CHAPTER 1 -  John Powell's Contributions to Human Trinity Hypnotherapy
	CHAPTER 2 -  Mrs. Jones Case History
	CHAPTER 3 - Notes From A Life-Giving Vision
	CHAPTER 4 - Notes From The Secret of Staying in Love
	CHAPTER 5: Notes From A Reason to Live! A Reason to Die
	CHAPTER 6 - Notes From Fully Human Fully Alive
	CHAPTER 7 - Notes From Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am                       and Bibliography

CHAPTER 1: JOHN POWELL’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMAN TRINITY HYPNOTHERAPY: 

John Powell is a Catholic Priest who has written several self-help books. I acknowledge his influence on my life and invite you to read his books for your own enhancement. One of the most important aspects of any counseling situation is rapport. Rapport is that accepting feeling on the part of the client to work with the therapist to help the client to make meaningful changes in his life. It is the client's ability to trust the therapist in the counseling situation. In addition to skill and techniques, the hypnotherapist must establish rapport to be successful.

Powell quotes Dr. Paul Tournier, "No one can develop freely in the world without feeling understood by at least one person." As therapist we must be available to our clients so that they can open up and see us as that person that they can trust to hear them and keep on caring for them even when the dark secrets of their lives are discussed. A person will either speak their feelings or act them out. Feelings are like steam that gathers inside a kettle. Steam is released or it builds up pressure and if the steam is keep inside the kettle, the kettle will blow its top.

Without having someone to talk to, how is a person able to release the pressure that builds up inside without acting out the feelings? How will she be able to free herself from being a compulsive eater? How is the person who is angry inside going to release that anger in non-destructive ways without someone to talk too? How is someone who feels guilty going to experience forgiveness without someone to talk to? As a therapist; be loving, caring, and available so the person in need has someone to talk to in trust.

John Powell recognized that good self-image is the most valuable psychological possession of a human being and a lack of self-worth is the most destructive aspect. Lack of self-worth brings depression, anger, anti-social behavior, physical sickness, addiction, feelings of meaningless, and a failure to live life to its fullest. Powell quotes Bertran Russell, "A man cannot possibly be at peace with others until he has learned to be at peace with himself." Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

How do we change? To change, one must change her thinking, the way she sees life, and her vision of life. If a person has a negative vision of life, she heeds to begin by visualizing a better life, a happier life, a more meaningful life. "Vision Therapy" is used with the belief that all changes in the quality of a person's life grows out a change in his or her vision of reality. There are no lasting changes until the negative, self-defeating vision is changed. The three requirements of "Vision Therapy" are (1) find time for silence and solitude, (2) have an openness to face the questions of life, and (3) a willingness to reverse one's interpretation of life.

In at least two of his books, Powell quotes Viktor Frankl and before going to the case history, I would like to conclude this portion with a Powell quote from Man's Search For Meaning, "A thought transfixed me: For the first time in my life, I saw the truth as it is set into song by many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and beliefs can import: The salvation of man is through love and in love." 

CHAPTER 2: MS. JONES’ CASE HISTORY: 

Ms. Jones, a 60 year old woman, came to me for counseling with the statement that she could not get over the death of her son. Tom has died in an auto accident at the age of 21, some six months before Ms. Jones had called me. She felt depressed and wanted peace within. Whenever she tried to talk with someone about her grief, they would listen for a short time and then tell her that it was time to leave it behind and get on with her life. Ms. Jones had a daughter who was 33 and a son, 25; both lived in the New Orleans area. She has been divorced for over 10 years and there was very little contact between them since the divorce. Ms. Jones had several sessions with me over a four month period. (You may close your eyes and let this story speak to you its message.)

While under hypnosis, I said to her, "I would like to tell you a story from World War II." Cardinal Mercier of Belgium was on a visit to Rome for a spiritual retreat. While he was in Rome, news reached him of the bombing of his home city. His Cathedral was in ruins, his library had been burned, but worst of all; many of his parishioners were dead.

In his grief, he cried, "Why all this sorrow" O Lord! My God, why hast Thou forsaken us." This was his gut reaction to the bad news he had received and the hurt of the loss of dear friends. As he begin to cry, his face turned toward the cross. Though he continued to cry, he grew still. As he felt Christ come to him, he said with tears running down face, "We will rebuild." He realized that God was still with him.

You have shared with me your faith in God so I am suggesting that you can this day experience the presence of God with you now. Allow God to help you rebuild your life. You can began to imagine what you have to be thankful for. Can you name some of the things you have to be thankful for? A silence of about five minutes was ended when she said, "I am thankful for John and Mary (her two other children), their spouses and my four grandchildren. I have a good job and work with people who care about me. I have my church and God"

I concluded our last session with "Overcoming Depression", Footprints In The Sand", and

"Improving Self-confidence". (I share portions of those scripts with you now.) Yesterday, you may have felt down and depressed. But I want you to know that today is a new day; a new beginning... Remember the saying, "Today is the beginning of the rest of your life." ? It's true... Today is a very special and important day for you. You keep those beautiful memories of Tom and the joy he brought to your life. You appreciate John and Mary, their spouses and your grandchildren. You're thankful for your job, your church, and God's love and presence with you.

I share with you this story: One night a man had a dream. He dreamed that he was walking along the beach with God. As they looked back, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to him and the other to God. Then across the sky flashed scenes of his life. When the last scene had flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints and noticed that many times along the path there was only one set of footprints in the sand. He also noticed that this happened during the lowest and saddest times of his life. This really bothered him and he questioned God, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way, but I notice that during the most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand. When I needed you most, you deserted me." God replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your time of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." God has carried you and continues to do so. (You may now open your eyes.)

Ms Jones has adjusted to life and feels that she has meaning and purpose for living. I see her from time to time in the community and she seems to be a happier more contented person.

CHAPTER 3: NOTES FROM A LIFE-GIVING VISION:  

The assumption and thesis of vision therapy is that each of us has unique and highly personalized perception of reality, a way of look at things, a vision. Accordingly, we are each as happy, health and alive as this vision of reality allows us to be. (p 12) Up in your head and mine are thousands of these attitudes. Sometimes I think of them as lenses can shrink or magnify, color, clarify or obscure the reality seen through them. And there is a different lens for every different part of reality. Some of us magnify certain things and diminish others, but no two of us ever see anything exactly the same way. What is most important, I think, is that our actions and reactions are determined by something inside us, by the way we see reality, by our attitudes. (p 13)

The good news is, of course, that we are free to change our attitudes and consequently our lives. Attitudes are no more than practiced or habitual ways of perceiving some part of reality. We can break habits and make new ones. We can drop in, over the eyes of our minds, a different set of lenses. We can retain our mental jurors. We can look for and find a new brighter outlook, and consequently enjoy fuller and happier life. (p 18)

CHAPTER 4: NOTES FROM SECRET OF STAYING IN LOVE: 

Pain in itself is not an evil to be avoided at all costs. Pain is rather a teacher from whom we can learn much. Pain is instructing us, telling us to change, to stop doing one thing or to begin doing another, to stop thinking one way and begin thinking differently. When we refuse to listen to pain and its lessons, all we have left is one of the escapist tendencies of the options and addictions. In effect we have said: I will not listen. I will not learn. I will not change.

When applied to human beings almost all labels are meaningless. However, I do think that there is one really meaningful distinction, and that is between "growing" and "static-escapist" people. It is a distinction between those who are "open" to growth and those who are "closed." Open and growing people do not begrudge the pedagogy of pain, and are willing to try change. They will initiate appropriate responses and adjustments. Others, for reasons we do not know, simply will not address themselves to the lessons of pain They rather seek a narcotized and tranquilized existence, a peace without profit They are willing to settle for 10% of their potential. They are willing to die without having really lived. (p 39)

There is something that a growing person can do, a way to find personal worth, self-esteem, self-appreciation, and a cause to celebrate. Through true and lasting love, we can recover acceptance of self, a realization of our worth. When these are present, everything else will somehow move in the direction of growth on the paths of peace. When love and worth are missing. there is left only a partial existence. We can achieve only a fraction of what might have been We will die without having really lived. The glory of God--a man fully alive will forever be diminished. (p 40)

A sense of well-being and happiness, as Viktor Frankl so often warns us, can come into human life only as a by-product. You have no doubt heard this verse: "Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and softly sits on your shoulder." (p 72)

CHAPTER 5: NOTES FROM A REASON TO LIVE! A REASON TO LIVE: 

It is this "existential vacuum" as Frankl calls it in which human life is devoid of meaning, that fragments and depersonalizes man. In such a vacuum man begins to look for "kicks," ephemeral ripples on the stagnant waters of a stagnant existence. He seeks some avenue of escape from the various circle of meaningless words, meaningless work, meaningless motion. He may want simply to stop the world and get off, to cop out. It may be that he will journey hopelessly into chemical paradises of narcotics or wander into an alcoholic fog: it may be just a matter of "beer binges," no real harm intended. It is just that everything else in life seems so artificial, contrived, and futile. Any efforts to commune meaningfully with his overpowering and vast world will seem like kicking discarded tin cans aimlessly down the alleys of an empty life. (p 52-53)

CHAPTER 6: NOTES FROM FULLY HUMAN FULLY ALIVE: 

If you and I are to change, to grow into persons who are more fully human and more fully alive, we shall certainly have to become aware of our vision and patiently work at redressing the imbalances and eliminating distortions. All real and permanent growth must began here. A shy person can be coaxed into assuming an air of confidence, but it will only be a mask - one mask replacing another. There can be no real change, no real growth in any of us until and unless our basic perception of reality, our vision is changed. (p 14)

The proposal being made in these pages is that one's vision, the way one interprets and evaluates reality, is the key to one's emotional and mental health. The theory is that our perceptions cause our emotions and affect our behavior. Consequently, we must begin with our thinking, with the way we are seeing things, with our vision. If we believe this we will direct our personal growth efforts to becoming more aware of our vision and eliminating the faulty or distorted perceptions that have become a part of our vision. (p 29) The first two requirements for successful vision therapy are a willingness to revise one's interpretations and an openness to be questioned by life. A third requirement would be finding times for silence and solitude. We are all victims of too much noise, too many distractions - victims of what well-known psychologist has called "stimulus flooding." To come into contact with one=s vision, on has to practice some kind of active and sensitive listening to oneself. For such an in-depth effort, silence and solitude are indispensable. "The unreflected life," to quote Socrates, "Ain't worth living." (p 96) My personal instincts and intuition rebel against the deterministic, fatalistic psychologies which makes our lives phonograph records playing out a preestablished program. In accepting the misconception hypotheses we accept, to a great extent, personal responsibility for our destiny. We are not prisoners of the past. We are pioneers of an exciting future. (p 135)

JOHN POWELL BIBLIOGRAPHY:

A Life-Giving Vision: (1995) Thomas More. Chicago, IL

A Reason To Live! A Reason To Die! (1972). Argus Communication. Niles, IL Fully Human, Fully Alive. (1976)

The Secret Of Staying In Love. (1974) Argus Communication. Niles, IL Unconditional Love (1978). Argus Communication. Niles, IL

Why Am I Afraid To Love. (1969). Argus Communication. Niles, IL Go to: Kissing Frogs: The Practical Uses of Hypnotherapy