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Hypnosis

Is Regression Therapy Valid?

Do you know anyone who is uncomfortable getting on an airplane? Over my years of practicing professional hypnosis, most clients who saw me for the fear of flying experienced the success of overcoming the problem rather than simply learning to fly despite their anxieties. In fact, some of them became frequent flyers, logging tens of thousands of miles.

Find the cause

The reason is that instead of simply trying to suggest the problem away, I use Hypnotic Regression Therapy (aka Regression Hypnotherapy) to guide the client back in time during the session in order to discover and release the core cause of the fear of flying. Numerous clients seeing me for other problems over the years have also enjoyed success as a result of hypnotic regression therapy; yet in recent years, a number of hypnosis professionals have hotly debated the topic of regression hypnotherapy.

The regression therapy controversy

The controversy did not come out of thin air. Hypnotic regression therapy enjoyed high popularity for a number of years during the latter half of the 20th century; but even before the end of the 1990s, it became the subject of considerable debate. Genuine concerns are at the heart and core of the controversies. Here is a brief summary of the arguments for and against the use of regression hypnotherapy.

Those who use regression often assert that it is very useful in helping the subconscious discover and release the cause of a problem, and that effective use of hypnotic regression therapy often achieves lasting results. Those who oppose the use of hypnotic regression techniques usually state one or more of the following reasons for opposing its use: (1) the risk of false memories and/or (2) the belief that clients do not need to experience abreactions (emotional discharges) while remembering unpleasant experiences from their past. Occasionally a third reason is posted, criticizing hypnotherapists who use regression with almost every client.

What is a hypnotic regression?

Imagination is the language of the subconscious. Inside your imagination, you have total power and total freedom to be anywhere you wish and to do anything you choose. In addition, we can use the imagination to move through time as well as space.

During a hypnotic state, moving back in time inside the imagination is called a regression. Many hypnosis professionals use regression to guide a client back in time in order to discover the cause of a problem. Sometimes people simply wish to remember details about an event. There are also forensic applications of hypnotic regression techniques as used in police investigations to solve a crime.  While the subconscious does make a record of everything we experience through the five senses, emotions can alter our perceptions, resulting in inaccurate memories. So hypnosis professional who use regression techniques must be careful!

A primary reason for the skepticism regarding regression is that many therapists  over the years have formed preconceived opinions regarding the causes of problems before hypnotizing their clients, and then proceeded to use regression to validate those opinions. This is inappropriate leading. It is a major cause of what we call “false memory syndrome,” which means that a client may believe false perceptions to be facts.

I will write more about Hypnotic Regression Therapy in future posts to address the value of this form of therapy and the caveats. If you want to learn more about Regression Hypnotherapy, go to Dr. Bruce Eimer’s website: www.BruceEimer.com. Also, you can check out our book, The Art of Hypnotic Regression Therapy. If you would like a free initial consultation, or you would like to book a Hypnotic Regression Therapy session, call Dr. Bruce Eimer at 561-377-1039.

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Coping with Uncertainty

Do you need help for your anxiety? No wonder. Nowadays, there seem to be more reasons to be afraid than in previous decades. The world is a more uncertain place than ever. The COVID pandemic has swept over the world bringing illness and death. There has been a sharp increase in political divisiveness like never before. People all over are living with the threat of COVID variants and more societal disruptions. And the television and news media provide a continual stream of information that heightens the focus on these threats. Understandably, all of this has led many people to feel frightened of what the future may bring.

All the above has been reflected in major changes in the stability of the world economy. In addition, technology is changing at a pace that can be described conservatively as “warp speed.” All this change, instability, and uncertainty has made people feel more vulnerable.

Vulnerability stems from the feeling that one has no control over the outcomes of what happens in the world. Feeling vulnerable leads people to feel more endangered and threatened. It can shatter our basic sense of trust and security in the world, our belief that the world is a safe place to live in, and our expectations that we will be here tomorrow. Our vulnerability can become a breeding ground for fears of all types and erode our feelings of comfort and security in carrying on our day-to-day activities. The lack of adequate support and connectedness to other people can also become a breeding ground for alienation.

Given all the instability and uncertainty in our world today, if you are suffering from anxiety or depression, or the activation of old traumas, perhaps you need to see a good therapist. Call Dr. Bruce Eimer at 561-377-1039 to set up a free consultation, and visit Dr. Bruce Eimer’s informative website at www.BruceEimer.com

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Why Writing is Therapeutic

Writing is therapeutic for me and for many of my clients. Also known as “journaling”, when you put your thoughts and feelings to paper, you release pent up tension. Writing out your thoughts also makes it easier to examine and re-evaluate your thoughts and feelings. Writing Therapy is the simplest and most affordable form of therapy. However, for it to work best, it is advisable to follow a few simple procedural rules. I teach these to most of my clients.

  • Use the modality with which you are most comfortable and that is available. It could be your “smart phone”, your computer, or pencil and paper. You can even dictate into your phone!
  • If you are writing for yourself, do not censor what you write.
  • If you are writing to publish as in a blog, first write stream of consciousness. Then edit as appropriate.
  • It is all right to have a time and a place where you will write, or you can write wherever you are when you have a spare moment.
  • From time to time read your previous journal entries to get a sense of your emotional development.
  • Do not second guess yourself.
  • Recognize you are doing self-therapy. Give yourself credit.

People who write learn. By writing about your experiences, you learn about yourself. Isn’t this what therapy is about?

If you would like a free consultation about writing therapy, call Dr. Bruce Eimer at 561-377-1039, or visit Dr. Bruce’s website www.BruceEimer.com

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Articles Hypnosis Weight Loss

Hypnosis for Weight Loss: “Mind Over Platter” | Boca Raton, FL

Have you tried every diet known to man and woman only to give up after suffering too much deprivation?  Have you dieted and failed to lose your desired amount of weight?

The problem with diets is that deprivation goes with every diet. And no one wants to suffer deprivation.

I have been helping people lose weight successfully using hypnosis since 1995. I designed a three-session program that can help you lose weight in a safe and healthy manner using clinical hypnosis. My program is NOT a diet. It is a program that installs a new mindset called “Mind Over Platter”.

What is “mind over platter”? The answer is that it is a change in mindset that makes it easy and natural to refuse junk food and to refuse to overeat. As a result, you only eat what you need to be healthy and strong.

The fact is that diets deprive. On the other hand, hypnosis helps you decide because your subconscious mind is reprogrammed to make healthy food choices consciously and unconsciously. Hypnosis takes the stress out of weight loss. With hypnosis we take the loss out of weight loss and in its place, we substitute win.

So, stop hoping you will lose weight. Start winning your battle with food which is really a battle with yourself. A battle with your cravings.

In addition to three one-hour hypnosis sessions, you will get the audio recordings of your hypnotherapy sessions. Call me (Dr. Bruce Eimer) to find out more: 561-377-1039. Or email bruce@bruceeimer.com

If you would like more information about hypnosis for weight loss, call Dr. Eimer in Boca Raton, FL at 561-377-1039 for a free consultation or visit www.bruceeimer.com. You’ll be glad you did.

Dr. Bruce Eimer Ph.D. proudly serves Boca Raton and all surrounding areas.

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Do you need therapy?

Pain Control Hypnosis Practitioner Training

Are you feeling that you need help coping with your moods? In other words, are you at times feeling out of control? Perhaps you feel very anxious and cannot get a handle on it. Maybe you feel more than sad and just cannot motivate yourself to do anything pleasurable, necessary or that could give you a sense of accomplishment.

Call Dr. Bruce Eimer at 561-377-1039 for a free consultation to discuss whether you need therapy, or visit my website, www.BruceEimer.com

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Articles Depression Pain Relief

Talk to Your Dog and Bounce Back from Depression | Boca Raton, FL

Talk to your dog. . .

You know you are depressed when you have nothing to say to anyone. But do you have nothing to say to your dog? I doubt it. Your dog needs you to take care of his or her emotional needs just as much as Fido needs you to feed him and walk him and groom him. Your dog is communicating with you all the time. Can you interpret what your furry friend is telling you? 

You don’t have to be a dog whisperer to learn your dog’s language. You simply have to pay attention and talk to your dog just like you would talk to a child or even a close friend. The benefits of talking to your dog have been documented by researchers to include lower blood pressure, relief from pain, better breathing (even for those with allergies to fur and dog hair), and relief from depression.

Think about it. Your dog loves you unconditionally. Your dog will never buy into your negative self-talk. But when you put yourself down, this is reflected in your mood state and your appearance. It even affects your scent. Your fur baby is sensitive to all these things and responds accordingly. So, when you give off a depressed scent, and evidence depressed body language, your dog gets depressed! Yup, dogs do get depressed. And dogs are exquisitely sensitive to our feelings and moods. Dogs really are our best friends.

Naturally, you don’t want to depress your dog. Please – I am not giving you another thing to blame yourself for and become more depressed about. I am simply suggesting an avenue to help you get un-depressed and as part of the bargain, make your dog happier. I am not a dog whisperer. However, I love dogs and have owned many. Currently my best bud is Leo who is a 2 ½ year old German Shepherd. I have trained him to be a therapy dog. Therefore, he is hypersensitive to the moods of people around him. In my clinical psychotherapy practice, I use dog-assisted therapy (DAT) to help depressed clients feel better more quickly. And you don’t have to own a dog to keep up the momentum. Just a few sessions of DAT can give you the necessary stimulation to get back on your feet. It is like ECT without any of the risks or negative side effects. 

If you would like more information about dog-assisted therapy, call Dr. Bruce Eimer in Boca Raton, FL at 561-377-1039 for a free consultation or visit www.bruceeimer.com. You’ll be glad you did.

Dr. Eimer proudly serves Boca Raton and all surrounding areas.

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Articles Depression Pain Relief

Multimodal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression | Boca Raton, FL

If you are depressed, read this and call me anytime. . .

You know you are depressed when it is a struggle to get up in the morning. You don’t want to face the long day because you feel you have nothing meaningful to look forward to doing. Frequently, nighttime is a welcome part of your day because the day is over, and you do not need an excuse to rest. 

Depression is your mind and body telling you they are depleted. If you have been running on empty for a while, your functioning will naturally not be like it was before you lost your energy and drive. This changes your thinking patterns also. You think more concretely and you are not as sharp. Think back to a time in the past when you were not depressed but you were overly fatigued. Your thinking and performance were spotty. 

When you are depressed, your sleep patterns are disturbed, and it is difficult to get restorative sleep. So, you have less energy to run on during the day. This is the reason one component in the medical treatment of depression is the prescription of medication that can improve the architecture of your sleep. 

Depression needs to be treated multimodally. Medicine alone does not help you address the underlying issues that led to your depletion. An effective treatment program incorporates behavioral interventions, such as structuring your daily activities, affectively focused interventions to help you address the painful feelings you live with when you are depressed, sensory focused interventions to bring a little bit of pleasure – which is the opposite of pain, imagery focused interventions to transform some of the negative images in your mind’s eye, cognitive therapy interventions to change your negative thinking patterns, interpersonal interventions to get you back to having social experiences, and biological interventions such as drugs, diet and exercise.

The above seven types of interventions spell B.A.S.I.C. I.D.  If you would like to learn more about how I incorporate the B.A.S.I.C. I.D. in my Multimodal Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression (MCBT-D), give me a call and we can schedule a free consultation. Call 561-377-1039.

If you would like more information about Multimodal Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression, call Dr. Bruce Eimer in Boca Raton, FL at 561-377-1039 or visit www.bruceeimer.com.

Dr. Eimer proudly serves Boca Raton and all surrounding areas.

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Articles Depression Stress

COVID Fatigue | Boca Raton, FL

It has been a year since Covid-19 invaded 2020 and changed life as we knew it. By now, most people are suffering from COVID Fatigue. In fact, it has given rise to what I term Covid Fatigue Syndrome or CFS. The symptoms include boredom, anxiety, depression, anger, impatience, irritability, and impulsiveness. Many people feel like they can no longer wait to get out of COVID prison. People want out. People want to end the social isolation. This is understandable. However, we still need to be careful. Covid is no picnic. I went through it. You still need to take precautions. The consequences of carelessness can be devastating. Sometimes having someone to talk with who is an empathic listener with a solution-oriented mindset can help. If you are clinically depressed, brief solution-focused therapy can often help alleviate the depression. You could benefit from seeing a clinical psychologist to evaluate your depression. I am here to help. Call me at 561-377-1039 to schedule a free consultation. 

If you would like more information about Covid Fatigue Syndrome, call Dr. Bruce Eimer in Boca Raton, FL at 561-377-1039 or visit www.bruceeimer.com.

Dr. Eimer proudly serves Boca Raton and all surrounding areas.

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Depression Meditation Stress Uncategorized

What is Hypnotic Regression Therapy

There aren’t very many people who have a good understanding of what hypnotic regression therapy is – and what it can do. As soon as they hear the words “hypnotic regression,” some people automatically think of past-life regression. Rest assured; hypnotic regression therapy is something completely different. 

If you’ve ever spent any time on around rivers, you know that there can be powerful currents flowing beneath the surface of the water. The river might look calm and tranquil, but if you were to fall in, you might easily be swept away.

Your subconscious mind is like those currents, churning away beneath the surface of your conscious mind. You might not be aware of the powerful forces being exerted on your behavior by your subconscious mind.  

If your life seems like it’s going well – on the surface – but you are struggling with emotional undercurrents or sabotaging yourself, the thoughts, feelings and ideas churning away in your subconscious mind might be to blame. Hypnotic regression therapy can help access those subconscious thoughts and feelings and reduce their ability to impact your behavior.

Hypnotic Regression Therapy

As the experts at Good Therapy explain, “Regression therapyis an approach to treatment that focuses on resolving significant past events believed to be interfering with a person’s present mental and emotional wellness.”

According to John Ryder, Ph.D., a psychologist, hypnotherapist and the author of Positive Directions writing at PsychologyToday.com, “Hypnosis is one of the best ways to help people access those ‘buried’ memories. Everyone has memories or experiences in their unconscious mind that they may not be able to recall but still play a significant role in everyday life. Hypnotic regression is the process by which you enter a trance and recall material from deep inside that is normally not available to the conscious mind.”

Hypnotic regression therapy should only be undertaken by a licensed mental health professional who has been well trained in the use of clinical hypnosis and in hypnotic regression therapy theories and techniques. If you live in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach or Boca Raton, that licensed mental health professional can be Dr. Bruce Eimer. Dr. Bruce is a licensed psychologist and certified hypnotherapist living in Lake Worth. He is the co-author of two books on regression therapy and hypnoanalysis:

Ewin, D.M., & Eimer, B.N. (2006).  Ideomotor Signals for Rapid Hypnoanalysis: A How-To Manual. 

Hunter, C.R. & Eimer, B.N. (2012). The Art of Hypnotic Regression Therapy: A Clinical Guide.

If you would like more information about hypnosis and regression therapy, please contact us.

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Depression Meditation Stress Uncategorized

Feeling Stressed? Meditation Can Help

Everyone is feeling the stress and strains involved with staying home and staying safe. If you suffer from chronic pain, you probably don’t need us to tell you that stress like that can exacerbate your pain. Psychotherapy and hypnotherapy help chronic pain sufferers to cope. But you can’t spend the whole day talking to your licensed psychologist in Delray Beach. Fortunately, there are things you can do on your own that will help ease your stress and your pain.

Even if you’re in good health, the stress of the current situation can be hard to manage. Mindfulness Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and help you navigate these unchartered waters. Essentially, mindfulness means being present without judging.

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions.”

The health experts at the Mayo Clinic say that those medical conditions may include:

  • Anxiety
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Depression
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Sleep problems
  • Tension headaches
  • And, yes – Chronic pain

Getting Started

Lots of people give up on meditation before they’ve even begun because they’re under the impression that meditation means stopping your brain from thinking and they know they could never quiet their brain to that extent. Good news – you don’t have to. It’s not about shutting down your thoughts; it’s about not getting caught up in all those stray thoughts that pop up in a continuing stream. It is about practicing being present and non-judgmental.

There are lots of different ways to meditate, from simple deep breathing exercises to yoga, which is considered meditation with movement. Do some exploring and find a method that works for you and try to make it part of your normal routine.

And if you are interested in incorporating mindful psychotherapy in your pain management arsenal, please contact the offices of Dr. Bruce Eimer, a licensed psychologist serving Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. Dr. Bruce recently released his new book on Mindfulness Meditation. It is entitled Taming Chronic Pain: A Mindful Approach to Bringing Pain Relief.