Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing As Hypnosis?

This book is small in size but very SOLID in its IMPACT. It FEELS GOOD and it's got a GREAT LOOK through out . . . however, it sometimes makes a terribly distracting SOUND! The previous sentence seems a little strange to me, but . . . this book claims that if you were in a positive Kinesthetic frame of mind when you started to read it, that I was probably able to lead you through to a positive Visual. Then on into a negative Auditory and in the process I may have induced a very mild Hypnotic state, literally speaking directly to your "Unconscious System" and it made sense to you on a very basic level. Leaving you feeling vaguely uneasy about this book. That is, if there is such a thing as Hypnosis I don't know if the theory holds water or not. I do know that I'm a parent and foster parent and I was having some trouble communicating with my kids until I read this book and applied Dr. Heller's and Terry Steele's techniques. In each and every case, within an astoundingly few minutes, I was able to Break their Shell, show them the Shining Light and have them making Beautiful Music as they travel the road to being emotionally healthy human beings! Another reviewer pointed out that they didn't really like the invariable misspelling of one of the quoted sources names. I must be using a visual mode much more than s/he because I found the constant Politicaly Correct use of s/he and him/her to be very cumbersome. Pick a gender already! . I was distracted by the frequent misspellings of the word "will" "misspelled as wil" too. There were a few other words, especially towards the end of the book that were misspelled also. However, once I got through "Monsters and Magical Sticks" and tried what I had learned that really didn't seem to matter so much! When I started reading this book I wasn't sure whether I believed in Hypnosis or not. Turns out I do, just not in the same way most people do and I know now that it's a very useful tool for helping others too! Look deeply into my eyes. Your eyelids are feeling very heavy . . . you MUST get this book and READ IT! NOW!

I didn't know that hypnosis came so naturally--to everyone. Before I read this book I thought of hypnosis as the sort of pendulum-swinging practice that the media and skeptics portray, not realizing that hypnosis is a form of learning that we all do, actively and (un)intentionally, since childhood. This book allowed me to open my mind about how stories affect people, how words affect people, how people structure beliefs, and how "that state" happens when we least expect it all the while enjoying every minute of it. While the book did delve into some "clinical talk," the author always followed it up with humor and simplification (for all systems). I found it very light, clear, and conversational.When the book ended I felt deeply saddened by the fact that the author has passed away, as though he had become a friend by the end of the book. He convinced me that there is no such thing as hypnosis, that we've been hypnotized by ourselves and others to think that there is such a thing. It's really too bad that there won't be more books by him.

T HIGHLY recommend this really insightful and well-thought-out book about the so-called none existence of hypnosis. I JUST LOVE IT! I Will reread it several times over without a dought! If you ever want to get started with hypnosis, this is a really great starting point.

I ordered this book at the recommendation of Robert G.Smith the Faster EFT Coach. As a hypnotherapist who has been learning and practicing professionally for 20 years I have to say I was impressed by Steven Heller and his coverage of material. What impressed me was his observation that to be successful in working with clients you must treat each person as an individual. He explains the use of SYSTEMS to connect more easily with a clients preferred method of learning information, then takes it a step further by giving examples of how to speak in their language. Some might say this is a part of NLP, but any good therapist knows that a big box of tools is needed to work with whatever a client presents in session. Steven Heller provides a handy reference for anyone wishing to have a clear understanding of the way to treat common problems presented to the practicing hypnotherapist.

Have you ever read a book that literally educated you, as you read every paragraph, feeling the knowledge transferring from each page into your brain and feeling that knowledge spread through millions of your neuron paths giving you a firm handle on the material, a picture to see it clearly and sound mind from which there is complete recall to hear it?Folks! Let that be a firm indication how much I really enjoyed reading “Monsters and Magical Sticks”Dr. Heller and his associates have written a terrific book introducing you the concepts of hypnosis and how it may manifest itself when put to use. It is written concisely in an easy to understand tone giving the reader a basic but yet comprehensive approach to the topic. In this book Dr. Heller first describes concepts and then ties those concepts to his experiences as a professional practitioner helping others.If you desire to get acquainted with the topic of hypnosis without PhD complexity then this book is must have. I highly recommend and is worth five stars!

Repetitive, argumentative and anecdotal book which basically says, "If hypnosis isn't real then explain what happened this one time?" a lot.If you don't believe that *you* can be hypnotised then you already believe in hypnosis, and if you don't believe it exists you can still be hypnotised, it's what language is and does and this book gives ample examples if you're somehow confused by the concept.Some cute stories, but it's not a textbook or a cookbook and I'm not sure who it's for.I would recommend "My Voice Will Go With You" feat Milt Erickson instead.

This is one of the best books I have read on hypnosis for a long time, and I have studied the subject on and off since the 70s. Not only does the author give clear instructions and wording examples for his techniques, but also explains how most problems presented by clients/patients are the result of "hypnotic" transactions from the past. The chapters on "Anchoring" are particularly helpful as they give several examples of how this technique can be used to powerful effect, to get results which would normally take several sessions. Highly recommended for the practitioner and lay person alike.

This is a fantastic book. I'm not a hypnotist or hypnotherapist, but practise EFT and spin off modalities and I found it fascinating. There aren't many (if any) therapy type books I read from cover to cover, let alone reread. I tried ploughing through Erikson's stuff a while ago with limited success in the keeping my attention area, but this book is so easy to read, with such humour. All the other reviews are spot on.

This book gives a pretty thorough overview of the kinds of approaches that Dr. Heller used to use. Basically he believed that anyone with problems is limiting their solutions by refusing to combine representational systems ( aka NLP ). For instance, in areas of their life where they are successful, they move freely between visual, kinisthetic and auditory. But then whey are stuck, it's usually in one of these.Humourous text and intresting approaches.Recommended.

Absolutely brilliant book! Witty, clear & understandable, & full of tips & tricks on how to help ourselves & others.Being a counselors therapist myself, I KNOW this work will help both myself & my clients!