El Gaffney

World’s Greatest Dad / LI’s Best Hypnotherapist

Unfortunately, there’s only so much room on a coffee mug. Otherwise, CafePress would be receiving a new order. Hey-oh!

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My dad has recently been nominated in “The Best of Long Island 2010″ poll in the “Best Hypnotherapist” category. Rather than ask you to vote for him blindly though, I’ve decided to share a little bit about him with you…and then later in the post I’ll ask you to vote for him (Best of –> Health & Wellness –> #12 –> Dr. Vincent Gaffney, if you don’t want to read on). Here goes:

My father quit smoking through hypnosis a month before before I was born. One session and tapes. (Cassette tapes—now CDs and MP3s—that can be customized to help keep people on track and learn to practice self-hypnosis.) And he hasn’t touched a cigarette since.

He clearly has a reason to believe in the effectiveness of hypnosis. More general than this personal experience, however, my dad has always believed in the power of the mind to impact people’s lives. He’s taught me through conversations and, more importantly, by example that positive and focused thinking lead to positive actions and accomplishment.

It is all starts with the desire to change something for the better (e.g., quit smoking, lose weight, stop procrastinating, manage stress, fly on plane, etc.). This is non-negotiable. I’ve always admired that the first question my dad asks a new client is if they truly want to do/not do ‘x’. If they’re still on the fence, he kindly asks them to return when they’re ready to take control of this desire (and resulting behavior). Specifically, he works with the subconscious and conscious to change individuals’ directives to what they really desire and reinforce these new positive directives, respectively.

Over the years he’s helped countless people make the changes they’d never been able to make before. Whether they attempted cold turkey, countless diets and/or in some cases seeing a psychologist, the past is what it is. And when they come to see him, as he says, “There is no try; there’s just do.”

It’s not just a challenge for his clients. He holds himself to the same principle. This is the way he approaches his life and how he’s achieved his goals. This was his approach when he was an administrator at a middle school in Spanish Harlem and when he started his career teaching special education. This is how he was able to better the lives of his students and how he’s been able to provide more opportunities for my sister and me.

Now to answer the obvious first question: Has he ever hypnotized me? Nope. Then how do I know he’s any good? Because if commits even a tenth of a percent of the energy to improving their lives that he commits to me and my family, he’ll help them too. Boom.

So, while you may care to cast your vote differently for a World’s Greatest Dad competition, hopefully you don’t have a personal connection to anyone else in the running for LI’s Best Hypnotherapist.

Therefore, please go to Long Island Press Best of Long Island 2010.

- Click on Health and Wellness.
- Scroll down to #12 “Best Hypnotherapist”
- Check: Dr. Vincent Gaffney, Huntington

And while you’re there and if you’re so inclined, please also scroll to #21 “Best Acupuncturist” and vote for his business partner: Ronald Sandoval, Huntington.

Please note that while there’s no slashy award in this competition, I’ll always see him as a dad-slash-hypnotherapist and not other way around. But, as you can see below, his style is versatile…

Tags: family, new york, polls

No Flu Shot For Me

Just Soup. The results are in and the decision is made. I don’t know who voted but I know how many people did (7 people) and where they were from (three from NY, one from CT, one from MA, one from MN, one from KS). Just in case anyone else has the November 1st freebie at his or her j-o-b and is looking for the wisdom of crowds. Assuming the people who responded aren’t some crazy glue-sniffers like the tooth fairy. I mean, you let these people vote on your blog once and that’s all it takes. Next thing you know, your daughter is knocked up and there is change missing from your dresser. I have seen it happen a million times. On second thought…

Tags: health, movies, polls

The Hip Hop Showdown: Who Gets Money?

Tags: 50cent, competition, kanye, polls

The Age Old Question

Nope, not that one. Rather:
WHICH CITY SUCKS MORE – BOSTON OR WASHINGTON, D.C.?
Vote at Gawker here

I’m choosing Boston because at least when I go out to bars in DC I don’t feel like I’m always a phrase or comment away from getting my ass kicked. A guy named Liam used to live in DC and the Dockers there are laughable. Dios, mio. Liam and me are gonna f*ck you up.

Tags: boston, cities, dc, gawker, polls

Final Four Fashion

Tags: bball, gtown, polls