Application of Theory of Mind in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(This blog was originally posted on December 16, 2014)

        One of my favorite holiday traditions is to watch the 1964 stop-action film, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Yes, after repeating this activity since I was a very young child, it is now a subconscious known for me. So, last week I curled up in front of the television and sipped a home-made eggnog latte while I enjoyed the familiar story one more time. For fun, I tried to notice “new” things in and about the show that I might have overlooked in previous viewings. I did: I saw a tuft of bright yellow hair sprouting between the tiny antlers of Dasher, Rudolph’s new friend at the reindeer tryouts. And then it dawned on me that that Comet, the “coach” of the reindeer tryouts, was sporting a baseball cap as well as a whistle. How had I never spotted those details before? 

I know from my hypnotherapy training that it is normal and natural to not notice every aspect or characteristic about a person or an event. There are so many physical stimuli in the world that we could perceive that being consciously aware of each sensation would be completely overwhelming. To protect us from this kind of overload, the subconscious mind automatically associates and characterizes information (message units) as being “known,” or familiar; and “unknown,” or unfamiliar. Over time, we automatically ignore the known information because after repeated exposure, the SCM knows there is no associated danger with the stimulus and it can focus on other things. Conversely, a new piece of information can signify danger, and we will respond to that stimulus defensively until we feel safe and comfortable again.

This model forms the basis of Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind. According to Dr. Kappas, the subconscious part of the mind is uncomfortable about and resistant to doing new or different things even when the conscious mind (logic, reason, will-power/free-will and reasoning) says that it’s okay to do so. The SCM likes and wants to stick to what is familiar, comforting and safe: i.e., what it knows. Guess what? The characters in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer seemed to behave according to their own specific set of known and unknown message units, too. Furthermore, the characters’ attitudes and behaviors mirrored a lot of our own (e.g., bullying, low self-esteem, specific beliefs about the holidays). Following are more of my observations about the program in the context of Dr. Kappas’s Theory of Mind.

·         When Rudolph is born, his father, Donner, is horrified that his son has a shiny red nose. No other reindeer has a red nose. Even Santa Claus initially dismisses Rudolph as being eligible as a member of the sleigh team because of it. Donner immediately fashions a cover for the young buck’s nose to conceal Rudolph’s “nonconformity.” However, when the cover slips off to reveal Rudolph’s shiny nose after the flying tryouts (which he wins), his peers laugh at and ostracize him.

·         Meanwhile, back at Santa’s Castle, an elf named Hermey is having a hard time in the workshop. His boss and colleagues ridicule him because he wants to be a dentist, not a toymaker.

·         Even though their characteristics and talents are different (unknown) to each other, the fact that Hermey and Rudolph are social outcasts in their communities enables them to bond over this shared status. Later on, they also befriend Yukon Cornelius, a nonconforming mineral prospector who goes with them to the Island of Misfit Toys in hopes of finding someplace they all do fit in.

·         The Abominable Snow Monster of the North (The Bumble) is initially presented as a fearsome beast that only wants to ruin Christmas and probably bring physical harm to other creatures. He is huge with shaggy white fur, sharp teeth and long claws. The first time we see The Bumble, Donner is teaching Rudolph the fine art of being a reindeer. Suddenly there is a ferocious roar; after evading the Snow Monster by hiding behind a snowdrift, Donner tells his son how dangerous the monster is and that everyone must always be careful to avoid it. He doesn’t explain why the Bumble is so frightening and dangerous, but the young buck immediately files the information his father provided and the memory of his terrifying near-encounter with the beast as a new known. By the way, this scene is a great example of how youngsters develop their suggestibility.

·         Ultimately, as they become more familiar with each other’s differences, they become more comfortable with and even appreciative of their individual talents and characteristics. For example, Hermey the Elf’s dentistry skills also prove useful in rescuing Rudolph and his family when he removes all of the Abominable Snow Monster’s sharp teeth. Not only does this action make the Bumble far less scary to the citizens of Christmas Town, but also reveals the gentle creature he really wants to be. Meanwhile, Yukon Cornelius discovers that The Bumble’s secret wish is to be useful, and since he really is a nice guy and conveniently very tall, he’s given a job placing the star on top of Santa’s Christmas tree.

Of course, Rudolph’s shiny red nose wins everyone over when Santa realizes that the now-famous reindeer is the only one that can save Christmas by turning on his bright nose to guide the sleigh through a ferocious blizzard. And this outcome is probably the most famous “known” in the story—now legend—of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

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/.

© 2015

 

Bring a Buddy

(This blog was originally posted on December 10, 2014)

        Do you remember your first day of school? Mom or Dad—or maybe both parents—dropped you off in front of the school or even at your classroom. They probably gave you hugs and kisses and plenty of reassurance that everything would be okay, you’d have fun, etc. Perhaps they even tasked an older sibling to watch out for you at recess and lunch until you got settled in. Once you had been there for a while and had made friends of your own, you didn’t need to be under the family’s watchful eye so much. You’d be okay. Maybe, you’d even help another kid to settle in at the school who seemed worried or uncomfortable, too.

        Is it any different now that you are a grown-up? As humans (and social animals), we typically want and crave companionship of others. There is security in numbers, as they say; but there is also a sense of reassurance that everything really can be okay when you see and know someone who has experienced and succeeded in whatever you are going through. As hypnotherapist and Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., explained, anything new is likely to be “painful” to some degree because it is unknown and unfamiliar. However, a person’s suggestibility to other individuals can help to reduce this discomfort: As we observe someone else successfully negotiate a challenge we learn and/or infer how we can do the same thing.

        For example, the first time I took my horse out on a trail ride, my trainer rode his brother—an older and more experienced gelding—while she ponied him beside her. I didn’t ride Galahad that time out—I was on one of the schooling horses—because he had never been out on an organized ride like that before. My trainer wanted to be sure he would be relaxed, respectful and smart with people riding horses beside him. This way, we could all go for a walk around the neighborhood together with two more experienced horses and an experienced equestrian on-hand to relax and reassure me and my boy. I was new to the neighborhood and still fairly “new” to my horse, so this strategy was also great for me. I didn’t have to worry about getting lost on the circuitous streets near the barn, and I could observe how my horse behaved away from the barn without having to worry what to do if he didn’t behave.

        In fact, Galahad probably did the best of all that day. I do believe that having his big brother next to him was very reassuring during his new adventure. He kept looking all around him at the passing scenery as we made our way through the community. His ears flicked back and forth; sometimes he would blow contentedly as he followed us down one of the dusty streets. My trainer told me that my horse seemed to slow down as if he were dragging his hooves when we headed home. I was also more relaxed and relieved to be on that ride with a more experienced rider and horse. Just for safety’s sake, I do not ride alone—especially on an unfamiliar trail. In particular, I did not want to be on Galahad the first time he went out like this, without knowing what he was likely to do or how he might act away from the barn. Happily for us all, he was a star and we all had a wonderful time with our buddies to make a new, positive subconscious known (pleasure).

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/.

© 2015

New Tests

(This blog was originally posted on December 8, 2014)

 

Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan

       The first time I competed in a first dressage competition in 2011, I rode Candy, a part-Arabian mare I was leasing from Silver Gate Farms, the barn where I was training at the time. I can still remember the patterns for the classes we entered. Candy was (is) a wonderful, kind little mare who helped me get over some of my anxiety about showing my first time out. After all, she was a pro—a schooling horse who had been to (and won ribbons at) various competitions. I knew I could trust her to take care of me while we were in the arena and practicing in the schooling arena. So long as I remembered the patterns and when to apply my aids correctly I would be good to go.

          When the United States Dressage Federation announced that the new dressage tests were published for the 2015 competition season, starting December 2014, I must admit that my stomach dropped a little when I heard that news. I could still vividly remember each of the patterns I rode three years ago, and now I would have to learn new ones. During a dressage seminar at the 2011 Equine Affaire, Axel Steiner, a former dressage champion, explained that the organization updates the tests every three years. In fact, he had been on the panel that helped to construct the “new” tests, which would be out at the end of that year. He said that these revisions were made to hone and fine-tune elements that would challenge the equine and human participants while making the transitions less physically strenuous for the horse. I was and am all for making things more comfortable for the horse; however, the idea of having to memorize new patterns was a bit anxiety-inducing, to say the least.

Next time I ride in a show, I will be aboard my own horse, Galahad. Unlike Candy, who had been trained primarily as a hunter, Galahad is a dressage horse. He has the conformation for and self-carriage that is desired in the sport: every one of his movements comes from his hindquarters, from his measured walk to his rocking-horse canter. When he is training, the gelding often learns new schooling patterns quicker than I do. He enjoys doing transitions, and is happy as a clam executing them on a long or a short rein. Having said all that, unlike Candy, he has never been to or in a show arena. To borrow a sweet expression I once heard a competitor use to describe her horse, which was also his first competition, Galahad will be “a green bean” our first time out. 

No worries. I will approach training and preparing for our first competition the same way I help my equestrian clients get ready. Even though our first competition is many months away, I will start learning and memorizing the test(s) I plan to ride, now, so I don’t have to cram all of the elements in at the last moment. My trainer and I will continue to school Galahad as we have been doing, teaching and reviewing elements from the next level and incorporate portions of different tests I plan to ride, with what we are working on. I will take him on walks around the neighborhood to get him more relaxed and comfortable away from “home,” as it were, and to show him that the outside world is fun and exciting rather than scary and dangerous. (So far, to my relief and delight, Galahad is more curious about what goes on around him than afraid or wary.) And, as it gets closer to the time when I plan to take my horse to our first competition, I will arrange to bring him to a show or two to school him. I want to give him an opportunity to experience (see, hear and smell) what goes on at these events before we actually compete—to reassure him as well as me that everything is okay, comfortable and will be fun.

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/.

© 2015