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| Photo by Sara Fogan |
The
rainy season seems to have officially arrived in Southern California. For the
past few days the rain has just been pouring down. That is great news for residents,
wildlife and flora that live in this state because California is in a drought. Of
course, the rain has created some tricky footing at local training barns. Today
was the first time in several days that the ground was firm enough for my horse
and his herd-mates to get turned out to play. They had been locked up in their
stalls with nowhere to go since Saturday, so their frustration (“cabin fever”)
was understandably high. The instant they were turned out—after their
obligatory roll in the mud, that is—all they wanted to do was run and play.
My gelding galloped around the paddock
with his tail held high and flowing behind him just like horse in The Black Stallion. Sometimes he would
come back down to do a beautiful passage for a few strides before snorting and
picking up the pace again. Meanwhile, the other geldings turned out with him
did versions of the same routine, occasionally throwing in a buck or two for
good measure. This went on for ten or fifteen minutes until they worked off
their pent-up energy. Then, almost simultaneously, the horses resumed their
usual turn-out routine of wandering around the paddock sniffing the ground
looking for a stray piece of hay or nibbling leaves off the nearby pepper trees.
Their ability to just turn down the adrenaline and go all Zen like that was
remarkable, especially after watching them play so hard just moments before. If
I hadn’t known better, I would have doubted that any rambunctious play ever
occurred at all.
Of course, this is typical of horses. Over
the millennia, these prey animals have evolved and survived by conserving
energy (i.e., doing very little whenever possible) so they can tap into vast
stores of energy to flee perceived danger at any time. Even when we’re working,
if Galahad should shy at something, I know he will come right back to my aids and
we continue the ride as if nothing has happened when he believes that whatever
danger he perceived has passed. Several times a week, my cat suddenly,
inexplicably runs around the house and practically bounces off the walls and
furniture when something annoys her. However, once she’s got that out of her
system she just curls up for a long nap and acts as if nothing ever happened.
So, why do humans seem to have so much more difficulty releasing the past and
letting go of previous frustration or annoyance? I wonder.
John Kappas, Ph.D., the founder of the
Hypnosis
Motivation Institute, used to say that it is impossible to have two
opposite emotions or reactions at the same time. For example, you cannot
experience joy and sadness, or anxiety and relaxation at the same time. If you
don’t believe me, think about the last time you were very happy about something
you had just done: perhaps you just earned your certification at HMI or started
a well-deserved vacation in your favorite location. Did you even notice (let
alone dwell on) anything negative in your environment at this time? If
something untoward did occur, did you resolve the problem and return to your
more positive attitude, or did you remain frustrated and agitated? The point
is, you didn’t experience both conflicting emotions at the same time, because
you couldn’t. None of us could.
Everyone has a different level of tolerance
for stress and anxiety the same way that everyone has a different ability to
deal with the things that stress, hurt or annoy them. Perhaps you go for a run,
shoot hoops or participate in some kind of physical activity to blow off steam
when you are frustrated. Some people turn to food, drink or other substances to
help them get through a challenging time. Still others write in a journal, talk
to friends or meditate. What do you do? Are you able to work through and
release frustration in a safe, proactive and productive way? To find out how hypnotherapy and
therapeutic guided imagery can help you learn to let go of that negative
experience or association that has been holding you back and free you to
achieve your self-improvement goals, contact me at (661) 433-9430 or send
e-mail to calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.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/.
© 2014
