Someone asked me if any strange or funny things ever happen in my career. Since my work with trauma and anxiety is typically about serious transformation, I was surprised when an old memory came to the surface.
As you might know I’m a hypnotherapist and this is one story that was probably the funniest thing that has happened to me in what is usually a serious career. And what makes it even funnier was that it happened when I wasn’t working. I think what adds to the humor was probably the look on my face as it happened. As you read the back story you’ll see that I had no idea what the person at my door was talking about. I had taken the day off because of a broken finger and was in my at home mindset, not at all in my hypnotist mode of thinking. This is what happened that created this very funny incident with this perspective client.
Back story: I broke my finger rollerblading and it was swollen and in a cast, the doctor said to keep it elevated, so I had taken the day off and was keeping my hand in the air. In those days I had an office around the side of my home so clients knew to go around the side of the house to see me.
The doorbell at my front door was ringing and I could see a woman standing there, moving from foot to foot seeming agitated. I opened the door, my casted finger elevated over my head. As I opened the door her face turned into one of complete terror. I thought maybe there was an accident and she needed help.
To my amazement, the first words she got out were, are you trying to hypnotize me with you finger? For a moment I didn’t comprehend what could be going through her mind, until my young son who was standing behind me said, she thinks you are trying to hypnotize her with your casted finger.
She had decided to just come to my office without an appointment and ended up at the front door, and to her shock she thought that is how I hypnotized my clients.
Years later my son, who became a screenwriter, wrote a screenplay called Hypno-mom, it gives a really humorous take on hypnosis as well as a peak into the life of his mom the Hypnotherapist.