Intuition

(This blog was originally posted on July 22, 2015)

Photo courtesy of Fotolia

     I believe that intuition is one of the most valuable perceptions that people have. It isn’t about mind-reading or fortune-telling per se, although some people do possess this gift. I am talking about a skill that I consider practical intuition. It manifests itself as that gut instinct or a little voice in our mind that tells us to do something or go somewhere (or not). It is that urge or behavior that we cannot logically explain or identify its origin, but benefits us when we follow this inexplicable instruction.

According to Hypnosis Motivation Institute John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind, at birth humans know only two responses: a reaction to the fear of falling and a reaction to the fear of loud noises. Every other belief and behavior is learned through identifying a stimulus (e.g., smell, sound, taste, sight, touch) and associating it with a positive or negative response or experience (knowns). In turn, these associations create our life script (mental script), and we continue to behave in ways which we have learned “work” to help us accomplish a particular goal. It is not practical or efficient for our brains to actively process and respond to each of the millions of pieces of data (message units). Therefore, once the critical area of the mind identifies this random data as a known in the SCM, we can ignore the stimulus and go on our way. This is where and how I believe our practical intuition kicks in.

Consider, again, the fear of falling and fear of loud noises that we are born with. Generally speaking, falling can be lethal to humans and other animals. Similarly, a loud noise is often associated with real or perceived danger, such as the crack of thunder during an electric storm. Thunder is loud and it can definitely be very scary, which is good, because it generally sends us looking for shelter from a lightning strike that can injure or kill. Now imagine the infinitesimal quantity of information that your subconscious mind perceives and associate with the incoming storm. When the SCM identifies message units that it associates with these primitive fears, the metaphoric alarm bells will be going off in your mind to warn and protect you of possible danger.

Neuro-scientists contend that the human brain perceives and processes so much data that most people have no idea how much they really know or are capable of. (The potential deleterious effect of this unharnessed power is the concept behind Lucy, a new movie starring Scarlett Johannson.) What if our powers of intuition come from our subconscious ability to interpret those millions pieces of miniscule sensory data, identify this information and behave in a way that will is most likely to benefit our well-being? I believe that each one of us is naturally able to intuit a likely outcome to a situation or problem, positive or negative. Unfortunately, that niggling voice of self-doubt and lack of trust in our inexplicable insight keeps getting in the way.

 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

 

“It’s Not What I Expected…”

     Most people have preconceived ideas about what something will or should be like. These expectations are based on the mental scripts or subconscious associations (knowns) that guide their beliefs and behaviors. For example, when I ordered a plate of fish and chips at lunch today, I was stunned to receive a plate of potato chips, not French fries, with my fried fish. Don’t get me wrong: the chips I received were home-made and very tasty. However, I had been looking forward to eating a serving of the British version of chips—steaming, thick wedges of fried potato—with salt and malt vinegar. I was initially disappointed that the restaurant didn’t seem to “get” the fact that when “chips” are served with fried fish, they should and traditionally are French fried potatoes. But once I got over being shocked about this apparent misunderstanding, I also had to laugh. The menu listed fish and chips, and in the United States, “chips” means potato chips. I expected to receive fries because I incorrectly inferred that they were on the menu based on my known, personal experience of what it means to eat fish and chips. The meal was not what I expected to be served, but it was still very enjoyable.

     I think people have similar expectations and a similar kind of experience the first time they come in for hypnotherapy. They have so many ideas about what will happen when they are hypnotized that it sometimes takes a little while for them to relax and appreciate all of the nuances of what they are experiencing. If they ever watched or participated in a stage-hypnosis performance, they might expect that they may also “have” to behave in an uncharacteristic and possibly embarrassing way during a hypnotherapy session. Similar to the description of the food I ordered at lunch today, many people have preconceived ideas about what hypnosis and hypnotherapy are, and what will happen when they are hypnotized.  Therefore, it is very important that I can reassure my clients how and why this will not be the case. I explain how I use hypnosis and therapeutic guided-imagery techniques to help them person relax and emphasize why I include their specific words and motivations in their hypnotic scripts to change undesired behaviors.

     In the years that I have been working as a certified hypnotherapist, people have expressed feeling the most surprise at how completely relaxed and comfortable they felt during the session. Many have even confessed that hypnotherapy wasn’t what they expected in the same sentence they tell me that they didn’t know what to expect. Once out of hypnosis, when they really start to notice (feel) the subtle changes of physical energy that I observed during the session they express surprise at feeling so relaxed, so focused, so good. This positive experience will create a new known in their subconscious mind: hypnotherapy facilitates changing unwanted behaviors so they can strive for and achieve their vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

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

Hypnotherapy for Stress Management

(This blog was originally posted on July 29, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

    Many things in our lives can trigger a stress response. Driving in heavy traffic, dealing with quarreling children, anxiety about finances, moving, changing jobs and death of or separation from a spouse are just a few incredibly stressful life events. Even typically “happy” occasions such as getting married or having a baby are often overwhelming and, yes, stressful. Fortunately, hypnotherapy and therapeutic guided imagery can help manage that stress so you can get on with living and enjoying your life.

     When people seek hypnotherapy for stress-management, one of the first things I do is help them understand how and why they experience stress and respond in an undesired way in the context of John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind. Once they achieve a very deep state of hypnosis, I gradually introduce specific aspects or qualities of those triggers so they can become used (desensitized) to whatever is causing the stress or anxiety. In so doing, this process also creates a new mental script in their subconscious minds that emphasizes a state of relaxation and their ability to control how they perceive and respond to this negative stimulus. I incorporate the clients’ own words in individualized hypnotic scripts to reinforce this state of deep relaxation and increase their motivation to continue to manage/control their stress when they return to an alert and aware state.

     I also use therapeutic guided imagery to reinforce this new known (relaxation) and help them block the stress from getting into the clients’ conscious and subconscious minds. For example, they can visualize, imagine, picture or pretend that they are wearing a thick coat of armor or are covered in an invisible shield of energy that repels and dissolves the stressor. Alternatively, the therapeutic concept of a double-bind reinforces the relaxation response, whereby the harder they try to experience stress or any other kind of negative emotion about the stressor the more relaxed they will feel.

     Finally, when they are in an alert state, I teach these clients how to recreate the same relaxed and calm demeanor they experienced during hypnosis by activating a subconscious anchor. This is achieved by drawing a deep breath while pressing or rubbing the thumb and index finger together, and then releasing the breath on the word “calm.” The Emotional Freedom Technique is another effective tool to help manage stress.

     Contact me today for more information about how hypnotherapy can help you manage stress in your life!

 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