368: The Synthesis Effect: Use Self-Hypnosis, Meditation, and Visualization to Find Your Path to Success with Dr. John McGrail

Robert Plank 0:00 Robert Plank, Show Episode 368, the synthesis effect. Use self hypnosis, meditation and visualization to find your path to success with Dr John McGrail. Hey everyone, and we're talking right now with Dr John McGrail, PhD, and he's a renowned hypnotherapist, a personal success coach, a spirituality teacher and a leading media expert on the topic of personal improvement. And he has the thing that he calls synthesis, which is a powerful process for generating personal change and transformation quickly and profoundly so. Dr John, glad to be talking to you.

John McGrail 0:39 I'm glad to be here, Robert, thank you so much for having me. Thank you

Robert Plank 0:43 so so this, this hypnosis stuff. I got to admit that, you know, for years and years, I kind of thought what I think a lot of the public think, which is the public thinks, which is, like it's some weird sort of voodoo thing. But I noticed that, you know, in starting my own business and things, I came across, you know, some stress, some doubt, some need to sort of get myself focused. And I kind of got to the point where there were definitely those days or those weeks where that would go on YouTube, and I would just find either like some kind of, like guided meditation or some kind of, like hypnosis to focus or relax, to kind of take a nap in the middle of the day. But I have to admit, that's kind of all I know and do as far as hypnosis. So, I mean, can you kind of catch us up and let us know, like, as far as all this hypnosis stuff goes? I mean, what is it that you do, and what is it that we should be doing as far as hypnosis?

John McGrail 1:34 Well, first of all, you know, you're right. Hypnosis is widely misunderstood by the general population, it is a natural state of consciousness that literally every human being experiences every day of their lives. Believe it or not, just some some examples, you know, whenever you watch a good movie or a TV show and you get hooked by it, you're feeling emotions. You're having an experience. The feelings are real, but you're watching a complete illusion. You're actually in a state of hypnosis when you daydream. That's a form of hypnosis when you read a good book and you can't put it down. When you fall asleep at night, you go from conscious, you close your eyes, and then you go into this state of sort of in between, and then you're asleep. You're unconscious. Well, right before actual sleep would be what we would call deep hypnosis. So it's something that we all do, and it's been used for over 7000 years as a healing tool, because it creates a very open, receptive state of mind. So in essence, what I do, or what a hypnotherapist does, is that we help a client enter that state of consciousness. They have to allow it to happen. We can't make it happen. And then in that state of consciousness, because the mind becomes very open and receptive to new ideas, new learnings, we can help them create change and transformation in their life. So that's essentially what hypnosis is, and what hypnotherapy is

Robert Plank 2:56 super cool. And I can definitely relate to that, to sometimes being kind of stuck, and then I go out for a drive and sort of clear my head, or get into a different state, or do like, you know, go to a whole movie and come out of the movie feeling like a different person to kind of been on this roller coaster, as opposed to just kind of banging my head against the wall trying to get this, this dang computer program to work, or something like that, and so And so, if someone, if someone's listening, and they say, Okay, well, hypnosis that that's great, that it's like a thing that we all experience. It's a natural thing. It's not just some like a crazy voodoo thing. I mean, what's the first kind of, kind of step in getting started in this hypnosis world?

John McGrail 3:36 Well, you can teach yourself how to do self hypnosis. And as you mentioned before, there are many, many, many tapes on YouTube where, you know, you can watch a video and learn it is often best done with someone that really knows what they're doing. As far as learning how to do it, it's also easier for most people to do what we you know, what we call guided hypnosis or hypnotherapy, because they don't have to be the hypnotist and the subject at the same time, which is what you have to do with self hypnosis. And the other thing that people need to know is that meditation is very similar state of consciousness to hypnosis, and they work together extremely well. Hypnosis for creating change quickly and and meditation for then maintaining that systemic change over long periods of time. So they're they're really complimentary toward one another, and a big part of my synthesis process.

Robert Plank 4:32 Well, cool. So there's self hypnosis, there's guided hypnosis, there's meditation, and you mentioned a couple times so far that this whole hypnosis thing can be used to to make change quickly and get that change to be lasting. And, you know, I've used it for a couple different purposes. And then I've heard of the stereotype of, like, you know, some people use hypnosis to lose weight or to quit smoking. And so do those kind of extreme examples, the losing weight, the quitting smoking? Do those actually work? Or is that just some kind of marketing or. Something. No,

John McGrail 5:01 they work very well. In fact, my smoking cessation program comes with a lifetime guarantee it's one session for 99% of the clients. You know, you have to remember that hypnosis, in and of itself, is simply a state of mind, but it creates a very open, receptive state of mind, receptive to change. We are, by nature, resistant to change. It is hard wired into our DNA as a species, and so people will cling to the familiar with tenacity, even when the familiar is painful to them. Hypnosis is simply a way of creating a state of mind that allows the mind, if you will, to get out of its own way, to unlearn the habits, the patterns that aren't working, and then to relearn, reprogram, if you will, the subconscious mind, which governs most of our behavior for the new patterns and habits that we want. So yes, weight loss can be done through the auspices of hypnosis, virtually any change you want, quit, quitting smoking, getting rid of another, any other bad habit, overcoming fears and phobias, stress and anxiety. You know, it's all generated in the mind. And hypnosis is simply a tool to create a state of mind that allows us to create the habits, patterns and feelings that we want, rather than the ones that we are, quote, programmed for. That's all it really is. It's like a screwdriver or a wrench, perfect.

Robert Plank 6:19 So just another tool. I love it. And I love the idea of being able to kind of program my brain to do more for what I want. And I've noticed that, like, you know, sometimes I kind of fire up some of these hypnosis tapes and, like, like I said, like, sometimes I'll grab a YouTube or, like, I've bought a couple of little audios and things like that. And I noticed, like, sometimes it can really work. And sometimes I kind of like, like, just like, fall asleep or pass out or something, and then wake up and it's like, it's finished, and things like that. I've noticed that other times I've kind of laid down and and it's not, it's not always work. Like, sometimes I've tried to take a nap and I've kind of, like, maybe listened too much actively to it or something. And I have to admit that I have not been doing this sort of thing every day, and I'm not sure if I just need to kind of keep at it or keep it with a routine. So do you have any advice for someone like me who maybe like it works sometimes, but not other times?

John McGrail 7:14 Well, that's just the nature of the beast. There's never a consistent, perfect experience. And even with my clients in the clinic, and I've been doing this for many, many years, you know, sometimes they are able to go much deeper into hypnotic trance, or we call it hypnotic sleep, even though you're never asleep. Same with meditation. You know, some meditations are amazing. You feel like you've been on another planet, and then other times you just can't get there because your mind is simply too distracted. The key to long term success with using hypnosis and or meditation or both, because, as I mentioned, they're very similar, is consistency. You know, if it doesn't work great one day or one time of the day, you might try later in the day, but when you do it every day regularly, you tend to get much better at it, more consistent results. And that is really the key to the castle, because you have to reinforce changes. When you're making them, the mind will snap back through its old ways without consistent reinforcement. So that's really, really the most important thing,

Robert Plank 8:15 good to know. And as you mentioned, the mind is resistant to change. And at first that kind of sounds like a bad thing, but the more I'm kind of kind of like, kind of processing that that sounds like a good thing, right? Because you don't want your mind to just kind of flip around and change on a whim. You want it to kind of be sticking with what works, and then if you introduce this habit, and you stick with it, and then you change, you don't want to easily backslide. So, so Alright, so I'll try different times a day, and I'll try different different tapes and things like that. And so kind of, the next thing that I've always been wondering about hypnosis, but really never had anyone to ask, is, is there a use for, like, really specific kinds of, like, hypnosis and things like that? Because, like, I know there's ones for like, you know, like lucid dreaming, or to, you know, calm down and stuff like that. But I've always thought like, man, wouldn't it be great if there's like, a hypnotic, I guess, induction, or whatever the term is for, like, creative writing, or for for like to be like a better marker. So are there things like that, like really specific, like hypnosis sessions, and is that worthwhile, or is it better to just go for something more, like generalized when listening to these things?

John McGrail 9:26 Well, the answer to the question is yes, there are specific tapes. For instance, if people go to my website, I have a program on that. Well, they're not tapes anymore. Nobody buys tapes, but they're downloadable. I have a program to quit smoking. I have a program for weight loss. I have a program for sleeping better, and then I have a program for general purpose use. So, you know, my clients come to me, usually with a specific issue that they want to overcome. It's important to remember that hypnosis, in and of itself, is simply a state of consciousness. It can be applied to changing. Your life, to performing better, to getting over something that's keeping you back. It can be applied to entertaining people on a stage in Las Vegas or at a business conference. It's the same state of consciousness. It simply creates this state of mind where we become more open to change the changes that we want. We can't make anybody do something they don't want to do. I, you know, I say that all the time. If I can make people do what I wanted them to do, I'd be the most benevolent ruler of the earth that ever was. And, you know, we clean up all the zaniness that's going on right away. It just doesn't work

Robert Plank 10:30 that way, right, right? I mean, if there's a way to somehow hypnotize people over the phone or over airwaves instantly without them wanting it, I mean, someone out there, somewhere throughout history would have figured it out when a broadcast that whole dang thing. So that's a that's sort of a bummer, but I guess also it saves the world from from totally getting destroyed and stuff like that. And so, right? Because if we get used either way, right? It's so good. It's good to know for all of us that we need to be open to it in order for it to work. Yeah, you

John McGrail 10:58 have to be open to it. You have to really want the change. And that's one of the things that I always screen new clients when they call, when they call me to come in, is to make sure that you know what they want to do is for them, and not because someone wants them to do it, because, again, if it's not something you want, it simply isn't going to work.

Robert Plank 11:18 Okay, fair enough. And you mentioned in there that you have a website, so while people are kind of listening, can you throw out that website for us where people can, like, buy and download some of these hypnosis not taste but, but recordings. Want to throw that

John McGrail 11:32 Sure. I'd be delighted to Yeah, I have two websites, actually, but my hypnotherapy website is www, obviously, dot hypnotherapy Los Angeles, all one word, all spelled out, hypnotherapy. Los angeles.com, and if anyone's interested, they can just click onto the Products page. And my products are there with descriptions, and each one comes with an intro, you know, a PDF introduction and how to use it. And they're very, very meticulously designed. They're based on all the programs that I use with people in the clinic and around the world, because you can do this via phone or Skype or zoom, or I've got clients virtually all over the place, but yeah, hypnotherapy Los Angeles, and my book is available there. There's tons of information about hypnosis and how it works. And then my other website, which also has the products on it, is simply Dr John mcgrail.com, that's that's a little more geared to my overall synthesis process,

Robert Plank 12:27 okay? And I want to jump into that synthesis process and a couple of minutes here. But you know, you mentioned that you have, so you have your book, you have these downloads. And then I think you mentioned there that you have an actual, like, like like, brick and mortar offline practice. Is that? Right?

John McGrail 12:42 Yes, yes. I have an office here in West Los Angeles, and I see live clients, you know, every day, all day, most days. And so, yeah, because this is such a versatile methodology, you can, you can do it live, which is always preferred, because there's nothing that replaces the personal touch, but you can do it remotely, and then for those people who want to do it themselves, the products are available. There's tons. I don't I don't, you know, it's a little bit more challenging for some people to do it on their own. Some people need the extra assistance that a well trained and competent professional can provide, but it's absolutely doable remotely for many, many issues.

Robert Plank 13:25 And so can you walk us through what it's like to go in for an actual session? Because I've heard of, like, some crazy stuff where people like getting a float tank of like salt water and put on headphones and listen to binaural beats. But then, you know when I when I imagine going into a hypnotherapist office, I imagine, like, there's the waiting room, and then when I go in, like, am I gonna, like, lay on a couch and are the lights gonna turn off? I mean, kind of what's it like if someone comes into your office for a session? Well,

John McGrail 13:53 there are no sensory deprivation tanks in my office, I can assure you that. And those are very cool. It's a neat experience. It's somewhat different. Yeah, it's very much like a doctor's office. There's a waiting room, and I have my private office. So, you know, client comes in, we usually sit if it's not the first session, the first session is more talking, because I have to find out what's going on and what their desires are and get a sense of their sensibilities and values and whatnot, and that helps me divide devise a strategy. But a typical one hour hypnotherapy session usually consists of, you know, 20 to 25 minutes of discussion. How are you doing this week? What have you noticed? What are the changes that are happening? Because as a client progresses through the process, depending on what it is they want to accomplish. How they're doing has a lot to do with, you know, how we apply the various techniques and tools. And then there's usually, you know, 35 minutes or so of, you know, what we would call the formal work, where we're doing the hypnosis. And I. Have a couch, I have a recliner, which is very, very comfortable. And you just kind of sit back and relax and close your eyes. And yeah, we do dim the lights a little bit so it's not bright and and you just let me guide you through into that state of consciousness. And then whatever we need to do that day, depending on where you are, your process is what we do. And then you leave feeling incredibly relaxed, refreshed. It's a really, really wonderful feeling. I have people that come every week just to, just to have their minds cleaned out that we kind of call it like a massage for the mind. But that's a typical session about an hour, and there's nothing Hokey Pokey or woo woo about it. It's you know, your mind controls your body. Your mind controls your behavior. Everything that happens to us in life has to be processed through the mind. This is simply a methodology to get your mind working the way you want it to, instead of the way it may be stuck on

Robert Plank 15:54 right and I definitely, I think that we all kind of have that problem where, like, sometimes we like we get those thoughts, or get that anger or that panic or whatever it is, kind of seems to creep in, and sometimes we need that, that extra help in there. So great. And thanks for kind of walking us through that. It sounds a lot less, less scary than the picture I add and made in my head. And so, so people can listen to these tapes. They can go in and then you so we have this book which sounds really interesting, this synthesis book. So can you kind of unpack that a little bit for us,

John McGrail 16:22 right? Well, the synthesis effect, which is what you get when you're done, is is essentially learning to live your life virtually free of suffering. I mean, it's impossible to completely eliminate negative thinking. Human beings base their their life experience on the con concept of contrast positive and negative, and you can't have one without the other. One part of the brain is responsible for negative thinking. One part of the brain is responsible for positive thinking, and you can't you can't stop them, but what you can do with this process, the process is called synthesis, and it really leverages both the conscious, logical, cognitive part of our mind and the more subtle, much more powerful subconscious mind through these tools and techniques, hypnosis, meditation and some other methods that have been in use for 1000s of years and that leverage the latest discoveries in science and essentially what we do through this very simple process is get the two parts of the mind working together. We unify the conscious and the subconscious, sort of getting them pulling in the same direction, if you will. And that is the synthesis. The effect is learning to live your life the way you want it to be, rather than the way you thought you were stuck with, or what I like to call, virtually free of suffering, and it's very doable. Anybody can do it if they're willing to do the work. It's not magic, but it's amazing how quickly your life can change. If you truly want it you're willing to commit. And

Robert Plank 17:51 so, I mean, what are the someone's going through your book? I mean, what are these steps to kind of, get, get into this, like, so called, I guess, like, kind of like an enlightenment thing, because you mentioned there, like, there's some, there's some meditation in there, hypnosis. I mean, are we talking about like, is there? Like, is it almost like, instead of like, a meal plan, like, hypnosis plan, like, what to do every day, or, like, if someone goes through your book, like, how do they kind of start to apply these things?

John McGrail 18:14 Well, you're, you're sort of on to it there. First of all, the book is divided into thirds, essentially. But the process starts right out of the gate. There are daily exercises for people to do, and starting with the introduction, I have what I call takeaway items at the end of each chapter, which are these are the important points that I want you to remember. These are your action items. This is what I want you to start doing every day. And those build throughout the book. So you start doing the process as soon as you open it up. The first third of the book is is dedicated to creating understanding. Because I found out a long time ago with my clients in my clinic, that once people understand how and why they got to where they are, how and why they're stuck, it opens the doors to creating change. So the first part is to create understanding. The second, third, or middle part, is to say, Here are the tools that we're going to use. Even though you're already using them, you don't know it yet. Here's what you're doing and why. And I introduced some of the tools and models. I have a lot of models that help people understand this stuff very quickly, and then the third part of the book is using the tools doing the process. Of course, as I mentioned, you start the process right out of the gate, but by the time you reach the last third of the book, now you're understanding what you're doing, which makes it much more powerful. And by the time you get to the end, you know how to do the process, and you're well on your way to creating whatever changes you wanted to create. So that's how, that's how it it's organized, and it's organized to be very simple to read. It's, it's from what my readers tell me, it's fun. You know, I wrote it with a sense of humor. It's very casual and very sort of conversational. As far as the style is concerned. I share lots of stories of. Real people that have gone through the stuff that most people want to go through, everyday people like you and me with everyday problems. And that's what this whole process is about, helping everyday people solve everyday problems and change their lives. And it works really, really well. I've got many, many reviews. If you go to Amazon and look the book up, the synthesis effect, you can just read what the readers say. You know, I don't, don't take my word for it,

Robert Plank 20:23 right? I mean, I mean, sounds amazing, sounds amazing. And so there's all these reviewers and all these success stories. And so, I mean, does one sort of jump out at you, like, off the top of your head, out of some of these success stories in the book? Like, is there, is there someone, or is there a certain type of person that kind of sticks out in your mind? As far as, like, some, some really great, like, drastic change from this sort of process.

John McGrail 20:44 Well, you know, there are many, you know, I tell the story of a of a young woman who was deathly afraid of flying, which is a very common fear. And in a in a shoot, in a few short sessions, she was able to get on an airplane and fly to Las Vegas for a convention that she really wanted to go to, and now she's flying all over the world. She's happily doing that. I had a loss a law school graduate who couldn't pass the bar exam, and what I found out within about the first 15 minutes is that the reason he couldn't pass the bar exam had nothing to do with his inability as a law student. He didn't want to be a lawyer, and that was his last chance to sabotage himself. What he really wanted to do was was be a chef. So I helped him do what he needed to do to pass the bar exam and then do what he needed to do to build the confidence and self esteem to tell his family that he wasn't going to be a lawyer, because that's really where it was coming from. His family expected him to be an attorney. Now he's a world famous chef. He's got six restaurants, and he's on TV. And his family, who was originally apoplectic when he told them what he wanted to do is now thinking he's great, but you know, it's there's so, so many. And another guy that had, young man that was graduating from business school and and was very self conscious because he had, quote, unquote, add, and what it really was wasn't add. It's just that the way the school was asking him to learn was not the way he learned better. So I helped him discover how he learned optimally and how to use that at his own pace. And he ended up, you know, not only graduating with getting a great job. And I could just go on and on and on, as I mentioned, almost, not almost. We all have stuff. Philip, you know, we all have stuff that holds us back at one time or another. And what I help people do, what this process is dedicated to, is helping people get by their stuff so that they can live the life of their dreams, rather than the one they thought they were stuck with. That's what it's all about. Doesn't matter what it is, you can change it. I promise you, it's doable. Awesome.

Robert Plank 22:48 I love it. And you know, you really made me realize that, like that this, like hypnosis stuff, or at least like the problem that many people are trying to solve. And it's not necessarily black and white, because, like, you're you're mentioning the person had the fear of flying, like, I have a huge fear of roller coasters. And I always kind of looked at that as like, well, maybe someday I'll, like, I'll solve that, or, like, listen to some stuff to kind of tackle that. And usually that's what I picture, as far as, like, you know, like, the phobias and things that that people fix. But that story about, well, there was the story about the guy at the end there who, like, had his own way of learning. But then there's also that the lawyer that you mentioned there where, like, some people kind of, if they just kind of try to make it through and don't actually tackle these things, they might be on a path for, like, this whole life of misery. Like, if the if that, if that guy had just kind of stuck with it, so to speak, and, you know, forced himself through it and became, God, his law degree, became a lawyer, he'd be having, you know, decades and decades of being miserable, as opposed to kind of tackling the problem and pivoting. So I really like how it's not, it's not always just a matter of, well, let me just kind of, you know, fix this little band aid in my life, like this whole, like life trajectory. So, I mean, this is, this is really good stuff. And you've given us lots of things to think about here. And can you tell us where people can go to get the this book about the synthesis effect? Sure. Well,

John McGrail 24:07 that is the title of the book, the synthesis effect, and it is available. It's had its run in stores, and until we have a second printing, it won't be in stores, but it's available on Amazon, where most every book that's ever been written is Barnes and noble.com if someone goes to my website, to Dr John mcgrail.com or hypnotherapy Los angeles.com I have a link to both those sites. And you know, it's you can get it there. It's available in both paperback and ebook for nooks and Kindles. And then I also have a YouTube channel, if someone wants, and a serious video series called a better you, which is the name of my company, in a minute or two. And that's a series of videos that come out every couple of weeks or so. And there are short little videos with little tips and tricks to help you live your life more powerfully on a day to day basis, very practical stuff. And. So if anyone's interested, you can go to my YouTube channel. I think there's 29 episodes out there now and and it's become very, very popular. In fact, I'm running a new book based on that series. So there's lots of ways to find me. And by the way, if anybody does reach out and has questions, if they go to my website, hypnotherapy Los Angeles, or Dr John mcgrail.com, I'm available. I'm reachable. My phone number is on every page of every site. My email address is there if you hit the contact button, and if you reach out with a question, you will get a personal, confidential response from me. I don't have my people do that. So if if anyone's interested, please feel free to to take that opportunity. And as I said, I have clients literally all over the world. Through the miracle of technology, we can do a lot of great work via telephone or Skype or or zoom or one of those programs, face time, etc.

Robert Plank 25:53 Super Fantastic. Well, thanks for doing that. Thanks for being so reachable. Everyone should go right now to hypnotherapy Los angeles.com and to find that YouTube channel and check out that better you in a minute or two, go and find the YouTube there's like, a YouTube icon on the top right corner. And then also the other website to go to is Dr John mcgrail.com that's Dr John MC, G, R, a, i, l.com, and, and, yeah, anything to kind of say here, as we sort of close this off here, Dr John, as far as, like, if anyone out there, if they're, if they're still hesitant, or they just kind of like, maybe, maybe ignore the hypnosis thing. Any kind of last, last statement to say here, to kind of get people to push they need to go out there and investigate some of this hypnosis stuff.

John McGrail 26:40 Well, what I would say is this, if there's something in your life that's holding you back, you're probably not feeling really good about it. And I'm going to say it again, because I mean this sincerely. Everybody. I don't care what it is or where you are or what the situation is, you have what it takes to make the change. It's almost always going to require some assistance to make those kinds of changes in your life, and this is a very powerful way of doing it, quickly and profoundly if you're working with something, someone that knows what they're doing, or even if you do it on your own, but it usually works faster if you're getting assistance. And so what I would say is you deserve to live your life the way you want it to be. And if there's something holding you back, then you owe it to yourself to get the assistance that's out there to help you overcome it, and once you do, you're on your way, and nothing can stop you. That would be my last little my last little message. Yeah,

Robert Plank 27:38 great stuff. Well, I love it, and I'm going to take that advice to heart as well. All you people listening, go to Dr John mcgrail.com, and hypnotherapy Los angeles.com and thanks so much, Dr John for stopping by and dispensing some of this wisdom to get people the lasting change and even their life. So thank you for that.

John McGrail 27:54 Well, Philip, I really, really appreciate your generosity and inviting me. You're a great host, and I had a blast. So anytime you want to do another one, let me another one, let me know my great thanks to

Robert Plank 28:04 you. Subscribe to us right now, while it's still fresh on your mind at Robert plank.com/itunes or just search Robert Plank in your iTunes app. You.