x What is my work about. V, O

Hello everyone,

    I am happy to let you know, dear readers, that my last MRI confirmed the fact that Tum the Tumor'    left no traces behind... My Brain is clear and the next medical review, would take place in six months  from now... I realize that some of you, who  started to read  my Tumor Humor blog , only recently, do    not quiet know me... So here are few details which may help...To begin with, I was always an avid reader  attending seminars, lecturers and constantly looking and searching, for new information, regarding human behavior, as well as following the big changes which are taking place around the world... I was always interested in Psychology and Metaphysics fascinated me, as well as any other kind of  new information regarding the human behavior,... The information I gathered through out the years, from many different sources, would eventually be a great help, when I finally became a Clinical Psychologist...

   When my daughter Karen was in 4th grade, she said to me with astonishment:"You know Mom, "It   seems as if you never stopped going to school"... She was right! I was consistently studying, searching, and looking for new information! After receiving my P.h.D in Psychology, one of my friends told me         I was 'Addicted to Learning'... In a way she was right! One of the most impotent and helpful tools I discovered and added to my work, was Hypnotherapy! Looking back it seems I have always been Fearless... After being diagnosed with  Brain Tumor, in my fifties( XX) I gave a Good by party to this unwanted 'visitor',  two weeks before my surgery and decided to name the tumor Tum... At one point during the party, one of my friends, stood up and said the following: "Shira is a woman who looks Satan  in the eye and laughs at him!"... I took it as a great complement and thanked her for this observation... 

   What else could be said about me besides being fearless?  I enjoy reading, writing, travel,  good movies  the theater, host dinner parties at home and listening to classical music... Mosley though I have always  enjoyed spending time with good friends...  I enjoy spending time with my tiny family; my husband Al  our only daughter Karen, her daughter Eliyah (my grandchild) and Moses, our small black and white mix of Maltese, Shiatsu and Toy Poodle (our third dog...) I enjoy spending time with relatives (most of them) with my friends and clients (all of then) adore babies, enjoy decorating our home, work in the garden socialize and have people over for dinner parties, barbecues, conversations and be engaged in stimulating conversations... Above all: "I love to Laugh!"

  Allow me to tell you a bit about my work as a Clinical Hypnotherapist...  To begin with my work is not limited to traditional psychology only... The ward Hypnosis is derived from the "Hypno", which was the God of Sleep in the Greek Mythology... Hypnosis was used as a Healing Tool in ancient Greece,way  before spreading to other countries... Years later, it's use was prohibited by the Catholic Church and made  a come back, during the First World War, due to lack of Morphine, which was needed for surgery... This method was forgotten until it made a comeback in the  early 50's, when it became popular again...

   Another powerful healing method I have been using, is called Voice Dialog...  It was created by Dr. Hal Stone, with whom I was privilege to study... Dr Stone's work, introduces us to the realization, that we are not just One Person... It helps us realize we are made of three important Sub -Personalities, which are the   Vulnerable, Playful and Magical children (group A)... The Adult which is also divided into three, consists  fro the Inner Critic, Pusher and the Perfectionist (group B). It has been said, that Voice Dialogue is not just a Therapy, but actually an Enlightenment...Besides this method, I also adapted (rather embraced) a method named Voice Dialog and other beneficial ways of healing, which takes a much shorter time, to show the results, then our Traditional Therapy...

   Most of us live our lives, without realizing, that one of our 'Sub personalities is taking over... Dr  Stone says that when the "'Child part' of our personality, sits behind the wheel of our car (our life) we may get into many accidents...  I will share with you a cas, of a woman I worked with, several years ago: Sara, a thirty five years old client, came to see me, because she did not want to have children... Her husband  who wanted kids, was threatening with a divorce, if she would not change her mind! Sara had every reason in the book, for her refusal to have kids (some of which made lot's of sens.)  She calmed that after many years of working hard, she and her husband finally achieved their goals! They had a great social life and enjoyed hiking, cursing, swimming and skiing, as well as traveling throughout the US , Europe and the world at large...  Joy feared that having children, would put a stop to it.. "To have a child means a lifelong of commitment, constant worries, big expenses, lack of freedom, serious obligations and overwhelming responsibility!" She said.

   Joy and I worked for a while, scanning her childhood... It seems that her younger brother, suffered from severe Juvenile Diabete andt heir parents seemed to direct most of their attention to him...  As a child Joy felt neglected, abandoned, ignored and unloved... At one point in our work, she remembered herself, as a five years old kid, standing on the kitchen table and declaring to her parents: "I will Never have children!"  Wow, here was a key for her resistance to having a child... "Do you realize Joy, that although, you are now a woman of thirty five, you are still following a decision, made by a Five Years old girl?!”  She was stunned... It was amazing to watch, how quickly all her 'good reasons' for 'not having a child' began to collapse... When I shared this with then, my sixteen years old daughter Karen (without reveling the client's identity) she said: “If I would have listened to my inner five year old child, I would have by now, twelve children and a pink Cadillac..."

   The members of group A (Vulnerable, Playful and Magical children) dislike responsibility...The Playful Child ,would rather play then do chores... The Magical child ,wants to create magic and the Vulnerable child, would rather hide and escape into a 'Safe and protective world of it's own'...  On the other hand we ought to remember, that these inner kids, are responsible for our Pure Joy, Laughter, Playfulness, as well as Creativity, Unconditional Love, our Curiosity an Spontaneity... We should always remember, that these "Kids", are behind the Magic in our life!  I often invite my clients 'Inner kid', to join us at our therapy session, in order to help the "Adult" lighten up!  I will do so by talking directly to these Inner kids, who are always happy to pop up... If the "child" is very sad, I may present it, with my 'silly' Tissue box (below) to dry the tears...( It always makes them laugh)... I may also use my "Magic Wand", to help remove  pain and sadness... Once, when I was showing this Wand, to a ten years old girl, asking her which magic would she like to create, her little face, filled up with excitement "Can we make my sister disappear?"she asked.   

   Group B; the Adult part of the personalty, is very Serious and could be Demanding and Critical, even though (or maybe because) it's goal is to help us become very successful in life... When this group is out of balance, the 'Inner Critic', could do a lot of Damage, by telling an Anorexic teenager, who weighs seventy pounds, that she (or he) are "Too Fat!"...  It is the combination of the Critic, Perfectionist and Pusher, which makes the driving force behind the parents, who scan their child's report card, looking at the five A's and one B and ask: "Why B?!"

   The most important part of Voice dialog, is to be introduced, to the Inner Parts of the clients; so they may learn, how to communicate with one another... It is said:"If you can Name it; you can Tame it!" The goal is to unveil the client's mischievous inner parts and create a dialogue, between them... I also teach how to better  communicate with the needy and Vulnerable Inner children, learn to love these disowned parts and help them become more balanced, by 'Integrate' their inner "kids" with the Adult parts... 

My Tissue box

Kwan Yong, Goddess
of Mercy,with my wand

   My (inner)'Playful child', would like to share with you two photos: One is the tissue box in my office,which makes my crying clients laugh as they reach for a tissue, to wipe off their tears... Next, is the image of that of Kwan Yong,  who is the Hindu Goddess of mercy, who is sitting in the garden holding my "Magic Wand"... The clients, who sit outside, waiting for the one in my office to leave through another door, often say that looking at the expression of peace,on the bronze face, is h reducing their pain and makes them smile again....                             

With Love and Light
Shira