Hypnotherapy and Self-Hypnosis

There is nothing mysterious about the hypnotic trance state. People enter it all the time, relaxing after a good exercise workout, while listening to soothing music, or even driving on a long road trip.  Hypnotherapy is simply a way to intentionally relax your body and calm your mind. In this way, you can access information that is usually kept hidden below the level of conscious awareness by the incessant chatter of the thinking mind. For therapy purposes, hypnotherapy is best facilitated by a certified hypnotherapist so your particular issues can be safely addressed. For relaxation, self healing processes, and stress management, hypnosis is something you can learn to do for yourself.

Self-hypnosis begins by finding a place you won’t be disturbed by phones, children, etc.  Lying down is preferable – a bed, couch, or recliner works fine. Start by taking a few full breaths into your abdomen and as you exhale, have a sense of sinking deeper down into the chair as you let all the tension dissolve and release right out of the body. Follow the inhale and exhale of your breath for awhile, allowing your breathing to be soft and easy as you sink deeply into your body. You can then begin a process of progressive relaxation. To do this, tense and then relax the muscle groups of your body from your head to your toes. Start with the scalp and forehead muscles, tensing and then releasing them in relaxation. Next, squint the eyes and then relax them, including the eyelids and muscles behind the eyes so they feel very soft. Continue with the jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest and abdomen, thighs, calves, and finally the feet and toes, tensing the muscles of each body part and then totally releasing them. Allow a softening of the whole body, letting go of tension more and more as you progress. This process can also be done without tensing the muscles first by just going through your body in the same way from head to toe, giving suggestions for each part of your body to become soft and relaxed as you do.

In this state of deep relaxation, you can make positive affirmations for your health, successful outcomes in your life or for staying calm during the day. For example, “I give thanks that I am experiencing more and more love in my life each day.” Doing this process before bed can help you unwind and prepare for sleep. If you do it during the day, give yourself time to come all the way back up to conscious awareness. To make sure you’re out of trance; simply tell yourself you’ll be alert and awake on one. Then count yourself up to the waking state saying, 5-4-3-2-1. The more you do this type of self-hypnosis, the easier it is to eliminate stress and access this calm relaxation whenever you need to throughout the day. For more information on the effectiveness of hypnosis go to http://www.soultranceformations.com/ or http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_statistics_on_the_effectiveness_of_hypnosis?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d1793cdcf2ee960,0

The Truth About Your Zodiac Sign

Well here it is. I finally did it. I’m doing a blog and it will be available on my website. I plan to write on a variety of subjects; healing, spirituality, astrology, hypnotherapy and perhaps even current events as they relate to the great evolutionary changes taking place on the planet at this time. I plan to make it fun and informative.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call a few days ago from Fox News 34 in Lubbock, Texas. They wanted me to comment on the changed signs of the “New Zodiac.” (What, there aren’t any astrologers in Texas? Are they all in the closet?) You may have noticed the buzz last week on the internet, news and social media about people’s zodiac sign changing. Astronomer Parke Kunkle of Minneapolis stated that the Sun was not in the same position that it was 3,000 years ago when the study of the stars began, so individuals weren’t the same zodiac sign as they thought they were. So I’ve decided to set the record straight and clear up any confusion.

There are actually two zodiacs that astrologers use, the more common Western Tropical Zodiac and the Sidereal Zodiac used more by Eastern astrologers. No one’s sign is changing in the Western Tropical system. It’s based on the seasons and the Sun’s movement along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun in the sky. In the spring, the Sun moves into Aries. In the winter it is in Capricorn.  This doesn’t change. Here are the general dates for that system:

Aries – March 21/22 – April 20     
Taurus – April 21 – May 21      
Gemini – May 22 – June 21/22       
Cancer – June 22/23 – July 22/23   
Leo – July 23/24 – August 23/24       
Virgo – August 24/25 – September 23
Libra – September 24 – October 23/24
Scorpio – October 24/25 – November 22/23
Sagittarius – November 23/24 – December 21/22
Capricorn – December 22/23 – January 20/21
Aquarius – January 21/22 – February 18/19
Pisces – February 19/20 – March 20/21  

However, the Sidereal Zodiac is based on the constellations of the fixed stars. Because the Earth wobbles on its axis a bit, the position of the fixed stars in relationship to the Earth changes, moving about 50 seconds a year or one degree every 72 years. This is known as precession. Two thousand years ago, the Tropical Zodiac and the Sidereal Zodiac were exactly aligned and the signs of both zodiacs were based on the constellations. However, after two thousand years of precession at one degree every 72 years, the constellations have backed up about a whole sign. So, basically, if you are an Aries in the Tropical Zodiac, you’re probably a Pisces in the Sidereal Zodiac, although this is only a generalization and it’s best to see an astrologer to have a chart drawn up to know specifically.

Now, where the problem really came up was when Mr. Kunkle showed another thirteenth sign based on the constellation Ophiuchus (Nov. 29 – Dec 17) after Scorpio and before Sagittarius. This had people confused and in some cases upset. In reality, the ancient Babylonians dropped this sign to have the constellations fit into a 12 sign year and it’s not used in charts unless you are specifically looking at the influence of the fixed stars themselves. The fact is there are actually 88 constellations available to us, but we only use twelve, not 88 and not 13. So, the thirteenth sign is a bit of a hoax. According to astrologer Sandra – Leigh Serio, this thirteenth sign business was put out several years ago by an astronomer and keeps resurfacing. It was a slow news day.

So, never fear, your sign is still the same. For a professional astrological consultation, either in the Tropical or Sidereal Zodiac, go to http://www.soultranceformations.com/ If you want to hear the Texas News interview, go to http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/search/sitesearch.aspx?q=zodiac and click on “The stars have aligned” above the zodiac. There will be an article and video screen come up. Just click on the video screen. However, don’t get confused. The anchor woman makes an error in saying the Sidereal Zodiac has 13 signs!