Belief by many names

I often open articles in this blog with interesting anecdotes, and this one is no exception. A couple of nights ago, I got to talking at a new age workshop with a friend who is very much into shamanic development. I mentioned that I am interested in quite a few traditions - shamanic, Vedic, hermetic, gnostic, rationalist, and so on. I also mentioned to her that my interest is in finding commonalities, building bridges between them, and to my original Christian traditions. Suddenly her tone changed. It was as if the tornado sirens had suddenly begun. She looked at me and told me, 'Christian - I want no part of Religion.'

I asked her what she meant by religion. She said that she had had bad experiences earlier in life with organized religion, namely one particular denomination. Unfortunately, this led her to see Christianity as inherently negative. She threw the baby out with the bathwater - rejecting a rich heritage and history, one inherently human with all its warts and blemishes.

I also asked her to note that I said 'tradition' and not 'religion.' What did she feel was different between a religion and a tradition? There are a lot of traditions that have little or nothing to do with established religions. Among these are the meditative lineages - teacher-student lineages that extend back thousands of years into the mists of time. There is the gnostic tradition, the Vedic tradition, the many native American traditions, etc. These are not organized religions but are widely varied spiritual traditions, ways in which humans seek the divine.

Another time, as I was talking with a friend of mine who is a Muslim cleric, I offered to do a talk on hypnosis to his mosque. He looked at me and said that Islam forbids magic, and since hypnosis is magic, it is forbiden to Muslims. I explained what hypnosis was and he seemed to accept my explanation. Yet I wonder - was he simply telling me what he thought I wanted to hear? Were the rules of his religion preventing him from exploring, developing his own spiritual traditions?

Another incident involved the Catholic church. I had planned to teach a guided imagery workshop at a college dorm floor in a local Catholic college. We were all scheduled when the day before, I got a call from the housefellow telling me that he had to cancel. The administration found out about it and forbade it. Like Islam, the Catholic church forbids hypnosis as 'magic'. However unlike my Muslim cleric friend, this mid-level administrator was not open to discussion. He had made his decision and that was final. He wouldn't even speak to me about it.

For a moment, I had visions in my mind of Galileo before the Inquisition, of heretics being burned at the stake, and all of the sordid history of the traditional church, but then had to step back. This person was only doing what he believed in, what he thought was right. I put the whole plan on the shelf and moved on to other things. Yet I understood only too well what my shamanic friend meant when she said, "I want no part of religion."

Like my friend, I am uncomfortable with organized religion in many ways. I am an active participant in our church and hold many of the beliefs of Christianity. Yet I find that the further I explore other beliefs and traditions, the more they enrich my original spiritual understanding. The more we explore, the richer home becomes. In the words of T.S. Elliot, we return home and know the place for the very first time.
My positive experiences with Christianity have formed a solid foundation for my life. Yet other less positive experiences with religion have also given me some of my initial questioning kick, starting me on a life-long spiritual quest. Still, I often find myself returning to my old traditions, each time with more understanding of the commonality among the widely varying beliefs. We all seek God by many names and forms. We all seek truth, we all seek the greater good and we all seek to expand our consciousness - again, through ways many and varied. So, while I, too, sometimes find many of the old, formal structures problematic, I still revere the traditions behind them.

My own belief is in a bridge between religious traditions - understanding that can build commonality over division, love over fear. And ultimately, that's what counts, experience of the divine, the building of a spiritual understanding of our reality. Among the widely varied people of Earth, it's the same belief by many names.

Quotes and questions

I have recently gotten a number of requests from quote websites asking for cost estimates for hypnotherapy work. In a coupe such cases, I put in replies asking for more information before I could say anything about the work needed. Both sites charge a nominal fee (about two to three dollars) to reply to the quote request. It's a pretty small fee and it's how they make their money so I certainly can't complain about that. It will be interesting to see how this works out.

In both cases the request was something to the effect of "Help, I need hypnosis..." There was minimal info about what the issue was, the severity of the problem or the surrounding details of the person's life. In the earlier case I eventually gave my rate for the first session, with the caveat that we would have to plan from there. So far I haven't heard back and it's been a few days. In the other case, the person simply left me an annoyed-sounding message repeating her request to 'send me a quote, just like the other guy did.'

At Explore with Hypnosis, I have been experimenting with using quote sites to meet future clients with specific needs where I may be specifically suited to help. This is some of my first experience with quote sites and I'm still evaluating their effectiveness. I had heard a little bit about them earlier, and I have talked with a the owners of a couple of them. Their energy and intent is admirable. To a person, they are wonderful entrepreneurs. Yet from what I have seen so far, I seriously wonder how effective such a system is for the custom heart-centered healing work we do as hypnotherapists.

Imagine if you were an auto repair technician getting a quote request for repair work on a car, "Help, my car is broken, how much will it cost?"
"What's wrong with it?" you might ask.
"I don't know, just give me a quote. The other guy did, why can't you?"

To me, this sounds like a 'no-bid' situation. I wish 'the other guy' luck...

First off, would you want to hire an auto technician who promised to fix your car for a particular cost without even knowing what was wrong with it? Small differences in the details of the problem can mean tremendous differences in the amount of effort required to resolve it. Would you trust a doctor who promised to cure your illness for a fixed amount, without even knowing the details of the problem? Would you trust an outdoors guide who promised you a low fixed rate to lead you through a trackless wilderness?

On quote sites, the emphasis is on finding a good or service at minimum cost. Like finding the cheapest auto repair, the cheapest roofer, etc. Yet, it doesn't tell you much about the practitioners providing the quotes. A practitioner with 15-plus years of experience is going to charge more than one right out of certification school. Yet this difference in experience doesn't show up very clearly in a purely price-based estimate.

Furthermore, is someone who is bidding down their price to the lowest common denominator really the person you want to trust with deep subconscious issues? In many cases of hypnotherapy work, clients are facing significant and very unique problems. To solve them, the solution probably needs to be unique as well.

To be most effective, hypnotherapy needs to be client centered. It needs to address the client's specific issues, rather than be one-size-fits-all. If you want to get cheap hypnosis you can attend a quit-smoking seminar at a hotel, go to the half-price hypnotist, or buy a self-hypnosis CD. Any of these can give you a feel for what hypnosis is like and you will probably find it an interesting experience. Then, when you want quality hypnotherapy work centered around your specific needs, please contact me. I'll be honored to help you with your healing. life-changing and/or problem-solving goals.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how these quote sites work out. Experimenting is always interesting and revealing. And who knows, the universe has a wonderful way of connecting people, especially at a time of greatest need. So let's just see what happens here in the realm of quotes and questions.

Invitation to subscribe to Explore with Hypnosis e-mail list

Hi All,

I have just created a new e-mail list for hypnosis and hypnotherapy topics, separate from my original newsletter, News from the Bridge.


I have updated my website Explore with Hypnosis with a new signup blank for my latest newsletter.
Please feel free to sign up for ether list on my Join my e-mail List page on Explore with Hypnosis.

News from the Bridge is a bi-monthly newsletter on topics such as anomaly and UFO research, parapsychology, close encounters and all forms of healing related to the extraordinary.

My new Explore with Hypnosis e-mail list will explore the more general topics of mind-body, emotional and metaphysical healing, as well as topics such as pain, fear and stress management, and improving overall quality of life.

I invite you to subscribe to either or both on my Join my e-mail List page.


Thanks and C U There,
 - Craig

==============================
Craig R. Lang,
Explore with Hypnosis
www.explorewithhypnosismn.com
e-mail: craig@craigrlang.com
763-257-7334
==============================

Invitation for stress management workshop in May

Announcement and invitation

I would like to introduce myself as the moderator of the new meetup group, the North Metro Healers' Circle. I invite you to join the circle - you can be either a healer or client, everyone's welcome. Check it out at: www.meetup.com/North-Metro-Healers-Circle

I would like to invite you to my first offering as part of the North Metro Healers' Circle, a three-evening workshop on managing life stress. This can be for your own wellness or if you're a healer, you can apply it to working with clients. Stress is normal in daily life as our society moves at the speed of light. Each of us feels the everyday pressures of work and home, keeping employers happy, running a business and/or trying to get a school project done. And sometimes, life can pile even more on, personal loss or change, job issues or any other major change in life. Maybe at stress us at everyday levels, or maybe you've recently been at the point of crisis. Whatever the stress level in life, please feel free to join me as we look at the nature of the stress beast, what drives it and how can you mitigate it in your own life. This three-class workshop is two hours in length and will will be taught on Wednesday evenings May 8,15 and 22 from 7PM to 9PM Location: Spring Lake Park Senior High School Conference Rm A117 (near the south entrance) 1100 81st Ave NE, Spring Lake Park, MN  55432 The cost for this class is $15, to cover the cost of the room This covers all three classes Click Here to register with the Spring Lake Park Community Education, or just show up and pay at the door. I will also be teaching a similar workshop at the New Brighton Community Center  on Thursday evenings May 9, 16 and 23 at 7PM to 9PM. Location: New Brighton Community Center 400 10th St. NW (10th St NW and Old Hwy 8) New Brighton, MN  55112 This is part of the New Brighton Family Center and Recreational Wellness program. There is no cost at the New Brighton CC, but bring a food item for the emergency food shelf.

Thanks again for reading my note and sharing my news. Please feel free to attend either of my workshops, Spring Lake Park or New Brighton. Please also feel free to forward this on to anyone you think might be interested. C U Then. Sincerely,  - Craig ==================================== Craig R. Lang, Certified Hypnotherapist Explore with Hypnosis Hypnotherapy for Mind, Body, Spirit and Beyond Located at the Circle of Healing Arts 8710 Central Ave, Blaine MN  55434 763-257-7334 craig@craigrlang.com www.explorewithhypnosismn.com ====================================