Donna Quesada: I’m just so glad and honored to spend this time with you. And I want to thank you for this hour that you are giving to the Awaken community.
I’m so excited to share your work.
Dr. Georgina Cannon: You’re very welcome. That is my work… to share. To open up and to share.
DONNA: And I can’t wait to get into some of the topics related to hypnosis. You have done so much wonderful work with past life regression. I think most people don’t know much about these things and they think it’s woo woo or something like that, and I would really like to get into it and show people how fascinating it is and how this kind of knowledge would help us. But first, we have a special way that we start our time together. And that is with the question of Awaken. So, I would like to ask you… What does that mean to you? To Awaken?
GEORGINA: That’s lovely. To me, it means to be aware of two things. First of all. That our view of our world is only our view. It’s not the truth. That goes for everything. Also, awakened to me, means the recognition that we are all connected. Not just you and I but everything. The trees, the flowers, the butterflies. The dogs and cats and elephants and alligators and everything. We all are connected and the awareness of that connection, going beyond… to the earth itself. The planet, the earth… but beyond because I believe there is a beyond. That’s what it means to me.
DONNA: That’s beautiful. I would like to just go a little bit deeper with something you said. So, in advance of the realization of connectedness. Buddhist language here, that I am familiar with… there is also this realization that my truth is my truth. It’s not necessarily an objective truth.
GEORGINA: That’s right. And I tell all my students and all my clients… who tell me what a good book they just read… whether it be mine or someone else’s… Remember, everything you read, every teacher you have… it’s only their opinion. So, take it all in and use your discernment to see what is right for you. Because I don’t care who it is. If it’s Deepak Chopra (whom I adore), it’s his opinion and his view of his world. So, maybe you can learn something from it but it’s not the truth.
DONNA: And how does this empower us, or liberate us, or heal us?
GEORGINA: What it does is make you think because…. Well, one of the reasons I love Deepak is… he says “I’m not your guru, okay?” I’m just sharing what I know. So, an important understanding of that is that we are empowered to become an adult and consider everything and say, “What is wrong?” “What is right for me at this moment in my life?” And “how can I use that to enhance my time on this planet?” Does that answer your question?
DONNA: So, at that moment, I take responsibility for me. There is no victim consciousness here…
GEORGINA: There is no victim consciousness and no guru consciousness. We are both teachers. Somebody else teaches the same way or differently. That’s who we are and the recognition of that is important to own yourself. To be comfortable in your skin. To appreciate that you are a very special human being with a point of view in life that can enhance the planet… the world. If you use it appropriately and for the betterment of humankind.
DONNA: So, this second part about the notion of awakening, that you were sharing, has to do with this realization that we are all one. Are these two things related—that my truth is my truth, but we are also connected?
GEORGINA: Oh, yes. I’m going to tell you a little story. I was on holiday in Israel visiting my sister. And we came across this amazing archway filled with color and lights and paintings. And we went inside and I was so moved by the paintings that I started to cry and this little old man came and sat next to me and said, “Can I help You?”
You should know that the old part of Jerusalem is full of people trying to be your guide. I said, “no, I’m fine.” So, he left me and I went around looking, and my sister went the other way. And she came back and said “what did you think?” I said, “This is fantastic.” He pointed at me and he said, “You work with souls.” I said, “Who are you?”
So, we went with him, and in the corner were paper=clippings of him worldwide. And he said to me, “Do you read the Kabbala?” “Not at all… not into organized religion.” And he said, “Do you believe in God?” “Of course.” And he said, “I believe that we are all splinters of God. We are all part of the light.”
And that resonated with me so much and I started to cry. Then he said, “I think we are all part of that light.” So, yes, we are together but separate. What we do with that splinter… Does that answer your question?
DONNA: I think it does.
GEORGINA: It’s like when you break a glass. If you throw something down, it splinters. Those pieces are still part of that vase, in energy.
DONNA: In Indian philosophy they say it’s like waves on the ocean. We are all part of the ocean but for a moment, we think we are so different and special.
GEORGINA: Or we take a drop of the ocean. It’s still part of the ocean… it plops back in.
DONNA: It’s beautiful how these teachings show up in different ways through different metaphors, in different spiritual traditions.
GEORGINA: It’s all the same stuff. And I keep telling people… Religion, all the same stuff.
DONNA: And so, he knows that you work with souls. It’s so wonderful to meet people with that deep level of seeing.
GEORGINA: And of course, my sister rolled her eyes and said “I’ll leave you two,” and went on her way.
DONNA: What started you working with souls? Could you tell us something about your journey?
GEORGINA: I grew up in England. And in England, we are very aware of ghosts and goblins and faeries at the bottom of the garden. So, it’s sort of part of who we are. And I could always see auras from the time I was a child. But I didn’t realize that everybody else couldn’t, until I came to North America. And then I had to learn to shut it off because it was too invasive. Once they knew it, they would say, “what color is my aura?” And when I was a journalist, or when I was in the corporate world, I didn’t know what to do when people were lying and I didn’t want that to get in the way of the communication.
So, when I was in the corporate world, I realized I was quite successful, but I realized I couldn’t look myself in the face anymore. I wasn’t doing work that was beneficial to humans. I was doing work that was beneficial to corporations. And although it was very good as far as money was concerned… I don’t know, it just wasn’t enough for me.
So, I left and took a year off and went on a mountain trek in the Adirondack Mts. And came back and decided that I wanted to work with the soul. I wanted to work with the heart… is what I thought. So, I learned Reiki, color therapy… Some Gastalt therapy, psycho-drama therapy, which is fascinating. And I happened upon hypnosis, and I knew that was it because that accesses the subconscious and the soul.
So, using hypnosis… going into an altered state, or drugs, whatever. We could reach the blueprint of the person and make the changes needed at that time, with that person. And I got so excited that I gave up everything else and focused on hypnosis and opened the school, and the clinic, which grew to be Canada’s largest. And I sold it six or seven years ago because I got sick. So now, I just write books, and I see clients, and I teach.
DONNA: And what do you say to people that still doubt its efficacy, or even the possibility? Or they say that they could never be hypnotized because their mind is too strong, or my mind is too busy… How do you deal with that?
GEORGINA: I say to them, “do you daydream?” And I can only hypnotize you if you want it. I’m not going to hypnotize you against your will. It won’t work. But what we can do is relax you down and see if you can imagine things. I usually say to them. Close your eyes for a second and imagine yourself in your bedroom at home… Can you imagine that? And if they say yes then they are halfway there. Then I take them on a whole trip where they eat a lemon, and they feel it in their mouth, and once they do that, then they know they are in hypnosis.
DONNA: Those who turn it into a stage act… Is that a put on?
GEORGINA: No, no, no. First of all, it’s entertainment. It’s different than clinical hypnosis. But if you go to a staged hypnosis show, they call up people from the audience, and usually there are 20 or 30 people up there lined up and laughing and giggling and having a great time. But when the show really starts… when he or she really gets people to sing like Cher or whatever… They usually have six or eight people left on stage because those are the people that decided to go along with it.
DONNA: Okay. So, it’s a mutual consent thing. It’s real, but only if you consent…
GEORGINA: Only if you consent. It’s not like being drugged. You are always aware. You are always present. It’s like being in the movies. This is how I explain it to my clients. You are in the movies… You are watching Johnny Depp on the screen and you are crying or laughing or whatever, but part of you knows that next to you there is someone eating popcorn, or chattering behind you, or whispering behind you. So, you are in two places at once. It’s the same thing with hypnosis. You are in trance, but if a fire-engine goes by, outside the window, you can hear it, but that doesn’t break your trance. You are still where you are, so you can be in Ancient Egypt if you want, but part of you still hears that fire-engine… but it doesn’t interfere with whatever is going on up here. I mean, we are in two places together all the time.
DONNA: Yes.
GEORGINA: All the time, if you think about it.
DONNA: That’s true. A big part of the work that you do that I personally found fascinating in preparing for our time together, is with relationships. Because life is relationships, whether it’s with a partner, or a friend, or a family. This causes us more grief in life than anything else, and so it’s such useful and beneficial work. I think it would be helpful if we could talk about some of those things… that aspect of your work.
GEORGINA: Sure. It started when I had a young man come into the clinic, and he came in for anger issues. And when I started talking to him, he said that it hadn’t been forever… “It’s just since I took over my family’s business… the book keeper drives me crazy and I lose my temper and I don’t like it.”
“So,” I said, “what exactly happens?” He said, “sometimes we have staff meetings and I’m making changes in the company and I make suggestions and she taps me on the shoulder, and says, ‘that’s alright… we are fine the way we are, really.’ And I just lose it. And I get so embarrassed that I’ve lost it. And I apologize… and the following day, she brings me cookies to say she’s sorry too.” And he said, “I don’t’ want her damn cookies.” I said, “Oh, like a four-year-old.” And he laughed and said “yes.”
So, I said, “What happened when you were four?” He said, “she’s been with my family business ever since it started, and I first met her when I was four. She would take me into work.” So, it was a blue-print. I realize it was a blue-print that had happened. And so, I went home that evening and thought about it. And I thought, that is because we take snap shots of people and it doesn’t grow.
So, at that time, we formed a connection. And that connection is a contract. When you and I got together for this meeting. You have expectations of me and I have expectations of you, and it’s a contract. Right? That contract is made up of our values, our priorities… What we absolutely, bottom line need in every relationship… What we want and what we are prepared to give. And that forms a contract. And I use that with every cohort, whether it be husband and wife… employees who are sent in from their corporations because they can’t work with a team… So, it’s all process. They work through different work sheets. And this book, The Third Circle of Protocol.
DONNA: I remember coming across that expression in your talks. It’s so fascinating. Do continue.
GEORGINA: So, what happens is that you make your version of your contract. I make my version of my contract. If we were a partnership or a business, we’d come together and we’d work out what was agreed to. So, why this works… and it works brilliantly for teens and parents… Why it works is that I’m not doing it to you. So, if I’m being nasty or not doing something I promised, I’m not doing it to you. I’m doing it to the relationship. So, we either feed, or nourish, or nurture the third circle to keep it juicy and fulfilling and loving and effective. Or we shrink it. So, it’s not you to me. It’s about this.
DONNA: So, it depersonalizes it. We are not taking things personally anymore.
GEORGINA: That’s right.
DONNA: That’s lovely. So, the Third Circle Protocol is the book. And just to clarify… that third circle is the contract?
GEORGINA: Yes. It’s the relationship. So, you are going to the supermarket and speaking to the cashier… She expects things from you. You expect something from her. And if you don’t get it… if she’s short with you, or rude, you’ve broken the contract.
DONNA: And so, those expectations are protocol. Fairness. Politeness. Whatever they are?
GEORGINA: And if you live in your value system. First of all, when I get a client, I ask them to list all their values. And are they living each… Are your kind to yourself? Do you respect yourself? Do you honor your need for ongoing learning? It’s easy to talk, but if we don’t do it, then we don’t have integrity.
DONNA: And I love something you just said. If you could just make it explicit. It’s also our duty to ourselves, and honoring my own need for such and such….
GEORGINA: That’s right. If you live your values, then you are comfortable in your skin. And no one can knock you off your feet. You know exactly who you are and how you are and what’s important to you. It works. I knew it worked but I didn’t realize how brilliantly it worked. Women’s groups are using it for self-esteem. It’s a goodie. Sometimes we make things and they are okay. Sometimes they are great. This is great.
Read and Watch Part II Here: Awaken Interviews Dr. Georgina Cannon – Pt 2 – Self-Awareness Is The Gem With Many Facets
Read and watch Part 3 Here: Awaken Interviews Dr. Georgina Cannon – Pt 3 – The Soul Needs To Evolve
