About Me

Hi!

My practice of hypnosis brings together a lifetime of interest in the mind, hypnosis, meditation, art, and music. In hypnosis, we create dynamic experiences for you, that can help you make the positive changes you want. This is in many ways an artistic endeavor where your hypnotist evokes experiences for you, by working with your subconscious mind, and based on the many positive qualities we all have there, but are often unknown to us.

Education

I have been interested in the mind and meditation since I was young, thanks to the influence of my parents. I had some interest in Zen Buddhism, but I was not particularly drawn to western philosophy or psychology, so when I received my AB degree from Harvard in 1982, it was in Engineering and Applied Sciences. I worked as a software engineer, and later received my masters (ALM) from Harvard Extension School, in Information Technology, continuing with that focus, but without being particularly excited about it.

Buddhism

After a friend gave me my first book on Tibetan Buddhism, I was immediately drawn to it and it was a defining moment when I met Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche in 1993. He is an extraordinarily kind and wise teacher, and the founder of the Drikung Meditation Center, then in Newton, MA. Khenchen Rinpoche embodies all kinds of very marvelous qualities, and is living proof of the depth and beauty of Tibetan Buddhism.

I have studied in person with Khenchen Rinpoche, and more than 40 other Tibetan Buddhist teachers (Lamas) over the years, and have read extensively. I have been variously a member, president, and umdze (chantmaster), of the Drikung Meditation Center, and for several years the center was located in my home. I have led a weekly meditation and discussion group for a majority of the last 20 years, and have meditated regularly during those years.

NGH Board Certified Hypnotist (BCH)

I am a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, and am Board Certified by the Guild. This represents a level of training and experience beyond that of NGH Certified Consulting Hypnotist.

Hypnosis

I have been trained by the Omni Hypnosis Training Center, which was founded by Gerald Kein and is the world's largest hypnosis training organization. When he was young, Jerry Kein studied with Dave Ellman, an influential hypnotist and author. Beyond the Omni training, my personal study of hypnosis includes extensive reading, as well as courses and seminars. As with Buddhism, reading is great but there is no substitute for personal contact with wonderful teachers. I would especially like to thank Petra Frese of the Omni Hypnosis Training Center and Lehigh Valley Hypnosis, and Barbara Johnson of Arlington, MA, for being so generous with their knowledge, wisdom, and kindness.

I have found Buddhism and hypnosis to be complementary in many ways.

No Published Books

Apparently there is a book on self-hypnosis by another James Dean. That is not me. I have not published any books so far.

Music and Art

In college, I played saxophone in the Harvard Jazz Band and both clarinet and saxophone in a variety of stage productions, such as Oklahoma, and two Hasty Pudding Theatricals productions.

After college, I enjoyed the opportunity to continue performing, as an early member of the comedy troupe SlapHappy, co-founded by Brian O'Connor, in a rock band called The Chasers, and for about 12 years with The Poolsiders, an R&B and Jazz Band.

I like to draw too.

It turns out that experience with music and art are very helpful when using hypnosis to to help people make positive changes. The hypnotist not only provides information, but helps people have experiences that can provide a dynamic force of change. Evoking these kinds of experiences is in many ways an artistic endeavor.