Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to J. Robert Parker, C.ht. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
J. Robert, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Well, taking a risk is certainly something I can speak to. I moved to Los Angeles with no planning, having never visited before and did so in under 2 weeks; it was the best choice I ever made. To give some context, this isn’t something I would do on a whim, but personal circumstances left me with a decision. I had discovered my partner of 4 years had a fiancé in another country (while they were visiting said Island nation) and suddenly found myself with nowhere to go and zero desire to remain where I was.
So, I moved. I was born in Orange County and in a way, this was returning home. I certainly feel home. When you want to talk about risk, moving blind to LA seems like a fairly big risk but here I am! Twin Ravens, my online hypnotherapy practice, has a new home with me and even though it was sudden and high risk, I couldn’t be happier with where I am and how it turned out.
J. Robert, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Absolutely! Well, to start with, I am a clinical hypnotherapist; I run an online, remote-based practice named Twin Ravens Solutions. We offer services ranging from habit modification (stop smoking, lose weight, etc) to men’s health services (performance anxiety, psychogenic ED, etc) to simple coaching and self-improvement. Essentially, I work on the philosophy that it’s ‘all in your head’, meaning that many of our issues with behavior, perception, and such all stem from our mind.
I work with the subconscious aspect of the mind, that part which we are not taught about much, yet rules over practically every aspect of our lived experience. Much of my work with my clients is education: how the subconscious speaks to you and how you can talk back, the neurology that affects our perception and so, so much more.
What sets me apart from others in my field is very evident for anyone who has worked with me! From my technique to the rapid effectiveness of my work and its impact on the lives of those I help, I like to let my work and its results speak for themselves. To my thinking, the most effective thing you can do with someone who needs help is give them results.
Ultimately what got me where I am and defined myself as a hypnotherapist is pretty straightforward. As a younger man, I never found someone who could help me. It felt like no one could speak to me and that kept me from getting help for a very long time. It is that less-than-happy fact that defines me as a professional: to be the person that could have helped the younger me.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The thing that I had to unlearn was passed down from my mother: mental health/issues were not real and just laziness. This, combined with my dissatisfaction with those professionals I had encountered, prevented me from getting any real help. I have many memories of my mom, over and over, emphasizing her contempt for counseling, therapy and the idea of mental health and illness in general.
It was because of this that I grew up thinking that seeking help for such things wasn’t just incorrect, but a sign of both weakness and irresponsible thinking. It turns out that, all this time. the opposite of everything I was told was true: not only were mental health issues real and able to be addressed but doing so was a sign of strength!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I have a very unique form of growing my clientele. Advertising and ‘selling’ isn’t really something that’s ever sat well with me; this work especially isn’t something that you should try and pitch to someone, in my opinion. My strategy is, like many of my business practices, inherited from my previous, extended career in the tattoo industry. I talk. I engage, I educate.
My belief (and result) is that by showing someone, either online or out in public, who I am. Engaging with them on a one-on-one basis and gaining them as a client not from sales pitches and the like, but from genuine interest and enthusiasm to work with me and see the results I offer. Passion is my single greatest strategy is use in that situation as well. This work and my personal experiences have quite literally changed my life; that shows through when I talk to someone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.twinravens.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twinravenshypno/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinravenssolutions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/twinravens/
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/twinravenssolutions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinravenshypno
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/twin-ravens-solutions-san-fernando-valley
Image Credits
Credit to J. Robert Parker for all images.