If I was given a choice about the genre of books I could read and movies
and television shows I could watch, and I was limited to just one genre,
mysteries/thrillers would be my choice, hands down. For me, nothing is as
interesting or thrilling as a complicated puzzle to solve. When that puzzle surrounds
human behavior, emotions and motivations, to quote a famous (fictional) 19th-Century
investigator, “The game is afoot!”
I don’t know precisely what fascinates me about these stories. A
complicated plot with multi-dimensional characters certainly makes for
entertaining study. Is the puzzle or crime realistic? Is the “bad guy” as
likely to be a sympathetic character as the “hero” is to be potentially flawed
or even irritating? The straight-up plot of detestable criminal going
toe-to-toe with an all-around saintly investigator does not interest me, nor is
it very realistic. People and their motives and emotions are complicated, and I
think this should also be true in a fictional tale.
Referring to Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s
Theory of Mind, our behavior is built and based on a series of experiences and
beliefs that create the Subconscious
Mental Script. It is ultimately difficult or even impossible to imagine an
existence that is different from our own or to behave in a way that is out of
our realm of experience—until we learn how, that is. I think it was William
Shakespeare who once said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” (A similar version
of this philosophy is also in Ecclesiastes
1:9). Fantastic stories about vigilante heroes who wear long capes or
modern-day armor and can soar through the air, solving essentially familiar
crimes that center on jealousy and vengeance, are still too “unknown” to me.
If it’s between Marvel Comic’s Batman versus Colin Dexter’s
curmudgeonly yet brilliant Chief Inspector
Morse or Chelsea Cain’s emotionally damaged
Detective Archie Sheridan, I’ll take the detective mysteries, thank you very
much. I can wrap my mind around inexplicable deaths in bucolic Oxford, England
and the complicated relationship between a Portland, Oregon detective and his
quarry, a beautiful serial killer. I have visited these cities and the crimes
depicted, while often horrible and grotesque, are still believable. Indeed, when I was working on my post-graduate degree in London,
I heard a news report that a corpse had been found buried under floorboards in
a home. I had recently started watching the Inspector Morse series on
television, and an episode that aired around the same time featured a similar macabre
discovery. I remember wondering if art was imitating reality, or was it the
other way around.
I also find that mysteries involve a bit of reader-participation, which I
really enjoy. Sure, it’s easy to get swept away with the action depicted in a
romance or historical novel. But when there is a question to answer or a puzzle
to solve, all of my senses become heightened. I understand best through
inference and metaphor, so whenever a character does or says virtually anything, I can’t help but wonder about
the potentially hidden meaning behind that action. Was that a clue? What does that gesture or throwaway
reference suggest? If the prime suspect’s brother created that object, why does
he (the suspect) have it in his own home? Maybe that character isn’t really who
we think he (or she) is.
Whether I am watching the story unfold on-screen or poring over the
descriptions in a book, I can’t help myself from looking for clues about the
crime depicted in the plot. I study the descriptions of behavior and I draw on
my background in psychology and hypnotherapy training to figure out the motivations
of the characters. It is always fun for me to be able to solve part or all of
the mystery along with the fictitious investigators, but I actually prefer the
ones that I can’t figure out without
the protagonist’s detailed explanation.
I believe that in some way, vicariously solving those puzzles helps keep
me in shape for my work as a certified hypnotherapist. These stories
enable me to use the creative, imaginative part of my mind to identify and
apply some of the theories and behavior models I have studied. According to Neuro-Linguistic Programming
models I use in my hypnotherapy practice, inflection of the voice or flushing
of the skin is a clue to a person’s emotions and behaviors. So when I come
across a description of this kind of physiological change in a character’s
body, my own behavioral-detection radar goes up. Of course, obviously my work is
very different from that of a licensed investigator or police detective. I may
only work with individuals to help them achieve vocational and avocational
self-improvement goals. If you want help to overcome writer’s block to complete
a John Creasey Silver Dagger-award winning mystery a là the Chief Inspector Gamache series
by Louise Penny, give me a call. However,
I’m not the one to call to help you solve the actual crime upon which your
best-selling book is based.
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/.
© 2016
