Addressing the Other Issues

(This blog was originally posted on November 1, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

To facilitate a positive therapeutic outcome, from time to time, it is necessary to identify and address other issues besides the goal a client wants to work on before we can focus on the stated self-improvement goal. Examples of such conflicts include low blood-sugar levels, passive-aggressive behavior, low self-esteem/low self-confidence and even addiction to alcohol or other substances. Following is a summary of some therapeutic approaches to resolve these other issues.

·         Prevent “bunching” the problems by helping the hypnotherapy client identify and separate each issue and deal with it separately.

·         During the pre-induction speech, incorporate Theory of Mind and the role of suggestibility in learning and unlearning beliefs and behaviors. “Expose why/when/how the problem started, and give hope it can be changed,” advised Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D. “[Provide] logical reasons why the problem started and solutions for what can be done to help him.”

·         Test the client’s suggestibility and sexual personality traits to identify how and which hypnotic suggestions will work best to communicate with the person cognitively and while in hypnosis.

·         Work on changing the person’s negative mental script and any passive-aggressive behaviors by explaining how and why they develop. Explain to the client how building the person’s self-esteem and self-confidence to correct the passive-aggressive act. client

·         Explain to the client how and why nutrition affects emotions and behavior. Discuss the benefits of good eating habits and nutrition. (In some cases it may be necessary to refer the person to a licensed medical doctor for a blood-sugar level test before continuing with the hypnotherapy.)

·         While the client is in hypnosis, suggest that the person will have a venting dream to continue working out the issues being addressed in hypnotherapy, Dr. Kappas advised.

·         Block the client’s suggestibility and make the person receptive only to the hypnotherapist’s hypnotic suggestions. “We want to suggest him deeper and deeper so we could give him ideas that wouldn’t depreciate,” the hypnotherapist said.

·         Introduce the Mental Bank to help the client work toward achievable goals and replace the unconscious negative script with a positive one.

·         If the client is dealing with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, hypnosis and hypnotherapy are great tools to help a person follow Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, etc. guidelines during rehabilitation from a substance addiction. However, when I work with an individual to help break this addictive curve I ask that the person continues to receive support from a sponsor and/or 12-step program during this process.*

*California law allows access by California residents to complementary and alternative health care practitioners who are not providing services that require medical training and credentials. The purpose of a program of hypnotherapy is for vocational and avocational self-improvement (Business and Professions Code 2908) and as alternative or complimentary treatment to healing arts services licensed by the state. A hypnotherapist is not a licensed physician or psychologist, and hypnotherapy services are not licensed by the state of California. Services are non-diagnostic and do not include the practice of medicine, neither should they be considered as a substitute for licensed medical or psychological services or procedures.

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

Depression and Sleep

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

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

John Kappas, Ph.D., observed that depressive sleep tends to be light, which allows the individual to maintain enough awareness of the environment and maintain a sense of being able to stay in control. Often, someone who is dealing with depression reports tossing and turning throughout the night and easily awakens. However, the person’s belief that he or she does not sleep at all is usually not completely accurate, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder stated.

The hypnotherapist can prove that the client actually does sleep by having the individual place an illuminated clock beside the bed. That way, the individual can always see what time it is whenever his or eyes open. For one week the person should record the time whenever he or she wakes up, and then try to drift back to sleep. By the time the person finally “gets up” out of bed in the morning, the individual can look back at the times he or she woke up during the night to see that there were some solid hours spent asleep—usually between three to five hours.

“If you get that pattern, and the person has had some sleep (a nap) during the day, people can get by on five hours of sleep,” Dr. Kappas explained. Once the person realizes that he or she is actually getting some sleep, the anxiety about not sleeping usually disappears and the person sleep six to eight hours a night. “This mechanism works pretty well with depressive sleepers, and we use it quite regularly.”

However, if the person is genuinely unable to sleep at all, he or she will not have venting dreams and therefore is at risk of stimulus overload and a subsequent loss of the critical thinking/reasoning process. In this case, it would be inappropriate to use dream therapy because the thought of not sleeping would only induce further distress and anxiety.

“Don’t take away what little sleep they have,” the hypnotherapist advised.

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

Depression and Sleep

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

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

John Kappas, Ph.D., observed that depressive sleep tends to be light, which allows the individual to maintain enough awareness of the environment and maintain a sense of being able to stay in control. Often, someone who is dealing with depression reports tossing and turning throughout the night and easily awakens. However, the person’s belief that he or she does not sleep at all is usually not completely accurate, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder stated.

The hypnotherapist can prove that the client actually does sleep by having the individual place an illuminated clock beside the bed. That way, the individual can always see what time it is whenever his or eyes open. For one week the person should record the time whenever he or she wakes up, and then try to drift back to sleep. By the time the person finally “gets up” out of bed in the morning, the individual can look back at the times he or she woke up during the night to see that there were some solid hours spent asleep—usually between three to five hours.

“If you get that pattern, and the person has had some sleep (a nap) during the day, people can get by on five hours of sleep,” Dr. Kappas explained. Once the person realizes that he or she is actually getting some sleep, the anxiety about not sleeping usually disappears and the person sleep six to eight hours a night. “This mechanism works pretty well with depressive sleepers, and we use it quite regularly.”

However, if the person is genuinely unable to sleep at all, he or she will not have venting dreams and therefore is at risk of stimulus overload and a subsequent loss of the critical thinking/reasoning process. In this case, it would be inappropriate to use dream therapy because the thought of not sleeping would only induce further distress and anxiety.

“Don’t take away what little sleep they have,” the hypnotherapist advised.

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