Halloween Masks

(This blog was originally posted on October 31, 2016)

Every October 31, people have an opportunity to don costumes and assume temporary identities of someone or even something else. I am fascinated by the costume choices people make, whether they choose to embody Disney characters from the hit film, Frozen, favorite rock stars/musicians, monsters (werewolves or vampires), superheroes, princesses/princes, animals or even politicians. Halloween celebrations become a free-for-all of fantastical expression; even grown-ups can get in on the fun. My question is: What, or who, does that chosen alter-ego represent to the person behind the mask?

I have observed that the costume expression that Halloween celebrants embody range from fun and good-natured to genuinely frightening or even sinister. The subconscious motivation of those dressed as heroes/superheroes, Disney characters, royalty and other generally positive or benign identities might represent the person’s abilities or personality or project an aspect of wish-fulfillment. (Who hasn’t ever wanted to be a prince or princess, or to possess a super-human skill that could save the world? I certainly did.) Perhaps the costume is even a conscious projection of an intention to attract a skill or talent into the person’s life, which is represented what he or she is wearing.

At the other end of this spectrum are costumes that are designed to trigger anxiety or even a fear response. Apparently the zombies from The Walking Dead television series are popular costume choices in the scary/monster end of the dress-up spectrum. Unlike vampires—at least, the seductive incarnation of vampires in modern Young Adult novels and movies—zombies are the epitome of everything terrifying we imagine about death. Not only do zombies appear in various stages of decay and possess untold, albeit clumsy, strength, their very survival depends on killing and eating (brains) their victims. Could there be anything more frightening than seeing your dearly-departed relative wandering around, intent on doing you harm?

Another popular costume last year honored the 2016 Presidential candidates: Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Party nominee, now President Donald J. Trump (R). Did the real candidates represent a real or perceived threat that the Halloween celebrants to metaphorically exorcise before the election on November 8? Or, did the costume enable the wearer to publicly express some secretly admired behaviors or traits that the person did not want to (publicly) own?

It’s something to think about.

Happy Halloween!

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

Halloween Masks

Photo by Rick Hustead

Every October 31, people have an opportunity to don costumes and assume temporary identities of someone or even something else. I am fascinated by the costume choices people make, whether they choose to embody Disney characters from the hit film, Frozen, favorite rock stars/musicians, monsters (werewolves or vampires), superheroes, princesses/princes, animals or even politicians. Halloween celebrations become a free-for-all of fantastical expression; even grown-ups can get in on the fun. My question is: What, or who, does that chosen alter-ego represent to the person behind the mask? 

I have observed that the costume expression that Halloween celebrants embody range from fun and good-natured to genuinely frightening or even sinister. The subconscious motivation of those dressed as heroes/superheroes, Disney characters, royalty and other generally positive or benign identities might represent the person’s abilities or personality or project an aspect of wish-fulfillment. (Who hasn’t ever wanted to be a prince or princess, or to possess a super-human skill that could save the world? I certainly did.) Perhaps the costume is even a conscious projection of an intention to attract a skill or talent into the person’s life, which is represented what he or she is wearing.

At the other end of this spectrum are costumes that are designed to trigger anxiety or even a fear response. Apparently the zombies from The Walking Dead television series are popular costume choices in the scary/monster end of the dress-up spectrum. Unlike vampires—at least, the seductive incarnation of vampires in modern Young Adult novels and movies—zombies are the epitome of everything terrifying we imagine about death. Not only do zombies appear in various stages of decay and possess untold, albeit clumsy, strength, their very survival depends on killing and eating (brains) their victims. Could there be anything more frightening than seeing your dearly-departed relative wandering around, intent on doing you harm?

Another popular costume this year honors the 2016 Presidential candidates: Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Party nominee, Donald J. Trump (R). Do the real candidates represent a real or perceived threat that the Halloween celebrants to metaphorically exorcise before the election on November 8? Or, does the costume enable the wearer to publicly express some secretly admired behaviors or traits that the person does not want to (publicly) own?

It’s something to think about.

Happy Halloween!

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/.

© 2016

Is It Halloween, Already?

(This blog was originally posted on July 28, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

What is the clearest indication that time—and the year—is really is flying by? When catalogs for school clothing, Halloween decorations/costumes and Christmas gifts start to arrive! But that begs two questions: Where has the year gone in the first place? And why are we in such a rush for the next season to arrive when we’re barely in the middle of the current one? It’s still September (albeit, barely)! When did the world start moving so quickly that it wasn’t enough to live in the moment and enjoy (or deal with) whatever is going on in our lives right now? Doesn’t anyone take time to smell the roses anymore?

Time passes no matter what we are doing—or not. Adults notice that time seems to move much more quickly than we remember it doing when we were young children or teenagers. But that is just a perception, not reality. The more activities we have to do and the more responsibilities we have to fulfill, the more message units bombard and even overload our conscious minds. One common and very natural product of this mental overload is “hypnosis.” We are aware of our surroundings as we go about our day-to-day activities and fulfill our responsibilities. However, a very common characteristic of this state is varying degrees of amnesia and/or time-distortion; we don’t necessarily remember every detail of those days which contributes to the illusion of time rushing by or seeming to stand still.

Other than signs in nature that the seasons are changing—hot summer temperatures followed by changing colors of the foliage—the arrival of holiday catalogs is one of the most significant indicators that time is flying by. I understand why vendors send catalogs to promote their wares and attract their customers’ attention about upcoming products. However, it seems like they are arriving in our regular or electronic mailboxes earlier and earlier, typically with several months until the holiday actually arrives. Am I the only one who loses interest and even feels burned-out looking at, seeing and reading advertisement for Jack ’o Lanterns and winter clothing starting from the middle of July?

Whether you are consciously aware of this or not, these catalogs and their associated promotions induce stress:  Should I buy this item now or wait until it goes on sale? What if the company sells out of it before I have a change to order it? What if so-and-so doesn’t like the gift I selected? The merchant is ostensibly promoting a product that you, the customer, wants/needs/may enjoy and improve the holiday celebration; however, their goal is ultimately to persuade you to make a purchase. The shiny paper, energetic product descriptions and “special deal” marketed in the catalog facilitates those sales by overloading the readers’ subconscious mind and, yes, increasing their suggestibility to buy one or several of those items.

Om.

I can’t turn back the clock to a time when I was younger and the days rolled leisurely by without a care in the world. However, my hypnotherapy training has helped me learn how to relax and slow waaaaay down so I don’t keep rushing mindlessly from event to event during the year. I am more aware of the ways my body benefits from being physically relaxed so I can focus on what I want to do. This relaxed state and increased awareness enables me to effectively resist the temptation of purchasing items I do not need or want while opening my senses to the timeless beauty of the changing seasons. I want to enjoy and celebrate the beauty and bounty that every day has to offer, not just days that the economy and major retail stores dictate are more important or deserve more attention than others. Furthermore, when every day is precious, I am happy to wait to celebrate a holiday until the actual date rolls around on the calendar 39 days from today.

 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®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/

© 2015