Covetous

Covet. What’s wrong with coveting? 1. To desire. 2. To wish for excessively and culpably; crave; envy. From Middle English, through Old French, from several different Latin incarnations which sound like culpable and mean desire.
Covetous – avaricious, greedy; eager for acquisition.
Fervent – 1. Having or showing great emotion or warmth; passionate; ardent. 2. Extremely hot, glowing. From ME, thru Old French, from Latin, to boil.
Ardent – 1. passionate. 2. enthusiastic, zealous. 3.glowing, flashing, fierce. 4. burning. From ME thru Old French, from latin, to burn.

More words with burning or boiling references!

Vocation or avocation

I am so looking forward to my class starting on March 30. I will be the instructor! It's going to be great. I even have some local hypnotists lined up as guest speakers.

I bought a white board to hang up in my office. And I ordered the manuals and other supplies. There are all kinds of goodies that come in the student kits, like a crystal pendulum! It's neat!

So if you are interested in learning how to hypnotize others (and yourself), check out www.EnlightenedHypnosis.com.

Avocation -- an activity engaged in, usually for enjoyment, in addition to one's profession.
Education -- the obtaining of knowledge or skill.
Vocation -- regular occupation or profession.
These words are all from Latin.

Confabulation

First, does anyone remember the TV show with David Duchovney, called the X-Files? It was very popular about 11-12 years ago. It was about 2 FBI agents who investigated unexplained phenomena. They even did make a movie...

I remember being outraged when I heard Scully on that show, say, "Everyone knows that subjects under hypnosis are prone to confabulation." This is where the misinformation about hypnosis comes from! Especially from innocent shows like Jimmy Neutron and George and Martha (cartoons).

Let me reveal the truth about confabulation and hypnosis!

I know a retired police officer in NYC who conducted a 6-year study during the late 80's and early 90’s. They also conducted the same study in California at the same time. This person and a few others used forensic hypnosis with witnesses to obtain information about the perpetrators of crimes. They kept track of all information obtained under hypnosis. In 6 years, they found the information to be 52% relevant and 95% accurate. This means the information was helpful in finding or identifying the perpetrator. But also that even if it did not lead to an arrest, it was 95% accurate.

Information which is 95% accurate is called truth, not confabulation. Confabulate means to make up information, and to assume it is true. The dictionary says to replace fact with fantasy in memory. This does happen. Human memory is not perfect. We tend to fill in details that make sense or seem reasonable if we don't exactly remember everything about an event.

The Foresic Hypnotist I have been speaking of, told me it was very important to word the questions in such a way as not to "lead the witness." Ask them to describe the event, and the people present. Don't say, "did the man have facial hair?" This will lead the subject to believe that it was a man, even if they really weren't sure. Maybe they had a mask on and a big overcoat, so the gender was unknown. And asking if there was facial hair, makes it more likely the subject will report a beard or mustache...

Now you know the facts about confabulation and hypnosis. If you see Scully, please let her know.

Confabulation -- 1. an informal chat. 2. a false memory. From Latin, to talk together, from fabulari, story, conversation.

Demystifying

What is hypnosis used for? Hypnosis is a tool for behavior modification. You probably know some uses for it already. Hypnosis is very effective for those who want to quit smoking. A study done in 1995 by the AMA found hypnosis to be almost 80% effective. This means 80% effective for eradicating an addiction! There is no other addiction treatment I know of, which can claim over 25%. It’s also used to lose weight, stop nail-biting, eliminate the fear of public speaking, and build confidence. Most people come to me for improving either their relationships or their job performance. Hypnosis is very effective for stress reduction, which everyone has, and when the stress is reduced, people become more effective at their jobs and relationships. Someone called me about weight loss. The real problem was insomnia due to stress. After 1 session, the stress level was lower and she could fall asleep more easily. This helps our body digest food and eliminate wastes, therefore, reducing weight gain. Isn't it ironic that worrying about gaining weight, can actually create conditions which make it easier for your body to retain weight?

"Demystify" is a mysterious and mystical word, derived from Latin, meaning to elucidate, make clear, expose.

Next time: confabulation.

BOY

I just found out, my son has B.O.Y.! I never heard of it until yesterday. Kids with B.O.Y. can be hyperactive, impulsive, bright, enthusiastic, loud, and extremely persistent. They may get in trouble in school frequently. I have often been told my child doesn’t act like the other children in his class, but this is the first time I’ve ever found a label that fits! B.O.Y.! I think it stands for boisterous, outstanding youth. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

Acronyms are abbreviations that can be pronounced as a word! So we can just say my son has BOY. He's BOY. He's a b-o-y!

"Acronym" comes from Latin. "Acro" means height (like acrophobia) and "nym" means name. So an acronym is a word with all high (capital) letters.

The word "radar" is an acronym, which stands for radio detecting and ranging.
"Scuba" is an acronym, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
"Snafu," too. Situation normal, all fouled up! This originated as a military term!

These terms are so common now that they don't need to be capitalized anymore.