We're proud to introduce our next guest on our Monday Night Self Improvement Class with Matthew Brownstein, Ms. Jacqueline Pitmann! Jackie brings over 20 years of experience as a Clinical Social Worker to her current occupation as a Certified Clinical and Transpersonal Hypnotherapist. Jackie has shared with us a few words about her experiences and perspective before her meeting with us on Monday, May 12st at 7pm EST. So without further ado , may I present Jacqueline Pittman.
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My journey towards the study of hypnotherapy began when I was a child. My mother was mentally ill and an alcoholic who was very physically and verbally abusive. At the age of 12, I had a near death experience that changed my life. A spirit that presented himself to me in the guise of a monk was with me and he told me many wondrous things about God, who my mother and I really were, and about reincarnation. He said that I had many things to learn and to teach and that I had to return to my body. After this very real experience, I decided to do something with my life to help others.
I earned a B.A. in psychology and then my M.S.W. Because I had a family, I worked part-time doing psychotherapy for around 20 years but soon became disillusioned with traditional psychotherapy and began searching for a shorter, more effective way to help my clients. I eventually stumbled upon hypnotherapy. From what I was reading, it was very powerful, with solid scientific research, and it was much shorter. I became very excited and began to search for the best training I could find. I was accepted to a hypnotherapy school in Arizona, which was only for physicians and licensed mental health practitioners. Then I came across TFIOH. After watching Matthew on several archived Monday Night Classes, I knew that TFIOH was for me and I enrolled immediately. What drew me? It was Matthew’s spirituality and the spiritual and transpersonal topics that he discussed. Suddenly, I realized what traditional clinical social work/psychotherapy was lacking and what I was searching for. Studying the spiritually based hypnotherapy curriculum with Matthew at TFIOH was another turning point that changed my life.
I am now a member of the Self-Realization Fellowship (gurudeva himself started my chapter in Pittsburgh!), a student of the weekly kriya yoga home study lessons, read and study everything written and recorded by Yoganandaji, study A Course in Miracles, and have read many, many other books and authors as introduced to me at TFIOH.
Further, I have given up my social work licensure and practice only hypnotherapy in my own practice called Body, Mind & Soul Hypnotherapy. I obtain referrals from and work closely with mainstream physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and psychologists and am also connected with an integrative medicine community. I work with an energy healer, a yoga master trained in India, a medium trained in Lilly Dale, NY, a Reiki healer, and a dowser. We refer to each other as we utilize whatever healing modality might best benefit the client. I believe that holistic/integrative medicine is the way of the future, and that it is now time for the world to understand the body/mind connection and that it must also include the spiritual. It is my personal belief that level confusion is the cause of all disease and dis-ease and as Yoganandaji stated, “To know God is the most important way to heal all disease – physical, mental, spiritual.” And that is how I choose to live and practice my profession.
