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Vindicator intern lets go, takes charge, awakens
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Auggie Ruggiero Hypnotist with Boccia
Hypnotism
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By RICHARD L. BOCCIA
Getting hypnotized is as profound and as mundane as waking up in the morning.
Deep thoughts like this linger in my mind after trying hypnosis.
I was skeptical. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, hypnotized into barking like a dog.
Why allow a stranger to control me?
At first I resisted. My certified clinical hypnotherapist, Auggie Ruggiero, seemed to count to 10 too fast in the beginning, when he told me to breathe and gradually relax with each number he spoke. It seemed to be the wrong pace.
But when I let go, it turned out that I was the one in control. I actively participated in an hour of exhilarating thought exercise, like a waking dream where I imagined the greatest potential for myself.
Ruggiero sat next to me the whole time, calmly describing what I saw in my mind. After a few minutes, if his words didn’t exactly match what I was experiencing, it didn’t matter. It was close enough, and we had the same goal: improving my mental state and helping me to achieve my goals. A few times, I had a thought before he spoke it. The coincidence was startling.
Before the session, we set a goal. I told Ruggiero that I want to start exercising regularly, and he said we would try to reinforce my desire.
Accepting this objective, I relaxed and let my body rest. It was like parking a car to look at a map without swerving all over the road. Once my body was nearly asleep, my mind could fully awaken and take a walk.
Ruggiero suggested a scene, and my mind created it in startling detail. It felt as real as I could make it. I chose to picture lying in the grass at the park. Based on my positive memories of such times outdoors, it was easy and serene.
Later, Ruggiero told me I was floating in a hot-air balloon. The only thing weighing me down were my negative thoughts. Doubt, resentment, shame — they all became sandbags tethered to the balloon. So I pitched them over the side, and they were gone. I could go wherever I wanted in the balloon, floating with no resistance. If a sandbag reappeared, I simply threw it out again. I was empowered.
If it sounds strange, consider how everything seems to make sense in a dream.
At the end of the session, any resistance or discomfort was gone. As hard as it had been to count to 10 with Ruggiero to become hypnotized, waking up by counting to five was easy. There I was, relaxed, excited and radiating good feeling. I was in a great mood because I realized my own potential to do what I want and to be happy. Tomorrow morning, when it’s time to exercise, I’ll remember that feeling.
Barking like a dog has nothing on that.
SEE ALSO:Entrancing therapy