The Science of Creativity, Curiosity & Mirroring Hands | Richard Hill

In this episode, we are joined by the incredible Richard Hill, a world-renowned psychotherapist, author, and educator who has bridged the gap between the creative arts and the science of the mind.

We dive deep into how we can escape the pressure of the "Winner-Loser World" by embracing curiosity, the biology of change, and the 4-Stage Creative Cycle that governs how we learn and grow. Richard also shares a special "hypnotic gift" at the end of the episode—a guided demonstration of the Mirroring Hands technique.

🎁 Free Hypnotic Resources & Work with Ryan If you would like to work with Ryan or get a free library of hypnotic help, please visit: https://www.trancewell.help/start

👤 About Richard Hill

Richard Hill (MA, MEd, MBMSc, DPC) is a specialist in the mind, brain, and human condition. His journey is unique: after a successful 20-year career as an actor and entertainer, he returned to university in his mid-40s to study linguistics, which sparked a new path into psychotherapy. He now holds three Master’s degrees, including a Masters in Brain and Mind Sciences from Sydney University.

Richard is a close collaborator and mentee of the late Ernest Rossi, PhD (a pioneer in psychobiology and a direct student of Milton Erickson). Together, they co-authored The Practitioner’s Guide to Mirroring Hands, carrying forward the Erickson/Rossi lineage of non-directive, naturalistic hypnosis. Richard is also the Past-President of the Global Association of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies (GAINS) and explores how therapeutic practice impacts us at the genetic level.

🧬 The 4-Stage Creative Cycle

Richard outlines the fundamental cycle of how we learn, create, and change—a process that mirrors how our genes express themselves and how the universe evolves:

1. New Information (Curiosity): The cycle begins with gathering new data. This is driven by curiosity—moving away from "fixing" a problem and toward exploring possibilities.
2. Relevance & Struggle (The "Dark Night"): This is the stage of wrestling with the information. You ask, "What does this mean to me?" It is often uncomfortable and confusing, but it is necessary for making the knowledge your own.
3. Breakthrough (The Creative Spurt): The "Aha!" moment where the new understanding clicks into place, leading to a surge of creativity and a new way of being.
4. Verification & Implementation (The Pause): The most critical step. We must stop, contemplate, and review the change to integrate it fully into our lives before starting the cycle again.

🙌 The Mirroring Hands Technique

We finish the episode with a live demonstration of Mirroring Hands, a "fail-safe" therapeutic technique developed by Richard Hill and Ernest Rossi. It acts as a bridge between your conscious mind and your subconscious/body. By inviting the hands to represent different aspects of your experience (e.g., a problem in one hand, a resource in the other) and allowing them to move naturally without conscious control, you allow your system to "speak" and find its own resolution.

Connect with Richard Hill & Upcoming Events:

• HypnoThoughts Live: If you would like to register for one of Richard's workshops at HypnoThoughts Live, please visit: https://www.htlive.net/
• Website: https://www.richardhill.com.au

In This Episode:

• Transitioning from acting to psychotherapy
• Why we get stuck in a "Winner-Loser World"
• "Curiosity Squared": How to be curious about your curiosity
• The biology of telomeres and how community affects aging
• A guided Mirroring Hands experience