Recently a colleague of mine, Bob Hertzendorf, related an interesting story about someone he was able to help via hypnosis counseling.
Bob's client was a retired military man who had achieved a high rank during a long and distinguished career serving our country. Having undergone abdominal surgery the week before, this individual developed a severe and disabling case of hiccups which standard medical treatment had been unable to remedy. (Anyone who has ever had a persistent bout of hiccups will tell you it can be a maddening ordeal.)
Desperate for anything that might possibly help, this individual sought out Bob's services. Trying several different types of hypnotic intervention to no avail during the session, a sudden flash of inspiration came to Bob. While the client was in the hypnotic state, he suggested that he give the hiccups a "dishonorable discharge." Lo and behold, the hiccups disappeared almost instantly and have not returned!
What this story illustrates is the power of metaphoric healing. On a logical, conscious level the idea of giving an annoying symptom a "dishonorable discharge," makes absolutely no sense. The conscious mind would understand "I shall now relax my diaphragmatic muscles and in doing so end these hiccups," and it is a sure bet this would have no effect on the problem.
The subconscious mind, which controls the body, has its own way of reasoning called "trance logic" and it readily responds to stories. Under the right circumstances it can translate an abstraction into a tangible physical or behavioral change. This is especially true when a skilled hypnotist like Mr. Hertzendorf is able to match the right metaphor to a particular client problem.
The concept of giving a dishonorable discharge is one a member of the military brass would be quite familiar with, however it probably wouldn't resonate nearly as well with someone who didn't have that kind of background.
And on this Labor Day weekend, marking the semi-official end of summer, I am reminded of a story about a group of kids who were beating the sweltering August heat by swimming in a cool farm pond.
Things were going well until one of the girls realized she had lost a silver dollar her grandfather had given her for safekeeping. Seeing how upset she was, the other boys and girls helped her search the bottom of the pond for the lost coin. However in doing so they were also stirring up the muddy bottom and soon the water became murky and cloudy.
After a time one of the boys proclaimed, "I know how we can find it." Yet there was some disbelief amongst the others when it turned out his idea was for all of them to get out of the water and take a long break sunning themselves on the edge of the pond. However, since nothing else was working they were willing to give it a try.
And while they all rested there, soaking up the warmth and comfort of the late afternoon summer sun, all the mud and silt they had stirred up gently settled back to the bottom of the pond. Then after a time this group of young friends all stood around the edge of the swimming hole and looked in. Soon the girl who had lost the coin saw a glint of light reflected at the bottom. The lost silver dollar had been found!
And sometimes if we step back, relax and stop trying so hard, the answers to our problems will often appear spontaneously. Sort of like how Ram Dass was quoted as saying, "Just don't do something, sit there!" I hope you and yours get plenty of R and R this weekend!
