Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Hypnosis, Part 2

I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. However, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

 

(This blog was originally posted on July 14, 2016)

 

Definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” – John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute

 

Photo by Rick Hustead

 

 

Some time ago, I had the honor of describing a common aspect of my work as a certified hypnotherapist to my business-marketing group, the Network Referral Group of the Santa Clarita Valley. In my essay titled Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Hypnosis, Part 1, I listed various environmental factors that can trigger a hyper-suggestible state of awareness (hypnosis) and affect our behavior. In this blog, I will describe some strategies to get out of that hyper-suggestible state and return to one of full alertness and awareness.

 

How to Get Out of the Hyper-Suggestible State:

• Count yourself out: Say, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Eyes Open (your name), wide, wide awake.” Repeat several times as necessary.
• Make a “slicing” movement with your hand to literally and metaphorically cut the link between the media, etc. and your attention to the invasive message. Notice the immediate sensation of relief and release when you disengage with the medium/stimulus that has been holding your attention against your conscious will.
• Take several deep breaths and ask yourself: Do I really believe what I am hearing/seeing, etc.? Do I really want the product that I am being sold? Can I live without it? (Hint: you have this long, it’s probably not a life- or game-changing item in your life!) If you really want “x” it will likely still be there tomorrow to purchase, etc.
• Turn off the television/Smart Phone/tablet and step away from social media. Out of sight, out of mind!
• Eat good nutritious, delicious meals that include protein! Protein stabilizes blood-sugar level which stabilizes mood, reduces anxiety levels, etc.
• Get plenty of sleep at night. Lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, tolerance of pain (emotional and physical), etc. and make you more suggestible.
• Build a rapport with the professional you have hired to handle finances/investments, medical team, etc. Take notes/bring a “buddy” to the appointment to take notes and ask questions.

 

 

Autumn Promotion: Hypnosis for Weight Loss

 

Let the power of your subconscious mind help you release extra weight and increase your motivation to make healthier eating/nutrition and exercise choices. Book the entire 10-week series and save $250!

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. Sara has been voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California, four years in a row (2019-2022). For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit my website. 

© 2022

 

 

Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Natural Hypnosis, Part 1

I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. However, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

(This blog was originally posted on July 13, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

 

Definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” – John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute

 

Some time ago, I had the honor of describing a common aspect of my work as a certified hypnotherapist to my business-marketing group, the Network Referral Group of the Santa Clarita Valley. During the presentation, I described what environmental factors that can trigger a hyper-suggestible state of awareness and affects our behavior. Following is a list of various ways we can be (and have been) hypnotized by the environment.

 

Examples and Triggers of a Hyper-Suggestible State:

• Driving past your intersection, street, etc. because you are thinking about something else.
• Appointment with the doctor, investment broker, accountant, etc., law-enforcement officers, etc., any professional that is “out of your scope of expertise” and you tend to zone out listening to explanations, definitions, etc.
• Being glued to the television, etc. watching a police chase or incoming reports about a natural disaster, fire, overseas military activity, etc. not directly related to you, you just feel you “can’t turn away.” Also, continually watching on-line video of hostage executions, etc., for the same reason.
• Missing what someone said to you in a conversation because you were busy thinking about what you should say next or even something completely different.
• Popularity of Poke-Mon Go: more people walking, looking for the icons in the game. Authorities advising people to not play game while driving, do play on public transit
• The Internet: Surfing, commenting on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/etc. Do you sometimes say/post something you wish you hadn’t because you were caught up in the moment?
• Reactions of the passengers on airlines on 9/11: Initially, they listened to and believed what the terrorists told them to do and believed they were on the way back to the airport, there would be a ransom and release, etc.
• Making purchases on-line, shopping sprees, etc., per encouragement of TV advertisements and in-store representatives
• Get so caught up watching the action in a movie/television series and become sad, enraged, happy, etc., about the action going on in the story. Did you cry when Jack Dawson died in Titanic? Spend all last summer worried/wondering about Jon Snow’s fate at the end of the fifth and sixth season of Game of Thrones?
• Panic buying/selling of stocks and investment volatility after the 2016 United States Presidential election, Brexit, other world events or market corrections. Also, feeling pressured to buy into a “Once-in-a-Lifetime Deal!” that is obviously a marketing ploy to make a quick sale.
• Mob behavior/copy-cat crimes based on what was seen on-line, news, social media, etc. For example, "Flash Mobs" and copy-cat crimes that have been promoted or described on social media.

In tomorrow’s blog, I will provide some tips to help return/maintain a fully alert and aware state no matter what is going on around you.

 

Autumn Promotion: Hypnosis for Weight Loss

 

Let the power of your subconscious mind help you release extra weight and increase your motivation to make healthier eating/nutrition and exercise choices. Book the entire 10-week series and save $250!

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. Sara has been voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California, four years in a row (2019-2022). For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit my website. 

© 2022

 

Hyper-Suggestibility at the Doctor's Office

 To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus and COVID-19 variants, I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. Meanwhile, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

(This blog was originally posted on June 30, 2019)

 

 

 

“Patients cannot hear it when you say disparaging things about them to colleagues

out of earshot. But they can feel it.” – Mark Reid, M.D.

 

 

When you go to the doctor’s office, you are likely to perceive a lot of things. You will see the doctor’s white coat, smell the astringent odor of anti-septic and cleaning products, feel the cool air circulating throughout the clinic (it always seems so cold in a doctor’s office). Then there will be sounds: a child’s cough, the buzz over the reception area desk instructing the next patient to step check in, the voices of other patients’ chatting in the waiting room, the medical staff discussing…whatever. Sometimes the topic of the medical team’s conversation or the tone of their voices causes unnecessary (and unintended) anxiety and distress.

For example: I once overheard an Ob/Gyn physician call to his nurse, “Bring the cow in here.” Now, calling a woman a “cow” is unkind and derogatory, to say the very least. I was seething. What kind of physician would refer to his patients this way? I wondered, gritting my teeth. Then I saw the nurse wheel a computer into the examining room and shut the door. Cow. C.o.W. Computer on Wheels. But you wouldn’t have known what the doctor really meant if you hadn’t seen the item he wanted the nurse to bring into the room.

The tone of the medical professionals’ voice and cadence of their speech can also influence your level of anxiety or comfort/relaxation during a medical visit. When I over-heard the doctor instruct the nurse to bring the C.o.W. into the examining room, his tone was mild or even indifferent. My hyper-suggestible state intensified my emotional-suggestible interpretation to his comment. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was mocking or belittling the patient and he didn’t seem to care that he was insulting her. If I had been in that examining room, I would have been very insulted—until the computer came into the room, anyway.

 Whether you are at the clinic for a regular check-up, preparing for/recovering from a scheduled surgery or an unexpected trip to the emergency room, hospitals and medical environments can be an overwhelming and anxiety-inducing experience. As the smells, sounds and sights of this environment fill and overwhelm the senses, it is easy and natural to slip into a hyper-suggestible state of awareness (i.e., environmental hypnosis). Fear, anxiety and/or nervousness you experience being in this medical environment, combined with any negative emotions/associations you have about the examination or procedure you are about to undergo likely intensifies this state.

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. Sara has been voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California, three years in a row (July 2019, September 2020, July 2021). For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2021

 

Am I Suggestible, or Just Gullible?

 To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus, I have temporarily suspended in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office, but they will be returning soon! Meanwhile, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

 

Am I Suggestible or Just Gullible?

(This blog was originally posted on January 28, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

 

Many years ago, someone told me that she would happily give someone the benefit of the doubt and believe what another person was telling her to be true until that “fact” was called into question. Her implicit trust impressed me—especially since this statement was made around the time that The X-Files was at the height of its popularity. During the late 1990s, just about everyone I knew kept reciting the series’ famous tagline: “Trust no one.” Some mutual friends liked to tease her for this gullibility, but I respected her open-mindedness. It’s a lonely world to question, doubt and double-think everything that somebody tells you. When I started my hypnotherapy certification at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2004, I learned that gullibility is really just a disparaging description of hyper-suggestibility. Furthermore, we are all probably susceptible to being led down that too-good-to-be-true rosy path to some extent, at some point during our lives.

John Kappas, Ph.D., a psychologist and founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, described suggestibility in terms of how a person learns. It develops between when we are born through the first eight or so years of life, through interactions with the primary caretaker (usually, mother). If Mom’s communications were typically direct and literal—i.e., “I say what I mean and I mean what I say”—you’re more likely to take other people at their word because that is how you were taught/learned to communicate. This is type of communication and understanding is a hallmark of Physical Suggestibility. Conversely, someone whose caregiver who did not always follow through or support her words with congruent actions is more likely to always wonder if there is a hidden meaning behind what was said. For example: Mom tells you to finish your homework before you’re allowed to play with your friends but eventually she gives in to your begging and whining and allows you to play first (for just a little while). In this case, you also rely on the speaker’s tone of voice and context of the communication/action to infer the meaning behind her words: She “said” I can’t go play but she just pointed to the door and indicated I should leave the house. The comparative ambiguity of this communication creates Emotional Suggestibility.

Now, as very young children, most of us are taught at a very young age to listen to and respect adults and to always tell the truth (not lie). This is all well and good until the first time an older relative comes to visit at the holidays and teases or pranks you. Deep down, you know that Mom has only run out to the market to pick up some ingredients for the meal; but your grandparent or an older cousin tells you (smiling) that mom has actually gone away on a trip without you. You have been taught to trust and believe grown-ups—and you basically do—until Mom saunters back into the house with an armful of groceries and you realize that you have been “had.” Where does that trusting instinct go from here?

Our suggestibility will continue to be challenged throughout our lifetime. Often, this happens willingly (with our permission), such as when we suspend our disbelief about a plot-twist while watching a movie or reading a book, or even when we go shopping for groceries or clothes. Yes, I really do want to buy that chocolate cake/those Jimmy Choo stilettos; I just “need” someone to persuade me to give into that whim. When we are engrossed in a thrilling story or interacting with a highly motivated salesperson, it is even more difficult to be skeptical and overcome the power of the hypnotic modalities that increase our suggestibility in the first place.

Someone who is ready and willing to believe anything and everything probably possess a somnambulistic suggestibility and go through most days in hypnosis. (The friend I described at the beginning of this essay probably fit this description.) As I explained in a previous blog, it is not uncommon for me to have to de-hypnotize a client before we can work on the issue the person wanted to address. This technique is also effective for increasing our critical thinking, logic and reasoning faculties in the conscious mind that enable us to resist and/or avoid the temptations to which our suggestibility can make us vulnerable.

 

Special Offer!

I am extending my May 2021 special offer! This month, when you book your FIRST (Introductory) hypnotherapy session with me you are eligible for a $25 discount on BOTH your Second AND Third follow-up, a la Carte appointments! This promotion may not be combined with any other offer. It is non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash. Discount does not apply for hypnotherapy-package discounts. Valid through June 30, 2021.

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. In July 2019 and in September 2020 she was voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2021

Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Natural Hypnosis, Part 2

 To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus, I am temporarily suspending in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. However, phone, Skype and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

 

(This blog was originally posted on July 14, 2016)

Photo by  Rick Hustead

 

Definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” – John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute

 

 

In my essay titled Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Natural Hypnosis, Part 1, I listed various environmental factors that can trigger a hyper-suggestible state of awareness (hypnosis) and affect our behavior. In this blog, I will describe some strategies to get out of that hyper-suggestible state and return to one of full alertness and awareness. 

 

How to  Get Out of the Hyper-Suggestible State:

• Count yourself out: Say, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Eyes Open (your name), wide, wide awake.” Repeat several times as necessary.

• Make a “slicing” movement with your hand to literally and metaphorically cut the link between the media, etc. and your attention to the invasive message. Notice the immediate sensation of relief and release when you disengage with the medium/stimulus that has been holding your attention against your conscious will.

• Take several deep breaths and ask yourself: Do I really believe what I am hearing/seeing, etc.? Do I really want the product that I am being sold? Can I live without it? (Hint: you have this long, it’s probably not a life- or game-changing item in your life!) If you really want “x” it will likely still be there tomorrow to purchase, etc.

• Turn off the television/Smart Phone/tablet and step away from social media. Out of sight, out of mind!

• Eat good nutritious, delicious meals that include protein! Protein stabilizes blood-sugar level which stabilizes mood, reduces anxiety levels, etc.

• Get plenty of sleep at night. Lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, tolerance of pain (emotional and physical), etc. and make you more suggestible.

• Build a rapport with the professional you have hired to handle finances/investments, medical team, etc. Take notes/bring a “buddy” to the appointment to take notes and ask questions.

For more information about these techniques and natural states of hypnosis, or to set up a phone or online hypnotherapy session with me, please call or text me at (661) 433-9430, or visit my website at www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com.

 

Special Discount for First Responders

 25 percent discount off the first hypnotherapy session for all active/retired military personnel and first responders (police, fire-fighters, EMT/paramedics, ambulance personnel, emergency dispatchers, ER doctors, ER nurses) plus $10 off a la carte sessions!*

 

 

*This promotion may not be combined with any other offer. It is non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash. Promotion ends on November 30, 2020

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. In July 2019 and in September 2020 she was voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2020

 

 

 

 

Hyper-suggestibilitty and Common Examples of Natural Hypnosis, Part 1

 To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus, I am temporarily suspending in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. However, phone, Skype and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

 

(This blog was originally posted on July 13, 2016)

 

Photo by Rick Hustead

 

Definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” – John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute

 

 

 Many various environmental factors can trigger a hyper-suggestible state of awareness and affect our behavior. Following is a list of various ways we can be (and have been) hypnotized by the environment.

 

Examples and Triggers of a Hyper-Suggestible State:

• Driving past your intersection, street, etc. because you are thinking about something else.

• Appointment with the doctor, investment broker, accountant, etc., law-enforcement officers, etc., any professional that is “out of your scope of expertise” and you tend to zone out listening to explanations, definitions, etc.

• Being glued to the television, etc. watching a police chase or incoming reports about a natural disaster, fire, overseas military activity, etc. not directly related to you, you just feel you “can’t turn away.” Also, continually watching on-line video of hostage executions, etc., for the same reason.

• Missing what someone said to you in a conversation because you were busy thinking about what you should say next or even something completely different.

• Popularity of Poke-Mon Go: more people walking, looking for the icons in the game. Authorities advising people to not play game while driving, do play on public transit

• The Internet: Surfing, commenting on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/etc. Do you sometimes say/post something you wish you hadn’t because you were caught up in the moment?

• Reactions of the passengers on airlines on 9/11: Initially, they listened to and believed what the terrorists told them to do and believed they were on the way back to the airport, there would be a ransom and release, etc.

• Making purchases on-line, shopping sprees, etc., per encouragement of TV advertisements and in-store representatives

• Get so caught up watching the action in a movie/television series and become sad, enraged, happy, etc., about the action going on in the story. Did you cry when Jack Dawson died in Titanic? Spend all last summer worried/wondering about Jon Snow’s fate at the end of the fifth and sixth season of Game of Thrones?

• Panic buying/selling of stocks and investment volatility after world events or market corrections. Also, feeling pressured to buy into a “Once-in-a-Lifetime Deal!” that is obviously a marketing ploy to make a quick sale.

• Mob behavior/copy-cat crimes based on what was seen on-line, news, social media, etc. For example, "Flash Mobs" and copy-cat crimes that have been promoted or described on social media.

In tomorrow’s blog, I will provide some tips to help return/maintain a fully alert and aware state no matter what is going on around you.

 

 

Special Discount for First Responders

 25 percent discount off the first hypnotherapy session for all active/retired military personnel and first responders (police, fire-fighters, EMT/paramedics, ambulance personnel, emergency dispatchers, ER doctors, ER nurses) plus $10 off a la carte sessions!*

 

*This promotion may not be combined with any other offer. It is non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash. Promotion ends on November 30, 2020,

 

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. In July 2019 and in September 2020 she was voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2020