Earth as Metaphor

(This blog was originally posted on January 25, 2017)

Photo by Rick Hustead

The metaphor of earth—and Earth, the planet we live on—are also useful images in hypnotherapy. 

In addition to providing stability under our feet and the ground we stand on, earth also represents growth, fecundity and prosperity. For example, trees, grass, vegetable crops, etc., grow in and from the earth. When the rich soil is rich, it provides the nutrients they need to create and grow sources of nutrition that humans and other animals need to survive. When the soil is arid, however, such growth is more difficult and may result in starvation or at least, deprivation.

Earth also represents strength and power. Consider the force produced when tectonic plates several miles below our feet move: Just a shift of one or two inches up, down, right or left creates a ripple effect that can be felt around the world as a powerful earthquake. Similarly, when a significant event happens in our own lives we might use this earthquake metaphor to describe how it felt as though “the earth moved” when it occurred. Or, when we are willing or have expended significant effort to achieve a goal or accomplish a particularly daunting task, another popular earth metaphor comes to mind: “It felt like I had to move mountains/draw water from a stone, but I got it done!” 

And then there are those times when we take on more jobs or responsibilities that we are not physically or emotionally equipped to handle at that moment. In our willingness to appear flexible and accommodating, the subconscious mind absorbs more and more pressures and stresses without expressing the discomfort that are actually, silently building up. Suddenly and to even our own surprise, that final small request to do something that we would not even notice or even register as an inconvenience becomes that final pound of pressure that releases a cascade of pent-up emotions in a potentially damaging outburst. After the dust has settled we are left wondering what happened and what could have been different had we addressed the first, second or even third issue before the compound weight of those pressures became so overwhelming. Perhaps that earth-shaking emotional outburst was needed to effect change, anyway.

Finally, there is the metaphor of the planet Earth, the person/place/profession or any other metaphoric center of our world. How often do we put the greatest importance or value on something or someone other than ourselves and our own well-being? Learning to appreciate, love and respect ourselves the way we deserve to be appreciated, loved and respected often produces the greatest (emotional) tectonic shift of all. The ability to incorporate all of these aspects of positive self-regard requires a solid foundation of personal awareness that hypnotherapy can help everyone realize, actualize and reinforce in our daily lives.

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/.

© 2018

Pruning the Roses

A couple of days ago, I noticed a neighbor pruning the rose bushes that grew between our properties. Watching her cut back the branches reminded me how my late grandmother used to love gardening; her roses always looked beautiful, even better than what I would see in flower shops. She once explained how pruning the bush all the way back during the winter to remove the detritus of dead branches and wilting flowers was the key to making room for fresh, healthy growth in the spring.

What a wonderful metaphor for hypnotherapy!

When a client contacts me to change an unwanted behavior such as lose weight, quit smoking, overcome a fear/phobia, I help the person strip back aspects of the negative habit in hypnosis to facilitate the desired behavior in “real life.” One way to do this is simply desensitizing the individual to the various situations or stimuli that trigger the undesired response. Then I would help the person create a new, positive association between feeling relaxed, comfortable and smiling (a positive physical action) while performing a desired behavior, such as walking out of the kitchen or away from the temptation.  Alternatively, I might employ Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to create a negative association between that sweet treat by pairing the preferred item (e.g., ice cream) with one that the person dislikes (e.g., cottage cheese).

Once this new association is created in the subconscious mind, therapeutic guided-imagery techniques enable the person to visualize or imagine replacing those beliefs and actions associated with the undesired behavior with the new, desired beliefs and behaviors. Since the subconscious mind does not know the difference between imagination and reality, in hypnosis the client can practice the desired behavior over and over again to establish the new, desired subconscious known and behavior.

Similar to how my grandmother tended her prized rose bushes every year, through hypnotherapy, I help metaphorically prune the detritus of unwanted behaviors that the client wants to change. Just like the roses, over time and with nurturing self-love and desire to change, new personal growth and success can bloom in its place.

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