I was delighted to have the opportunity to conduct this interview with Celeste Hackett who is a very successful Certified Hypnotist, and also another graduate of our hypnosis training at the Banyan Hypnosis Center for Training & Services, Inc.

Celeste also writes article for the Banyan Hypnosis E-Zine. Her readers certainly do appreciate her humor and depth of understanding about what it really takes to help clients as a professional hypnotist. She is also an active contributor to our Banyan Grads Email Group on Yahoo which is a source of ongoing support and education for 5-PATHers around the world. And, just to tell you a little bit more about Celeste and her dedication to the development of the profession she pushed and lead the way to what is now the first live face-to-face (via webcam software) professional hypnosis study group, where she leads other hypnotherapists in the study of advanced 5-PATH® hypnosis.

I highly recommend her to anyone living in the Dallas, Texas area if they want to use hypnosis to make positive changes in their life! Here office is called Family First Hypnosis and in addition to providing hypnosis in Dallas, Texas she routinely sees clients from surrounding areas like Plano, Allen, Mckinney, Frisco, Addison, Richardson, Wylie, Murphy and more.

Cal Banyan: Celeste it is wonderful to be able to interview you like this. I so appreciate what you are doing, not only going out there and helping a whole bunch of people by providing excellent hypnosis services, but also everything that you do to help other hypnotherapists. So I have to ask, what got you interested in hypnosis and caused you to come all the way from Texas to our hypnosis training center?

Celeste Hackett: Before I was a hypnotist, I was a major market radio personality. At one point I did a weekly show called “Advice Line”. People would call in with personal problems and listeners were encouraged to call in to offer their opinions on how to solve the dilemmas they heard.

The show was mainly for entertainment, but it became quickly apparent that listeners to the show didn’t really believe people could change. I always argued that they could. After all, what are we here for if not to change and grow?

That hopelessness in our ability change, that the listeners believed and argued for, stayed with me and it was enough to nudge me into researching how people do really change. Again and again I was led to the subconscious mind and to hypnosis as the most direct method in making a real difference in lives.

Cal: You really came from a different profession! I think that the readers will find that interesting. I remember when you were going through our NGH Approved Hypnotherapy Certification course, I could tell that you really wanted to put this to work and change lives. Tell me a little bit about your hypnotism practice.

Celeste: My practice is very client-based. I cater to their needs and help them to become comfortable in my office in a matter of minutes. It’s not uncommon to hear that they feel like they have known me all their lives!

After my clients settle in, I go to work on getting a good understanding of how they see their issue and what changes they want to make. Then they fill out paperwork and watch a short video called the The Truth About Hypnosis. And, I must thank you Cal for creating that video it has been immensely useful for preparing my clients for the work that we do.

Once these bases have been covered it’s time for hypnosis in the “big chair” where everyone goes to change their lives, a wonderful cushy recliner.

Cal: You are very welcome. We have found that the video is exactly what our clients need to really prepare them for the hypnosis session to come. We have found that the “pre-talk” helps to remove common fears and misconceptions that most people have about hypnosis, and makes them much more hypnotizable. Tell about the kind of training that you have and how it has helped you to be successful in your practice of hypnosis there in Dallas.

Celeste: I am fortunate to be a part of an elite group who are considered to be in the top 1% of hypnotists in the world. I seek out and do on-going study with the greatest masters of our time in order to keep my abilities at a high level. As a result I am a well-rounded Certified Hypnotist who is confident assisting in a full range of issues. Some of my influences and teachers are of course the well known Cal Banyan, Developer of 5-PATH® and 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® systems graduating from the Banyan Hypnosis Center, Gerald Kein- Omni Hypnosis Institute, Stephen Parkhill, Ed and Cheryl Martin-The Path Foundation, Marie Mongan-founder of Hypnobirthing® and others.

Cal: I can see that you really are dedicated to learning and growing in the profession. After all that training and study, what is your predominant approach to doing hypnosis?

Celeste: I am now completely sold on 5-PATH® and use it with every client to at least some degree. I season this approach with my intuition and other teachings as the issue or client calls for it.

Cal: Of course I am glad to hear that you have 5-PATH® as your main approach. And, I think that is the beauty of the system is that it can be the “backbone” of what you do, but as you learn other techniques you can integrate them very successfully, like for example if you are trained in Neurolinguistic Programming, that will just make your use of 5-PATH® more powerful, and the same goes for EFT, and such.

Celeste: Exactly!

Cal: Tell us about an interesting case if you can.

Celeste: I had a client come to me for weight loss. She was bothered by feelings of extreme guilt, fear and anger as well. As a result these feelings not only caused her to eat when she wasn’t hungry, but to sit alone every night and wonder why she was even here. She wasn’t dating, she didn’t have a job, she cried easily and her smiles were forced at best.

After only three sessions she not only was smiling but giggling shyly.

I was so happy for her when she said, “I’m coming out of my depression.” After that, she also began to look into something that always interested her, a career helping the needy and she signed up for classes to increase her knowledge in this area of interest. This brought the words, “I’ve found my purpose”. It was so helpful to have known about your book, The Secret Language of Feelings. It has provided so much insight into how to work with my clients and suggest to them that they focus on really leading a more satisfying life rather than just trying to cope through the use of food, drugs or smoking!

By the fourth session she dealt with her anger revealing after deep reflection, “I’ve finally forgiven him.” By the 5th session she had, perhaps, the most profound change of all she said, “I have a good heart” and she forgave herself of something she had held on to for nearly 25 years!

I just pretty much followed along doing things the 5-PATH® way and after the last session her self-confidence soared to heights she could never recall before and she began listing qualities she wanted in a man.

In addition, during the process this client also gave up chocolate, began to eat only when she was hungry, stopped snacking between meals, began to make better food choices, increased her energy by leaps and bounds and started an exercise program!

Cal: I bet that really felt great to have that kind of affect on someone in so few sessions. I remember “back in the day” when I was a “talk-therapist” I would never have been able to get that kind of success so quickly! You did a really wonderful job in helping that client. Can you tell us a little bit about where your clients come from and basically what area you serve?

Celeste: My practice is in North Dallas. I work with anyone and everyone who is looking to make real and lasting changes in their lives. Oh, and I absolutely LOVE working with children.

Cal: Why do your clients select you over other hypnotherapists? There must be other hypnotists in your area.

Celeste: I find that people have great intuition about who they want to do business with from the first contact – even if it is a website or a conversation on the phone. There are a lot of hypnotists in Dallas that make my job easy because they don’t return calls, try to use unnecessary sales ploys, overcharge, have limited training and simply are not very friendly or professional. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to choose someone who makes you feel safe and just plain good.

Also, it is pretty clear that my goal is not about amassing a large amount of clients or money, It also is not about being a high profile personality (I’ve done that already!), but to help people to feel good about themselves and the hypnosis process. That they have wonderful things to say about me after we finish our work together, that is a greater indication of the quality of my practice.

Cal: I have always picked that up from you and that is why I am always very happy to refer people to you for hypnosis sessions when they live in the Dallas area. I ‘m curious and I like to ask other hypnotist, what would you like everyone to know about hypnosis?

Celeste: I want everyone to know that ypnosis is safe and has been accepted by the American medical Association since 1958 and if you have ever wondered if your problem is all in your head, you are most likely on the right track. There probably is nothing wrong with you and probably there never has been, and that hypnosis is probably THE most effective and efficient way to help you be successful!

Cal: That is great. So, what do you see as being the future of hypnosis?

Celeste: I really see more hypnotists learning and applying 5-PATH, or at least using the top techniques of the top 1% of hypnotists in the world to do higher quality work. This will lead to better and more professional practices where great results speak for themselves. Once this is the norm, and not the exception, all medical and mental health practices will consider and use hypnosis as an adjunct when and where it can benefit.

Cal: Celeste I want to say that I am very proud to have been a part of your professional development. And, once again I want to thank you for all that you are doing to help other hypnotists and hypnotherapists across the country and around the world. And of course thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule at your office to do this interview with me today.

Celeste: Thank you Cal and I want you to know that I am always happy to help out in any way that I can when it comes to helping to build our profession.