Hi Everyone,

            Zack asked me to write a note about some of the things you might expect on Wednesday during  the photo shot.

            I’m going to talk a little bit here about how hypnosis and trance are a common and natural phenomenon.  I going to offer some different facts about hypnosis for you to learn and absorb.   Some of the facts and ideas here might be different from some of the false myths previously gien by TV, movies, books and radio.

         I want you to know the most challenging thing we are going to ask you to do is to breathe, relax, listen to my voice or the voice of my assistants and to remember some wonderful feelings of love and caring.  If you can master these abilities, you will have a terrific time and be a great trance subject.  And if you aren’t already accomplished yet, with a few practice rounds you might surprise yourself how good you truly are.

Modern society w/ all it’s requirements to plan, think abstractly, it’s ways of both distracting and focusing our attention consistently hones our ability to go into trance.  In fact, the more intelligent you are, the more creative you are, the more you daydream, the better a trance subject you will be and the richer and more satisfying your trance experiences.

Did you know that in fact you are more aware of what is happening while in trance then you are in many of your waking moments?  And that awareness gives you even more choice about creating and accepting suggestions that are just right for you.

At the start of the photo shoot we’ll give you some practice going into trance, and recalling some great feelings.  Some of you will make big, bright, vivid pictures and some of you will not.  For some of you, the pictures will be so fast, your conscious mind will not see them at first, until you start to slow them down.  Others of you, will recall sounds more vividly, or focus on the feelings and sensations of the moment.  You are unique and will choose whatever awareness is just right for you to create and offer those experiences of love fully to the camera.  And although, we encourage you to think about and perhaps even choose some powerful memories, some of the memories you choose under hypnosis might be different from the ones you first chose.

What is hypnosis?

People often ask me, "What is hypnosis?"  And while science is still trying to define it, hypnosis is often described as a heightened state of focus and suggestibility.  Unbeknownst to most, we go into trance on a daily basis.  How many times, have you got caught up in a great movie or book?  How often have you lost track of time working on your computer or some other project?  Almost missed your subway stop?  Stood blankly in an elevator?  Or had those moments just before falling asleep or just after waking up, when you were thinking about your day, or some experience and got some new insight?  These are all forms of trance. 

            There are many different kinds of trance, and various depths of trance.  Hypnotic trance differs from meditation or guided visualization perhaps somewhat in depth, but more often, w/ the idea that hypnosis has a goal or intention that it is trying to achieve.  And our main goal for the evening will be to have you comfortably go into trance, access some deep experiences of love you would like to share, and have your body, your face fully express those feelings to that loved one.  The camera will stand as surrogate for that loved one, capturing and recording that indefinable moment, so you can share it.

And the same way that you let a great movie, book, audio track transport you into amazing worlds of imagination, my voice during the photo shoot will be assisting you to be in trance and to recreate and capture your wonderful memories of loved ones, brightly, vividly, warmly.

The Choice Is Always Yours

            Another myth that is sometimes questioned is:  "Will I lose control under hypnosis?"  Stage hypnotists consistently test throughout the show to see who is the most suggestible, who is the most willing to go along w/ what the hypnotist tells them.  And they constantly watch for anyone who hesitates in going along, and they are allowed to sit back down in their chair.

            The reality is you have more awareness, control and choice under hypnosis than you do normally, automatically running all the patterns that get you through your day.  During the average day, we jump from thought to thought to thought, we are channel-surfing through our brains, and 10,000 ideas come and go.  While in hypnosis, you are focused on one set of thoughts, one show, deeply experiencing all it's rich details, and being able to speed it up, slow it down, etc.  And your controls are even better then the full-boxed set DVD, you are the director, you choose the alternative ending, the lighting, even the actors.

         Did you know your unconscious decides to move a limb ½ second before you become consciously aware of it?  And a recent article states that scientists have been able to tell when we make decisions and some of those decisions can occur 8-10 seconds before we become aware of our conclusions.  Our conscious mind is constantly trying to catch-up with our unconscious, and in some cases has to fill in the blanks coming up w/ conscious reasons for why we unconsciously made a decision or took an action.

            Somehow, and they do not know all the details yet, trance changes both our brainwaves and our brain chemistry, so we are no longer automatically obligated to run our normal responses and behaviors.  Trance is a wonderful tool, a simple, relaxing state of mind that slows down our natural response to situation, fear, upset, anxiety and allows us to notice different things, make new choices.  Trance offers easy, natural opportunities to catch-up with our unconscious, to fill-in the blanks, to make new choices, temporary or permanent changes.

Keeping Secrets

            Another myth often asked about is "Will I give up all my secrets?"  As a hypnotist, I can not make you do anything you do not want to do.  And the work is most effective when you are relaxed, feeling receptive, comfortable and safe.  So I always encourage you, the hypnotic subject, to keep all the secrets you want to, and tell me only what you want to, your comfort and security is paramount.  And much of the work can be done without knowing specific details.  We give instructions to your unconscious mind, and it does all the work for you, in it's amazing and elegant way.

Am I hypnotizable?

            And to those who inquire, "I'm not sure if I can be hypnotized."  The more intelligent you are, the more you day dream, the more creative you are, the more likely you are to be a good trance subject.

Where do I go from Trance?

            And to the inevitable question, "Can I get stuck in trance?"  The answer is "NO".  They are only 2 places you can go from trance, you can wake-up or you can go to sleep.  You can never get stuck in trance.

More Details

On Wednesday, we'll gather everyone together, and I will be providing some group instructions and practice trances to start.  Very likely I will have an assistant or two although I may be doing it alone.  We'll do some practice rounds to get you used to the feeling of relaxing and going into trance.  Trance is a natural act so this should be pretty easy.  We've all experienced sitting in a chair and daydreaming, it's a natural phenomenon.

If I do have an assistant or two, on occasion, you may hear more then one voice at a time.  More then one voice talking at the same time or alternating voices, what we sometimes call dual inductions can be tremendously powerful, your conscious mind can often only pay so much attention at one time, so the wonderful additional suggestions given can go directly to your unconscious.  And your unconscious is still checking out all the suggestions making sure they are in your best interests.

            While in trance you will practice opening your eyes and going deeper into trance.  Again, while we often daydream with our eyes closed, we have just as often imagined things w/ our eyes open.  Trance allows us to experience incredible, rich, detailed images and scenarios. 

            You will also begin to become accustomed to imagining the camera as a stand-in for your loved one, and with working with the flash of the camera.  The flash and the camera can even make some of your mental experiences with your loved ones even clearer and stronger, focusing your attention and serving as flashes of inspiration. 

            After the practice rounds, you will be invited to do some trancework.  It can be done individually or in a group, you can work on some little issue that might be troubling you, or you can just go on some incredibly relaxing guided visualization.  Whatever is just right for you.  Or if you like you can get up and walk around for a bit until you are ready for photographing.  The practice rounds of hypnosis will allow you to go into trance more easily and effortlessly when Zack is ready to take your picture.

            Everything is done to ensure your fun, pleasant and relaxing experience.  The more comfortable you are, the deeper you can go into trance and more you are going to recall or create fantastic and wonderful experiences about folks you really care about.  The more you allow yourself to relax, go deeper into trance, the more those experiences will become sharper, richer in detail and more vividly felt and recalled.  Time will fly by, you will also get a little bit of changework or some great relaxing guided meditation in addition to being in front of the camera.  And when it is done you will receive some terrific photos from Zack.

            If anyone has any questions about what they might experience, please feel free to contact me or ask their questions on Wednesday.

     Joel


Joel Elfman - Transformational Training
Become More Magnificent!  Live Life At Your Best!

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    Recently, I've been contacted by a wonderful photographer, Zack Seckler who is looking for a few people who would be interested in being photographed while under hypnosis.  The theme for this inspired special portrait series, is "an unguarded portrait of human love".  Zack has been kind enough to ask me to hypnotize his photographic subjects and also asked me offer this opportunity to be photographed to my group members and some other folks I know who are familiar with me or hypnosis.

    I think it seemed like a fascinating project, so now I'm bringing it to you.  The whole thing should take about 2 hours.  For the 1st round of this project Zack is looking for just 10 people who are comfortable being hypnotized and photographed.

    The subjects will be asked to imagine the camera being a loved one, who they would like to talk or interact with. To assist everyone to go into trance I'll do some group inductions to get everyone relaxed and comfortable.  For those waiting to be photographed I'll offer some guided visualizations and some simple changework, or you can step out of the room and take a break.  Everything is done to insure your comfort and security throughout the entire shoot.

    If you are chosen you will received a high-resolution copy of their portrait, and will have a nice relaxing trance and perhaps a little bit of changwork for your efforts.

Location:     The photo shoot will take place on Wed, April 22nd, 7-9 PM, Ripley Grier Studios - 520 Eighth Ave,
                         16th floor. (36 & 37th Sts)


Deadlines:  If you are interested please 1-2 photos of yourself to Zack at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by April 16th.  
                By or before April 17th, Zack will let you know if you are one of  the 1st 10 subjects.

    Zack will also be present at our April 15th practice, he will not be taking any pictures at the practice, he will be present strictly to observe and answer any questions anyone might have about the project.

    You can review Zack's note and info below my signature line


    Any questions, please feel free to contact Zack or myself as appropriate.

    Joel

Portrait email:
 
I¹m looking for people to photograph for a special portraiture project. A
professional hypnotist will be on site at a NYC studio and subjects will be
briefly hypnotized and then photographed while in a state of hypnosis. While
hypnotized subjects will be asked to visualize a person they love. I will
then take photographs of subjects while they¹re visualizing that person. The
point is to show an unguarded portrait of human love.
 
This project will be done in a highly professional manner with the utmost
respect for participants. I want subjects to feel very comfortable being a
part of this project and am happy to answer any questions you may have over
email, telephone or in person before the shoot. You¹re also welcome to bring
a friend or two for company during the actual shoot.
 
The portrait session will be brief. You¹ll only need to set aside about a
half hour of time. In exchange for your participation you¹ll receive a
high-resolution copy of your portrait.
 
To be considered for this project please send one or two photos of yourself
to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The photos don¹t have to be professional quality but
they should clearly show your face.
 
Best,
Zack
________________________
Zack Seckler Photography
Tel: 347.628.1575
Fax: 646.429.8513
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Web: http://www.zackseckler.com