypnotherapy training diploma, when the students had broken out into pairs to practice their skills and get a hypnosis exercise dones, I noticed one of my students wiggled his feet each time he went into hypnosis… I caught those hypnosis feet on camera on my phone and thought I’d share it with you here…

I often suggest to people experiencing hypnosis that it is best to experience stillness whilst in hypnosis, mainly because when you are really still, you have less spatial awareness and it helps create a deeper hypnosis experience. When people fidget and shuffle around, they get reminded where their fingers and legs are (if scratching their legs that is) and so they get more grounded and less inclined to drift inside their minds.

That said, if someone develops a kind of rhythm to their relaxed state, or their hypnosis, then I think that is lovely and can even be used to develop more depth and even reproduce the hypnosis state at will. Interesting stuff…

© Adam Eason Personal Development — visit Adam-Eason.com for great articles, interviews and more on hypnosis and personal development.

Being based in the UK, of course, my opportunity to watch the Oscars was limited… But I have seen clips… The clips I wanted to see were not of speeches or awards though… I wanted to watch Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

From the clips I have watched, they were hilarious, at least, they made me laugh…  They had that sense of humour of two good pals ripping on each other… Having spent most of my life in football teams, as well as with my closest school, college and university male friends, always having groups of us whereby we often teased each other in the pub and sometimes pushed the limits with each other, this kind of humour resonates with me…. There was good natured teasing from the opening in the Oscars…

Baldwin: “Welcome to Steve Martin – movie star, musician, author, comedian, playwright.”

Martin: “Welcome to Alec Baldwin.”

I just cracked up… They talked and played on the subject of the good looks of George Clooney who they both longed to be like; then they also joked about sharing a bed and rolling around in their sleep on top of each other; then there were more put-downs, I found them really very funny indeed.

I have always found it easier to tease and rip on the people closest to me, or people I am comfortable with… Male friends do tend to make fun of each other, tease each other, and compete with each other about appearance… My ginger hair was the focal point of much fun within my circles of friends… But so was another friends nose, the bags under another friends eyes (his nickname was/is Panda, hahaha) and much more besides… Some outsiders of a close group may see it as cruel, but for those engaged in it, they know that no real malice is underlying it… In fact, the intention of the meaning is always felt underneath it… I am not referring to cruel teasing or picking on people which surmounts to bullying, but a kind of teasing that forms a part of many male friendships…

Martin and Baldwin fulfilled the basic definitions of friendship – loyalty, dependability, trust, and understanding of the other… Plus, they had each other’s back… They were not necessarily understanding of each other but that is why they were so funny. Martin and Baldwin were together in their jealousy of Clooney…. A real moment of funny male bonding.

For me, and importantly so… They provided more than humour. They also provided permission for other men to poke fun at themselves and at their jealousy for one of the most attractive men on the planet (Clooney).

This was not poking fun at others and rarely at themselves as so very many comedians and award show hosts do.  This was self-deprecating humor as well as teasing of a pal. What can be learned from this is that men, do not always have to be tough, serious, and macho. And they can be attractive while pursuing a wider range of behaviours.

There is much research that shows men often tease each other as a way of showing affection and being close to another man.  Showing affection without teasing can be difficult for some men so good natured teasing becomes a sign of affection. I can remember being top goalscorer for my college football team and my best friend asking during one game if I was “ever going to put the ball nearer the goal than the corner flag!?” as he laughed off me missing a couple of shots that day.

There are of course times when teasing can go below the belt, perhaps when it is angry behaviour, but on Oscar night’s case, it was all for laughs…. That kind of humour resonated well with me, and had a real hypnotic effect as I recalled so much that I love about that sense of male, bonding, self-deprecating humour…

© Adam Eason Personal Development — visit Adam-Eason.com for great articles, interviews and more on hypnosis and personal development.

Well, not just one, an entire bag of them, here is a picture I took of them:

It says on the packet, that they are biscuits, but they aren’t… They are like roll-shaped melba toasts… Traditionally made from leftover dough which the bakers left in the cooling kiln overnight.

One of my current hypnotherapy diploma students, moved to Bournemouth when she began her studies and found herself asking me for advice on the good areas to live as she had stumbled across a pub on the outskirts of town called The Dorset Knob.

It was a running joke between us and yesterday she awarded me this bag of them, as a fond memento and a lovely joke… Though it was all I could do to stop other students from eating them yesterday!

So no… It is not something I get called and neither it is my nickname… I knew you were going to ask.   ;-)

Well you can shove your Oscars… I got a bag of Dorset Knobs…

© Adam Eason Personal Development — visit Adam-Eason.com for great articles, interviews and more on hypnosis and personal development.

I find it fascinating. Food is an essential part of my success strategy today…. Or if I put it another way, if I was not consuming the right stuff for my brain, I’d be a mess (ahem, some might say ‘bigger’ mess).

I thought I’d share with you some of that stuff that I find essential to feeding your brain and have it functioning to its best, because hypnosis alone is not always going to have you being the finely honed brainy being that many of us like to think we are… Firstly, I’d order you to ensure you eat breakfast.

Children and students of all varying types that eat breakfast perform far, far better on academic tests. I know loads of people say they just don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning, but it is a habit I strongly advise you get into… Having a good breakfast advances your ability to concentrate, it makes you more alert and creative, and results in far more productive mornings than those who muddle their way through and finally declare themselves awake at lunchtime.

Anything does tend to be better than nothing, but more effort needs to go into it than having tea and toast as you run out the door. For maximal morning alertness and staying power, you need to include some protein, which can come in the form of yoghurt, eggs, milk or fresh fish, I often have protein powder in my morning smoothie… Athletes, marathon runners or those looking to reduce weight and build up muscle would be advised to eat protein at least first thing in the morning, last thing at night and after working out… Everyone else need consider including some in every meal.

Secondly, you want to look out for your coffee consumption. Our brains do actually seem to like coffee as much as we do: research shows that regular coffee consumption may protect against developing dementias such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Having a cup of coffee does improve your reaction time, can give you a burst of energy, and may help you concentrate more sharply. However, one cup too much can push you past optimal concentration and performance and into the jitters. Pay attention to how much coffee your body and mind prefer, before automatically pouring yourself another cup… The continuous drip feeding of the stuff may be to your detriment.

Thirdly, consider getting the right fats for your brain. I once heard an expert on psychiatric nutrition describe the relationship between fats and the brain. Our brains are more than 60% fat, and the nerve cells in our brain are constantly renewing their cell membranes. Unhealthy fats (i.e. saturated animal fats, or trans fats found in deep-fried foods) are made up of stiff poor quality fatty acids. When you eat these, they insert themselves into your nerve cell membranes. The result: your brain cells get stiffer than they should be and can’t function optimally.

If you feed your brain healthy fatty acids, such as the omega-3 fatty acids from salmon and other fatty fish, these make your cell membranes more flexible and fluid, boosting your brain power and even your mood. Omega-3 fatty acids are arguably the best miracle food for your brain. They enhance memory, and slow age-related cognitive decline. Lack of omega-3’s can cause depression and memory problems, and may worsen symptoms of ADD. Even a good quality supplement is consideration if you do not get enough.

Do look at what kinds of carbohydrates you eat. Glucose is pure brain food. Your brain’s only true fuel is the sugar glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, they get broken down into the simplest sugar (glucose) in the body, causing a rise in your blood sugar. This can provide a short-term boost to your memory and mental ability, but you don’t want to overdo it: too many high-glycemic carbs, such as a big plate of pasta or potatoes at lunch, can make you sleepy and harm performance. Your best bet is to eat healthy, wholegrain, high-fibre carbohydrate snacks throughout the day. Don’t wait too long between meals and snacks, as low blood sugar can dramatically affect memory and mental speed, and your ability to handle stress.

As you fly through your day, make it a habit to check in nutritionally with yourself every couple of hours. Choose foods that support your mind, and make it a great day!

My brain function is about to be tested heavily again… I am running my hypnotherapy training diploma this weekend… I’ll be back on Monday…

© Adam Eason Personal Development — visit Adam-Eason.com for great articles, interviews and more on hypnosis and personal development.

The physical, emotional and mental health benefits associated with being married are clear to anyone who’s experienced a successful bond. Indeed, a happy couple is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. If you’ve never been married or if you found yourself mismatched then, of course, you may not know. It would now seem that the notion of ‘happily ever after’ is alive and well…

CBS news interviewed a random sample of 868 subjects nationwide from January 29th to the 31st of 2010. The results are remarkable and maybe unexpected to some.

When asked: “Would you marry your spouse again?” a full 90% said they would. Only 9% said they would not. Going back to 1995, 93% said Yes and 6% said No.

Looking at the poll more closely, 95% of men said they would remarry their wives while 85% of wives said they would remarry their husbands.

There was also some variance based on finances. The poll was conducted int he US, so these figures are in dollars. Of couples making more than $50K, 95% would remarry their mate while only 83% of those making less than that would do the same. But even here, 83% is still a significant proportion.

In fact, when asked what was important to a relationship, neither money nor sex was listed as a major factor. Respect came in at 49% and Trust got a 37% rating. One in ten couples said that a Sense of Humour was most important to a successful relationship.

What about the idea of Love at First Sight? Roughly half the subjects felt it was indeed possible…with men slightly more inclined to believe in the legitimacy of spotting your life-mate across a crowded room on some enchanted evening.

Love is thriving… I am certainly delighted myself to enjoy the wonders of a happy marriage.

Ok, I am off now… Busy day rounded off with dinner with Sophie Nicholls, who is speaking at my hypnotherapist peer supervision group tonight… Can’t wait.

© Adam Eason Personal Development — visit Adam-Eason.com for great articles, interviews and more on hypnosis and personal development.