I was first invited into the world of hypnosis in the 1970s as an undergrad by a visitor to one of my classes. Dean Hollingsworth was a self-taught master of the craft, with more than 40 years of work with many thousands of clients. Dean was very much in the Old School "authoritarian" tradition of the early to mid 20th Century (and still in very common use today) and was seeking a student or two. I spent two years studying nearly full-time with him. I can't claim I absorbed all of what he had to offer, but he helped me develop a level of skill that has continued to serve me well, long after I left the authoritarian ("I know what you need to hear. And I have it memorized!") school behind.

Later, I studied for a time with some of the early purveyers of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), while I continued to expand my scope of experience teaching a number of courses while still an undergrad. No better way to learn than to teach, someone said. I was at the same time the lead producer of all of the public events and concerts at the University; I ultimately chose that as my first career path. I can say without fear of contradiction that nothing will prepare a young person for a career in the healing arts, therapy in particular, like a decade or two in the Music Business. 

Slight Return...
I somehow, through no credit due me, survived some 4,000 public event productions, a nascent music museum project for a billionaire, and an online music start-up, merger and IPO, and then the dot-bomb. "For my next trick...," I wanted work with a more controlled scope and obvious, tangible outcomes. There really was no choice involved; I had kept up my reading in the field and had sustained enough of the real world to feel comfortable looking it in the eye. I got certified through the best hypnotherapy training in the area, registered and hung my virtual shingle in 2001. That's when the real learning began. And continues with every single session to this day.

New Horizons
I have had the great fortune to work with several thousand clients on a wide range of issues, with results I am immensely proud of. I can say this, because the credit goes to the clients. All I can do is lay out the methods, offer insight into the deeper structures at play and, I think most challenging, hold space for the changes that we have built a plan for achieving. The client *must* do the work. I am not present when the old pattern arises; so I can't be the one prompting the new one. I make sure that the skills are in place, the action plan well-established and, when needed, a follow-up to fine tune and assure the goal is met. It works!

Recent Developments

The work of Stephen Gilligan has become a more recent inspiration for me. In part because he greatly expands and makes useful a model informed by the work of Milton Erickson, and even more that his framework offers a stable, comprehensible platform for understanding the gems I have gathered from clients since my first therapy session.

Other intelligence and spirit that informs the work these days include Robert Dilts (who continues to develop the best moving parts of NLP) and Bill O'Hanlon, another of Erickson's students, whose writing is clear and useful (a rarity among hypnosis writing). Most recently, I have become interested in Steve Hoskins and the field of Somatic Experience. More on that as we progress.

My most pressing excitement currently links back to my 'other' career: I am creating a series of audio programs that will be distributed digitally employing a system of my invention; I expect to offer some very powerful change tools to a broader audience, beyond the one-to-one of therapy sessions. While not therapy in the strictest sense, due to the "broadcast"/ one-to-many nature of distribution, it will be useful. Helpful, even. This website will be the venue for that project as it rolls out in the coming weeks and months. I am excited! I mean, who doesn't need to relax? And I have yet to meet anyone who really knows how... 

And I am still excited to work with clients in session. I will write more about that work elsewhere, but I have never engaged in another activity that offers me the chance to do some real, face-to-face good! I can not imagine ever willingly leaving this work behind. If what you find here appeals to you, please feel free to contact me through the linked page above.