Stress Free Surgery: A Self Relaxation Program to Help You Prepare for and Recover from Surgery

Well-designed, recorded and executed hypnosis CDs

The effectiveness of the many audio recordings of hypnotic inductions available is often dependent upon whether you like the sound of the voice guiding you through. Linda Thomson's lilting American accent works for me - it may not for others.

I also believe that each person will respond differently to the distinctions between a permissive and a more directive style. In this regard, I particularly refer to the use of metaphor and imagery - I prefer to be artfully ambiguous, suggesting 'something' is being seen/heard/felt rather than directing my client to my own metaphors. Linda will happily invite the client to imagine water, paths, warm showers etc rather than allow the client to create their own imagery.

All that being said, I like these CDs. Linda's style is a balance of both the permissive, ambiguous and directive. In all cases, the delivery of the words is always well-paced and warm in tone; I don't find anything grating about the way she is working. I would have preferred to have more of a 'U' shaped model in respect of the energy: Linda assumes a very hypnotic style from the very start and maintains this throughout.

Within the body of the text there are plenty of well constructed terms, many of them either suggestive of, or directly referencing, medical matters (as you might expect from such a CD). So, there are references to medications, and medical procedures. There's some helpful myth-busting statements about hypnosis and some excellent post-hypnotic suggestions too.

All in all, if you like pre-recorded hypnotic inductions, this will sit very well alongside the many choices out there. One of my clients used them prior to her recent surgery and reported that it helped keep her calm and clear-headed. So, anecdotally, they work!