Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Power of Imagery

Photo by Rick Hustead






I use imagery in every hypnotherapy session. Let me tell you why.
·         It is an effective deepening technique. When you use imagery, you invoke every perception: visual, olfactory (smell), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch) and taste. All of the senses are more finely attuned during hypnosis. Therefore, when I suggest that you “Visualize, imagine, picture or pretend…” that you are in the middle of a specific scenario you subconsciously incorporate the experiences of these sensations/perceptions, which also strengthens the hypnotic suggestion. The more perceptual details you notice and process, the greater sensory overload you will experience and the more deeply relaxed you will become during your hypnotherapy session.
·         The subconscious mind does not know the difference between fantasy and reality, you can practice in your mind those new beliefs and behaviors you want to adopt before you try them out in the real world. Therefore, once you have imagined doing something—as far as your SCM is concerned—you have actually done it.
·         Imagery of nature scenes/being in nature is a great way to release stress and tension. Many people experience a deep sense of relaxation and state of calm when they are in nature. Virtually any natural environment—at the beach, in a mountain forest or desert, or near a body of water (moving or still)—brings a sense of calm and comfort that can be difficult to match in our daily lives. The opportunity to take a mini-vacation to one of these scenes during a guided-imagery journey can be just what you need to rejuvenate and feel re-energized to complete a task at work or resolve a problem.
·         Through imagery, you can access problem-solving skills and resources that you have used before to help you overcome a similar situation and conquer the current setback. The theory behind this practice is: If you have overcome ‘X’ before, your subconscious mind knows how to use these skills to succeed, again!

For more information about how therapeutic guided imagery in hypnotherapy can help you achieve your vocational and avocational self-improvement goals, please contact me at (661) 433-9430 or send an e-mail to calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com.




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/.
© 2017

2 comments:

  1. Hello DR I wonder what your views are on programming. Our military experimented on people using these methods and also to place people in line of fire. I would be interested in what you think. I'm certain that it's very posible and probable that innocent people could be programmed to do evil things that they normally would never think of doing. Ex. Siran Siran convicted of killing RFK. Under hypnosis he seemed to have no involvement and still can't remember the incident at all. Like often is the case when there is a professional hit, we never know who really took the fatal shot.

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    1. Hi Ray, a person cannot be made to say or do anything in hypnosis that he or she would not say or do in an alert and aware state. The definition of hypnosis is a state of awareness that is brought about by overloading/overwhelming the mind; this state is actually an "escape" from stress in the environment. In a military/war, etc. situation, it would be natural to go into a trance-like state because of all the sounds/sights/increased anxiety. In some circumstances and when under extreme stress (Stockholm Syndrome), an individual may start to identify with a captor, etc. and adopt behaviors or belief systems as a survival mechanism/defense. Testimony given when a person is in hypnosis is not accepted in a court of law because it is unreliable: a person is very suggestible in the hypnotic state, and there is a risk that he or she is providing answers that the individual believes the attorney or judge "wants" to hear rather than what was actually seen/hear/action performed.
      Thank you so much for your question, I hope these explanations answered your questions.
      In a final note, I am not a doctor, but I do appreciate your interest in my blogs!
      With very best wishes,
      Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht.

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