I was asked to speak at a paediatric dental conference “Getting more giggles” (https://www.saad.org.uk/index.php/study-day-2019). With a name like that, how could anyone turn it down? It was one of those events that was “next year”, and I knew I had lots of time to practice. So typically, that meant I was emailing planned outlines and presentations to my hypnosis confidents Jean and Jane 18 hours before I was due to present! 

What did I learn from this experience? My presentation covered hypnosis definitions, trance definitions, techniques, and some paediatric specifics. Although I knew my content very well, writing and structuring a presentation consolidated for me, the role of a clinician using hypnosis. Yes, everyone can use hypnotic language, and give hypnotic suggestions. If their patients are in a hypnotic state self induced, or mostly induced by trauma, then all of these suggestions will be well receieved. But, the expeienced clinician who uses hypnosis will be able to deepen a trance, and use more advanced techniques – useful for even emergency clinicians!! For me, this has been a pivotal experience in encouraging me to practice all of the techniques in my armoury, and not just to rely on informal techniques. 

How will I do this? Well – I’m hosting a workshop for the senior doctors in my hospital soon, and this will give me another little nudge. And then…BSCAH has a new method for delivering newsletter content to you, and this is going to be key in maintaining my hypnosis enthusiasm! A while ago, we asked in the newsletter if anyone read the newsletter, and there was only one reply. 

We asked in an email and got about 40 replies. Interestingly many who replied to the email, said they missed the “original email”, but yes…they read the newsletter. Something not matching up there. Typically, the feedback was mixed, but, we think we have a solution. The majority of the feedback wanted the newsletter to stay, and were happy with the current content and feedback. There was a slight preference for paper versions, although some prefered electronic, and many were very enthusiastic about a blog.

So, the new, and practically unchanged method for contributing articles to the newsletter: 
– Send event reports, book reviews, course reviews etc. to Charlotte, the newsletter editor
– The newsletter editor then liases with the webmaster to put these as blogs on the website – spacing them out to try and release a blog every fortnight. 
– Every six months, the blogs will be collated by the newsletter editor into an “iBook”
  (A bit like https://www.rcemlearning.co.uk/foamed/rcemlearning-ibook-3/ but probably less glam. Would currently be pdf only as iBooks can only be created with apples, but a pdf could be very interactive – and we can hopefully make it prettier)
– The iBook, or the link, can be emailed out to members
– The iBook style newsletter can be printed out 

So, what do you think?

Send your short blogs and articles across to the newsletter editor or to National office.

Charlotte 
BSCAH Newsletter Editor