[http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/story/432416p-364338c.html]
July 4, 2006
Taking a Trance
A stressed-out N.Y. reporter tries hypnosis for a spell
By Robert Dominguez
I was going to put off writing this story for another day - until I
consulted a hypnotist for my chronic procrastination.
Apparently, what I always considered to be a cute and quirky
character trait - putting off writing my articles, then filing them at the
very last second before deadline - doesn't sit too well with some of
my editors.
Who knew?
So at the suggestion of one particularly perturbed features editor, I
signed up for a "Hypno Lunch" session at Positive Changes NYC, a
behavior modification and hypnotherapy center in midtown, in an
effort to change my (allegedly) evil ways.
Positive Changes, which has branches across the U.S. (including
Garden City, L.I.), recently began offering harried New Yorkers the
chance to break bad habits - and relieve everyday stress - through
one-hour hypnosis sessions in the middle of the workday.
Daily News writer Robert
Dominguez is hypnotized
by Patricia Stanford for
his chronic
procrastination.
Though most clients come to Positive Changes to lose weight or quit smoking, drinking or
drugging, Hypno Lunch "is geared toward people who need a boost, a quick rejuvenation and
some stress release," says Punit Sabharwal, Positive Changes' New York-area director.
"Daily living is so stressful, especially in Manhattan. Now you can call ahead and come in for a
quick session of hypnotherapy instead of having a massage or going to the gym.
"You're in and out in an hour, feeling superenergized. Your work ethic changes, and your level of
productivity is completely altered."
Sabharwal assured me that a Hypno Lunch session, which costs $120 to $150, would help
diminish my tendency to procrastinate - to put off doing unpleasant tasks for another time.
To be honest, I wasn't completely sold on the idea. Hypnosis is defined as a relaxed state of
focused attention and heightened imagination, and hypnotherapists - licensed therapists who use
it as part of their treatment - have been in practice since the 19th century. But hypnosis is still
considered a pseudo-science by many.
Taking a Trance - July 4, 2006 – page 1
Upon entering Positive Changes' offices, at 1120 Sixth Ave., I half expected to be greeted by a
goateed old guy with an Austrian accent and Svengali-like stare who would put me in a trance
and make me mimic farm animals. Or worse.
"There is a huge misconception about hypnosis," says Sabharwal. "But it's not about making
people quack like ducks. Everyone on some conscious level knows what it takes to achieve a
goal. Yet the subconscious prevents us from [attaining] it."
Hypnosis, she explains, helps unlock the key to your subconscious so that bad habits can be
overcome through the power of positive suggestion.
It's been working for Jeffrey Levine, 46, who has been battling a weight problem for most of his
life. Levine lost 22 pounds (from 234 to 212) in just five weeks through a Positive Changes
program that includes a personal hypnotist.
"I've tried everything to lose weight before," says Levine. "But sometimes you need a little help
because [bad habits] are all in your head, and this helps get your head in such an amazing place."
The process also cured Wendy Fendt, 59, of life-long claustrophobia. Two years ago, facing eye
surgery that would require her to lie facedown in a special chair with her head immobilized while
she recuperated, Fendt turned to hypnosis.
"I couldn't imagine going through that for six weeks," says Fendt, of Garden City. "When I was
traveling for business, I couldn't even fly on smaller planes without hyperventilating."
Her hypnotherapy sessions "reprogrammed my subconscious and changed my attitude toward the
fear I had. I don't know how I could have made it through the surgery and my recovery without
it."
My session began with an informal interview. In a small, dimly lit office, hypnotherapist Patricia
Stanford had me sit in a comfortable reclining chair and talk about my feelings on being a
procrastinator.
To my surprise, I had a breakthrough even before I was "put under." As Stanford took notes, I
admitted that while I feed off the rush of writing under deadline pressure, the stress of leaving
things to the last minute was getting to me.
I also realized it was a trait I've carried over from my school days, when I would start papers the
day before they were due or cram all night for an exam. But the bad habit had become evident in
my home life, too - bills would often be paid late, and most home-improvement projects were
either never begun or left half-finished.
The next step was being placed in a hypnotic state. Wearing headphones and special sunglasses
that emitted pulsing yellow lights, I was told to close my eyes, lean back and relax.
Through the headphones, I heard a gentle classical score, accompanied by the sounds of sea gulls
crying and waves lapping. Then in a soft, soothing voice, Stanford instructed me to totally relax
all the muscles in my body, beginning with my feet and ending with my shoulders.
It was working. I soon felt myself floating as I sunk deeper and deeper into a calm, peaceful zone,
aware of nothing but the lulling music, the sounds of the surf and a gentle voice instilling positive
messages about becoming a more focused, organized and productive person who will no longer
put things off until tomorrow.
The sensation was similar to that dreamy state just before you drift into sleep, except I was fully
alert.
Taking a Trance - July 4, 2006 – page 2
After about 20 minutes, Stanford slowly pulled me out of the trance by counting to 10. I snapped
out of it feeling focused, refreshed, stress-free and clear of mind - and hellbent on changing the
way I approach my story assignments.
I took my new attitude home with me, too. That pile of overdue bills? The checks are in the mail
two weeks early. The leaves still stuck in the gutters of my house since the fall - of 2004? Bagged
and waiting on the curb.
Most important, I wrote this story and filed it with my editors days before it was due. Will it last?
Stanford says it often takes several hypnotherapy sessions before a subject achieves a permanent
lifestyle change.
"It is possible to see a change in behavior after just one day," says Stanford. "But it's all about
reinforcing the message."
It's only been a few days, but I've yet to fall off the procrastination wagon, especially at work.
There has, however, been one negative side effect to being hypnotized.
My editors now expect me to file my stories early all the time.
Taking a Trance - July 4, 2006 – page 3