[Adapted from Dr Knight's ebook Health & Happiness with Hypnosis]

Hypnosis is not only an excellent tool for you to use to overcome problems, it provides a powerful way to enhance the positive aspects of your personality.

One such aspect is creativity, which can be defined as the coupling of experience with imagination. Hypnosis enables you to imagine yourself differently, free from an unwanted habit, or having lost weight, or confidently giving a speech in public, or being relaxed during an exam, or winning a marathon. What could be more creative than seeing yourself as a new person?

The creative power of hypnosis was definitively demonstrated by a number of experiments conducted in Russia during the mid-70's.

Students of varying abilities for hypnosis were asked to imagine themselves as famous artists, musicians, or chess players.

The results were stark: students with no, or low, hypnotizability, did not perform more creatively to any noticeable degree; but students with high hypnotizability demonstrated greater creativity both in hypnosis and after the sessions. What's more, these gains lasted for years.

Those exciting findings came from research labs. In work with real-life clients, hypnotherapists find that even persons with modest hypnotic ability can enhance their creativity.

Persistence pays. Especially when writing a book. Ken knew this because he had previously written seven books. But now, far from being persistent, Ken wallowed in procrastination.

He sought out a hypnotherapist because, for the first time in his career, Ken faced writer's block.

Since Ken was not particularly interested in delving into the cause of his block, and because he had had earlier success as a writer, the hypnotherapist guided Ken to remove the symptom.

Ken was encouraged, in hypnosis, to see himself working consistently on the novel he wanted to write. Before this, the hypnotherapist had asked Ken to give a shape to the block, and to then destroy it.

Then Ken was asked to picture earlier scenes of writing -- and reaping the rewards of being published. He was informed that previous ardent work habits could now be reinstated, that ideas would flow freely, and that the characters would take on lives of their own.

Other post-hypnotic suggestions reinforced images Ken was asked to create in his imagination during the hypnosis session.

These included seeing the completed book in his hands and piled high in the windows of bookshops, and Ken's satisfaction at winning a coveted literary prize.

Whether Ken would actually win a prize was irrelevant. Simply imaging the possibility sent a strong message to his subconscious: the book was successfully completed.

After the second office session the hypnotherapist surprised Ken. He asked the writer to devise a self-motivation program so that the temporary effect of the post-hypnotic suggestions would become permanent. Ken was to use his vivid imagination to program himself to write.

At home, Ken followed the self-hypnosis guidelines spelled out by the therapist. (See Self-Hypnosis: Safe, Simple, Superb)

He programmed himself to enjoy writing every morning from 8 to 11. Of course, he often wrote for longer.

No more block. The pages piled up. In a few weeks, the book was completed.

No, the novel did not win a prize. But Ken has never again faced writer's block.

Twenty-four-year-old Sylvester's whole life was music. He composed songs and played guitar in a modestly successful band. He had even cut himself off from his evangelical family who disapproved of rock music.

For several weeks Sylvester had been deeply troubled: he had not been able to hear musical notes in his head the way he'd taken for granted since he was four.

The other band members were growing more and more impatient with him. They wanted fresh songs, and they wanted Sylvester to play well, just as he used to.

Like most creative people Sylvester was adept at hypnosis. After hypnotizing Sylvester the hypnotherapist addressed the first question to the musician's subconscious.

He asked the musician to simply allow the answer to float into his mind, without thought or censorship. (The advantage of bypassing a person's conscious mind about a problem is that reasons may be unlocked which are too distasteful, or too frightening, to be admitted consciously).

"Does this non-hearing of musical notes serve a purpose?"

After a moment, Sylvester said "yes." When the hypnotherapist asked for further details, the musician looked extremely uncomfortable, began to squirm in the recliner, and blushed.

No verbal answer was forthcoming, despite the various ways the hypnotherapist asked questions.

After the therapist changed tactics, and switched to supportive hypnotherapy (as with Ken), results were no better. Sylvester said he heard a wailing sound, rather than the music suggested by the hypnotherapist.

It took another three sessions before Sylvester allowed himself to reveal the cause of his musician's misery. It appeared he felt a burden of guilt about sleeping with Cerise, the band's singer. Cerise is married to Rolf, the band's drummer. Sylvester was punishing himself, both by closing off his creativity and by risking being thrown out of the band.

In further discussion with the hypnotized Sylvester it became clear he had no long-term plans for a relationship with Cerise. In fact, he had regretted their involvement from the start. But lust had ruled his actions. Now he felt ashamed, yet strong enough to break off the adultery.

Almost immediately, the sounds of music returned to Sylvester's mind. But his remorse stopped him from staying with the band. He felt so bad each time he saw Rolf and Cerise that he quit the group -- after he had signed over to them all the songs he'd composed in the three years they had been together.

Cathy is an actress. More precisely, she would like to be. Widowed at forty-five, Cathy had decided to return to school to follow her dream: to appear in movies.

Drama school had been an enjoyable adventure. Cathy had been readily accepted by the other students, most of whom were twenty years her junior. Several of the staff were her contemporaries, and delighted to have her in class and on stage.

Trouble began when Cathy graduated and went to real auditions. Now she was no longer among admirers. Most of her competition for the few roles available had far more experience. Most of the producers and directors were impatient and bore no concern for Cathy the person.

They had one interest: did she fit the part. Cathy became so nervous, so convinced of rejection that she brought it about. She told the hypnotherapist: "I'm so frightened, so sure they're going to say 'Next!', that I'm bathed in sweat, my heart pounds, and I can't think straight. At the last audition I felt so panicked I didn't even hear them call my name."

The therapist explained what Cathy already knew: she was letting her imagination ruin her chance at success.

By the same token, she could use her imagination to increase her chance at success. And that is exactly what she did.

After a few sessions of positive imaging of herself doing well in auditions, Cathy began the rounds again. Now she enjoyed herself.

For some time Cathy still did not win a role. But she had confidence, and she learned from each failed audition. Instead of self-blame, Cathy substituted self-affirmation. She fully accepted that rejection for a part in a movie was not a rejection of her, but simply a reflection that she was not what the auditioners had in mind.

When Cathy did land a role (a minor part as an eyebrow-raising grandmother in a TV commercial, no lines) she telephoned the therapist as excited as if she'd won an Oscar.