|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Ann
Age 17 Presenting Issue(s): Anorexia |
|
Ann is a beautiful young woman, 17 years of age, who believes
that her body figure is distorted because of overweight.
In reality, she is slender and well-proportioned. During
the confidential interview, she states that she has been
under the care of a psychologist for approximately one
year, and that she has been an outpatient at a clinic
that brings group activities to anorexic patients. Nothing
to date has relieved her from eating nothing or very little,
nor to prevent her from voluntarily or involuntarily throwing
up most of anything that she eats. She over-exercises
to a point where it is obsessive-compulsive. She denies
herself any sweets, rich foods or ice cream. Her parents
stayed for 15 minutes of the interview and then we continued
the interview for another 30 minutes alone, as it is extremely
important to afford the client an opportunity to relate
what has happened in the past without inhibition, and
what is presently on her mind. Ann told me she had a liking
for art and I asked her to draw a picture of herself.
She complained that her parents were controlling her too
much; that she felt restricted. The drawing depicted a
young girl with a small belly that hangs a bit and large
hips. This is how the client saw herself, for "Everyone
looks in their own mirror."
After a lengthy induction, hypnoanalysis with ideomotor
finger responses was utilized, and the responses given
during this subconscious age regression coincided with
those given in the conscious interview. Appropriate
suggestions, and affirmations were made while client
was in her safe and secret place. She was taught self-hypnosis.
Each week Ann returned and drew various scenes for me:
the world with her parents and herself on top of the
world, while she was restrained in chains; 3 girls at
an ice cream parlor, with the ice cream cone in front
of her and a big "X" drawn through it; Ann
on an exercise bike with a frown on her face; her girlfriends
being nice and thin; herself very unhappy with a hanging
belly and large hips again, etc. The anorexia continued
and her behavior remained the same through 8 visits,
even though many various techniques were utilized with
Ann. It reached the point where ending the treatment
unsuccessfully was seriously contemplated, but not yet
communicated to the client nor her parents. On the 9th
visit, there was a complete turnaround, immediately
identified in her drawings and in her eating activities
of the past week. Ann sat down for dinner with her family,
ate reasonable amounts of food under the circumstances,
and had not thrown up at all. The drawing revealed an
exercise bike with an "X" drawn through it,
and an ice cream cone being eaten by Ann, who had no
belly, nor large hips. The 10th and final visit was
used to strengthen prior suggestions and affirmations,
while fortifying her continued good eating habits by
recalling and reliving past successes that she had in
her life time. One year later it was learned that Ann
continued eating and exercising properly, and was engaged
to be married.
|
|
Anthony F. De Marco, LL.B., Ph.D.
|
|
| Ben
Age 70
Presenting Issue(s): Smoking |
| Ben,
a medical doctor, stopped smoking "cold turkey"
on his own at the age of 35, and refrained from smoking
for 35 years until his present age of 70, and until the
advent of the "perfect" circumstance which was
the catalyst to begin smoking again. The confidential
interview revealed that he began smoking at the age of
17 while among friends who were waiting in a line in the
lobby of a movie theater. At the age of 35 he realized
that smoking was not healthy and he stopped smoking immediately.
When he retired and had more time on his hands, he and
his wife decided to go the movies. I knew what was coming
next. While they were waiting in the lobby with friends,
he asked one of his friends for a cigarette. After a week,
he realized that he had started to smoke again, and he
could figure out how this could have happened. Ben was
referred to me by a good friend, also a medical doctor.
Upon narration of all of the happenings, it was very easy
to complete the therapy. I regressed Ben to the age of
17 to find out all feelings connected to the initial smoking
experience and corrected this. "Gestalt" was
also used to have the 17 year old Ben and the 70 year
old Ben exchange feelings. It was agreed that whatever
the reasons for smoking in the lobby at the age of 17,
were not longer relevant at the age of 70. (The sub-conscious
mind never forgets!) Ben is very happy with the result
and has never smoked again. |
|
Dr. John Gatto
|
|
| Al
Age 22 Presenting
Issue(s): Compulsive Gambling |
|
Al is a 22 year old high school graduate who visited my
office with his father, as his mother and father were
separated. Al complained of being unable to stop gambling
and related that his gambling compulsion elevated to the
point that he gambled every day on sports, and that he
began to "book" bets of his friends. After a
year of "booking" bets and picking and playing
his own bets, the police conducted a raid on his home
with a search warrant, his computer and betting paraphernalia
were confiscated, and he and his father were arrested
and charged with bookmaking. The case was then pending.
He stated that he wanted to quit gambling but could not
in spite of the arrest. He no longer made "book".
A 13 session program entitled "HypnoAddictionology",
of which the writer is the author, was begun. After lengthy
induction, hypnoanalysis regression with ideomotor finger
responses revealed a very decent young man with no past
behavior problems, but with very strong urges to continue
gambling. When he did not gamble, he felt lack luster
and it was as if his body was aching. He was taught self-hypnosis
in the first session. Al was advised to join Gamblers
Anonymous and to attend meetings while he was being treated,
however he refused to go to this self-help group. He faithfully
kept the next 12 appointments in which many therapies
and techniques were used, which included a unique immediate
tool to alleviate, avoid and eliminate urges to gamble,
which urges result in the unwanted behavior, accessing
the addiction-free past, safe place imagery, parts therapy,
brick wall separation from the addiction, timeline repair
therapy, Gestalt therapy, short term goal setting, long
term goal setting, addressing character assets and character
defects, focusing on his past successes in life, ridding
himself of the addiction, character defects and urges
through the use of his 3 major senses, progression to
and through an addiction-free future. At the end of each
session, one of the 12 steps of recovery were implanted
in the subconscious mind. During the treatment period
which was approximately four months, Al stated that he
did not gamble, although he had urges to gamble, but was
able to overcome them. The urges were less and less, and
he felt better and better about himself. |
|
Anthony F. De Marco, LL.B., Ph.D.
|
|
| Charles Age 47
Presenting Issues(s): Fear of Flying with Commercial Airlines |
| Charles
is a pilot who flies his own private airplane, however,
he has a fear of flying on commercial airlines, as someone
other than he is the pilot. During a lengthy interview,
Charles stated that he was the owner of a law firm, and
that all decisions that he made were the "law"
and that he wants to be in control at all times. It was
quite obvious that the word "control" was very
important to the therapy. HypnoAnalysis revealed that
his parents were very controlling throughout his adolescence,
and it was realized that he was rebelling with the restrictions
that his parents had created in him. In fact, when it
was time to select the college and the courses, contrary
to what his wanted, he selected law, and he really did
not want to be a lawyer. In one way, the decision went
very well for him, but did not eliminate the rebellious
attitude toward control. Different therapies over 3 sessions
were applied and he relinquished the fear of flying with
commercial airlines. Several months later in a follow-up
call, he stated that not only did that fear leave him,
but that he had become a better person.
|
|
Dr. John Gatto
|
|
| Betty
Age 30 Presenting Issues(s) Fear of Surgery, of Needles |
|
Betty is a pleasant, young woman of
30 who is not inclined to be afraid of this or of that.
However, she was scheduled for gall bladder surgery, and
had never been in a hospital to this date, and was extremely
fearful of needles being inserted into her body. She was
a willing subject who wanted to overcome these fears.
After a lengthy induction with the client ensconced in
her beautiful, relaxing, safe and secret place located
on the top of the mountains high about the town in which
she resided (which she shared with me over my explanation
that it was her secret place, which she had to share with
no one), we began the proven technique of progression
through the future wherein the client actually experiences
the scheduled event. Using very pleasant and positive
suggestions, the client started with leaving her home,
driving to the hospital, entering the hospital, reception,
and assigned room. All of the surroundings and personnel
were made to be pleasant, with a caution that she would
"imagine" everything to be pleasant regardless
of actualities. The client was taken through the process
of needles being inserted into her body for blood samples,
and for other requirements, with the suggestion that the
first touch of the needle prior to the prick, made her
feel good as she knew that now she was actually beginning
the process of tending to her body's surgical needs. Thereafter,
she was taken to the operating room with the suggestion
that as soon as any part of her body touched the surface
area upon which the surgery was to be performed, she would
begin to smile for now it would just be a matter of moments
until the surgery was completed and she would be well
on her way to full and complete recovery. She was told
that there would not be fears of any kind, that she would
be relaxed through the administering of the anesthesia,
and throughout the entire procedure. Suggestions were
also made that any bleeding would be just enough to cleanse
the wound, and that any scar would be slight and not noticeable,
that healing would begin immediately and recovery would
be full and complete in a very short period of time. There
were other suggestions and affirmations that were also
made. The client experienced all of this and was prepared
for her future surgery. She stated that she had no fears
now. Two weeks later the client called to tell me that
the operation was successful, that the needles did not
bother her, that she smiled when her posterior touched
the operating table, that recovery was speedy, that after
the surgery, the attending nurses remarked about the smile
on her face, the ease with which she underwent the surgery,
and the recovery. (The lady who could not stand needles,
called me about 6 months later and said "Guess where
I am?" I had no idea. She was calling from a Blood
Bank where she was giving blood for the first time. That
was ten '10' years ago. She phoned me at this writing,
to tell me that she has now donated blood 40 times, yes
forty times.)
|
|
Anthony F. De Marco, LL.B., Ph.D.
|
|
| Carla
Age 28
Presenting Issue(s): Sexual Performance |
|
| Carla
came to my office stating that neither she nor her husband
had any desire for sex. They were married for 4 years
and maybe had sexual relations 2 or 3 times a year. She
felt that "something was missing." Her husband
never pushed her but both realized that their marriage
was slipping away. The lengthy interview continued and
it was learned that both were raised with strong religious
backgrounds, in which sex was considered and that the
only purpose of sex was to procreate children. Both were
not ready to have children. Their sexual relations were
very mechanical, and in discussions with other persons,
heard that they were not complete. Carla never had an
orgasm. Under hypnosis, with visualization and guided
imagery, Carla was brought through all of the steps of
love-making. She imagined that she was the "initiating
partner" in the foreplay and through the completion
of the act. She was programming and starting all activities
with her husband. There were 3 sessions in all, and at
the last session, she said that her husband told her to
pay me double for the wonders that were worked. A week
later I received a beautiful card from them with the words"
I can't begin to thank you for all your help. We feel
that we have a new marriage."
|
|
Dr. John Gatto
|
|
|
|
|