What’s your Learning Edge? (The hypnotherapy project)

little readers

This is essentially the first post about a 30-day experiment I called “the Great Hypnotherapy Project, which I collaborated on in July and August of 2007 with Los Angeles-based hypnotherapist Greg Beckett. You can read more about this experiment, what motivated it and what we hoped to accomplish here; you can read all of the entries in chronological order here.

While I don’t take naturally to change, I’ve grown to love it so much that I’ve learned a lot of hacks to help facilitate it.

One of them is the very public 21-Day Salute™, as practiced here on communicatrix-dot-com. Building on the notion originally put forth by Dr. Maxwell Maltz that it takes 21 days to change a habit, I did my first three-week stint to Cheer the Hell Up, but I now use my little wind sprints to get myself back in the habit of blogging when I’ve fallen off the wagon.

Another one of the things is—NO DUH!!!!—enlisting help. Pretty simple from the outside, but when you’re born and raised in The Stiff Upper Lip Club, easier said than done. I’ve gone from flying solo to having:

  1. a shrink
  2. a business coach
  3. a designer’s support group
  4. a Toastmasters club, and…
  5. a women’s manifestation circle.

(Don’t freak out on me: most of the appointments are monthly or even bi-monthly; the only ones that happen weekly are Toastmasters and my coaching appointment.)

So when my good friend, Greg, offered me the chance to combine the two, I leaped (leapt?) at it.

Greg Beckett is an amazing hypnotherapist. He’s actually an amazing person, in general, but he has a true gift with hypnotherapy. And flan, of all things. Seriously. He has to hypnotize me to not eat the flan.

Which is what he’s going to do, at least to start with. I’m the very excited guinea pig for Greg’s 30-Day Experiment: 30 consecutive days of hypnotherapy with the same client, to see what happens. We figure 21 days to change a habit and a little extra for good measure (and a round number).

Initially, we’re going to use the sessions to get me back on SCD 100%—at least, that’s one of the things we’ll work on. Having done a little experimentation with Greg’s hypnotherapy before, I know that all this stuff—these blocks, these ways of avoidance, these willful fits of procrastination—is interconnected. Hell, you don’t need to have done hypnotherapy to know that.

All of this dovetails beautifully with a group project Adam Kayce (aka Monk at Work) initiated recently: What’s Your Learning Edge? His thought is that growth is contingent on continuous learning, and it’s up to each of us to continually re-ignite that passion for learning by going deeper—by finding the “edge” that leads us in. To participate, all you need do is one of two things (from Adam):

  1. If you’re not currently pushing the envelope of your intellectual horizons… or if you’re feeling a staleness in your life that you wouldn’t mind giving the ol’ heave-ho to… then I invite you to pick something that you’ve always been curious about, and dive into it with all the passion of a two-year-old on a playground.
  2. Write a post about your “learning edge” and what you’re into these days. Feel free to mention any books you’re reading, classes you’re taking, people you’re learning from or collaborating with, etc. Tell us about the gems you’re picking up, the fun you’re having, etc., especially if they’re shifting the way you look at what you do.

So that’s my Learning Edge—30 days of me and a big, swinging, gold watch, getting sleeeeeepy…sleeeeeeeeepy…. (Just kidding—it’s a silver watch.)

I’ll be covering what happens on the project here. Greg and I have also discussed doing some kind of podcast. (Hey, we’re both former hams; might as well use what you know to share what you’re learning.) We were supposed to start yesterday, but I’ve been derailed by some nasty summer flu/cold thing, so Monday is D-day.

Meanwhile, I will invite—not tag, but invite—Bonnie Gillespie, Jason Womack, Chris Glass, Evelyn Rodriguez and Jeremy “Be Careful What You Wish For” Cherfas to share with the group.

I mean, it’s not like you’re not out there learnin’ it up, anyway…

xxx
c

Image by XI*Erica Simone*XI via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

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41 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. OH Nose! I still have to fill out my last taggin bit.

  2. Wow, that sounds amazing… the flan, that is.

    I love the idea of a podcast. Besides, once a ham, always a ham, I say. (Hmm, ham and flan? No, never mind.)

    I can’t wait to hear how it goes; as a healer, I’ve always seen amazing things happen when people take advantage of momentum, rather than leave long stretches of time between sessions. Daily, though, for 30 days — that’ll be a sight, I’m sure.

    Thanks for joining the project, C!

  3. This should be awesome…can’t wait to hear how it all turns out for you.

  4. annmarie

    Fascinating! Look forward to it.

  5. Whew! Thanks. I needed this kick in the pants. What’s my learning edge? If it involves a TV remote I might be able to spell it out for ya (and yes, I’m smarter than a 5th grader). Seriously though, I fully intend to get intentional…starting Monday.

  6. Tim

    Hi. I too need to begin to…learn again.
    I’d recently made a comment at work about the “dead man in Yossarian’s tent” to a young writer.
    His look told me he had no idea who that was.
    I tried to explain but, I couldn’t remember the dead man’s exact role.
    See?
    Then I found myself at the airport bookstore, and there was “Catch 22″.
    Hardback, but I got it anyway.
    It’ll probably take me 30 days to get to the “dead man” part.
    I’ll let you know.

  7. The flan is incredible. I wonder if Greg hypnotizes the eggs like he does people before he cracks them?

    Let me tell you from personal experience, once you get to that edge of learning, it’s way to easy to go over the edge at the slightest breeze that blows by. Make sure you’re tethered to a big rock… like a partner or that friendly grocery in the bakery department who never talks about “carbs.”

    I know this sounds cruel, but is anyone taking any wagers on this experiment?

    :-) Just kidding.

  8. The flan is incredible. I wonder if Greg hypnotizes the eggs like he does people before he cracks them?

    Let me tell you from personal experience, once you get to that edge of learning, it’s way to easy to go over the edge at the slightest breeze that blows by. Make sure you’re tethered to a big rock… like a partner or that friendly grocer in the bakery department who never talks about “carbs.”

    I know this sounds cruel, but is anyone taking any wagers on this experiment?

    :-) Just kidding.

  9. communicatrix

    glass - ah, don’t sweat it. I always want you to play, b/c you so fine, but it should be fun, not punishment.

    Adam - I know, huh? I’m very curious to see how this works, too.

    Iron Fist - Do tune in. Sure to be interesting.

    dailytri - but…but…I thought the “tri” was for “triathlete”! And if it isn’t, maybe that’s your LE.

    Tim - that place will eat your soul slowly. Constant learning is the only way out. I might be due for a spin back to Vonnegut land. I don’t think I’ve read them since my 20s!

    Marcel - Whaddya sayin’? I’m a loony-tunes? Greg will keep me tethered. And The BF. He’s mucho grounding.

  10. where did you find a designer support group??! seriously…

  11. Bon

    Hmm… I’m gonna come back to this one. I’m not equipped to play just yet. But it looks like a thrilling challenge. Thank you.

  12. “Write a post about your “learning edge” and what you’re into these days. Feel free to mention any books you’re reading, classes you’re taking, people you’re learning from or collaborating with, etc. Tell us about the gems you’re picking up, the fun you’re having, etc., especially if they’re shifting the way you look at what you do.”

    Ok, Ok…I’ll take this one on! This week has been amazing…I had lunch on Monday with Marshall Goldsmith (after he’d sent me a copy of “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” I knew I wanted to sit down with him…). Then, today I went for a bike ride with the Commanding Officer of a major military installation. Needless to say, I’ve been surrounded by people who think for a living!

    So, in the next few days, I’ll share some of MY learnings…looking forward to it!



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