This is Day 3 of 30 for the Hypnotherapy Project, which you can read more about here.

Yesterday another member of Team Communicatrix came forward: the head of the spear, the friendly face of the operation, "headquarters", as we were calling her at first, stepped up, threw up her arms in frustration with the workload she's been asked to maintain along with her cheery demeanor, and, after a bit of griping/crying/discussion, got down with the idea of delegating.

It's a new morning in my universe.

I may elaborate on these various "characters" that have been coming forward at some point; Greg and I have already discussed this being a really great topic for the podcast we're planning to create once the experiment is further along and we have a better sense of the whole of it. For now, I want to make two things really, super, crystal-clear:

1. I'm an actress; that is, I'm a little bit crazy, but in a really sane way

These are parts of me I'm giving voice to, facets of my personality that were honed to their mirror finish, or not, as you'll see tomorrow, during various points in my life. (Sorry for mixing metaphors without a license, but all my language outside of the sessions, which leave me as drained as they do exhilarated, seems to be getting sloppy and floppy. Plus, hell, I'm coming off of a two-week cold, people!)

Anyway, we'll get more into process in the podcast, or I'll address it in a separate post down the road. For now, I'm just trying to get the gist of each session out there.

But know that we all have different "personalities," even if they're ever-so-slightly different. You can call it behavior, if you like: we act differently with our friends than we do with our bosses than we do with the cop who's just pulled us over for a major traffic violation when we're driving on a mover already. I probably have a higher comfort level than a lot of civilians who aren't as conversant with their various selves, but trust me, there's no spooky-ass hocus-pocus going on.

2. The process, and the results, are at least as important as the theatrics

As a writer, I understand that the idea of these parts of me showing up with different names and voices and opinions from out of nowhere is inherently dramatic.

As a human being, let me assure you that of far more importance is what's happening as a result of the sessions:

I can feel my anxiety ebbing. And for very real reasons in addition to any post-hypnotic suggestions of relaxation: in a matter of four days, I've been able to implement more real changes about structuring my time with less to-do than any time in recent memory.
My desire for diet "illegals" has, well, vanished. The same extraordinary thing happened after one, yes, one, single session addressing my need (my uber-desire) to stay on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet I use to control my Crohn's. I see the muffin, the rice, the tortilla and it's there for the taking. I know I can take it. I just don't want to. I make the choice, but without the stress of GOING ON A DIET. Remarkable, but true.
I am able to see solutions more clearly. This is an adjunct of the anxiety ebbing, but just as real and a little bit differently flavored. I will liken this to how one can think more clearly when healthy than sick, or rested than exhausted. Of course, I am also getting over a cold concurrent with starting hypnotherapy, but this switch to clearer thinking has none of the manic quality that my recovery usually brings. My temperament is simply more even, not my natural state of being, as any intimate will tell you!

I'm going to do my best to continue posting every day, because I want to give people a taste of the rhythm of the whole thing. I'd also like to start addressing any comments that come along. But this is an exceptionally busy week, with lots of commitments and some hairy deadlines. So no promises. Because frankly, Team Communicatrix has taken a long, cold look at the overachieving thing and you know? It doesn't work so well for us these days...

xxx c

Image by wiseacre photo via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.