Back in the Saddle Again

(This blog was originally posted on January 19, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan

 

I am sure that most people—even non-equestrians—have heard the expression that you must get right back on the horse if it bucks you off. It is not about teaching the horse a lesson or proving that we won’t let him “beat us.” Contrary to popular belief, this philosophy is actually about helping riders to regain their self-confidence after a fall or other negative experience with a horse. This philosophy has even become a metaphor for picking yourself up and overcoming a challenge in various contexts (work, relationships, riding a bike). It also happens to be a perfect example of how I use hypnotherapy to help my clients replace negative associations to a person or event with a new “known” or positive association with that situation.

Few horses are malicious in that they intend to buck off or “lose” their riders. Regardless of the cause of the incident, provided you and your horse are physically unhurt and able to do continue, it is very important (psychologically) for you to get back on your horse. This is because as more time passes between the fall and riding again, your subconscious mind is strengthening the new, negative association(s) between riding, that specific horse and any negative self-talk that may be in bouncing around in your mind. You want to eradicate and replace any of those negative associations with positive ones of enjoying yourself and riding/spending time with your equine partner. You don’t have to ride fast or even very far. If you are more comfortable riding in a smaller arena than going on a trail ride, that’s fine. Do this work where you feel most comfortable—even if it is standing still with another person or your instructor holding the horse on a line. The objective of this part of the ride is to create new positive associations between your horse, being on and with your horse, feeling comfortable, being relaxed and enjoying yourself. Focus on taking slow, deep breaths. Pat your horse and reassure him that you are still there and that everything is okay. (By the way, these actions will comfort and relax you, too.)

I hope these suggestions help you to relax and enjoy the time you spend with your horse, regardless of what is going on around you. I am not a riding instructor, and I encourage everyone to consult with a trainer or instructor to resolve riding and horse-related issues. However, I have found from personal experience as well as my hypnotherapy work with other equestrians that setting positive expectations for a good ride is the most effective way to achieve that goal. For more information about my hypnotherapy work with equestrians, please contact me via my website at www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com.

 

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/.

 

 

How Hypnosis Has Helped Me

(This blog was originally posted on March 5, 2014)

 

 

                I graduated from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute as a certified hypnotherapist in 2005. Since then, I have helped many clients achieve various vocational and avocational self-improvement goals such as quit smoking, overcome a fear of flying or driving, improve self-confidence and self-esteem, overcome test anxiety, improve study skills and improve sport performance. Following are some examples of how my hypnotherapy training has helped me to achieve some of my own self-improvement goals and change unwanted behaviors.

·         Overcome my anxiety about driving on freeways. John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind model was the biggest influence here: Since the mind is uncomfortable about and resists doing unknown activities, I knew I would feel more relaxed and comfortable driving freeways by just doing it. It took me a few weeks of round-trip journeys to HMI in Tarzana and reminding myself that once freeway driving was no longer an unknown to me that I truly did get comfortable navigating Southern California’s biggest and busiest motorways.

 

·         Increase and improve my patience with myself (and others): Before I started my hypnotherapy training, I was usually very tense and impatient (usually with myself). Now, when I get frustrated I immediately use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to disarm negative self-talk and reframe the situation by turning it into a learning experience.

 

·         “Keep calm and carry on.” Sir Winston Churchill was right: the calmer you are, the easier it will be to survive a crisis. Now that I can recognize and identify my potential stress triggers, I can employ relaxation and breathing techniques to maintain a calm and relaxed demeanor to weather just about any kind of storm—literal or metaphoric. These days, what would have been a “crisis” ten years ago is a non-event because I am able to remain calm and relaxed; in turn, this mellow state enables me to focus on the situation and come up with an appropriate solution to the problem.

 

·         Take better care of myself. One of the extra benefits of my hypnotherapy training is that I learned a lot about how maintaining a healthy lifestyle (or not) affects my mood and ability to function during the day. I try to eat a well-balanced diet and get plenty of sleep at night so I can remain energetic and focused on what I am doing during the day and avoid that jittery feeling I get if I drink too much coffee or my blood-sugar level starts to drop when I haven’t eaten in a long time.

 

·         Analyze my dreams. Dream analysis helps my clients to work through unresolved issues in their lives. It is a lot of fun for me—and very enlightening—to analyze my own dreams to find out what my subconscious mind is really trying to tell me!

 

When you are ready to learn more about what your subconscious mind has to tell you, give hypnotherapy a try. It is definitely a mind-opening experience—and you will get to enjoy a mental massage in the process!

 

 

 

 

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/.

© 2014

 

Because...That's What You Like

(This blog was originally posted on February 3, 2014)

 

 

                In the February 2, 2014 episode of Sherlock, that ever-perceptive and insightful sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, pointed out the obvious to his good friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson. Watson had experienced certain stressful, potentially traumatic and even life-threatening events during his life because he had invited those situations to occur. Even his choices of friends (Sherlock) and life partner were being dictated by these subconscious messages, preferences, choices that Watson kept making, over and over again because, basically, that is what the good doctor liked.

                Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., explained this behavior in his Theory of Mind: Each person’s subconscious learns and adopts behaviors and ways of thinking from a very young age. By the time you are about 5 years old the blueprint of your future beliefs and behaviors is established, based on what you have learned during these early years of your life. For example, if you like (or even hate) to eat a particular kind of food, it is likely that you were given this or a similar item as a youngster. You associate the experience of eating this item with memories about how it tasted, if you like the taste, who served it to you/who was with you, etc. Other behaviors and interests (preferences) are learned in a similar way: Some people prefer to stay at home on a Friday night and curl up with a good book or watch something on television, instead of going to a party with their friends. Others enjoy skydiving and participate in various high-adrenaline sports; they think nothing of skiing down a “widow-maker” slope. Some people enjoy the hustle and thrum of having a busy social life while living in the center of a bustling city. Others prefer a quiet family life in the suburbs.

These are extreme examples of personalities at either end of a spectrum, but the drive or motivation behind these preferences comes from the same place: the subconscious mind. This is the place where you store and reinforce your beliefs and behaviors by doing what you do—without thinking about it—every time you say, think or do that behavior. Even if you do not consciously like or enjoy the belief or behavior that you reinforce, by now it has become comfortable, familiar (pleasure) to you—even if it is not “pleasurable.” According to Dr. Kappas, everyone carries the association and enjoyment (or not) of our “known” behaviors and beliefs throughout your life or, until you are motivated to change this belief or behavior.

I help my hypnotherapy clients to change their various unwanted behaviors; hypnotherapy works because and when the person wants to make this change. Your subconscious mind may know what you really want, but in your conscious mind you have the will-power, decision-making, reasoning and logic to literally change your mind.

 

 

 

 

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/.

© 2014

 

With Your Permission and Only With Your Permission, Part 2

(This blog was originally posted on January 21, 2014)

 

                I could not believe it.  Sunday night, right before my (and thousands of viewers’) eyes, a random hypnotist essentially ambushed a beloved character of the television series I was watching. Bam! Right in the middle of a critical scene in the episode, the hypnotist addressed the character by name, gave a command (eye fascination) and did a rapid induction to knock him out long enough for critical elements of the plot to make sense and the storyline to move along. Following are my reasons why this scene worked—and made sense—in the context of Hypnosis Motivati­on Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s definition of hypnosis and the following key elements of the plot:

1.       According to Dr. Kappas, hypnosis is “[a state] created by an overload of message units that disorganizes our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state [that provides] access to the subconscious mind.” The character was distraught and in a state of high anxiety when the hypnotist approached him. He didn’t want to/wouldn’t physically leave the scene, but this opportunity for temporary “escape” into hypnosis was an easy way to escape the trauma and drama going on around him.

2.       The hypnotist was calm and in control—and took control of the situation. He spoke the protagonist’s name and commanded the character to look at him.

3.       The hypnotist appeared to use a variation of the direct-gaze shock induction to hypnotize the protagonist. This is a legitimate rapid-induction technique in which a hypnotist has the person look him in the eye and supports his or her upper body during the physical aspect of the induction.

4.       The hypnotist used the key phrase, “deep sleep” that is typically employed during hypnosis. At the end of the scene, once key plot details had been resolved, the hypnotist counted the character back up to full awareness.

When I saw this scene unfold every cell in my body screamed “foul!” at the irresponsible depiction and unethical/immoral application of hypnosis. The technique that the hypnotist employed, and the context in which he used it, was in no way hypnotherapy. However, considering the protagonist’s overwrought emotional state and the activity going on around him, it was easy to understand how this scene was a perfect example of Dr. Kappas’ explanation of how and why hypnosis works. I think the inclusion of a rogue hypnotist doing a rapid induction to temporarily overwhelm the character’s already-overloaded subconscious mind was an ingenious, extra detail that will keep fans talking about this episode for a long time.

 

 

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/.

© 2014

 

With Your Permission and Only With Your Permission, Part 1

(This blog was originally posted on January 20, 2014)

 

                If you do not want to be hypnotized—whether you do not believe that hypnosis will work for you or resist being hypnotized because you are afraid—you won’t be. I repeat the statement, “with your permission and only your permission” throughout the session to remind my clients that they can choose to be hypnotized and actualize their desired behavior changes. I also use my clients’ own words to reinforce their emotions, reasons and motivations for making these changes. As a certified hypnotherapist, I use hypnosis is a tool to help you change behaviors that no longer work for you and replace them with behaviors, strategies, etc. that you want and believe will improve your quality of life. During hypnosis, you are completely aware of everything going on around you. If you wouldn’t say or do something when you are completely alert, you wouldn’t and could not be made to do anything in hypnosis that opposes your beliefs, morals and ethical principles.

                 Therefore, I tend to be very critical of how and why hypnosis is depicted on television and in movies: a protagonist is “commanded” to do something that is completely out of character; the hypnotist erases and then replaces a character’s memory with a new, fictitious personal history and personality; or a person is “hypnotized” to behave in a particular way simply to move the plot along. In these scenarios, the character is completely unaware that he has been hypnotized; he just carries out the hypnotist’s bidding and does whatever needs to be done to move the plot along. Imagine my surprise that I not only bought the hypnosis-ambush of a character in a popular detective series, but it made absolute sense why this scenario worked and was believable.

               

 

 

               

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/.

© 2014

Are You Ready?

 (This blog was originally posted on March 23, 2014)



Photo courtesy of Microsoft

 

                When we were children, it seemed as though nothing can happen soon enough. Whether we were looking forward to our next birthday, Christmas or Chanukah, summer vacation or any number of events during the year, all we had to do was wait for the next occasion to occur to enjoy some kind of reward. We didn’t even have to do anything in particular to get to that next big event, either; it just magically happened whether or not we were particularly engaged in the process. Of course, even when we tried to preoccupy ourselves with hobbies, spending time with friends or doing homework or chores, it took forever for the next milestone to roll around. Once our 16^th birthday came around we were automatically eligible to take a driving test and get that coveted driver’s license. Sure, we had to put in some hours behind the wheel with a driving instructor and study a handbook—a few of us remember practicing on driving simulators in high school—but that wasn’t work; it was a rite of passage. Two years later we could vote; at 21, we could legally buy and drink alcohol.

But as adults, opportunities and events rarely drop into our laps that way anymore. We usually have to put in a lot of work and have a lot of motivation to reach a goal or milestone. Also, there is no specific timeline when you can expect to reap the rewards of all your efforts. Days, weeks, months and even years can pass without making any obvious progress toward our goal; it is easy to become frustrated and even disillusioned about when/whether/if we will ever get our next “break.” An immediate, successful outcome is no longer guaranteed. Sometimes life steps in and replaces the original goal and desired outcome with something better than you could have ever dreamed of.

Consequently, one of the biggest challenges many of us face is being patient with ourselves as we strive to achieve a new goal. Even though we “know” that we have to work hard to achieve a goal, your subconscious mind learned and remembers that some things do just come to us without much effort: our birthday still comes around every year, whether we want it to or not; and fairytales about a prince coming to rescue his damsel in distress (you, me?) were ingrained in many people’s minds and fantasies from a very young age. I enjoy helping people work to achieve new goals because this is a rare opportunity for them to learn how to slow down and take stock of all areas of their lives, not just the goal they are striving to achieve. For example, as you pursue that promotion at work are you compromising your health by getting little or no sleep and poor nutrition? The physical consequences of these behaviors could affect your perception, mood and ability to focus or problem-solve, which could inadvertently jeopardize your chances of being promoted. Are you so focused on completing that project that you neglect relationships with or responsibility to family or friends? Are you so focused on attracting that perfect partner that you pay no attention to your professional goals and other social bonds? Where and how will your goal, once it is accomplished, fit and balance with other important areas of your life? Hypnotherapy and therapeutic-guided imagery provide great opportunities to explore these issues and create strategies for achieving and enjoying these accomplishments when they (finally) occur.

I recently read a message on Facebook that Chris Cox, an acclaimed horseman and one of my role models, posted to his followers about finding balance in his professional and personal life. Mr. Cox wrote about all of the years he spent working and building his horsemanship company, traveling all over the world and working so hard to get where he is today. In the past few years, he has gotten married and now has two little children—the family he wanted for so long. He finished the post by saying that he loves what he does and he is proud of the company he built; but he also wants to spend time with and enjoying his beloved family.

These sentiments perfectly sum up what I am talking about: There comes a time in our lives when we do have to work very hard and sometimes for a very long time to achieve a goal and live the dream we spent so long only imagining and waiting for. But while we are working and dreaming, life goes on. Plans, goals and even new dreams are realized, and we have to be ready and willing to welcome these experiences into our lives, too.

 

 

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/.

© 2014

 

How Hypnotherapy Is Like Muscle Memory

                                                 (This blog was originally posted on May 18, 2014)

 

 

                People use the term “muscle memory” a lot in the context of sports and athletic participation. But what is it all about, exactly? Wikipedia.com describes this phenomenon as a product of motor or procedural learning in which specific muscles or muscle groups learn and remember how to do a particular movement after repeating that motion many times over a period of time. It is even possible to improve how you execute this motion as it becomes more automatic in your behavioral repertoire of sports or other movements, such as dancing or playing the guitar.

                While I do not discount the existence of muscle memory, I would contend that it is born not just in a specific part of the body that you use for the desired behavior (e.g., body, arms or legs). Rather, I would argue that muscle memory starts where every other memory begins: in the mind—specifically, in the subconscious mind. The SCM triggers every action we make by sending an electrical impulse through the nervous system to activate the muscle(s) we need to carry out the intended or even unintended or undesired behavior. According to Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind, our only natural or innate responses are the reaction to a fear of falling and the reaction to a fear of loud noises. As the subconscious mind takes in more and more new information, we learn new behaviors and develop personal beliefs. Eventually, we don’t even don’t even think about what we need to do to achieve a desired result, we just do it. Most of us have not thought about what our body must do in order to just walk since we took our first steps as a toddler. Who hasn’t heard the expression, “Once you ride a bike, you never forget how”?

                In fact, I use the idea and theory behind muscle memory in almost all of the hypnotic suggestions I craft for my clients. I create suggestions to reinforce the person’s motivations to change the undesired habit or adopt a desired behavior; then, I reinforce this motivation with guided imagery in which the individual is achieving the desired goal. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between you swinging a golf club on the links versus imagining or pretending that you just made the perfect swing an achieved a hole-in-one while you are in hypnosis. Furthermore, the more times you repeat these desired behaviors in hypnosis or in a guided-imagery exercise, the more opportunities you have to lock those actions into your subconscious mind and in your muscle memory. It just takes repetition of the desired behavior—so I guide my clients through these exercises over and over to reinforce the behavior change during the hypnotherapy session and send them home with a track from the session to further reinforce this work. Hypnosis and guided-imagery techniques enable you to replace unwanted behaviors and adopt the ones you want using a process of repetition and memory similar to the way the muscles in your body learned and remember how to walk.

 

 

 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/.

© 2014