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In Part 2 of this interview series on turning your hypnosis passion into a career, we hear from the same hypnotists as Part 1, as they share how they first got hypnosis clients and what they did to overcome any challenges they experienced when first starting out.
They’ll also share their top advice for aspiring hypnotists as well as what they think their lives would look like now life if they hadn’t become professional hypnotists. (Note: The answer to this last question left some feeling very afraid!).
If you’re considering a career in hypnosis, you won’t want to miss Part 2 as it’s full of advice and valuable insights on how to turn your passion into a rewarding career.
You can jump straight in with Part 2 here: Part 2 – From Aspiring To Professional: How To Make A Career Out Of Hypnosis
Or if you missed Part 1, simply keep reading. For ease of use, both parts are in this one article.
PART 1: What Inspired You To Turn Your Hypnosis Passion Into A Career & Become Professional Hypnotist?
For this article, we wanted to do something different.
It’s not going to be a 10-step guide on a certain hypnosis technique.
Or a cool hypnosis demonstration with Igor.
Nope, none of that.
Instead, we wanted to talk about another important topic. One that previously, we have spoken enough about.
Which is: we wanted hear the impact hypnosis has had on the lives of professional hypnotists.
We were curious to learn what their lives were like before they became hypnotists.
To discover how being a hypnotist makes them feel when they get out of bed each day.
To uncover what their most rewarding success stories have been – both as hypnotists and subjects of hypnosis.
And what their lives would look like now if they hadn’t become hypnotists.
In a nutshell, we wanted to understand how helping and connecting with others through hypnosis has unequivocally changed their lives, and the journey they took to get to where they are today.
To do this, we set about interviewing 4 professional hypnotists. Their interviews, which have been broken into two parts, cover:
Part 1 – why they became hypnotists and their journeys as they turned their passion into a rewarding career
Part 2 – their insights and advice on becoming a professional hypnotist, getting clients and overcoming challenges.
But first, we want to share some interesting research on the science behind happiness and how it connects with having a career in hypnosis…
The Formula For Happiness & Our Biological Need For Connection
They were the greatest threat to the survival of our species when we first appeared on the African continent.
By nearly all accounts, they should have survived… not us.
Despite sharing 99.7% of our DNA, they were significantly stronger than us. They were also faster and even had bigger brains.
So how exactly was it, that we, a far less superior variety of “man” were able to thrive and survive for thousands of years, meanwhile our defeat our greatest adversity – neanderthals – became extinct?
According to scientific research, our success, and our competitor’s ultimate death, largely boils down to one thing that we had that they didn’t…
The ability to connect with others.
You see, as a species, our brains are hardwired to connect with others. We naturally know how to bond and support one another. To build communities. To help each other out during a crisis.
And if you fast forward to today, our natural inclination to connect and form communities is still what determines how well we do in life.
Not only are we able to form alliances from a safety standpoint, but our ability to connect is crucial to another important factor – especially when it comes to our wellbeing in modern life: our happiness.
Studies from all around the world again and again have concluded that there are two variables that lead to happiness.
The first, is your ability to be able to express your emotions to those around you. To feel heard and understood. To be able to communicate your emotional state and feel safe in doing so.
The other “happiness factor” is the ability to carve a life out for yourself that in some way benefits the greater good.
To connect with others, to add value and to be of service. Basically, to be able to create meaningful bonds within your community.
So what does all of this have to do with hypnosis, you may be wondering?
In a way, everything.
Because hypnosis gives you the tools to express yourself emotionally. To work through emotional roadblocks and struggles so you can be “seen” and communicate your needs safely.
And when you practice hypnosis professionally, it allows you to share this gift with others and free them from any mental constraints that are keeping them from reaching their full potential, too.
It allows you to help others form better relationships. To communicate and understand their emotions. To live more enriched lives and go out into the world and be the best humans they can be.
But of course the other way hypnosis ties into this research is because of how it allows you to carve a livelihood out for yourself that has profound meaning.
It gives you the means to be able to form powerful connections with others and be a tremendous force for good in the world.
It allows you to form a community with clients, and perhaps even fellow hypnotists, based on growth, connection, truth and positive intention.
What’s more, it ties in with your core makeup as a human… your need to connect with others and do something that benefits the greater good.
But like we said earlier, we want to leave the talking up to the hypnotists we interviewed, so we’ll let them share the profound impact hypnosis has had on their lives in the interviews below…
1. Kristin Rivas, Certified Hypnotherapist (Specializing in Rapid Trauma Resolution Therapy), NLP Practitioner
In this moving video, Kristin shares her battle with Conversion Disorder, an illness that saw her having up to 9 seizures a day – resulting in her needing to wear a helmet and use a 4-pronged cane.
After months and months of testing, the Mayo Clinic eventually put her condition down to unresolved stress and gave her a very slim chance of recovery. Feeling dissatisfied with her medical diagnosis, she eventually tried hypnotherapy.
After one session she was not only healed, but this life-changing experience inspired her to become a hypnotherapist.
Listen to her video to hear her incredible story, which includes how she became a hypnotist and the tremendous work she’s now doing with clients battling with Conversion Disorder, PTSD, stress and trauma.
Kristin Rivas is a Certified Hypnotherapist (Specializing in Rapid Trauma Resolution Therapy), Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, professional public speaker, TEDx presenter and former host of Mind Talk Radio on the Chat With Women Network. She currently maintains a private practice in Seattle, Washington and enjoys speaking to audiences across the nation. Visit MyMindTalk.com for more information about Kristin and her services
2. Lee McKing, NLP Master Practitioner and Certified Conversational Hypnotherapist
After being rushed to hospital with a crushed lung, Lee McKing was told he could die within minutes. Fortunately the Dr’s were able to save him, but the traumatic event left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which he struggled with for years due to the nature of the event.
Interested in finding an alternative and effective healing method, McKing discovered NLP which later lead him to hypnosis. In the above video, he shares his inspiring story of how he healed himself, and the immense joy he feels as a result of helping others through hypnosis.
Lee McKing is a NLP Master Practitioner, Numerologist and Certified Conversational Hypnotherapist. After learning NLP and Hypnosis to improve his health, he realized how powerful it is and begun his journey in healing others with the use of hypnosis.
» Still want to know more about how you can also create a life for yourself as a professional hypnotist? Don’t miss this upcoming FREE Masterclass on How to Follow Your Passion & Get Paid For It!3. Barbara Neill, Hypnotherapist & Author
I am in the unusual but very privileged position of having been brought up with a knowledge of hypnotherapy, thanks to the fact that my father, Bob Neill, was one of the first hypnotherapists in the UK. I think of myself as a hypnotherapist, rather than a hypnotist, per se, because I only use hypnosis in a therapeutic way.
I learned from my father, because I was interested in his work and because I’ve always enjoyed working with people. I didn’t decide to put my own hypnotherapy training into practice until after my father passed away.
Initially, I felt that he would be a hard act to follow because he was so well-respected, and I feared I wouldn’t be able to live up to the reputation he had built up over the years. Eventually, though, my thoughts of setting up my own business as a hypnotherapist became too compelling for me to resist.
Can you share the most profound – or perhaps even life changing – experiences you’ve had both as a hypnotist and as a subject of hypnosis? What was it about these experiences that had such a powerful impact on yours and your subjects
lives?
I always get a real buzz from seeing my clients leave feeling empowered after a session of hypnotherapy. But there is one situation in particular that sticks out in my mind. I once saw a young man who had a cocaine addiction.
As I knew how powerful hypnosis was, I was confident that I’d be able to help the young man – as long as he was actually ready to be helped.
The session went well and, sometime afterwards, I received a message from his mother, with her heartfelt thanks, as her son had now finally kicked “that stuff.” She felt that she had got him back and that there was such a drastic change in him. I’m a mother myself, so I was very moved by her words.
I was also moved when I experienced my dad’s hypnotherapy. It was a while after he had passed away and I didn’t feel that I was going through the grieving process in a healthy way, as I had taken on the practical aspects, without allowing myself the space to deal with the emotional aspects of losing my dad.
He had made many CDs of hypnotherapy sessions and among them was one on bereavement. I listened to his voice, and everything he was saying was absolutely relevant to helping me cope with his loss. It was especially poignant, and an experience I will never forget.
How does being a hypnotist make you feel when you get out of bed each day? Can you describe what the greatest rewards are, both personally and professionally?
It might sound odd, but I feel as though I have acquired a lot of wisdom, thanks to being a hypnotherapist and helping people to deal with a fairly wide array of situations.
I love my work with a passion and when I think back to my early days as a hypnotherapist, I can see how far I’ve come. I had something of a head start because I already had the knowledge I had grown up with, but it was still a little scary when I saw my first client in my own right.
I can see how my clients’ experiences have helped me to fine tune the way I work with people, if that makes sense. There really is nothing quite like seeing positive changes in people in a short space of time, so I really mean it when I say that I can’t imagine ever wanting to retire. It’s great to know that I’m in a position to help others realize their potential.
Barbara Neill is the daughter of one of the first hypnotherapists in the UK, so she’s had the privilege of knowing about hypnotherapy her entire life, meaning it was somewhat inevitable that she would follow in her dad’s footsteps.
In addition to hypnotherapy, Barbara is passionate about creative writing and photography. She has also published 3 books; “Life, Love and Laughter; a poetry anthology”, “Dyspraxia and Hypnotherapy” and “Working with Dad”. She’s currently writing, “Practical Hypnotherapy Simplified” and hopes to publish it in 2017.
4. Antonio Perez, Certified Hypnotist
Antonio first became interested in hypnosis when he was a just child, but it wasn’t until later in life that he realized how powerful hypnosis was after he used it to treat his depression. Since then, Antonio has been studying and practicing hypnosis so he can not only improve his own life, but so he can make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.
Watch his short video above to find out how hypnosis has changed his life.
Antonio Perez is a certified hypnotist in Kauai, Hawaii. Passionate about spreading the word of hypnosis, he created Hypnosis Product Reviews to help and teach other hypnotists how to promote their products and workshops in a way that’s free from sales hype so they can just focus on what they love: hypnosis.
And lastly, if you want to hear more about Kristin Rivas’ journey, and how she overcame Conversion Disorder through hypnosis, you can check out her moving TEDx Talk below:
>>Don’t forget to sign up now for Igor’s Hypnosis Masterclass: “How To Follow Your Passion & Get Paid For It,” followed by Live Q&A Call. Visit this page to sign up, before registration closes.
Part 2: From Aspiring To Professional: How To Make A Career Out Of Hypnosis
In Part 2 of this interview series, the same hypnotists explain what it’s really like to turn your passion into a career and become a professional hypnotist.
They’ll also explain how they got their first clients and what some of their greatest challenges were when starting out (and how you can overcome them).
The advice and personal anecdotes shared in these videos are really encouraging, and hopefully will give you the inspiration to continue with your own hypnosis aspirations.
1. Kristin Rivas, Certified Hypnotherapist (Specializing in Rapid Trauma Resolution Therapy), NLP Practitioner
In this empowering video, Kristin shares some invaluable advice to hypnotists just starting out with regards to overcoming challenges and how to be confident in your skills.
She also reveals why she believes hypnotherapy has allowed her to create a bigger impact than traditional forms of therapy would have (as well as saved her from burnout).
The wisdom and advice she shares in this video is not to be missed, so check out the video above to get inspired by Kristin’s journey.
You can read Kristin’s bio again here.
2. Lee McKing, NLP Master Practitioner and Certified Conversational Hypnotherapist
Watch this video to hear McKing explain how he first got clients and the importance of using hypnosis on yourself to not only practice, but to work through any challenges you may be experiencing so you can improve your skills and your confidence.
In this heartfelt video, he also shares the journey he took after his near-death experience in his pursuit to give his life new meaning.
You can read McKing’s Bio again here
3. Barbara Neill, Hypnotherapist & Author
Because my dad founded Bob Neill Hypnotherapy, it was logical for me to work as “B Neill Hypnotherapy” in order to keep that connection going. I’m sure that helped because clients who knew of my dad were quite likely to come to me.
It’s probably not surprising that of those people who had visited Dad in the past, several said that they could almost hear him in my voice during the session. Well, he did train me after all. I have adapted and fine-tuned the way I work to suit my style over the years, though. I have had a website from the outset but I don’t usually advertise as such. Nowadays, I rely mainly on word-of-mouth recommendations for my work.
For many hypnotists, fear of failure (not to mention fear of being unable to hypnotize people!) are common obstacles when starting out. What have been some of the greatest challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?
I had a lot to live up to but I didn’t really have any choice but to just jump in at the deep end. I have dyspraxia, which is a condition that affects co-ordination, short-term memory, organizational skills, gross and fine motor skills etc., so I’m quite used to facing challenges.
Maybe that’s why I tend to: “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” A lot of “normal” everyday situations can be a challenge to those of us who have dyspraxia, so it’s normal for me.
If you could share one golden nugget of wisdom with aspiring hypnotists, or anyone considering taking their hypnosis passion further, what would it be? What’s made all the difference to you?
Be yourself, and remember that your client is likely to be far more nervous than you are – however inexperienced you may be.
Relax, take a deep breath when you need to and follow the advice you give your clients. I think we tend to be really bad at that, and need to remind ourselves now and again.
Can you describe what you think your life would look like now if you hadn’t become a hypnotist? How fulfilled and happy do you think you’d be both personally and professionally?
I’ve worked with people all my working life and before I became a hypnotherapist, I worked for a number of charities, running local branches and dealing with some very stressful situations on a daily basis.
It was rewarding, but also very tough, and didn’t give the instant gratification that hypnotherapy does. I feel energized when I see my clients as opposed to feeling drained when working for the charities. If it weren’t for becoming a hypnotherapist I think I would still be doing that, assuming I hadn’t burned myself out by now.
Read Barbara’s bio again here.
4. Antonio Perez, Certified Hypnotist
In this video, Antonio shares how he first went about getting hypnosis clients and the importance of getting out of your own way when starting out as a hypnotist.
He also shares the impact hypnosis continues to have on his life, and how he wouldn’t have become the person he is today without it.
And to find out how you can also make the transition to a more fulfilling career in hypnosis, sign up now for Igor’s (free) Masterclass Training where he reveals how to Follow Your Passion & Get Paid For It. It’s coming up soon, so reserve your spot now, before the registration page comes down…