Hypnotherapy for Impotence

(This blog was originally posted on March 10, 2016)

 

Photo by Rick Hustead

Sometimes, anxiety about sexual intimacy can really break the romantic mood. While it can be frustrating and potentially embarrassing, however, one or two instances of impotence do not have to signal the end of the relationship. It is normal for men to experience impotence at some stage of their lives, particularly as they grow older. Hypnotherapy and guided imagery can be powerful tools to reduce anxiety and build and help the person sustain an aroused state. However, before employing these to treat impotence, the client must have a physical exam with his physician to confirm that there is not a physiological reason such as diabetes or prostate issues, etc., that are preventing him from achieving an erection. Once a physical cause is ruled out, the hypnotherapist can address the symptom from an emotional and behavioral standpoint.

John Kappas, Ph.D., recommended that the first question the consulting hypnotherapist should ask is whether the client has been able to function well sexually in the past. Has the individual ever been able to achieve a full erection before this current episode of impotence? It is also important to ascertain whether the individual has experienced an emotional trauma during his life; this can also affect sexual arousal and performance. If so, it may be necessary to guide the client through the different stages of trauma or grief before addressing his impotence, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder said.

Dr. Kappas recommended using the Law of Association to get the client past the first stage of arousal (partial erection) to the second stage (a full erection). While he is relaxed in hypnosis, the hypnotherapist should provide suggestions where the client alternately visualizes or imagines that he is healthy and able to function normally in a sexual relationship. Alternate the suggestions between images of the client having a full erection, then a partial erection and then a full one. Next, have him visualize or imaging that he is with his current sexual partner talking about sex and developing an erection. Once this is achieved, have the client visualize or imagine that he has gone through stages one and two of the arousal cycle and is getting ready for sex. “Each time you think, verbalize or get into a sexual behavior or penetration, you’ll get a very rigid erection and feel very confident,” the hypnotherapist advised.

It is also important to explain to the client how drinking alcohol, taking certain medications or smoking cigarettes can impede arousal. Such abstention is particularly important on a weekday, when the person is more likely to experience stress from work during the day, Dr. Kappas said. Finally, provide a hypnotic suggestion that the client will have an early-morning venting dream to release any suppressed thoughts that prevent his achieving a full erection and facilitate the arousal 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/.

© 2017

Hypnotherapy and Multiple Personalities

Photo by Rick Hustead

In a previous blog titled Hypnosis Is Not a Cure for Paranoia and Schizophrenia, I explored the complex issues surrounding working with a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. According to Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., since schizophrenia is a medical and psychological illness, working with such a client is generally considered “out of scope” for hypnotherapists.* 

In an archived instructional video I watched during my hypnotherapy residency training at HMI, Dr. Kappas worked with a woman who had multiple personalities. Following are several emotional and behavioral clues this person manifested which might indicate that she was in a dissociated state and should be referred immediately to a licensed medical or mental-health professional for further evaluation and/or treatment. (In addition to his expertise in hypnotherapy, Dr. Kappas was a licensed psychotherapist, which was why he was legally allowed to work with this client.)

• Loss of time: The individual concedes that he or she does not know or is unable to remember where he or she is/has been.

• Dissociation with self: The client claimed to be a different person in certain situations, such as when she was with her lover and even to be aware of that other identity. “[Did] you notice how quickly she answered when I asked, ‘Are you aware of that other part of yourself?’ and she answered, ‘Yes’?”

• Strict religious upbringing: This may induce guilt to the point that the client repressed her (stated) sexual urges, Dr. Kappas observed.

• Incongruent behavior: The individual may possess characteristics and values of one type of (Emotional or Physical) sexual personality but behave in a completely opposite way. The client was actually a high Emotional Sexual personality, but she talked about things that were more commonly associated with a Physical Sexual. She also spoke like a Physical Sexual, he pointed out. “We see [one] personality and hear another one,” he explained.

• Confusion about why she did something.

In the dissociated state, this individual may have experienced things she thought should be different,” Dr. Kappas said. “The client’s only escape [as an Emo] was to come outside of herself.” If there are a lot of religious ties and guilt, and the person can’t or doesn’t think she can behave the way she wants to, she will dissociate to compensate for the guilt. “This is very typical of an Emotional Sexual female,” Dr. Kappas said.

 

*Business and Professions Code 2908: 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

Thoughts of the Day

Photo by Sara Fogan

      Every now and then I like (and need) to take a few moments and remind myself about what is really important to me, in my life. If you follow me on my Calminsense Hypnotherapy Facebook page you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these Quotes of the Day are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

• “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – R. Buckminster Fuller

• “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein

• “Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.” – Benjamin Franklin

• “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you. Figure out what you have to say.” – Barbara Kingsolver

• “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” – Brené Brown

• “Oh yes. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.” – Rafiki, The Lion King

• “Honesty without compassion and understanding is not honest, but subtle hostility.” – Rose N. Frarnzblau

• “Every complaint is a little story the mind makes up that you completely believe in.” – Eckhart  Tolle

• “Never allow someone else’s doubt to become your reality.” – Bruce Van Horn

• “Focus on things you can do something about.” – Lolly Daskal

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