The hypnosis answer - Deeper and deeper into a deep hypnotic sleep

New Day

Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

(The painting I was finishing

when the Oprah Winfrey Show

producers called, and asked

me if I'd like to draw Oprah via Skype.

My answer? YES! I certainly would1)

I love that this painting is called New Day. I thought about this today
because we are on the edge of a new world.  Every doctor, and
expert is saying that this virus will change how we do everything.

And along with the delightful memories of what this painting
brought me, I thought about the best way I know of calming down.

I learned how to do hypnosis at my sister's request when my young
nephew used to have asthma attacks on the morning when he was
supposed to fly to see his father, who lived in another city.  Once
I knew what to do, my sister would cab me over to her house
just at my nephew's bed time the night before the flight, and I'd
help him go to sleep.

My sister gave me the book and video by the psychiatrist
who started the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis,
Milton Erickson.  I may have told this story before, but when
my husband and I first watched the video of Erickson
teaching hypnosis, like everyone else in the room where he
was teaching it on the video, we went under.  Erickson was
extremely gifted at hypnosis, but we can all do it, and its cousin,
Creative Visualization.

I did learn it, and have sometimes taught Creative Visualization.
So if you are super scared about the current news you can do this.
Close your eyes.  Imagine being at the top of a beautiful hill
in your ideal landscape, and tell yourself that you
are going deeper, and deeper into a deep, relaxing sleep.
Talk in the second person.  Call yourself you.  Count
from 1 to 10, and say you are moving down the hill in
this beautiful landscape, deeper, and deeper into complete
relaxation with each number.

At the bottom of the hill see a gorgeous huge jar with a lid.
Take all of your worries, and put them in the jar.  Close the
lid -- walk over to a blanket on the ground under a beautiful tree
and lie down.  Off in the distance you can hear the ocean waves.
And you can write the rest of the script for yourself.

When you are ready count backward from 10 to 1, and wish
yourself either a wonderful sleep, or a wonderful day.

As the children in my neighbourhood have written on
the sidewalk, "we will get through this."

Wishing you a deep, relaxing sleep, and that you wake up 
feeling happy and healthy and ready for a New Day.