Is It Time to Write Your Personal  Declaration of Independence?

  

Our country guarantees us the right to pursue happiness. Most of us think we try hard to be happy (or at least avoid pain).

We develop habits that help. Habits like going to work, brushing our teeth, paying our bills, driving within speed limits (usually), saving something for a rainy  day, etc.

These habits become automatic (subconscious).

But, sometimes the habits we form in the pursuit of happiness turn against us. We seek pleasure or relief from stress and end up making ourselves (and those around us) miserable.

For example:

—Cigarette smoking starts as an innocently; but it can lead to heart disease, cancer and COPD. 

—A child’s love of sweets can grow into health destroying obesity. 

—A casual visit to a local casino can become a gambling habit that destroys a life. 

—After dinner cocktails can lead to alcoholism. 

—Curosity about internet porn can become a cybersex addiction. 

—A justified resentment becomes a soul sickness that tears friends, families and lives apart. 

—Experimentation with drugs can end in prison and despair.

I could go on. But you get the point.

If you can moderate your habit, do.

If you can’t, declare your independence and get to work. 

Easier said than done. Right?

But the starting point is an honest look at whether your pursuit of happiness is working for you, or has started to work against you.

And change is possible. My job, as a hypnotist and life coach is helping people find their own power.

If you have something that you are ready to get rid of,  why not declare a Personal Declaration of Independence. Whether you choose to use my help or not, it will be a start on making this July 4th much more than a parade and fireworks.

 

I am a big believer in covering my bets.

When I work with a smoker who is serious about quitting smoking, I will suggest doing what ever they can to make the process as comfortable as possible.

Acupuncture in coordination with hypnosis can be one of those useful tools. There are a number of acupuncturists who you could see to add acupuncture to your hypnosis program. But I have some experience with Providence Community Acupuncture and they do offer a wonderful, affordable alternative.

They have an amazingly economical sliding-scale year-round.

I have been to them. My wife  has been to them. And several of my clients have been to them and reported good results.

You need to know that Providence Community Acupuncture is a pleasant but not a luxurious experience. It is a community acupuncture resource designed to provide service and affordable price. None the less the procedure itself will stand on its own even if you’re in a room with 15 other people undergoing treatment at the same time.

Please be clear that I am not saying you need acupuncture to get off smoking. You don’t. Most of my hypnosis clients do just fine becoming non-smokers withput any additional help and for at least a third of them it is almost like they never smoked before – they are simply non-smokers. But if you think acupuncture may be beneficial one option is to go to a private session acupuncturist at $75 – $150 per session. Another is to go to Providence Community Acupuncture where you set your own price – pay what you think you can afford.

As you may know, if you are one of my clients I am not a big fan of the patch for smokers, but acupuncture, massage and some other forms of nicotine replacement can be useful aids in making the process go more easily.

So whether you have had acupuncture before or you always wanted to give it a try, I highly recommend community acupuncture. Use it for smoking cessation or simply as a supplement to your hypnosis program for general relaxation. And please let me know how it works for you.

Click here for access to their website.

How a Hypnotist Developed Rhode Island’s Unofficial Hypnotic State Slogan in 1981

I was younger then -- a trained hypnotist but making a living writing advertising -- and recently moved to Rhode Island.

Massachusetts was in the middle of its high tech “Mass Miracle”. Connecticut was…well…rich. Rhode Islanders felt like “poor little Rhody.” Economic problems. Corruption. And no respect.

As a young copywriter at HBM/Creamer and newly minted Certified Hypnotist, my job was to fix it….kind of to hypnotize our state.

I had just moved to Rhode Island from New York. I had no prejudices about my new home state. I thought Rhode Island was beautiful and exciting. I found Rhode Islanders warm and intelligent people. I believed that great things were possible here for me and for my fellow Rhode Islanders.

In fact, I thought Rhode Island was as BIG as anyplace in the world. And I strongly believed as a hypnotist that the only limitations are those we place on ourselves.

So, I came up with and successfully pitched “We’re the Biggest Little State in the Union” slogan as a battle cry, what we call in hypnosis a “re-framing”. The slogan described our state. But it also gave us something to shoot for. The rest is history.

And sadly that is what the campaign became: history.

Rhode Island: The Biggest Little State in the Union
Became the Non-official RI State Slogan

The hope was that the campaign theme would catch on. And it did. Those old enough to remember the Biggest Little State, recall the PSAs (played free to the state) on local television stations and radio spots, bumper stickers, mugs and, of course, the t-shirts.

I am honored to have played a role (however small) in our state’s view of itself. And today, though I still like New York and visit when possible, I love Rhode Island and still see it as big a place as our goals, dreams and imaginations make it.

By the way no one does anything like this alone. And I want to thank my good friend Bill Comeau (my boss at the time) and his friend Rob Carlson for the wonderful music that brought my slogan alive. But also need to awknowledge David DePetrillo, the Director of Rhode Island Department of Economic Development at the time Bill’s vision and support in bringing it through to its final form under the then Governor Garrahy.
Here are a couple of many print ads I wrote for the state to build tourism:

Here is a 1981 ABC News Broadcast on the Campaign -- now you know the backstory and 35 years later many Rhode Islanders got to experience it all again thanks to Steve and The Nakeds and Benny’s campaign before Benny’s themselves became part of Rhode Island history -- cooler than cooler and warmer don’t you think?

Ever wonder who pays the salaries of the 1,400,000 people employed by the US gambling industry?

That is an interesting question. Or who pays for the amazing luxury buildings the house the 1,000,000 slot machines in the United States alone? It takes over $100,000,000,000 in profits each year to pay for all of this and give the owners a profit.

Well, the answer is primarily the problem gambler – the heavy user consumer (aka the “gambling addict”).

I am writing this because a client mentioned to me that when her husband asked her whether she had asked herself “who pays for the casino and the people who run it?” and pointed out it was his and her money, it caught her attention and stated her journey on a personal change. Maybe it will do the same for someone reading this.

To my mind, there is nothing wrong with a little gambling fun now and then – but if your gambling has moved beyond being a harmless recreation – well, just look around you next time you are in a casino and realize you are paying for entertainment – the big money winners are (and will always be) the ones who run the place – not you or me stuffing our money into the one armed bandits.

Just a thought for the day.

Click here for my webpage on Hypnosis to Stop Problem Gambling

Think you may be a genuine gambling addict? Click here for a link to
Rhode Island meetings of Gamblers Anonymous