When members of a local hypnosis group gather at Cary Memorial Library in Lexington every month, they don’t sit around a table swinging pocket watches in front of each other’s faces.
The Greater Boston NLP and Hypnosis Meetup Group meets monthly in Lexington, as well as Natick and Methuen, to discuss topics dealing with hypnosis and other forms of alternative therapy.
Group organizer Kevin Martin, a certified hypnotist and master practitioner of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) in Methuen, said stereotypes of hypnotists perpetuated by stage acts are very different from reality of hypnotism as a therapeutic technique “to help people with problems.”
“The goal is to get the information about hypnosis out into the public, to let people know what it really is,” Martin said “People often times have the wrong perception of what hypnosis is.”
Martin said the group, which was created in 2007, is geared towards people who are interested in learning more about hypnosis as well as certified hypnotists interested in developing new techniques. Some attendees have actually become certified hypnotists after joining the group, he said.
According to Martin, 20 to 25 people typically participate in the monthly meetings, and interest is on the rise.
“There’s such passion from some of my members. They just want to continue to learn more and more,” he said.
During a meeting last week, Martin explained to some newcomers to the group why hypnosis is a good tool.
“I help everyday ordinary people with everyday ordinary problems,” he said. “Hypnosis is a form of self-improvement, and everyone is looking to help themselves.”
Longtime group member Dale Averill said hypnosis has helped him in his personal life and he wants to spread the word about its benefits.
“You could not take what I’ve learned from NLP for any amount of money,” he said.