Doug Sands Shares His Unique Journey of Becoming a Master of Hypnosis

Pamela Bardhi
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of underdog. Today, I have an amazing guest here with me. Doug, how are you?

Doug Sands
I’m doing fantastic. Thank you so much for having me on.

Pamela Bardhi
Thank you so much for being here. You’re such a total rock star. And I’m just pumped to hear your story. Hear about hypnosis and how you got into that world. And just like all the awesomeness that you’re up to?

Doug Sands
Absolutely, yeah, my journey in hypnosis is a little bit interesting. No, I think there aren’t very many people. Who grew up thinking I’m going to be a hypnotist one day. And it certainly wasn’t my case, I grew up thinking I was going to be a fiction author and life had some interesting turns. For me, I ended up going across the country trying to find my purpose. Essentially, I went to Maine, I lived in the Midwest originally. I went to Maine to work on a high ropes course. And it was my first adventure, essentially, stepping out of my comfort zone. It was big for me at that time, because I went to work at a high ropes course and I feared heights.

So it was that challenge of jumping into the deep end that kind of defined my own journey. After that, I went to New Hampshire where I was working in the mountains at a hiking Lodge. And that was where the really big change in my life happened. Because up until that point, I was struggling with my own mental health with anxiety and depression. I went out to the east coast trying to find my purpose. And I figured no one was in the mountains or doing something adventurous. It would just kind of come to me and it wasn’t. I remember very distinctly that it was January 3, 2019, I went out on this hike and I should not have been out there in those conditions. Because it got to the top of the mountain.

I was in the middle of a blizzard, I couldn’t see more than 10 feet in any direction and I got lost on the way down and night fell. You know, it was starting to snow and it was melting through my coat and jack and everything. I was in a very, very rough spot and I remember distinctly this moment where I was so exhausted. And I fell down this hill for the third time after trying to climb up. It was at that moment that I just gave up and I laid there in the snow. And it wasn’t the thought of what people typically think like, oh. What about your future kids or your future wife or like all the things you could achieve?

It was the random thought that they’re not going to find my body until spring that got me up and got me moving. And I eventually made my way back following this river. I found my way back to the highway and then to my car and made it home. And after that, I thought everything was just gonna be back to normal. But I quickly realized that I couldn’t keep living my life the way I’d been living it. I was literally shaking with anxiety for about a week afterward. Then I was trying to figure out how to deal with this anxiety. How can I deal with depression, rather than just medication and therapy and I found meditation.

And for some that continued like that. For me growing up in Wisconsin that was so far out of left field that it was kind of radical at that point. So I fell in love with meditation and by learning the science behind meditation, I stumbled upon hypnosis. And when I realized that it was more than just for stage shows. It actually had a science behind it and it was helping people make some changes. I did it for myself, I got some amazing changes and then I got trained in it. Because I want to bring it to other people who are struggling in the same way.

Pamela Bardhi
I adore that. Oh my god, I think that was gonna be my first question to you. What led you on the journey to really where you are today? The nutshell, this is the most loaded question ever. But you just answered it beautifully, are you sure you do? Are you telepathic too? Cuz you’re like that question, I guess, I love it, I love it so much. Well, no, I adore so much of that story. And thank you so much for sharing it because, you know, it gets pretty personal, you know?

I think that the hardest part is realizing and being aware and self-conscious, right? So like what got you to that point to be like, I’m gonna go cross country. And I’m just gonna do this and find myself. Because a lot of people you know, like, when they’re going through, you know. It takes a long time to become aware of it first and then second up to take action. So like, what was that transition for you? Was there like an aha moment that happened? Meantime or you know that you were like, I’m doing this.

Doug Sands
It was a very slow building aha moments. I’ve gotten better, realizing when I am in a bad spot and I need to make a change. And having had depression, I feel like my depression is now more of a signpost for me. Saying you’re not in a good spot, you should probably do something different. Because leading up to that jump across the country, I had been in a really bad spot for about nine months. When I was working in Java, I was in a state where I didn’t know anyone.

And it was that moments before then that I realized that as I said. I couldn’t keep living that way and it wasn’t as dramatic as an event for me, as you know, being on that mountain. But I think it was just as powerful because that was the very first time. I allowed myself that permission to say it, you know. The plan that I had didn’t go according to plan as I thought it was gonna be. And it’s alright to pivot and go in a new direction. You don’t have to mourn that you don’t mourn that old path forever. Just pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep going in a new way.

Pamela Bardhi
Right? I love that. And just out of curiosity, because of your diverse and adventurous background, like. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Doug Sands
I was doing that on the side. And then I was basically doing any job that I could get paid for. I worked in construction, I drove a bus for a while. And then I drove a water truck and a propane truck. So I come from a fairly blue-collar background as I know. Do you work for quite a lot of what you have today and I think that humble beginnings. You know, I wouldn’t want to go back to them. But I’m so thankful for them for giving me that work ethic and giving me that experience, to actually appreciate what I now have.

Pamela Bardhi
That’s incredible. Yeah, cuz you mentioned fiction, right? But I didn’t know if that’s something that came, like, later in life or something that you wanted to do sort of as a kid.

Doug Sands
Oh, it was all the way from fifth grade. I remember very distinctly the day, I was like, I’m going to be a fiction writer. And it’s still something I want to do, I think the difference is this. I actually made this choice consciously, after that hike. It was that moment I realized if I’m just pushing myself to be a fiction writer to live up to that label. It’s not going to create something that’s worth reading. And so my goal now is to build up a career and help people in the, you know. As for my profession and then, when I have the free time and the free income to do that freely, where I can actually devote myself. What creative energy to that pursuit.

Pamela Bardhi
I love that though, I mean, there’s so much about your story that I just adore. And I mean, so you just decided to go out on your own. With nobody with you.

Doug Sands
Nobody was with me, so I packed up my little yellow hatchback. I packed it up and drove across Canada. I’ve never actually been out of the country before, so I quickly made a bunch of mistakes. And somehow made it back to the States and that was quite an adventure. Yeah, for sure.

Pamela Bardhi
I just can’t get over, like, what made you just pick up and go to that. It’s just I find it so remarkable that, like, you just went ahead and did that. I mean, I know people who would do something like that. But only if they were with people. So to do it alone, I think that that’s huge. And then the whole experience of being there by yourself in this Blizzard. What was running through your mind? Like What Did you like? How would you keep pushing yourself to just get going, like, I just find that remarkable?

Doug Sands
Yeah, when I was in that Blizzard. I remember before I fell down on the slate in the snow, I remember thinking, you know. I’ve got to get back to being driven by anxiety. And then after I just realized, you know, I don’t know what’s going to happen I just kind of let go. I realized I still got extra energy, like, I might as well keep walking and then see, you know. Maybe I couldn’t make it very interesting because it was a curious feeling. It was like I wanted to know, maybe I can make something, I don’t know, we’ll see.

I heard on the other side of that, talking about packing up. And going cross country and making that on the solo trip. Heard best phrase by a friend of mine once who said that. It was less work to stay where I was, but it would be easier to go. Meaning that the pain of staying in that stuck spot. Was more than the pain of getting up and dropping it and risking it all. And so I just had to get to that point, where my life was rubbed raw enough that I was ready to fly the coop.

Pamela Bardhi
I love that. Thanks so much for sharing, like, I’m blown away that you, like, you just went you did it like got lost figured it out. And I mean now coming back and transitioning back. You know you had mentioned that you were shaking for like a week. How did you sort of process when you got back? What was that process like for you?

Doug Sands
I handled it very well and I was very professional and it was very smooth. It was nothing like that, I was losing my mind, I had no idea what was going on. And that I guess that’s kind of how we learn. We learn what coping mechanisms actually work and what don’t. And we learn that we are stronger than we realize. We learn that we can get through those tough things. Because we’ve done tough things before and specifically when I was shaking so badly after that hike. It was a lot of deep breathing.

I had a friend who was trying to teach me that and I’ve learned a lot from that since. But it was also a lot of questioning to evaluate my life. I actually it was, shortly after that, I left my job in New Hampshire. And moved back home to Wisconsin to kind of take stock and I think we need moments perhaps not that drastic. But there are moments in our life and that help us shake things up. So that we can really assess what’s important to us and see, I want to keep myself on this path I’m on.

Pamela Bardhi
Amen to that and that kind of right when you said. That kind of reminds me of what the world is going through now with COVID, right? For the first time, everyone’s lives got shaken up. And they had no control? Yes. No control and now they’re evaluating and everyone’s making different choices. There’s all these things that are happening, which is unreal. So right. When you said that, it kind of reminded me of that. Wow, wow. And then so leading into the path of going down the hypnosis route. Tell me what that experience was like.

Doug Sands
Yeah. So I first used hypnosis to help myself. That’s actually a pretty common thing among hypnotists, they experience results for themselves. And then they say, you know, I’m curious about this and I want to actually make an impact in the world. So I was learning it online for a while and I got an invitation to go to a hypnosis conference. It was actually I think, the biggest in North America, and of course, it happens in Las Vegas. But it’s called hypno thoughts and I went there. And I was so nervous the night before, I was like. I’ve just wasted my money flying across the country.

I don’t know anyone and what am I doing here. And within half an hour of being at the conference. The next day, I knew that my people are so curious about the way the mind works. They’re so dedicated to learning more and I just have so many great connections from the hypnosis community. And so then, going back home, was a slow transition for me. Actually becoming a hypnotist. hypnotists aren’t really known for their business skills. I’ll say that as a pre-frame, but I’m getting much better and I’m kind of building that up. At first, I thought that I wanted to be a stage hypnotist, like solo.

And I realized later, I was building up the stage performance. The therapeutic side that’s what actually got me into hypnosis. I should be doing more of that and it was right around that time that COVID actually hit. So my entire schedule got wiped off the map and I had all this free time to basically figure it out. That’s where I built up the therapeutic side of things. And now even you know, COVID is still a thing and so there aren’t any state shows happening right now. But even after the state shows really build back up and get into full swing. I think that the therapeutic side of hypnosis is really where I want to be at.

And you mentioned, you know. Everyone’s lives getting shaken up and COVID, I have my own very interesting story of that. But in short, I was planning on doing a very big adventure, the summer of 2020. And it got canceled and so I had five months that I hadn’t really planned anything. It wasn’t what I wanted out of 2020. But looking back now, it was exactly what I needed, It was the freedom to build up this business. That now supports me and gives me more freedom than I ever thought possible.

Pamela Bardhi
It’s incredible to see these blessings in disguise, right? Absolutely, It’s so incredible and so like what because I know. A lot of people just out in public and I know there’s people listening right now. And they’re just kind of like, well, what is the science behind hypnosis? Like, what is this thing? Because everyone, there’s so many misconceptions and they just think, you’re like this guy with this round thing. And it’s kind of going like this, you know, so, okay, through what’s the science of it a little bit?

Doug Sands
Yeah. So hypnosis has about 125 years of study behind it. I think the very first organization that approved hypnosis as a, like. A treatment modality was the British Medical Association. They approved it way back in 1892. And since then, the British Medical Association at one point. Actually recommended that all medical students undergo 144 hours of hypnotherapy training. Since then, it’s been approved by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association. I’ve even heard that it’s approved by the National Cancer Institute, as an adjunct treatment. For cancer.

So the science of what’s actually happening in hypnosis, in a nutshell. Our brainwaves during normal conversation. Or when we’re doing whatever they’re hovering at what’s called beta frequency. And in hypnosis we are slowing down our brainwaves, we’re going down the scale toward sleep. We go from beta to alpha and then to theta. And theta is that sweet spot that some meditators know that other people have heard about. Theta is that spot that hovers just above sleep. Where your creative mind is active and your unconscious is more available to you.

And that’s kind of why it looks like sleep when someone is in hypnosis. But when a person is in hypnosis, they’re awake and aware the entire time. They don’t if they weren’t, they wouldn’t actually be in hypnosis, they just be sleeping. In hypnosis, we are communicating with a person’s unconscious mind. In a way that it understands through emotions and through visualizations. You know, when we get a negative gut feeling, that feeling is our brain’s way of communicating with us. Because before language, that was the fastest way to do it.

And so we’re using tools from psychology and neuroscience in that theta state. To communicate with the brain exactly, what changes you want to make. And then after that, you know, after that’s done. We bring the person out of hypnosis and they’re a little fuzzy at first. But they come back to it and then at the end of the session, I’m typically double checking my work. To make sure they’re not just feeling great in that moment. They’re actually changed and it’s going to continue long after the session.

Pamela Bardhi
Incredible. And it’s like, this is somebody’s conception that I have about hypnosis and it’s like. I feel you have to be there for hours and hanging out in this space you had mentioned to me. You know, then in our previous conversation, that it’s actually something that can be done really quickly, almost like meditation. Kind of, yeah, in a way. Are they linked?

Doug Sands
They are, yes, so meditation and that those as the shirt is a really interesting link between the brainwaves. And I mentioned a bit about the brainwaves in solo meditation. Our brain is actually typically speeding up, it goes above beta and it goes to what’s called gamma frequency. And that’s where we’re in a higher state of focus. So while it might seem like our brains are slowing down. We’re actually speeding up the interesting grey area between those two is guided meditations. Those typically slow your brain down to alpha frequency, but some of the really good ones. Slow your brain down to theta frequency.

And I’ve noticed after having learned hypnosis and now listening to some guided meditations. That oftentimes they are bringing in bits from hypnosis. Whether it’s the framework of helping a person, slowing down the brain, and then giving them beneficial suggestions. Or its actual language patterns that are drawn directly from hypnosis. You know, I don’t know if they’re done intentionally like this person sought them out. But I feel like these two get the meditations and hypnosis. Share such a common bond with that theta state, that they’re very intricately linked.

Pamela Bardhi
Yeah. And that’s the fascinating thing that I’m like trying to wrap my head around, I’m like. This is absolutely fascinating to learn how to slow down your brain. Because so many people have insomnia or stress and like all these things. So this is almost like the power tool to sort of slow that all down, at least as a coping mechanism, so in your world. How did it help you? You know, like, how did you start implementing it in your life to some people, you know. To create a habit out of anything takes work. So it’s like, how did you sort of work your way in and how, you know. What are the steps that you took?

Doug Sands
Yeah, at first, I was just listening to hypnosis audios and then, I did a few actual sessions with a hypnotist. And they taught me that self-hypnosis is far simpler than I thought it was going to be. It is a little bit tricky because you have to be both the hypnotist and the person to be hypnotized. But once you know what hypnosis feels like and you have a few of the basic tools. You can use self-hypnosis to help yourself make some very powerful changes.

And so now self-hypnosis has become one of my favorite tools. I do it every single morning. Actually, it’s part of my morning routine, I do like 10 to 15 minutes of self-hypnosis and then 20 minutes of meditation. And I thought, you know, for a while I replaced my meditation just with hypnosis. But they were slightly different mental muscles and I think that both of those are together. It really helped round out my mental state for a very productive day.

Pamela Bardhi
I love that I love it. So you started with like a 10 minute and then you kind of work meditation in that together. Alright, so what would you say to the people that are so anti-hypnotic? Like what are the common things that you hear people freak out right there think, like. They’re gonna be like mind control, they’re like, Oh, like. What would be your response to that? And like the common misconceptions that you could do that would be great.

Doug Sands
For sure. The most common misconception that you’ve mentioned. You know, people say hypnosis is mind control and I actually had someone ask me, like. Are you going to turn me into like a Cold War assassin or something. And I said that’s not how it works. Because we are working with a person’s unconscious mind. And that unconscious stems from the primal part of our brain. The part that was responsible for the fight-flight or freeze response. Its sole goal is to keep you safe and at any time a hypnotist. Or anyone in hypnosis gives you a suggestion that your mind doesn’t agree with. It’s either going to ignore it or it’s going to bring you out of trance.

I actually had a friend in the field who did an informal study of this, I think it was about 20 volunteers. They hypnotized over a couple of weeks. And they gave four beneficial suggestions and one mildly negative suggestion, like. I think they give me $5 after the session every single time without fail. That they hit that negative suggestion. It brought the person out of trance, their minds that I don’t trust this anymore and I’m not agreeing to this anymore. And hypnosis is all about that trust and when you lose it with your subject, typically, I mean. They completely come out of trance. So your unconscious mind is always working for you. That’s the first big misconception.

The second big one that I deal with is hypnosis, an actual science. I mean, we talked about that one a little bit, I had someone ask me if it was witchcraft. And it’s not because I believe it was the 1950s. The standing Pope actually recommended hypnosis to women. Who couldn’t take medication for childbirth pains. There’s an interesting history of that with the church. But hypnosis is not nearly as wacky or out there as people think it’s actually been studied. And you know, proven by science and the third one that I often get. Besides the question of you swinging a pocket watch and no. I don’t think any hypnotist actually swings a pocket watch anymore.

But the third one that I always get is what happens if I get stuck in hypnosis. And it’s physically not possible. I mean, even if you did, it’d be a pretty cool experience. Because it’s just such a relaxing, enjoyable experience to be in hypnosis that there are actually people who like to try this. To see how long they could get into that metal that hypnotic state. But typically, when a person is in hypnosis if the hypnotist just stops talking. Like, I don’t know if they go away or because I do online work. If the connection breaks up, I can reach that person again. The person will come out of hypnosis, usually within a couple of minutes. I think the longest I saw was within about 10 minutes.

Because your unconscious is still working to protect you. Eventually, you’re going to need to use the bathroom or go get some food or water. And so your mind is going to say hey, you know. We don’t really want to be in this and gnosis right now, it’s going to bring you out of it. And that’s really the key. Underlying all of these misconceptions, that people think hypnosis is something a hypnotist does to a person. Hypnosis is all about a hypnotist bringing a person to a state where they can change themselves. When a person is ready to make that change when they’re at that level of threshold.

And they’re like I’m just done with this problem. As long as I’ve got the right tools. The change is easy to make and a hypnotist is simply facilitating that. I cannot put anyone into hypnosis. If they don’t want to be in hypnosis, I cannot manipulate them in any way. They don’t want to be manipulated. It’s not like magic, you know, potion or anything. And you know, if that were true, why are a hypnotist still working for like a couple $100 an hour? Like why aren’t we mega-millionaires or something, like, it just kind of defies the logic and I’d say those are the big misconceptions I face.

Pamela Bardhi
Interesting. And so like walk me through hypnosis, like what does that look like for you, like, say you’re with a client, like. What’s the timeline look like? Like step by step?

Doug Sands
Yeah. So I typically see clients for three to five sessions. I know clients or hypnotists, who say I can fix any situation in a single session. And I just think that’s a little sloppy. I typically see people over about the course of a month, each session I booked out 90 minutes. The first one we typically use every 90 minutes and the follow-up sessions. It’s like 40 to 60 minutes or something like that. First and foremost, I’m breaking down those misconceptions as we just talked about that first session. And then before the actual hypnosis begins, I am helping the person define in their own terms, exactly what it is they want to work on.

If a person comes in to see me and say, I want to be less anxious. My definition of being anxious is probably very different from their definition. And so I want to get their exact goals and their language. Because when we get in their exact language, their unconscious is already partially agreed to this, you know. That’s approved by this statement that you’re going to give later in hypnosis. So then the actual hypnosis begins, we go through what’s called an induction. That’s simply where we slow down your brainwaves using language patterns. And sometimes physical motor, kinesthetic things and then in that actual middle section of hypnosis. We are in that theta state.

That’s we’re bringing in the tools from psychology and neuroscience and visualizations and other such things. To deliver the exact goals you’re working, you’re looking to get in that language, that your unconscious can understand. And then with about 20 minutes left, we’re bringing them out of hypnosis and they come back to it. Then the last couple minutes, I double-check the work to make sure. It’s actually going to last after that session. And then in the last couple minutes, I give the person a couple of homework assignments.

They’re very simple, like, if they’re working on anxiety, like, doing something that you actually enjoy doing. Or taking deep breaths, when that you feel that anxiety coming up. Things that, you know, just remind them that these changes have happened over the course of the week between our next session. And then I close out with a closing metaphor and some of the greatest hypnotists of all time. Have used stories to help people make those changes.

I mean, if you’ve ever heard a really great story. Or read a great book and it puts you in kind of a flow state, that’s exactly what hypnosis does. It and most of those stories, they’re delivering a powerful message to you. When your mind is in that trance state and helping you. Whether it’s like a moral or it’s an example of how someone else did something. When you’re in that state, your unconscious is mapping across that, that basic framework. That’s basically what a hypnosis session looks like.

Pamela Bardhi
Interesting. So it’s providing the framework almost in the back of your mind for whatever problem it is that you’re basically looking to solve.

Doug Sands
Absolutely. You know, we all know the story of the little Engine That Could and none of us are trains. But we all map across that wisdom from that story.

Pamela Bardhi
I adore that. That’s so cool, that’s like the coolest thing in the world for me and it’s what your brain can do. And also because I forgot to ask you this question a little bit earlier, in terms of specifics regarding the brainwaves. Because many people may not be aware that there’s different brainwaves. Can you break those down for me? The Alpha, the gamma, the beta, the theta?

Doug Sands
Yeah, absolutely. The actual specific numbers, I’m pretty sure they are? Well, it’s been a while since I checked, let me say it that way. And there’s some that argue on exactly where it is. I believe beta normal frequency is anywhere from 24 to about 18 hertz, I think alpha is 18 to about 12 hertz, theta is 12 to four hertz. And then the delta, which is where it actually sleeps, is four hertz down to zero hertz. Zero hertz would be when you’re dead, so you don’t want to get there.

Pamela Bardhi
And these are all frequencies for anybody who’s listening and it’s almost like radio frequencies. But different universes, the brain’s frequencies. That’s so interesting. I just find it so fascinating. Because it’s like a lot of people don’t understand, like, the mind is such a powerful tool.

And if you know how to work with it, you can solve any problem. Which is out of this world, the universe never fails to amaze me. That’s it and then like learning the intricacies, like through hypnosis and all these different things. And your experience is really remarkable, really remarkable. Oh, my goodness, oh, my gosh, and what’s been like your favorite sort of story, of watching somebody, like, transformed through hypnosis.

Doug Sands
My favorite story I tell this one often, you know, all names are changed. Because I do work with some sensitive information, but let’s call this guy. Bill was a CEO out of California and he went for the handlebars of his mountain bike on a trail. And he was having anxiety getting back on the bike and when we worked in hypnosis. We realized very quickly, it wasn’t that issue that he was working to solve. And we actually went back to an earlier memory, that his mind had completely blocked out. Like he did constantly remember it at all. It was at that moment that he was first learning to ride a bike.

And he had training wheels, but one of them was loose and he had that Terrifying moment when the training wheels came off. He lost total control and just tipped over and fell off the bike. And as a kid, he was so shaken up by that experience that it became a driving motivator for him. That’s actually why he took up mountain biking in the first place because he’s like. I feel such an electric thrill from this and so when we worked with hypnosis on that issue. We were essentially keeping that memory as it was. But stripping away the negative and traumatic experiences from that.

And what I love about hypnosis versus therapy, I think that both are great tools for certain problems. But unlike therapy where you have to unbox every single negative emotion, hypnosis. You just take that negative emotion and you get rid of it, you give the mind. Something else like resources and skills to hold in its place. And that’s what we did in Bill’s case, we were able to bring back some more positive resources. Knowing that, yes, he’s survived that experience and now he’s learned from it. So he brought that back to his past memories and he came out of it. I’m not really sure if he gathered much from the rest of the session. Because he was so fazed by what had happened.

But he called me up a couple months later and he was noticing how many changes had actually happened in his life. And that’s pretty typical because when you remove that base problem, that foundational issue. Whatever it is, any coping mechanisms, any problems, any habits and tics that have been built up on top of that foundation, naturally start to crumble. In Bill’s case, he got a promotion that I’ve been pushing for a long time for. He was back on the mountain bike and he was actually starting a blog that he’d been dreaming about for quite, a few years up until that point. And so that’s one of the most heartwarming experiences for me.

Pamela Bardhi
Incredible to walk people through their transformation, like, that is so exciting. And it’s also almost like you co-create with your clients too, which is so yeah,

Doug Sands
The model of hypnosis that most hypnotists agree with now, at first. It was like they thought hypnotists were just putting a person in trance. But now hypnotists believe that it’s like a co-created trance. As you said, a hypnotist is actually going into that experience first hypnotizing someone. Their mind is actually slowing down as well. And so it’s a very cool experience to be working with someone when they’re having such a deep change like that.

Doug Shares His Tips With Regards To Hypnosis

Pamela Bardhi
That’s incredible. What are some tips that you would give in regards to hypnosis?

Doug Sands
If you’re looking for a hypnotist. I would say find someone that you trust. Find someone that you connect with. If you want to find out, I would say look for the gun videos on the website or YouTube. Look for podcasts like this one, look for someone that you connect with. Because as I mentioned, hypnosis is all about that trust. And if you have that connection with someone, that is a great starting point and great Launchpad to help you with that change.

If you’re looking for self-hypnosis and a really cheap one. Easy way to do it, I guess, is to go to YouTube, find free hypnosis. I personally got a bunch of them on YouTube as well. But when you put yourself in hypnosis with a hypnotist using those audios. You remember what it feels like and then you see what similarities are in those mp3 videos. And then you just use those same tools on yourself and remember that feeling for him and that simply you know, with practice. It’s going to take a little while. But with practice, you can also get yourself to that self-hypnotic state to make some powerful changes.

Pamela Bardhi
Oh, I adore that. I just love your journey and your experience and everything you’ve learned. Hypnosis. And just I know it’s been a journey for you throughout the process. Because it’s pretty much like a new endeavor for you to write. So 2019 you were on that hike and now look at where you are, which is remarkable. What would your older self tell your younger self, based on what you know, now?

Doug Sands
I would say it first and foremost, just relax, I thought for so long. If I didn’t have it figured out immediately, my life was going to end, I was going to die. That was probably the anxiety pushing it through. But I would say relax. Because even if you’re still juggling things. Even if you’re still learning, you’re still safe, you’re still moving forward. And you will be amazed at just how many amazing things you can accomplish and how many amazing people that you can help along the way.

Pamela Bardhi
I love that. And now Douglas. What are you up to these days? I know you’ve got so much amazingness going on. Tell us a little bit about what’s on the horizon for you for the next year.

Doug Sands
Yeah, I am working right now on a digital course. And that’s been an adventure. For me, I’m very used to working one on one with people. I’m also in the process of niching down my business. At first, I was a very generalist hypnotist and then I focused on anxiety relief and weight loss. And now I’m thinking that I want to narrow down to work specifically with public speakers. To work overconfidence and motivation and things like that and bring in tools that I’ve got from the anxiety side and that motivation from weight loss. That’s really where I’m headed over the next year.

Pamela Bardhi
I adore that and you’ve got your podcast too and your Instagrams dropping all kinds of like nuggets.

Doug Sands
Absolutely. I’ve got the it’s called the making meaning podcast and it’s on all the podcasting apps. That is where I interview adventurous people and I define that fairly loosely. But adventurous people, who have either found their purpose or are on their way to find their purpose. And from doing that, I quickly realized that our purpose is something that we have to create ourselves.

That’s why I called the making meaning podcasts. So that podcast is all about helping people build their own path to their purpose. And my Instagram is at making your meeting because of the same name. There I share some free hypnosis videos and I explained that hypnosis science a little bit. And that’s a great place to connect with me and if someone wants a really deep hypnotic experience. You know, more so than just for YouTube. I do have a hypnotic test drive on my website.

Pamela Bardhi
You are amazing. Doug, thank you so much for the incredible knowledge, sharing your awesome journey. And just like I’m so excited to see where you go and like the next year with your digital course and like all these amazing things. I’m just so pumped for you and I just want to thank you so much for being here today.