(This blog was originally posted on March 5, 2014)
I
graduated from the Hypnosis
Motivation Institute as a certified hypnotherapist in 2005. Since then, I
have helped many clients achieve various vocational and avocational
self-improvement goals such as quit smoking, overcome a fear of flying or
driving, improve self-confidence and self-esteem, overcome test anxiety,
improve study skills and improve sport performance. Following are some examples
of how my hypnotherapy training has helped me to achieve some of my own
self-improvement goals and change unwanted behaviors.
·
Overcome my anxiety about driving on
freeways. John
Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind model was the biggest influence here: Since
the mind is uncomfortable about and resists doing unknown activities, I knew I
would feel more relaxed and comfortable driving freeways by just doing it. It
took me a few weeks of round-trip journeys to HMI in Tarzana and reminding
myself that once freeway driving was no longer an unknown to me that I truly
did get comfortable navigating Southern California’s biggest and busiest
motorways.
·
Increase and improve my patience with myself
(and others): Before I started my hypnotherapy training, I was usually very
tense and impatient (usually with myself). Now, when I get frustrated I
immediately use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to disarm negative
self-talk and reframe the situation by turning it into a learning experience.
·
“Keep calm and carry on.” Sir Winston
Churchill was right: the calmer you are, the easier it will be to survive a
crisis. Now that I can recognize and identify my potential stress triggers, I
can employ relaxation and breathing techniques to maintain a calm and relaxed
demeanor to weather just about any kind of storm—literal or metaphoric. These
days, what would have been a “crisis” ten years ago is a non-event because I am
able to remain calm and relaxed; in turn, this mellow state enables me to focus
on the situation and come up with an appropriate solution to the problem.
·
Take better care of myself. One of the
extra benefits of my hypnotherapy training is that I learned a lot about how
maintaining a healthy lifestyle (or not) affects my mood and ability to function
during the day. I try to eat a well-balanced diet and get plenty of sleep at night
so I can remain energetic and focused on what I am doing during the day and
avoid that jittery feeling I get if I drink too much coffee or my blood-sugar
level starts to drop when I haven’t eaten in a long time.
·
Analyze my dreams. Dream analysis helps
my clients to work through unresolved issues in their lives. It is a lot of fun
for me—and very enlightening—to analyze my own dreams to find out what my
subconscious mind is really trying to
tell me!
When you are
ready to learn more about what your subconscious mind has to tell you, give
hypnotherapy a try. It is definitely a mind-opening experience—and you will get
to enjoy a mental massage in the process!
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
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