Hello! My name is Jen. I'm a professional hypnotist, author/writer, and advocate for positive socio-economic change. I currently reside in Los Angeles, California with my fiancé. I've also lived in Chicago, IL (11 years) and originally hail from Louisville, Kentucky.
As a content creator and blockchain technology enthusiast, I'm excited to participate in this growing platform and community.
Topics that interest me include all aspects of the creative arts, communication, mind & behavior, linguistics, cryptocurrency, health & productivity hacks, activism to address social inequality, systems theory, environmental sustainability, the sharing economy, artificial intelligence and good writing and storytelling. My closest political label might be libertarian socialist / progressive.
Here's the breakdown on my handle and more about me.
ART
I love the creative arts. Though I've dabbled in the performing and visual arts, my current creative pursuits are writing-related. I'm an author of a nonfiction book and a big advocate for self-publishing, better known as indie publishing. I've also published two journals and a poetry book and have written both stage and screenplays. My favorite nonfiction author is probably Robert Anton Wilson. Favorite poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay. Screenwriters (TV or Feature) whose work inspires me: Charlie Kaufman, Charlie Brooker, and Lars von Trier. TV shows I've been known to binge-watch: Black Mirror, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Narcos, Sherlock, Lie to Me, Firefly. I also enjoy many various documentaries and docuseries.
MIND
I'm always researching mind and behavior topics as they relate to my job, a passion of mine. I'm a hypnosis practitioner by trade (National Guild of Hypnotists certification) and have kept a part-time practice for the past eight years. While I've helped clients with garden-variety hypnosis services such as smoking cessation, overcoming fear of flying, overcoming compulsive eating, etc, my specialty has been helping people to get out of heartbreak (or out of a bad relationship) and back into love. While my clients are both male and female, my word-of-mouth exposure has been primarily woman to woman, which is why I wrote my first nonfiction book specifically for that audience (single women). It's called Steal His Heart, Save Your Life (just not in that order). I've also worked with actors, directors and screenwriters on gaining confidence using hypnosis (overcoming audition anxiety, have more confidence in pitches, etc).
Since I'm most often asked what led me to become a hypnotist, I'll give you the short answer. I studied method acting in college and, post-college, upon exploring experiential personal development work, I made the connection that the craft of transforming into a character is actually a hypnosis process that is very similar to powerful transformation work for self-improvement. I realized I'd been using theatre for therapy and decided I wanted to just go for the direct personal benefits and help others do the same, through creative hypnosis processes that also involve story and character.
VOICE
Many of my peers know me to be a social activist. I approach activism through awareness education. I like to remain a conscious voice in the conversation on possible solutions to socio-economic issues as these impact all aspects of our human experience from poverty to racism to sickness and warfare. From 2009-2012 I was the U.S. Chapters Coordinator for a movement that was deemed the largest global movement for social change (The Zeitgeist Movement). During this time I did a lot of research on the use of science and technology for positive social impact on a large scale. In panel discussions, Q and A sessions would reveal public doubts that it would be possible to account for the value of goods and services without money (or barter), and if the computation could even be achieved by any possible computing machine in existence. In my best effort, I tried to explain how we could do this with computer network systems and advanced algorithms that still account for a set value in transactions with networked computing power. As blockchain technology becomes more mainstream, this will be easier for people to wrap their minds around - that sustainability (both environmental and economic) could be pre-built into the design of a social system without infringing on expression/access, and in fact expanding access to goods and services (ala an open, sharing economy versus a consumption-model based in private ownership) while technology reduces labor in a positive way (versus displacing income). I refer to this new model as a post-scarcity economy.
This is the activist/educator side of me: highly critical of our current system, discussing the pros and cons, introducing people to new possibilities and refining the ideas as new technology is revealed. While I'm no longer associated with the ZM organization, I'm still attracted to the ideas and values of a natural law, resource-based economy as possible future solutions to systemic problems. Do I think these kind of global system ideas would happen in my lifetime? No. I'm also aware they invite controversy. But, then again, I didn't foresee cryptocurrency moving towards an adoption phase so soon and controversy doesn't appear to be stopping it - proving necessity is still fertile ground for invention and Moore's law hasn't yet thrown in the towel.
STEEMIT POSTS
As a contributor to SteemIt, I want to see the platform grow and succeed. I want to create and share high-value content and support others contributing high-value content.
My plan is to begin posting some material I've already created: content from The Reset Podcast (a short podcast series I did on the subconscious mind and hypnosis) in 2013, content from my YouTube channel videos, activist presentations, and perhaps a few excerpts from my other nonfiction writing and see how this goes.
Given my areas of curiosity, experience/expertise, let me know if there is a specific subject you would like to see me cover and I will certainly consider it.
I look forward to meeting you and perhaps getting to know you better on Steemit!
Jen