Hypnotic Heroes: Dave Elman

Dave Elman radio publicity shot circa 1937-41,
included with permission from Cheryl Elman

Born David Kopelman, son of Jacob and Lena, on May 6^th 1900, Dave Elman was raised in Fargo, North Dakota, as one of a large family. Jacob ran a business making wigs and theatre equipment, which likely gave David a good knowledge base for his later performance career. When David was very young, his father Jacob was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and as it progressed it caused him severe pain, which traditional medicine failed to treat.

A family friend happened to be trained in stage hypnosis and was able to relieve Jacob’s pain with only a few minutes of trance. David saw how effective it was, and became fascinated with hypnosis as a treatment.

Should therapists publish their prices?

Let’s start with the obvious; along with ‘Will it work?’, price is one of the things that every therapy client wants to know. Many of them have not used a therapist before and have no clue whether your prices are nearer £5 or £500.

A lot of businesses consider it essential to put their prices online and when you’re selling a product like shoes or tins of peas this seems very sensible. Imagine buying from a site like Amazon or eBay if they removed their prices.

Self Care – 10 Top Tips for Therapists

You might wonder why therapists need tips about self-care. After all, we’re supposed to know all about coping with stress, to have lots of techniques at our fingertips, and (most of all) to have a dream job helping others which is fulfilling and satisfying. All that might be true, but therapists can be tempted to put other people’s needs before their own, and sometimes they need to stop and take stock. After all, as every airline tells you, you put your own oxygen mask on first so you are in a fit state to help others.

Are SMART goals good enough?

Many therapists are taught to work with SMART goals – in case you aren’t familiar with this, it’s a mnemonic and stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-limited. As far as therapists go, it’s a really good system which allows you to understand exactly where the therapy is going and to recognise when you get there. But as far as motivating clients goes, it can be a bit dry.

Mindfulness in your Therapy Practice

Whatever kind of therapy you offer your clients, it would be hard not to be aware of mindfulness which has become a popular intervention in pretty much every well-being approach. So what’s all the fuss about, and should you be using it with your clients?