Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Inner Resources


(This blog was originally posted on June 15, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead



“In the midst of change we often discover wings we never
knew we had.” – Ekaterina Walter



On Saturday, October 27, 2018, a lone gunman armed with an AR-15 rifle and two handguns burst into the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and opened fire on the congregants during their worship services. Eleven adults died in the attack; the victims’ ages ranged from 54 to a 97-year-old woman who had survived the Holocaust. The shooter reportedly wanted to kill all the Jews. The physician on-call that day (and a member of the Tree of Life Synagogue) later told interviewers that the shooter even disclosed this goal to him and the rest of his medical/surgical staff (also Jewish) when they were preparing to treat his gunshot wound. The Anti-Defamation League has declared this incident as the deadliest anti-Semitic hate crime in United States’ history.
Saturday’s shooting is just one in a string of mass shootings over the past year or so. Last week, social media was filled with tributes to the victims of the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, October 1, 2017. On that night, a lone gunman allegedly adapted an automatic rifle to open fire on thousands of attendees at event. At the time this blog was originally posted, more than 500 people were injured and 59 people died of injuries they sustained. This event has been called the worst single-shooting in modern American history, surpassing the carnage at Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016. Even before Sunday's shooting, however, various attacks ranging from a terrorist bombing during pop star Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, England, in May 2017 to vehicle and knife attacks on European streets have claimed countless lives. In the past year, scores of people have died and many more sustained serious injury in various incidents in which terrorists drove vehicles into crowds gathered at popular tourist sites in England, France, Spain, Canada and the United States. 
These tragedies have required us to change not only an attitude or belief system, but our very way of life. If we can't be, let alone feel, safe at place of worship, a concert or meandering down the street in a populated location, where can we go? It’s not an impossible thing to do, but at the moment tragedy strikes, it certainly seems that way. How do we go on after something like that? 
Grief comes in many different forms, and each one of us grieves and mourns in different ways for the loss we have experienced. There is no time limit or restriction when it comes to feeling sadness, anger/rage or even in disbelief about the specific tragedy we have experienced. These emotions can feel overwhelming and often come in waves (versus “stages”). In one moment we laugh while we think about the special, loving, fun times with the person who has died; in the next, we can’t stop sobbing, inconsolable.
But it also at times like this that we usually discover, eventually, inner resources to keep on going, keep on living and keep on loving. With the love and support of other friends, relatives and social resources, we re-discover that source of inner strength we forgot we always had, the one that helped us get through a previous challenge or loss. Sometimes, it feels like learning how to walk for the first time: step by step, one foot in front of the other. Baby steps. And then, one day, we wake up and experience maybe one moment, an hour, or just a few seconds of optimism about something in our lives. It may not be complete happiness or joy, but just a flash of brightness—a sensation of lightness or collateral beauty—that reminds us that those other, positive, long-forgotten emotions are still possible.
Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but someday. And on days like these, that possibility is cause for hope and even motivation to take those steps. 
I would like to offer my deepest condolences to all of the victims, survivors and family members and friends of these shootings. These senseless and tragic losses of life will always be remembered and mourned.

Special Offer: Trauma Relief Hypnotherapy

I am currently offering a 25% discount off the first hypnotherapy session for active/retired military personnel and first-responders (including fire-fighters, police officers, ambulance/EMT personnel, and EMS dispatch operators) through November 30, 2018.




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/.
© 2018

Monday, October 29, 2018

Marketing and Promoting Hypnotherapy


(This blog was originally posted on May 9, 2014)



Hope’s Haven Spotlight on Sara R. Fogan
In the Santa Clarita Magazine November 2018




Someone recently contacted me to find out more information about hypnotherapy and whether hypnosis could help him to achieve a particular goal. We chatted for a while, and I gave him some information about hypnotherapy and how I use hypnosis and therapeutic guided imagery to help my clients achieve various vocational and avocational self-improvement goals. At the end of our conversation, he wanted to know if there was anywhere he could read more information about my experience as a certified hypnotherapist so he could make a decision about whether to give hypnotherapy a try. I gave him my business card and brochure and referred him to the website for my company, Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, so he could read more about me and what I do.

After we said goodbye, I thought about our conversation in the context of the best and most effective ways to disseminate information not just about my practice but hypnosis and hypnotherapy in general. Even though it is becoming a more mainstream therapy, I am aware that people are still a little wary about hypnosis. They want to know if they will become vulnerable to some kind of mind control or manipulation while they are in hypnosis. Will they do or say something stupid or embarrassing, or break a confidence or reveal a bank pass-code while they are in-state? (The answer is no, no, no and no.) But the fact that these concerns remain prevalent suggests to me that my colleagues and I need to continue to share the facts and dispel the myths about what we do.

One of the best ways to do this is through conversations with people about what we do. Here are some suggestions for the most effective ways that I have found to share this information:

  • Advertise and write blogs/articles: I limit my advertising budget to a few equestrian-themed publications. However, I write a hypnotherapy-themed blog just about every night to keep spreading the word about the many ways hypnosis and John Kappas, Ph.D.’s model, Theory of Mind, are generally relevant to daily life. I specifically tailor the topics of my essays to illustrate how the therapeutic techniques I learned or behaviors I studied during my training and continuing education at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute are relevant to my (and your!) daily life. I let people know when I have written a new blog by posting a short “announcement” about it on Twitter and on my personal and business Facebook accounts. I also provide a link that will take you directly to the blog on my website.

  • Business cards and brochures: These are still among the most effective (and immediate) ways to promote your practice. I always carry business cards with me to give out. I have “rented” space at my local tack store to display my cards for prospective equestrian clients, and my bank does this for me, for free!

  • Donate hypnotherapy session(s) or handwriting analysis: Hypnotherapy sessions and/or formal handwriting analyses are unusual (and intriguing) prizes in a silent-auction or raffle at a fundraiser or social event. The best way for people to learn about hypnosis is to experience it.
  • Volunteer your time and skills to support local organizations: In addition to introducing your work to people who may not know about hypnotherapy, volunteering is a wonderful way to provide this valuable service to those who might not otherwise be able to experience it for themselves. I lead a free monthly relaxation/guided-imagery workshop at Circle of Hope, Inc. and Hope’s Haven Cancer Wellness Center, a 501(c) cancer-support group based in Santa Clarita, California.
  • Dress code: Hypnotherapists, as therapists, follow professional codes of ethics and conduct. Wear clothes that best represent what you do as a therapist and your commitment to this work of helping your clients achieve their goals. Wearing your name badge while running errands, etc. is another great way to market your profession.
  • Marketing materials: When I am out running errands on the weekend, I typically wear a baseball cap with my company name and website on it. I want people to ask me about the words they are reading so I can tell them about what I do and how hypnosis is an effective tool to help people change undesired behaviors.
  • Network in the community: Introduce yourself to local chiropractors, masseuses, hair-stylists, yoga instructors, your bank, dry cleaners, etc. Let people know what you do, where you are located and how much you charge for your sessions. Even other hypnotherapists can be a great source of referrals if you specialize in different areas than they do: e.g., hypnosis to improve sports performance versus smoking cessation.
  • Professional affiliations: Keep up your professional affiliations, such as the American Hypnosis Association, the Hypnotherapists Union, your local chamber of commerce, etc. In addition to providing professional support these organizations will often “link” your website with theirs. (Be sure to return the favor!)
  • Professional referrals: At some point in our career as a hypnotherapist, we may need to refer a client to a licensed medical doctor or mental health worker for further evaluation or to provide assistance that is out of our scope of expertise. Similarly, once the physician has ruled out any medical causes of his patient’s headache, he may refer the patient to you as a hypnotherapy client so you can help him manage the stress that causes his pain.
  • Promote your practice through social media: I am active on Twitter and Facebook and write/post about various topics. Of course, I have provided information about my practice, Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, on these accounts. However, it is not necessary to “talk shop” all the time to get attention for your practice. Several of my Twitter followers have become specifically interested in what I do, but only after we had been communicating about our mutual interests for many months.
  • Website: A good website goes a long, long way to “market” you to a wide population. Be sure to update the site periodically by posting new client referrals, updating your professional certifications and even changing the photographs or design to refresh the search programs.

Finally, another great way to generate interest in your hypnotherapy practice is to provide special discounts for your hypnotherapy services. For example, you can promote “special deals” to coincide with the anniversary of the creation of your practice, to kick off a holiday or a season, etc., or to promote a new therapeutic technique. This is the promotion I am currently offering:



Special Offer: Trauma Relief Hypnotherapy
 In honor of our real-life heroes in the military and first-responder professions, I am currently offering a 25% discount off the first hypnotherapy session for active/retired military personnel and first-responders (including fire-fighters, police officers, ambulance/EMT personnel, and EMS dispatch operators) through November 30, 2018.




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/.

© 2018