Practitioner Highlight - Dave Elman, Master Hypnotist

My favorite hypnotist is the legendary Dave Elman.  He is known for many talents but mostly he was famous for his expertise of hypnosis and the role he played in educating doctors and dentist about the use of hypnosis in their practice.  His work helped advance hypnosis from the shadows into the professional medical world.  

Elman was a lifetime hypnotist and even as a child and teen was know for his hypnotic abilities.  In fact, he worked in Vaudeville where he was know as the "world's youngest and fastest hypnotist."  Fast forward to 1949, he was asked by a group of doctors to help educate them on hypnosis.  Thus began his work of educating the medical profession on hypnosis and he continued to do so until the 1960s.  During that time, he trained thousands of medical professionals.  Many of which were able to help their patients tolerate pain better, deliver children easier, and for some, even conduct serious surgical procedures without the aid of chemical anesthesia.

There is a lot more to Dave Elman than I am not covering in this blog entry, but one lasting contribution that he's made is his book Hypnotherapy.  It's the green book, and many refer to it as the bible of hypnosis.  It's an exceptional text for any hypnosis practitioner - I have read it through and through a number of times and still learn more with every reading.  If you are a practicing hypnotist or just interested in hypnosis, this is a great read and I recommend it.  The book not only shares Elman's techniques, but also gives many strategies for addressing many common issues that clients are coming to hypnotists for.

While we can't attend one of Elman's classes, this is truly a good stand in.  Also, his son, Col. H. Larry Elman and his wonderful wife, Cheryl continue the Elman family tradition of educating others about hypnosis.  I was lucky enough to train with them in a Master Hypnotist class as part of my continuing education in 2015. 

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