About Brian

I’m practical and solutions-oriented. I like whatever approach helps my client succeed as quickly, safely and effectively as possible.

Clients are unique.  They structure their problems in different ways.  So I’ve developed a wide variety of tools to help them get things solved. Mostly that means different types of hypnosis work. Sometimes it’s other types of coaching and personal change techniques.

My style can be soft and caring, encouraging clients to take things slowly, to allow time for a process.  It can also be very direct and provocative with results coming very quickly.

Client sessions happen privately in my downtown Boston office.  No groups or stage shows or past lives.  Just practical, focused, one-on-one work to help my clients succeed in getting solid, long-term results they’re happy with.

These are some of the approaches I combine to help clients succeed.

Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a great way to get to the core of an issue.  It's a way of engaging the deeper/unconscious parts of the mind so clients get results they can feel, not just intellectual understandings. It's also a great state for learning and a useful tool for relaxation. These are some of the hypnotherapy approaches I use in my practice:

• Ericksonian hypnotherapy

• Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

• Regression Hypnotherapy

• Ideomotor Hypnotherapy

• Classical Hypnosis

Conversational Hypnosis
Through careful use of language, I can help clients connect and work with some very deep (and usually outside of consciousness) parts of themselves. These approaches can sometimes streamline the process, reduce performance anxiety ("Am I hypnotized?!") and make the process easier.

NLP
Neuro-linguistic programming offers a suite of tools that help clients gain more control over the way they're thinking and feeling about things. More control + more options usually = happier client.

REBT
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a close relative of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). It's a way of helping clients see some of the "filters" they've been seeing the world through so they can find more choices. On it's own it can be a bit dry and hard for clients to accept. Combined with hypnotherapy and NLP, it can be life-changing, particularly for anxiety clients who are trapped in the "I MUST not panic" loop where the harder they try to relax, the more panicky they get.

Behavior Design
BD is based on the work of BJ Fogg, director of The Behavioral Design Lab at Stanford University. His research shows that long-term change is best accomplished when people feel good. Taking very small steps in a consistently positive way can yield powerful results.

Psychological Illusions/De-Hypnosis/Metacognitive therapy
Some clients create their issues by (innocently) hypnotizing themselves into some really bad trances. The stories and images they create can be powerful drivers for a lot of problems.

Helping clients develop tools to "wake up" when they start do that can often make a big difference. The psychological illusion model offers tools to help clients to see through those thoughts in a way that allows for a lot more peace of mind. It's another way of helping clients wake up from some of the "thoughtmares" that have been driving their issue.

Metaphor
Metaphors and stories can often help clients see things in much deeper way than more analytical/left-brained conversations. They're invaluable for helping clients "connect the dots" and see outside of the places where they've been stuck.  Unstuck clients usually feel better.

Progressive Exposure
Helping clients slowly work in the direction of trigger can often be an important part of the process. The really important thing is being sure that before they start they have new resources (usually developed through the other approaches mentioned here). That way they can feel safe as they move into the previously triggering experiences.

Provocative Therapy
Sometimes being very direct or playing the devil's advocate with a client can help them to see new options in a way that more circumspect approaches can't.

EMDR/EFT
Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy and the Emotional Freedom Technique are both ways to "unstick" some thought/feeling combinations. One involves the client gently tapping some acupressure points, the other following a prompt for some simple eye movements.  Both can be helpful in resolving some issues.

Breathwork
Certain breathing patterns act as effective tools for resetting the sympathetic fight or flight response. They can be a shortcut to creating a sense of calm that can be extremely useful.

Visualization
Visualization work, much like the type athletes do to prime themselves for success, can sometimes be a useful tool, particularly after a client has solved most of the issue.

– Dr. John Grinder
Neurolinguistic Programming Coaching Certification
NLP Academy, Croydon, UK
Grinder is the co-creator of neuro-linguistic programming, one of the first to code Ericksonian hypnosis, and a coach to numerous Fortune 500 executives.

– Stephen C. Parkhill
Hypnotherapy Internship
Holiday, FL
Parkhill is known for his highly successful hypnosis work with terminal illness clients. He’s the author of “Answer Cancer,” he’s worked with members of the Red Sox, Yankees, NBA and NASCAR and he’s appeared numerous times on national television.

– Jørgen Rasmussen
Hypnotherapy Internship
Kongsberg, Norway
Rasmussen is a well-known hypnotherapist, teacher and author of Provocative Hypnosis and Provocative Suggestions.

– John Overdurf
Neurolinguistic Programming Master Coaching Certification
Phoenix, AZ
Overdurf is a well-known coach/trainer. He’s the co-author of Training Trances, and he’s best known for his conversational hypnosis skills.

– Dr. Stephen G. Gilligan
Advanced Ericksonian Hypnosis
San Diego, CA
Gilligan is widely considered to be the foremost practitioner of Ericksonian hypnosis in the world.

– Gerald Kein
Basic through Advanced Hypnosis
Omni Hypnosis Training Center, Deland, FL
Kein is the foremost practitioner of Elman-style hypnosis.
Omni is widely regarded as the best hypnosis school in the country.

– Richard Bandler
Hypnosis & NLP for Decisions and Motivation
Puerta Vallarta, Mexico
Bandler is the co-creator of neuro-linguistic programming and is often acknowledged as being one of the most skilled hypnotists in the world.

– Dr. Tad James
NLP Master Practitioner Training
Timeline Therapy® Master Practitioner Training
Henderson, NV
James is creator of Timeline Therapy and an innovator in the NLP field.

– Robert Dilts/Judith Delozier
NLP Practitioner Certification
NLPU, Santa Cruz, CA
Dilts and Delozier are early contributors to the NLP field. Dilts is best known for his corporate coaching work.

– Anthony Robbins
Passaic, NJ
Robbins is a success and motivation expert who’s used NLP and other techniques to coach Bill Clinton, Mother Teresa and Andre Agassi as well as dozens of other high-profile sports, business and entertainment figures.

– Dr. David Dobson
Other-than-Conscious Communication
Friday Harbor, WA
Dobson was a psychologist, clinical hypnotist and developer of OTCC and No Fault Psychology.

– Nick Kemp
Provocative Therapy
New York, NY
Kemp is an internationally known trainer of hypnosis, NLP and Provocative Therapy.

– Doug O’Brien
Conversational Belief Change
Boston, MA
O’Brien is an NLP master trainer and one of the founders of Columbia-Presbyterian’s Department of Complementary Medicine.

– Dr. Judith Swack
Healing from the Body Level Up
Needham, MA
Swack is an immunologist & creator, HBLU.

As of 2/2024, I’ve earned a five-star average on Yelp and a 4.8 star average on Google’s Boston Hypnosis review page.

I’ve been a guest speaker at both MIT and Boston University, and I’ve appeared in articles in USA Today, Boston Magazine and Boston.com.

Before pursuing hypnotherapy and coaching in 2002, I held the titles of Vice President, Research and Technology at Press Access, a Boston/San Francisco media research company and Vice President, Public Relations Research division at LexisNexis, an international unit of Reed-Elsevier.