Detox Diet - Preparing for the Cleanse

             This week will I complete the “Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz,” and begin to eliminate “toxins” from my diet in accordance with Dr. Hyman’s instructions in his book, The UltraSimple Diet.   Unfortunately, the toxin-bearing foods are my favorites.  No more food containing caffeine, processed carbohydrates, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, or alcohol.  The week of “preparation” will be as challenging as the cleanse itself.  I just hope my stash of cookies and junk food won’t go bad during the next two weeks.

            First, I fill out the “Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz” (you too can access the quiz and the entire diet at: http://drhyman.com/downloads/UltraSimpleCompanion.pdf ).  My score is 16.  This gives me a health status of “mild imbalance.”  This seems about right for my overall health.  Now, if it were a mental health score, I am not so sure.  According to Dr. Hyman, persons with a mild health imbalance might expect the UltraSimple Diet to lead to “improved digestion, better skin, and less nasal congestion.”  Unfortunately, none of these are current issues.  As my friends can attest, I could have used “better skin” when I was in high school, but currently, my complexion is fine.  Hopefully, I will at least see “increased energy and improved mood.”  Weight loss is also a possible benefit which I don’t need.  The areas where I score poorly are: (1) “belching and passing gas” - although I don’t see this as a problem, my wife has a different opinion.  Perhaps I have submitted her to one too many “fart tents” at night; (2) “ headaches” – which still occur with regularity, although are rarely disabling; and, (3) “ insomnia” - which I have given detailed descriptions of in prior posts.  In addition to the quiz, I record my baseline vital stats: weight- 192 lbs., waist - 36 inches, hips - 38 inches, and BMI - 24.

            In accordance with Dr. Hyman’s instructions, on Sunday, my wife and I embark on the one week “preparation” that leads up to the UltraSimple Diet.  It is difficult to resist drinking a beer while watching Sunday Night Football, but I do.  Our plan is to systematically cut out all toxin laden foods over the course of the upcoming week.  I decide to stop alcohol and caffeine cold turkey.  On Monday, I pay for my decision.  I substitute a glass of orange juice for coffee in the morning.  At 11 am, I have a crushing headache.  Work is a chore.  I eye the Coke on my colleague’s desk and consider wrestling it away from him, but somehow I persevere. The rest of the day is a headachy blur.  I tuck myself in at 9:30 pm and hope that Tuesday will be a better day.  As I reflect back on the day, I am not sure that the lack of caffeine is totally to blame.  I am also missing my normal boluses of sugar-laden food:  no Luna bar at mid-morning, no cookies with lunch, no cookies when I get home, and no cookies at night.  You get the picture.  Tuesday promises to be a better day.  I decide to substitute green tea for my usual coffee - at least this has some caffeine in it.  Not too tasty, but again, at this point, who cares about taste?  I can feel a headache threatening to break through, but at 2 pm, it has yet to take over.  We will see how the rest of the week goes and on Sunday, the UltraSimple Diet begins.

(sidenote . . . I have already lost 2 lbs. . . . I miss cookies)

Next week . . . preparation is over.  Let the UltraSimple Diet Begin.

Time to Detox

             Over the past couple of years, I tried a broad swath of alternative therapies ranging from chiropractors to hypnotists.  I also experimented with barefoot running and energy drinks.  Through it all, I avoided “detoxification therapy,” otherwise known as a “cleanse.”  Due to popular demand, the time is now, and I hope some of you will join me and my wife on this new endeavor.  What are the benefits of detoxification?  Does my body need to be detoxified?  To answer these questions, I turned to my bible, Alternative Medicine, The Definitive Guide.  The authors claim that “people now carry within their bodies a modern-day chemical cocktail derived from industrial chemicals, pesticides, food additives, heavy metals (like lead), . . . the residues of pharmaceuticals,  legal drugs (alcohol, tobacco, caffeine), and illegal drugs.”  According to Dr. Haas, author of The Detox Diet, “[D]etoxification is instrumental for maintenance of the normal function and integrity of the intestinal flora and can enhance the natural ability of the body to resist infections, allergies, and skin disorders.”  Weight loss is another potential benefit of a cleanse.

            There are so many different types of cleanses, how do I choose the one that is right for me?  A quick internet search reveals a litany of options.  According to iVillage, the “9 most popular cleanses or Detox diets”  include “The Master Cleanse” which involves six to ten glasses per day of maple syrup/lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper, lemonade, and a daily laxative.  This is a favorite of both Demi Moore and Beyonce.  Other cleanses listed are the “Juju Cleanse,” the “Candida Cleanse,” the “Clean Program,” and “Dr. Oz’s 48 hour Cleanse.”  I find the majority of these cleanses to be either revolting or having the potential to starve me.  Polling of my friends adds a few other interesting options.  My favorite is one suggested by one of my close Cleveland buddies - the “Beer Diet.”  He claims it makes him “feel very slim and healthy, is a great boost to his confidence” (everything he says is funny or important), and it makes him a better dancer at parties.  Chris, in Aspen, suggests eating only whole fruits and vegetables for seven days.  He says if I keep exercising throughout the diet, I will go into ketosis.   “Supposedly, that’s good for you” . . . if you survive.  

            Alas, after much consideration I have chosen “The UltraSimple Diet” created by Dr. Mark Hyman.  According to the cover of his book, it will: “Target your Belly Fat,” “Revitalize your Health,” and “Boost your Energy.”  My step mom suggested this diet, and it does seem to meet all my criteria:  it lasts only seven days (fourteen if you include the one week lead-in), it does not require commercial products (no Dr. Hyman shakes need be purchased), it does not include starvation, and daily enemas are not mandatory.   It has just the right balance of kookiness and commonsense.  An added bonus is that we can all do it together – even you.  The entire regimen is on-line for free at: http://drhyman.com/downloads/UltraSimpleCompanion.pdf

            Don’t worry, Dr. Hyman is not a colleague of mine, and I am not getting any kickbacks for promoting his diet (at least not yet).   My plan, and hopefully also yours, is to start off by completing his “Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz” so I can determine a before and after score.  Starting this Sunday, I will begin one week of preparation which includes cutting out caffeine, processed and refined carbohydrates, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, processed foods, and alcohol.  This sounds brutal in its own right.  I will start the “UltraSimple Diet” in earnest the following Sunday.  Please join me.  Let us suffer together.  When we come out the other end, we will be “detoxified” and much improved.  If this fails, we can always try out the Beer Diet.

Please send me your comments and feedback.  I want to know your experiences.  If you are unable to leave comments on this blog site (I have heard it is difficult) than email me at csmahan@gmail.com or leave comments on my webpage at: http://www.explorationofalternativemedicine.com/

Hypnosis: A Critical Analysis

I spent the last month visiting a hypnotist and attempting to practice both guided and self-guided hypnosis.  The office-based sessions and the guided CD hypnosis sessions led to immediate relaxation.  Unfortunately, the calm I derived from these sessions was short lived.  I continue to be plagued by restless sleep.  I fall asleep fairly quickly, but I wake frequently throughout the night despite the hypnotist’s suggesting to my subconscious that I would not be easily awakened and when I was, I would fall quickly back to sleep.  This is not the case.  With regard to my general level of anxiety and “type A –ness,” I perceive an increased level of calm when I harken back to the lessons of the hypnosis sessions.  Overall, however, I am as much of a stress monger as ever.  Hypnosis for me is akin to meditation:  when practiced, I achieve a state of deep relaxation.  I had hoped to go even deeper and be able to have my subconscious manipulated, but I don’t see this happening - not that I won’t continue to try.  Enough about me.  What proof is there that hypnosis works?  Hypnotists claim they can cure smoking addiction, relieve pain, and strip one of all inhibitions.  Where is the proof?  Following is my attempt to summarize the medical literature on the benefits of hypnosis.

            I go straight to my hypnotist’s web page to begin my investigation.  My hypnotist has solid academic credentials as a neuroscientist, and she has summarized several studies on hypnotherapy.  Smoking appears to be a popular vice for which hypnotherapy is utilized.  The website summarizes the results of six studies all addressing smoking cessation via hypnosis.  These studies found wild success in smoking cessation via hypnosis.  Rates of abstinence from tobacco reach upwards of 90%.  If true, these are impressive numbers.  Traditional western methods to stop smoking, nicotine patches, or medications such as Chantix have only shown a 15-30% cessation rate.  Any intervention with a success rate of 90% should be widely embraced; just imagine the lives that could be saved.  I do have one reservation when I review these studies:  they are all in journals I have never heard of.  Smoking cessation is a mainstream goal.  I assume that if a really convincing study had been performed and achieved a rate approaching 90%, it would be published in the New England Journal of Medicine or similarly prestigious journal, but these were published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.  I do a literature search of my own.  I find several studies addressing hypnotherapy for smoking cessation.  A Cochrane Database Review of the literature in 2010 finds “no evidence of a greater effect of hypnotherapy” when compared to other methods in achieving smoking cessation.  In contrast, an article in the American Journal of Medicine in 2012 suggests hypnotherapy may help smokers quit, but the confidence intervals were too broad to make a definitive conclusion. I find these results to be sobering. 

            What about hypnosis for stress and anxiety?  The benefits here are a bit harder to quantify.  With smoking cessation, it is black and white:  either you quit smoking or you don’t.  I doubt anyone can say they are ever free of anxiety.  The studies reflect this nebulousness.  Participants were classified as “significantly less anxious,” and there was “compelling evidence” that hypnosis may help manage anxiety.  Again, most of these studies were published in non-mainstream journals.  The overall finding suggested benefit, but in my mind, remain inconclusive.

            Pain management?  If you remember my past postings, my hypnotist used self-hypnosis while getting a tattoo. She reported falling asleep during the procedure.  Goodbye oxycodone, hello hypnosis. My research into this area again leaves me unsatisfied.  Similar to anxiety, studies of pain management rely on pain scales and subjective reports.  I found several articles on using hypnosis to cope with labor pain during childbirth.  Although several small studies show evidence of benefits for women receiving hypnosis regarding pain intensity, length of labor and maternal hospital stay, the overall results are inconclusive.  A large study, published in the Cochrane Database System Review, shows no difference in the use of epidural anesthesia with self-hypnosis. The moral of the story is clear . . . give me back my oxycodone.

            Hypnosis has been studied in many other realms.  One interesting study evaluates post-hypnotic suggestion as a means to improve academic performance - it didn’t.  Another evaluates hypnosis to accelerate the healing of bone fractures - it did (although the study only had 12 subjects, 6 in the hypnotherapy group and 6 in the control group).  There are a litany of other uses for hypnosis ranging from treating headaches, menopausal symptoms, and obesity to digging into our long suppressed childhood memories.  With all of these potential benefits, why have I included hypnosis in my exploration of “alternative medicine?” Clearly, it should be mainstream.  Perhaps psychiatry holds the answer. 

My Return to the Hypnotist

           Today is my second visit with the hypnotist.  After two weeks of research into the principles of hypnosis and my subsequent attempts to apply this newly found knowledge, I have a host of questions to ask my hypnotist.  I am eager to harness the untapped potential of my subconscious. Despite my eagerness, I have the nagging feeling I am coming up short.  Up to this point, I am not sure I have been successfully hypnotized.  The more I read and the more I experiment with guided hypnosis, the more confused I am regarding what hypnosis really means. This is one visit I am really looking forward to. 

            When I arrive, the receptionist immediately leads me to the hypnotherapy room.  The hypnotist sits in an upright chair at the head of a chaise longue chair.  She welcomes me and motions for me to take my place in the chaise.  After a few pleasantries, I eagerly relate the events of the past two weeks.  I then launch into my list of questions.  Foremost among the questions are: “How do I know if I am being successfully hypnotized?” and “What evidence is there that hypnotism really works?” I hope I don’t offend her.  She smiles knowingly.  Apparently, I am not the first to express these doubts.  She reminds me that she too has a strong scientific background; in fact, she spends the majority of her day synthesizing neuropeptides for clinical and basic science research.  She also refers me to her website which gives examples of clinical studies substantiating the benefits of hypnotherapy. She explains that humans, on average, only utilize twelve percent of their brains.  Hypnosis attempts to access a much larger portion of the brain via the subconscious.  She also relates two anecdotes to illustrate the potential power of hypnosis.  The first has to do with her multiple tattoos which I commented on previously.  She confides that getting a large tattoo can be extremely painful.  I nod in agreement (as if I have multiple tats hiding under my shirt).  She says when she got her first tattoos; she would take multiple breaks during their application due to intolerable pain.  Now, with the aid of self-hypnosis, she sleeps while having the tattoos drawn.  I look at her incredulously.  “But how do I know if I am capable of being hypnotized?” I ask.  She then tells me of a patient, similar to myself, who seemed to derive benefit from the hypnosis sessions, but was unsure whether she was truly being hypnotized.  By mutual consent, during the subsequent hypnosis session, the hypnotist placed a subconscious trigger to confirm to the patient she had indeed been hypnotized.  The hypnotist planted the suggestion that anytime the patient saw the color green, she would feel warm and happy.  When the patient returned for the next visit, she was ecstatic.  She claimed to never have been so happy when sitting at a stop light and then having it turn green.  I am impressed.  Am I being fooled?  Perhaps, but the hypnotist strikes me as very professional and not prone to hyperbole.

            Now, I am more excited than ever by the possibilities of hypnotism, and I am ready to begin my second hypnosis session. The hypnotist concocted a new guide specifically for insomnia, one of my original complaints.  I lie back in the chaise and close my eyes.  While background music gently plays, the hypnotist has me focus on my breathing and then leads me through progressive relaxation of all my muscle groups.  She counts backward from ten, and I find myself on a grassy knoll overlooking an idyllic beach.  I am holding a balloon in my hand which contains all my daily demands and worries.  I release the balloon, and it slowly floats over the horizon and out of sight.  She then leads me down the grassy hill to a bed lying in the shade of a stand of trees along the beach’s edge.  I lie down in the bed which is incredibly comfortable.  Feeling relaxed and carefree, I am instructed to visualize the dancing flame of a candle.  I stare into the flame.  The hypnotist implores me to sleep soundly throughout each night, unperturbed by background noise, and if I am awakened, I will be able to promptly fall back to sleep.  She mentions tapping into my subconscious mind and other instructions which I am unable to recall. She then counts backward from three, and I am awake.

            Similar to my first session, I feel very relaxed.  I struggle to stand up and reorient myself to the wakened world.  She gives me a new CD which focuses on pain management.  I suppose this might be useful in coping with my lower back pain, recurring knee pain, and occasional migraines.  I stumble out of the office.  Once again, as I drive back to work, I reflect on the hypnosis session.  I feel like I am on the cusp of being hypnotized, but have not yet reached nirvana.  Perhaps hypnosis is just a form of meditation; some people clearly benefit while others less so.  I harken back to the psychiatrist Dr. Schilder who states in his book, “Hypnosis represents the pleasure of surrender.”

Next week . . . Hypnotherapy- a critical analysis

Hypnotherapy – Scratching the Surface

           I visited the hypnotist two weeks ago.  I tried to follow her recommendations.  Twice a day, I attempt to “zone out” for a minute.  During this time, in accordance with her instructions, I observe all visual stimuli, all noises, and all sensations while focusing on none.  I listened to the CD for “Anxiety Release” given to me by the hypnotist.  The CD is a form of guided hypnosis and is very similar in content to the hypnosis session I described in last week’s blog.  As a result of these exercises, I do have periods of increased relaxation and contemplation.  Hypnotized?  I am not sure.  During my hypnosis session, the hypnotist suggested I would assume a state of deep relaxation triggered by closing my book each night.  This trigger has been quite effective.  In fact, I am wary of reading my book during the day for fear I will be overcome with a desire to sleep when I close the book.  Fortunately, the majority of my reading during daylight hours is on the computer, from magazines, and from newspapers.  I imagine myself reading a chapter from my book at lunch time and then waking up several hours later to find it is evening and I have skipped an afternoon of seeing patients.  I doubt my boss or my patients would be appreciative.

            The whole concept of hypnosis has piqued my interest.  The idea of tapping into one’s subconscious to affect change in one’s daily life is fascinating.  I need to know more.  I seek more information from my father-in law, Dr. T.S. Kim, a retired psychiatrist.  T.S. is one of the kindest, gentlest, and wisest men I have encountered.  I don’t tell my wife, but the real reason I married her was to have T.S. be my father-in-law.  The one catch to seeking T.S.’s counsel is that at 87 years old, he is very hard of hearing.  Rather than struggle to comprehend conversation, T.S. now favors recounting his prior experiences, particularly his Korean War experiences - fascinating, but not my current topic of interest.  During our most recent visit to Hickory, I pull up a chair next to T.S. and ask him to tell me about his use of hypnosis when he practiced psychiatry.  After a few misunderstandings - first, thinking I had asked about the Carolina Panthers, and then launching into a discussion of the conflict in the Ukraine - I get him to address his views on hypnotism.  He says, “Yes, hypnotism can be very effective.  I incorporated hypnotism into my practice in certain circumstances with good results.  I have a few books I can give you on the subject.”  Then, he began talking about his youth in North Korea during the times of Japanese occupation.  It appears this is all T.S. will be telling me today about hypnotism.  At the end of our visit, T.S. gives me a couple of circa 1950 books on hypnotism. 

            On arriving home, I take a look at the books T.S. gave me.  Hypnotism, by G.H. Estabrooks, “one of American’s leading psychologists” according to the book jacket, must have created quite a stir when it was published.  Dr. Estabrooks contends people can be hypnotized against their own will.  His book reviews hypnotic techniques and discusses the use of hypnosis, not only for medical conditions, but also for its possible use to perpetuate crime and in warfare.  Imagine hypnotizing a legion of soldiers to do your bidding without concern for their own wellbeing.  Surely Vladamir Putin is using this trick on his military. The second book, The Nature of Hypnosis, takes a more Freudian approach.  Its author, Dr. Paul Schilder, observes “hypnosis is also rooted in sexuality.”  My favorite quote from Dr. Schilder’s work is, “hypnosis represents the pleasure of surrender.”  Here, I think Dr. Schilder may have hit upon the truth.  One needs to surrender and put their skepticism aside to experience the benefits of hypnosis.  This has become my goal.  I strive to fully open my mind and delve into my own subconscious.  I want to be hypnotized.  I have made progress in the past two weeks, but I have much further to go.  I have experienced moments of serene calm that I have rarely experienced before.  Unfortunately, these moments have been fleeting.  In the coming weeks, I will attempt to lower the barriers I have erected around my subconscious in an effort to realize the full benefits of hypnotherapy.  

Next week . . . my return visit to the hypnotist.

The Hypnotist

            Today, I visit the hypnotist.  She is no ordinary hypnotist.  She has a PhD in neurosciences and a bevy of other degrees.  With such lofty titles, one might expect her office to be in a large hospital and filled with complex devices for measuring brain activity.  Contrary to my expectations, her office is not located in a large medical complex; instead, it is in a yoga studio.  After entering the studio, I am forced to sit by the yoga check-in desk while awaiting the doctor’s arrival.  I feel out of place in my tie and work clothes while scantily clad yogis file in for the noon yoga session.  The doctor arrives ten minutes late, reportedly having been caught up in Asheville’s notorious noon rush hour.  My first impression is she is not a stereotypical neuroscientist.  No white coat for her:  she wears a stylish tight dress and has short, cropped, dyed- black hair - think Joan Jett.  She is lithe, muscled, and adorned with numerous tattoos exposed along the margins of her dress.  She ushers me into her office which is small and spartan in appearance.  There are no pictures on the walls.  A 1940’s chaise longue is the prominent feature of the room.  Soothing music plays softly in the background.  The doctor motions for me to take my place on the chaise longue while she sits down in an upright chair at its head, the classic psychiatrist-patient position.

            The doctor asks what I hope to gain from hypnotherapy.  I mention my Type A personality, stress, and difficulty sleeping.  “How do you relax?” she asks.  “By exercising, having a beer after work, and chilling out while watching Netflix with my wife after the kids have gone to bed,” I reply.  She asks me to describe my image of total relaxation.  “Lying on the beach with a margarita in my hand,” I respond.  She smiles.  The doctor then gives me some relaxation exercises I should perform several times each day to escape the multiple demands placed on me and to clear my mind.  Basically, it is a thirty-second exercise with three steps:  first, one takes in all visual stimuli while focusing on none individually; second, one takes in all auditory stimuli while focusing on none individually; and, third, one takes in all tactile stimuli while focusing on none individually.  She mentions this is not a great exercise to do while driving.  “Probably not,” I concur.  Shifting gears back to the upcoming hypnosis session, she has me choose a trigger that will tell my body it is time to enter full relaxation.  I choose closing my book at night before I go to sleep. 

            We then begin the hypnotherapy session.  She says I will remember what happens.  She explains that similar to the Hollywood depiction of hypnotism, she has the ability to make me forget portions of the session, but that is not the goal of today’s session.  She asks me to fully let go and relax.  I lie back in the chaise longue and close my eyes.  She has me focus on relaxing my muscles from the top of my head to my toes in stepwise fashion.  I begin to wonder if I will fall asleep.  In a soothing voice, she leads me down a flight of ten stairs with an open door at the bottom leading to the beach.  With each step, she instructs me to double my relaxation.  Eventually, I make it to a tranquil beach where I lie in the sand with a margarita nearby.  She tells my worries to leave me in little bubbles that float away like clouds on a gentle breeze.  The sand is warm, and I have no cares.  After relaxing for several minutes on the beach, she instructs me to visualize a candle.  The flame is warm with an aura surrounding it.  As I stare into the flame, she guides me into an empty blackness.  I feel it.  My mind is blank.  She says I will achieve this state of total relaxation each evening when I close my book and place it on my bedside table.  She continues to reinforce that I am totally relaxed and free of worries.  After a while, she says she will count to three and with each count, I will be closer to awakening, and on three I will open my eyes.  I feel so relaxed I am unsure I will be able to open my eyes.  Somehow, I force my eyes to open on three.  That is it.  We are done. 

            I rise from the chaise longue.  I sheepishly pull out my Groupon and hand it to her.  We schedule a second session, and she gives me a CD I am to listen to on my own.  She also reminds me to practice “zoning out” as she had instructed.  As I drive back to work. I am totally relaxed.  I don’t turn on the radio for fear of losing my Zen state.  I contemplate whether or not I had been hypnotized.  I am not sure.  What does it mean to be hypnotized?  I am definitely relaxed.  I am eager to try the techniques she has shown me and to listen to her CD.  Will I fall instantly into a state of relaxation each night when I close my book?

Next week . . . Has hypnotherapy worked for me?

Can I be hypnotized?

I am intrigued by hypnosis.  I have always doubted I could be hypnotized.  My wife frequently points out that I am a Capricorn, or a goat.  Apparently, goats tend to be very practical, evidence based, and always skeptical.  Any reference to astrology elicits an eye roll from me; of course, she takes this as evidence further proving her point.  I admit I am innately skeptical of anything “spiritual” or requiring faith.  Needless to say, I do not regularly attend church.  There are similarities between some alternative therapies and religion.  Both require openness to ideas that might initially seem counterintuitive and a willingness to be healed.  I have always struggled with blind faith.  I want to know why things are the way they are.  “Just believe” is a hard pill for me to swallow.  

            Last week, my wife’s college roommate and her family spent a night at our house on their way to Alabama.  Both she and her husband are close friends and wonderful conversationalists.  At some point, the discussion turned to my explorations of alternative medicine and the next experience on my ledger:  hypnotherapy.  David regaled me with his experiences being hypnotized.  He recounted one episode at a local bar where my wife and his future spouse, Christina, were also present.  He and several others were chosen out of the crowd to be hypnotized on the stage.  The hypnotist realized David was the most susceptible to being hypnotized and gave him additional instructions.  The hypnotist had David fill his pockets with napkins and then planted the trigger that once David returned to his seat, he would feel the napkins burning his legs, and he would jump up and exclaim a particular phrase.  After being awakened, David returned to his seat.  Upon sitting down, he immediately leapt to his feet and exclaimed “I am Tarzan, King of the Monkeys” as he frantically tore the burning napkins from his pockets.  David had clearly been hypnotized.   Hearing this story made me wonder if I too can be hypnotized.  David will be the first to admit he is very receptive to otherworldly ideas.  His astrologic sign is Gemini, same as my wife, which they both claim make them more spiritual and open to new ideas.  Baah, I say.  Now, I really want to be hypnotized.  I may have been resistant to hypnotism three years ago, but I think it might work now.  My alternative medicine experiences have opened my eyes and hopefully made me more receptive to new approaches.  I decide it is time to book an appointment.

            There are a plethora of hypnotists in Asheville.  How will I choose one?  One word: Groupon.  I am an avid fan of Groupon.  Who knew there were so many things I needed, and all at half price?  Groupon has a half price deal for two hypnotherapy sessions with a CD to boot.  I check out the doctor’s web page, and I am impressed.  The doctor not only has a PhD, but a whole bunch of other letters in her title.  She even has a friendly picture of her and her horse.  What more can I ask for?  The website has a listing of common problems treated with hypnotism and supporting scientific literature for the claims.  Anxiety and insomnia are the reasons I seek help (as well as the general desire to see if I can be hypnotized).  The past several weeks have been very stressful.  Work has been busy, even though I work at a VA, and I have been racing against several looming deadlines.  As a result, I have felt like I have a hole in the pit of my stomach, and I have not been sleeping well.   Unlike the past when I had difficulty falling asleep, I am now waking up throughout the night and having difficulty falling back asleep.  My type A personality has been in overdrive.  I am eager to see if hypnotherapy will work for me.   I purchase the Groupon and schedule an appointment.

In two weeks . . . my visit to the hypnotist (next week I will be at the beach and there will be no blog post)