Synopsis: The talk will present a brief history of hypnosis, roughly from the 1700s to the 1900s. It will clarify what hypnosis is and is not, explaining a few of the main theories and the clinical uses of hypnosis including regression and past lives. It will focus on how the practice of hypnosis lends itself to helping people help themselves. Azul will demonstrate what and how hypnosis is performed, if there are volunteers.

Presenter: Dr. La Luz Baez is a Medical Sociologist and Thanatologist known as “Azul.” As a certified Clinical Hypnotist and instructor for over 30 years, he specializes in Pain Management, Pre- and Post-surgery assistance, Depression and PTSD interventions, substance abuse prevention and interventions, and suicide intervention. Born in Puerto Rico, he was raised in New York City’s Spanish Harlem, was a heroin addict and gang member, who eventually became a self-taught artist and a published author. He is currently writing an autobiographical trilogy about the journey of a boy from “Hells Gate” in Spanish Harlem to a doctorate, a book of short stories, and a book of poetry.