I received a call from the ex-wife of a Korean gentleman who had suffered a stroke six years ago.  She worried because he was unusually depressed. He told her he did not want to live. She, too, was a hypnotist but with nowhere near my experience, prompting her to call. 

Her former husband’s attitude is common amongst major stroke victims who have been paralyzed and face a big question mark as to how they are going to get on with their lives.

Concerned he was a burden on others, he was angry, impatient, pleading “help me” even when he knew he could do what he was asking. With no purpose to his life, he no longer wanted to deal with the paralysis in his right arm and both legs.

I have had clients who sustained strokes in varying degrees of seriousness. They were desperate because they wanted to be better than they were. In some cases hypnosis did not help.

The effectiveness of hypnosis is dependent upon clients — how far they begin to believe they can improve. One stroke victim’s right arm and right leg were paralyzed, with no feeling in her right arm. She had been through physical therapy six years earlier to no apparent benefit.

There Are Limits

Hypnosis was effective for this lady. Within three weeks, she had regained feeling in her right arm plus a much improved range of motion in her arm and leg. She was at a point where, with more physical therapy, she would have become even better. Unfortunately, she opted to stay the way she was. She did not want to go through the pain of more physical therapy only to improve a few more percentage points. She felt — many do — that since she never was going to be back to pre-stroke condition, she was not going to waste her time.

As for the Korean gentleman, he was willing to try to be better. He responded well to the hypnosis I offered him. After the first session, he saw that his own attitude was causing him to react poorly. If he wanted to improve, he needed to think differently and act as if he were better.

Almost Everything Is Possible

By altering his outlook, he asked for help less often, became calmer and less angry. He was even looking for activities to do. With prompting from me, he realized that he had tremendous life experience in business. Even  though paralyzed, he could work a computer.   He intended to write a book about his former business to help others become as successful as he had been.

He came to terms with his infirmities. Even though he was trapped in his body, he still was able to be anything and to go anywhere in his mind.

I told him I understood his frustration because after I recently underwent back surgery, I had sat in bed depressed by what I could not do. I had to change my thinking from what I could not do to finding what I could do, which was a lot more than I thought.  I healed quickly.  With four months, I returned to regular duties, two months sooner than the average.

Bottom line for this client: With a few weeks of hypnosis, while teaching him how to hypnotize himself, he completely turned around.  Even with his body restrictions, he could do more than he ever believed possible.  He became more open and flexible. Life again was worth living.

Do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, 310.204.3321, or by email at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net. See my website at www.hypnotherapy4you.net