Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of Photos.com 

As 2013 draws to a close, I want to thank my clients and everyone who has supported me and Calminsense Hypnotherapy® this year—and since I launched my hypnotherapy practice in 2005. It is hard to believe that nine years have gone by!

In addition to helping equestrians achieve their competition goals and improve their relationship and communication with their horse, I help people quit smoking, lose weight and maintain motivation to achieve a variety of vocational and avocational self-improvement goals. In 2014, I am also expanding the focus of my hypnotherapy practice to help individuals overcome performance anxiety in various areas: public speaking, preparation for school and state examinations, overcoming writer’s block, etc. I am also starting to work with individuals to deal with pain management*, hypnosis for pre- and post-surgery*, immune disorders* and post-traumatic stress disorder.* I continue to hone my skills in various techniques to increase my experience and expertise in applicable hypnotherapy techniques. I have recently earned certifications in: Emergency Hypnosis, Hypnosis and PTSD, Hypnosis for Crisis Intervention, Hypnosis and Eating Disorders and Hypnosis and Substance Abuse.

Finally, I revamped my website (www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com), which launched right before Christmas 2013. Please check out the new features, including a Questions & Answers section (Hypnotherapy tab), a list of my certifications, a description of the services I provide and more. As my hypnotherapy practice expands, I am now offering hypnotherapy sessions via Skype so I can work with you “virtually” even if we are not in the same state or even in the same time zone. Please contact me at calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com or call (661) 433-9430 for more information.

I hope you and yours have a very happy, healthy and safe New Year. I look forward to working with you in 2014!

 

*Requires a referral from a licensed medical practitioner and/or licensed mental health worker.

 

 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/.

What Will the New Year Hold For You?

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

It is important to associate positive emotion with positive energy/intent
to see your goals manifest the way you want them to.

                As the New Year approaches, many people begin take stock of all they have experienced this year. Some of us have experienced excitement and joy; some of us have experienced sorrow or disappointment. Some events were unexpected. Other events were planned. You may want to do some things over and over again…others, perhaps, not so much.

                As you think about all you have experienced in 2013, now allow your thoughts to turn to what you would like to do next year. What goal(s) do you want to achieve? With whom you want to spend time—and how much time—in the next 365 days? Take a few minutes to visualize, imagine, picture or pretend how you will spend the next year. Is there some place you want to visit or would like to live? What do you need to do get there? Do you want or need new to learn new skills? Is this the year you are going to quit an unhealthy behavior or habit? Set a reasonable and realistic timetable to achieve your goal, including specific plans to achieve it. Your goal(s) should be worded in such a way that your subconscious mind hears and understands that you are in the process of achieving them: i.e., I am quitting smoking, I have dropped (my goal of) pounds, etc.

Remember, the subconscious cannot differentiate between positive and negative, fantasy and reality. Use positive imagery and bring up positive emotions (confidence, enthusiasm, joy, etc.) to associate with these images. It is important to attach positive emotion with positive energy/intent to see your goals manifest the way you want them to.

 

 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/.

Affirmations



Photo courtesy of Microsoft

The best time to write affirmations is 30 minutes before you drift
off to sleep at night or within 30 minutes of waking up.

A lot of people write affirmations to reinforce positive behaviors and attitudes that they have adopted to change and improve their lives. I write affirmations, and I encourage my hypnotherapy clients to do this as well.

The best time to write affirmations is 30 minutes after you wake up or 30 minutes before you drift off to sleep. These times are important because this is when your subconscious mind is most receptive to  receive and process these messages. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between fantasy and reality, negative and positive, so be sure to use positive imagery and words that will reinforce your positive behaviors and attitudes. I also advise my clients to not watch or listen to the news or any programs/broadcasts that may contain negative or violent messages/imagery before bed.
 

 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/.

Where Does Suggestibility Come From?

Photo courtesy of iCLIPART

Words, tone of voice and body language influence suggestibility
from a very young age.

As I described in my previous blog (“Emotional and Physical Suggestibility,” 12/27/13), “suggestibility” refers to how we learn and process information. According to Hypnosis Motivation Founder John G. Kappas, Ph.D., we get our early suggestibility from how the primary caretaker (usually the mother) takes care of and interacts with us during early childhood (birth up to age 5). Words, tone of voice and body language create suggestibility, he explains.

For example, Mom says, “Clean your room, and then you can go out and play.” The physically suggestible child learns that Mom says what she means and means what she says: there will be no playtime until the room is clean. However, if Mom is inconsistent and does not always mean what she says or say what she means, the child learns by inference and will develop physical suggestibility. For example, Mom does not follow through with her demand that the child finish cleaning his room before being allowed to play: he fusses and cries until she finally relents and allows him to go outside to play. This child will develop emotional suggestibility. He will learn by inference and metaphor, constantly looking for hidden messages or meanings in each interaction or experience: “I know what you said; what did you mean?”

Although the primary caretaker is very influential in terms of developing a child’s suggestibility, other people in the youngster’s life also influence this learning process. Peers, teachers and others impact the child’s suggestibility between the ages 6 to 9. Children also become more critical and discerning from age 8, Kappas advises. Between ages 9 to 14, the secondary caretaker (usually father) also influences the child’s suggestibility.

 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/.

Emotional and Physical Suggestibility

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

 

“Would you please tell me your name?”

The way you respond to this question says a lot about you—your “suggestibility” and how you communicate and learn. John G. Kappas, Ph.D.’s discovery that not everyone receives suggestions the same way revolutionized the field of hypnotherapy.

In Kappasinian hypnotherapy, there are two kinds of suggestibility.

·         Physical    Literal and direct. “Yes”/ “No” (I will tell you my name.)

·         Emotional Inference and metaphor (looking for the meaning behind the words). “My name is…”

Suggestibility runs along a spectrum. It is not determined by gender or sexuality. While you may possess more “physical” than “emotional” suggestibility traits, you will still retain some characteristics of the subdominant suggestibility types. When I create hypnotic scripts for my clients, I always use their words to describe their goals, motivations for achieving that goal, emotions surrounding it, etc. However, your suggestibility will determine which words/phrases I use during your hypnotherapy session. For example, if you are a Physical Suggestible, and you are working with me to help you relax I will tailor the hypnotic script to include direct and literal suggestions/imagery: “relaxing.” If you are an Emotional Suggestible, I will use the metaphors and inferential imagery that represents relaxation to you: e.g., “calm, comfort” or even a nature scene that represents relaxation to you.

  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/.

 

 

Have You Ever Been Hypnotized Before?



Photo by Sara Fogan

A plethora of yummy and artistic goodies at JWI Confectionery

The first question I ask a new client is, “Have you ever been hypnotized?”
 
According to John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, “hypnosis is created by an overload of message units, disorganizing our inhibitory process, triggering our fight-flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” Even if you have never worked formally with a hypnotherapist or hypnotist, you have experienced hypnosis.


In fact, you are in a light state of hypnosis (trance) at least two times every day, 30 minutes after you wake up in the morning and 30 minutes before you drift off to sleep. Other examples of natural hypnosis include: have you ever been so deep in thought that you drive past your street or miss your off-ramp on the freeway? Do you ever get “lost” or confused weaving in and out of aisles in shopping-mall parking lots? Have you ever become so involved with the plot of a movie you were watching or a book you are reading that you feel disorientated for a few minutes after you finish watching/reading it? A very powerful example of environmental hypnosis is when someone stands still as a tornado (or tsunami wave, forest fire, etc.) barrels toward him—mesmerized by what he sees and seemingly unable to look away or flee to safety. Finally, in the rush of doing your holiday shopping, did you notice that you bought all of the gifts that you intended to purchase plus one or two unintended goodies for yourself?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, the advertisers and designers of those shop displays/parking lots, etc. did their jobs very well. And you have been hypnotized.

 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/.

 

 

 

 

Venturing into the Unknown

For many of us, doing something new or unfamiliar can be very scary. But, you know what? After you do that thing just one time it loses that essence of being scary. It becomes “known” to your subconscious mind and is integrated with your repertoire of behaviors. Your subconscious mind will file away the memory of that sensation, experience, or associated emotion for future reference for future behaviors the rest of your life—even if you never repeat the specific behavior. (Advanced calculus, anyone?)

John G. Kappas, Ph.D., and Alex G. Kappas Ph.D., revolutionized the practice of hypnotherapy based on their findings that not everyone receives hypnotic suggestions the same way (suggestibility). Suggestibility refers to how you learn, and it influences how you interpret every experience. In Kappasinian Hypnotherapy there are two categories of “known” (learned) experiences:

·         Pain: Anything new or unfamiliar (unknown). It may also refer to a physically or emotionally painful experience. 

·          Pleasure: An experience that is known and familiar, although it may not necessarily be pleasurable. “Pleasure” can be a positive or a negative emotional/physical experience.

When you first learned how to walk, the first step or two was probably wobbly. You probably held onto a parent’s hand for dear life for the first attempts; it may have taken a week before you could make it across a room without stumbling and falling down (Pain). Fast-forward a week, a year, 20 years to today. Now you are able to skip, jump and run without even thinking about it (Pleasure) because these activities are familiar and comfortable.

Just imagine all of the New Year’s Resolutions you will achieve when your subconscious mind recognizes and accepts that these new behaviors are now “knowns” and they are here to stay!

 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/.

Be the Author of Your Life!

 

When you were born, your mind was essentially a blank slate that was hard-wired with only two reactions: fear of loud noises and fear of falling. From then on, everything you experience—especially during the first eight years of life—influences the way you perceive and interact with the world. Every behavior or belief that you learned during those formative years becomes rooted in your subconscious mind. For example, the puppy that licked your face when you were three inspired your love for small animals. Perhaps your decision as a teen-ager to “try out” smoking cigarettes to fit in with your peers became a lifelong, pack-a-day habit. Such experiences help to create the “mental script” you will likely follow all of your life … or until you decide to rewrite it.
 

With 2014 just over one week away, you and many other people may be rewriting your mental script to accomplish a specific goal or two. Perhaps you want to manage your time better. Maybe would like to lose weight or (finally) stop smoking. Is there a sport or activity that you would like to do that, until today, you just haven't just got around to trying out yet.

As a certified hypnotherapist and master in therapeutic guided imagery, I am dedicated to helping you achieve your vocational (work) and avocational (hobby/relationship) goals through the process of hypnosis. Contrary to some popular beliefs, this centuries-old therapy it is not a vehicle of remote mind-control. The hypnotherapist cannot make you say or do anything that conflicts with your personal, ethical standards and desires. Rather, hypnosis is an effective, drug-free therapeutic tool that can help you make those desired changes. It works by accessing your subconscious mind and replacing behaviors and mental scripts that no longer work for you, with those that do. During hypnosis, the body is very comfortable and completely relaxed. You are conscious, alert and aware of what is going on around you, perhaps more so than during your normal “waking” state. You can also hear and respond to everything that the hypnotherapist suggests.

Common applications for hypnosis include: increasing self-confidence and self-esteem, resolving fears/phobias, lose weight, stop smoking and improve sport/job performance. Please check out the Appendix tab at www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com for a complete list of applications for hypnosis and hypnotherapy. I follow the standards for complete confidentiality as outlined in the ethical guidelines of the American Counseling Association for the conduct of counseling therapists are observed at all times. For more information and to make an appointment, call (661) 433-9430 or send e-mail to calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com.
 

I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals in 2014!

 

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/.