The Monday Report

Today in the Monday Report, we look at Are Hypnosis Recordings a Relic or are they still a Relevant Tool? A Modern, Evidence-Based Perspective 

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Good morning, everyone, and going to hear your host for the Monday report in the office, as always, along with my cool cohort, cohort, Frank T-Rex, as always. And as always, this broadcast is being brought to you by the North American Hynotherapy Guild. Go on over there. There's the QR code. Um, you know what? Scan it, check it out, uh, see what's going on. It is pretty cool. I'm also gonna put the link up here. If you guys want to follow the link over there, and you can take a look at that. And we are broadcasting everywhere we're supposed to be broadcasting today. Will Wonders Never Cease? We are live on the website at Hypnoworld Magazine.com, and we're live on the YouTube channel and on our Facebook page as well. So that is awesome. So, and always, hey, you know what? Broadcast being brought to you by Hypno World magazine. Um, I'm gonna go ahead and put the link up there for that so you guys can check it out. Paste it right there, send it on out to you, and guess what? There's the QR code if you want to scan it, and head on over and subscribe to Hypno World magazine to be in the know. So, do so. Also, subscribe to our really cool YouTube channel, so you can be in the know there, and you can follow us for all the latest videos, all the latest updates, as you can on our website and right here on our Facebook page as we are live. That's a good cup of Jew. So, what are we talking about today? Um, you know what? I am talking about recordings and and why. Why am I talking about recordings? Well, one reason I am currently, and don't ask me how I got onto this or started this, I don't know why. Um, but I'm currently re-recording all of my previous um uh hypnosis recordings. So yeah. Make sure I'm on the right microphone. There we go. So that works out really well. I am I'm re-recording those. Uh why? Well, I just happened to listen to one um the other day. I don't know why, but I did. And I just I realized that I had recorded them so long ago, so long ago. Um, and I'm listening, I was like, oh man, that's a mistake. No, that's not right. Well, why? Because I I'm a better medical clinical hypnotherapist than I was then. I opened my doors about 15 years ago, if you can believe that. Um, first 11 years in my office working solely alone, one-on-one with clients. So that became um my life just working with those clients one-on-one. But as time went by, you know, I've learned more, I've grown um exponentially. Um, I'm much better than I was then. As I listened to them now, I said to myself, self, you need to re-record those and correct some of those mistakes that you're hearing. Um so that you can make that happen. So that's that's what got me thinking about recordings. So I and I I said, Man, I wonder, um, I wonder if that's still a thing, or is that not a thing? So we actually went ahead and did a poll on our Facebook group page, or not the Facebook group page, but the page, um the Hypno World magazine page, and a lot of people answered them. So it was a kind of an odd answer, though. I will say that. I will say that. Uh 47% of our respondents said that yes, MP3 and you know, hypnotherapy recorded sessions were still a thing, or that they were still recording them. Oddly enough, though, 20 only 27% uh said that they were part of today, that they belonged in the present. Um so less than half of the people that are recording them, per se, vote-wise, uh think that they're still an uh a present thing to have. Uh 7% said no, and I think 15% said uh, oh boy, session specific. So that was our uh poll on that, which as you can see is really interesting that only the 27% think that they are still a thing today or still viable today, even though 47% of them said that, oh yeah, I'm still recording uh uh hypnosis sessions. Coffee cup. So interesting. But before we get into that, um get too deep into it, I do want to mention that the Heartland Hypnosis Conference and the Irish Hypnosis Conference took place this weekend, and they are wrapped up today or are wrapping up today. There might be some uh post-conference going on at both of those. I don't know, but I know that the main um conference for those ended today. It's Monday. So the next big conference coming up this summer, uh I believe is going to be um oh, let me get to the comments so I can put that up there. Uh Hypnoths, Hypnothots Live, uh coming to you from Las Vegas, Nevada, being held at the Sahara Hotel July 17th, 18th, and 19th, 2026. And I'm gonna go ahead and throw that link up there. Scott Sandelin and Stephanie Stephanie Sibski, I can never say her last name right now. I don't want to, uh, but they work really hard all year round making sure um that that conference takes place and does well. And I just added it to the link so you guys can check it out. So that's the next big conference coming up in the world of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Uh, and I know that Grant Saunders and um oh boy, the captain, Sean Kostiak, are gonna be covering all the conferences and all the news coming up on Hypno News. Uh, I believe uh that is going to be Wednesday, um, coming up, Wednesday, Thursday. So they'll be covering that on their podcast. So be check sure to check that out. Uh Hypno News Podcast with Grant Saunders and Sean Kostiak, which is just a really great uh way to stay in the know of all the things happening in the world of hypnosis, not only here on the Monday report, but there on Hypno News. So let's get into it. Uh let's get into recordings. Let's get into recording. If you like recordings, if you don't like recordings, uh you may not like what I have to say, or you may love what I have to say. I don't know. But if you're watching this on the replay, please put hashtag replay. So here we go. Um started thinking about it just with so many um technology has changed so much. When I opened my doors 15 years ago, uh, right there at Holton Eck Hypnosis Therapy Studios, so named because it was just a big studio office, I had a five-disc CD player. And in that I would have, you know, five CDs. You know, they were all that many of them that were alpha waves or bineural beats, and oh my goodness. Um, this is why I'm such a better uh uh hypnotherapist today. But um, yeah, I used them, and there's nothing wrong with bineural beats, there's nothing wrong with alpha. Um, they're they're fine. They are, they really are, and many people still use them, so I don't want to say there's anything wrong with them. But the world has changed, and we have so many options now, and so many apps. Uh, there's a lot of AI tools out there, new technology that is available. So it it makes sense to wonder if hypnosis uh recordings like MP3s and guided sessions and pre-recorded hypnotherapy uh are outdated. So, and we did a lot of research on this, a lot of research uh crossed uh Google search. Uh we did the poll, we talked to people, uh, did an AI search, crossed Claude, Perplexity, Chat GBT, co-pilot. Uh, we did uh looked at it, looked at it, looked at it. And here's some of the stuff that we found. Uh the answer, according to the scientific research and clinical research is no. No, they're not outdated. However, um, the role has changed and may continue to change over time. It is um really unique in the way that everything works now. Um man, technology has changed so much and so fast, and you do need to keep up with it. As a good friend of mine used to say, you will not be replaced by AI, but you will be replaced by the individual using AI. So, yes, the getting back to the recordings, right? We look at the sci here we are, the scientific foundation of hypnosis still works. So let's let's not fool ourselves there. There have been way too many studies on the effectiveness of clinical hypnotherapy. Um systemic reviews. One of the things that we looked at was a systemic review of the meta-analysis, which is uh published in several of the peer-reviewed medical literature texts, um found that recorded sessions can not only be beneficial, but can be um incredibly useful to not only the client, but the practitioner as well. So um it's something to think about. Something to think about. I know that when whenever I had a client, yeah, you can see me getting comfortable in my chair there, uh uh coming into the office, sometimes uh I would have uh a recording for them. And we're gonna talk about that. So why? Why would I have a recording for them, Dan? Well, yeah. Just due to the fact that a lot of people are were really nervous coming into the office. It was their first time seeing a clinical hypnotherapist, uh, it was their first time doing anything like that. So did the induction, not the induction, the intake. Uh, we did all that stuff. We sat down, we did the consultation, we seen where they were needing to be, where they wanted to go with this, and what it was that they were looking for. Uh at the time they were really, really nervous. So I would do uh the consultation and then uh have them do just a general session. It wasn't based on anything, just a general hypnosis session to get them comfortable with uh the um technique, you will, if you will, get them comfortable with hypnosis so that they weren't nervous, that they weren't scared, so they knew what was gonna go on. This was all part of uh the process. And uh when we look at uh that next session, so if they came in for um smoking, I wanted to get them in right away, right? So we do a general session, then two days later, boom, maybe one day later, two days later, at the latest, they're in there for their full-on one-hour session, um, so that they can begin to do that change work. So here is where we have to say to ourselves, well, where do recordings fit in? Um, so for the case for the audio-based and self-guided hypnosis research that we looked at on audio-based hypnosis showed us that it's not only effective, but as I said, it is um valuable in certain situations, right? Um one of the things that we looked at was a clinical trial from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke. So they highlighted that that self-hypnosis delivered via audio recording is being actively studied. They are looking at this and um uh they're wanting to know is it scalable um for interventions and conditions like uh fatigue, multiple sclerosis, uh, some of the key implications, key implications, if you will, um really looking at that. So they wanted to know, is it accessible and scalable? It can be used without a clinician. This is the wonderful thing that we're gonna be talking about, okay? Which is um convenient, all right. It serves to complement the clinical treatment, not to just substitute it. Serves to complement it. Uh so I know many of us do the recordings, and we want to have them on our our our apps, and we want to have them as a for lack of a better word, passive income. So and that's fine. I'm all about passive income. I really am. Um and I think that's where I started re-recording these, so that that passive income might generate from them, and that I could conceivably um help more people, and that's why I had the recordings in the first place, all right. So but with live clients, as all clients should be, because you shouldn't be working with a dead client, but the client gets that live session, uh, then they get that reinforcement recording, and it is both clinical and can be done in the coaching settings. Um, I'm more of a clinical hypnotherapist, so yeah, we look at the evidence from the digital and remote hypnosis models, and what we call remote hypnosis models, um, what I'm doing right now, live or Zoom sessions, digital sessions. Um, some of the research on online digital hypnosis is really showing those promising results. Uh, for example, uh, as I look at it here, the data-driven study of hypnosis programs combined with MP3 and for reinforcement found that high adherence um by participants showed substantial behavioral change. And this is where we get back into uh maybe talking about smoking, which is really Vinnie Bergantz's wheelhouse, organic hypnosis, and stop smoking specialist. But I do work with the smoke sensation clients. I don't work with a lot of clients anymore because I'm doing a lot of other stuff and I have a lead therapist now, not to toot my own horn, but when a client came in for smoking, we would do the consultation, do the general session Tuesdays later, I get them back in there, they do that session. I had that recording ready to go. Uh, I believe at the time it was called Walking Away from Smoking. And uh that's just the title I gave it. Why I did that was a very simple reason because I knew in my own mind, and there's no scientific evidence to this, it's just anecdotal. It's my experience that they let they would leave the office feeling great, ready to quit smoking. Three days, everything would be fine. By that third day, they're ready to have another cigarette. So I gave them that recording, and sometimes I would load it right onto their phone and say, here it is, you know, listen to this, boom. Now, the individuals that came back that said, you know, oh yeah, I was really great for the first three days. Uh, then I really, really, really wanted a cigarette, but I listened to that recording and everything was great. And so here we are. The individuals who either took it on a flash drive, didn't want it loaded on their phone, they didn't guess what? Three days they're smoking. They came back in, we had to kind of start from square one, which is what I warned them. But that recording really, really helped a lot. And you've really got to sometimes push your clients to make that change. So you want to give them all those tools that they can. Um, so they maintain that effectiveness, right? Whether you're using uh a protocol, whether you're using um conversational metaphors, stories, whatever you're using, you want to make sure that they've got the tools to do it. And it works out really well. So, because the group the one thing is hypnosis or hypnotherapy is no longer limited by the therapy room. We're everywhere, we're across the world, we're on Zoom, we're digital, we're live, we're streaming, we're reaching all kinds of people, right? So the strengths that hypnosis recordings bring to the table, um, accessibility and cost were to the biggest. Um, they make it so much easier for people to get started or to continue. They don't fall off the wagon, they don't um have those backslides if they've got them. Um, there's no scheduling constraints. You get the really that that that lower cost, right? And and this matches today's healthcare goals, right? People want people want to be able to do something on their own time, their own schedule. Um, you know, you you look at a lot of these apps that are out there for therapy and therapists and quit smoking and lose weight, you know, that is one of the biggest things. People want to know that they can do this on their own time. So it becomes really great. So, one of the big advantages of recording is that people can listen to them again and again and again. Um, and recordings are you know repeated exposure. And as we know in hypnosis and hypnotherapy, guess what? Repetition is king, suggestion, compound suggestions, you're repeating that repetition is king. Right? And it's critical for habit formation. As Emile Carew used to say, the mind must be told over and over and over and over again that reinforcement, emotional conditioning. Uh, with with recordings. People can repeat sessions every day, maybe several times a day. I don't know. All right. But the one thing you do want to tell them is don't listen to this while you're driving. Don't listen to this while you're working. Excuse me. So they get that ease. They get that flexibility. And that is, and that's what people are looking for today. And I know that I am a big proponent of one-on-one working with your client, sharing that energy, being there. And I still am. But I'm also a big proponent of self-hypnosis skills, teaching my client that. And that's where these recordings can come in really handy. If you're not teaching your client self-hypnosis, do so, do so, do so. It's a great tool. Because research has shown, has shown that self-hypnosis is real and useful in hypnotherapy. Um, sorry, I won't do that again. But and recordings, they're good for this. They train the individual to enter that state of hypnosis independently. Uh, they reinforce that, and they give that ability of autonomy and self-regulation. Um, extended therapeutic benefits way beyond the session. The only one of the only drawbacks is um the limitations of the recording, right? And I know that we don't like to use scripts. Um, I like conversations, I like doing that. I don't want to use a script, but sometimes with recordings, you have to do that. You have to use a script. Um so, and they can have a lack of personalization. So, one of the things I always do is I pretend that I'm talking to a client. I pretend that there's a client right there. I make a client up in my head and I talk to that client. And I know that sounds weird. Yeah, there's Dan making stuff up in his head again. Um, but you you gotta have that, right? Um because you do want to be able to have that effectiveness, that suggestibility, the emotional state, and the therapeutic rapport. Uh, so you want to make sure that you're trying to put all that into your recording. Um it is uniquely viable. And I'm gonna show you something here, see if I can share the screen. All right. So, all right. Very quickly here. Um, this is what I use. I use the Personas Studio One professional version, uh, and I keep upgrading it. So um, yeah. Oh, let me uh turn those down so you can't see me bouncing up and down. You can see it picking up my microphone. Um, so one of the things I do is I'll have my phone and I've got a phone jack that plugs into that. It goes into my quantum HD2, right in here into the input two, and this gives me all the music that I'm gonna be utilizing. The voice goes right here, so both tracks are recorded independently, so I'm not having music come over me. I'm able to turn down the music track, I'm able to turn this down. Um, if I want to have a compressor, a low cut, um, if I want to have a uh Pro EQ thrown in there, I don't need reverb. Turn that off, or maybe I want reverb, I don't know. But I'm able to do that recording in one session at the same time, controlling both. You don't have to do this um if you're not familiar with recording software. So um, yeah. Stop sharing, close that out. So, yeah, no, I don't want to save the changes. So that's what I use. But there are AI tools that are gonna do this for you, and they're gonna do it well if you're not um adept at being a sound engineer. Um I use I I've got that knowledge, so uh it's it's fine. But yes, and all of this works really well. Um, some of the best recordings out there are for areas like anxiety, um, low emotional states, anger, smoking, weight loss, um, pain control, all these great things that have this uh effectiveness of recordings. Um of course it depends on how well they're designed, right? And how engaged the user is, uh, the situation in which they are used, why are they being used? So, and the modern reality, right? Here's the modern reality. It it's not a replacement, but an integration. So I just want to say that right now, all right. The the current evidence is clear, at least what I've found and what I believe and what I think. And there's some of this me, obviously. Um, that hypnosis recordings are not obsolete. They're not obsolete. So, right, start using them. Start recording today, all right? It's a helpful tool uh in a larger system. Um, today's technology is gonna help us do that. And be personalized. Pretend you've got a client, you know. Maybe you've got to put a teddy bear up there. I don't know. Um, but uh maybe I could talk to Frank T-Rex because I do talk to Frank. He's here, he's always happy, he's always smiling. Uh but so I think that's gonna do it for today on this Monday report. And please remember, put hashtag replay, check out the North American Hypnotherapy Guild, subscribe to our YouTube channel, subscribe to the HypnoWorld magazine, get it to your house in the mail, be in the know. So I hope you guys are having a good day, staying safe, being happy, and as always, hey, I'll see you out there.