This book is a gem. Each of its 126 short pages, as well as the foreword, preface and references are packed with wisdom and useful and practical help for the practitioner. The importance of using the right word at the correct time is emphasized by the author. He has helpful sections on smoking cessation, pain, various hypnotic techniques and inspirational 'pearls of wisdom'.

The book's most unique feature is a physician's view of medical hypnosis. Ewin enlightens readers on the placebo/nocebo effect, hypnoanalysis, trauma, pain, belief, laughter, prayer, suggestion, and ideomotor signals. Did you know, for instance that a surge of adrenalin creates a moment of maximum suggestibility? For this reason, anyone treating a patient in crisis or fear should take care what to say. Even seasoned hypnotherapists will learn something of value from this small book. I like it. I plan to read it again, reading one -˜thing' daily as a -˜thought for the day', rather than take in the entire book at a single setting. I recommend you do the same.

Dabney Ewin, a physician and hypnotherapist, intended 101 Things to be a small, simple book: easy to read and understand. And it is. Ewin is a Clinical Professor of Surgery and Psychiatry at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. With a strong affinity for psychosomatic medicine, he began teaching and using medical hypnosis in 1970. Today he is a leading expert in medical hypnotherapy. His book is a compilation of observations for practitioners.

Ewin's 101 Things are arranged in five categories:

• The connotations of words in hypnosis; why hypnotherapists should avoid certain words.
• Suggestions for smoking cessation. Instead of 'ex-smoker' or 'non-smoker' he recommends the phrase 'normal person'. After all, it's abnormal to derive pleasure from inhaling deadly substances!
• Helpful hints for pain management.
• Useful, but little known hypnotic techniques.
• Miscellaneous pearls of wisdom.

The book's most unique feature is a physician's view of medical hypnosis. Ewin enlightens readers on the placebo/nocebo effect, hypnoanalysis, trauma, pain, belief, laughter, prayer, suggestion, and ideomotor signals. Did you know, for instance that a surge of adrenalin creates a moment of maximum suggestibility? For this reason, anyone treating a patient in crises or fear should take care with what to say.

Even seasoned hypnotherapists will learn something of value from this small book. I like it. I plan to read it again, reading one 'thing' daily as a 'thought for the day,' rather than take in the entire book at a single setting. I recommend you do the same.

Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., is a Licensed Professional Counselor, free-lance writer, hypnotherapist, and NLP Trainer/Practitioner with a private practice in Springfield, Virginia. She is Executive Director for the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists. She has authored The Weight, Hypnotherapy, and You Weight Reduction Program: An NLP and Hypnotherapy Practitioner's Manual. Her web site is www.engagethepower.com

The first thing that struck me about this book was the title 101 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started Using Hypnosis. As a seasoned practitioner and teacher of hypnotherapy I asked myself 'how needed is a snapshot of an experienced and respected practitioners innermost thoughts and feelings into his work with clients?' The answer was 'desperately'!
On further reading, his initial explanation of the idiosyncrasies of our definitions of what our clients need to be 'doing' both excited me and called into mind the term 'Thank you!' What a relief to see an author make what may be a commonsense differential statement between words such as 'stop' and 'quit', which at first sight may not mean much when working with clients, until you realise that they may understand the power of language, but on many occasions do not resonate with its importance for them.
This insightful exploration into the complexities of language continues into much sought after areas of knowledge that both practitioners and clients desire, including working with pain and many other common complaints.
This is a short book, but do not let that mislead you of its importance. I am reminded of Yalom's Gift of Therapy, when I say that some 'short' books are career definers. This is up there with the best of them in terms of succinct, wise, inspired insight, and I recommend it for any therapist who either needs to know more, or who needs some fire in their belly to reignite their love of therapy.
Tom Barber MA
Course Director - Contemporary College of Therapeutic Studies

"A wise little book by the sparkling brilliance of Dabney Ewin, M.D., is a guilty pleasure that belongs on the bookshelf of all beginners in therapeutic hypnosis."

Ernest Rossi, PhD
Author of "A Dialogue with Our Genes"

This little book is going to be an invaluable resource for practitioners of both hypnotherapy and psychotherapy, drawing, as it does, on the long experience of the author and his acute observations which have obviously stood him in good stead during his career.

The book is full of common sense advice on avoiding the pitfalls many therapists (and medical practitioners) are apt to fall into. Simply by avoiding the use of words which may have negative connotations for clients or patients and substituting words which will be less likely to be viewed pessimistically, therapy can be even more successful and a speedier outcome can be reached. Even pronunciation can have its unforeseen problems. The author cites a case where he lost rapport in an instant with an English client simply by using the Irish pronunciation of her name (Kathleen) at a time when the IRA bombings were rife in the UK.

Dr. Ewin believes absolutely in the power of the mind/body connection and recommends that therapists undergo many of the hypnotic techniques themselves, since it is so much easier to be confident about a procedure if it has already been successful for oneself. He also advocates the use of humour in healing something that many newly qualified therapists tend to steer clear of, believing that helping people to resolve their problems should be a 'serious' undertaking.

I have to say that I agreed wholeheartedly with Dr. Ewin's approach, finding nothing in the book about which I could say 'Oh, I wouldn't do that!'. In fact, his methodology put me very much in mind of the late, great, Duncan McColl, from whom many therapists in this country learned so much during the last twenty or so years.

In short, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn in a very short space of time what most therapists only learn from years of experience.

Pat Doohan
Fellow of the National Council of Psychotherapists and also of the International Council of Psychotherapists. (FNCP & FICP)
Editor of Fidelity, the in house publication of the NCP/ICP.