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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
Every
October 31, people have an opportunity to don costumes and assume temporary
identities of someone or even something else. I am fascinated by the
costume choices people make, whether they choose to embody Disney characters from the hit film, Frozen, favorite rock stars/musicians,
monsters (werewolves or vampires), superheroes, princesses/princes, animals or
even politicians. Halloween celebrations become a free-for-all of fantastical
expression; even grown-ups can get in on the fun. My question is: What, or who,
does that chosen alter-ego represent to the person behind the mask?
I
have observed that the costume expression that Halloween celebrants embody
range from fun and good-natured to genuinely frightening or even sinister. The
subconscious motivation of those dressed as heroes/superheroes, Disney
characters, royalty and other generally positive or benign identities might represent
the person’s abilities or personality or project an aspect of wish-fulfillment.
(Who hasn’t ever wanted to be a prince or princess, or to possess a super-human
skill that could save the world? I certainly did.) Perhaps the costume is even
a conscious projection of an intention to attract a skill or talent into the
person’s life, which is represented what he or she is wearing.
At
the other end of this spectrum are costumes that are designed to trigger
anxiety or even a fear response. Apparently the zombies from The Walking Dead
television series are popular costume choices in the scary/monster end of the
dress-up spectrum. Unlike vampires—at least, the seductive incarnation of vampires
in modern Young Adult novels and movies—zombies are the epitome of everything
terrifying we imagine about death. Not only do zombies appear in various stages
of decay and possess untold, albeit clumsy, strength, their very survival depends
on killing and eating (brains) their victims. Could there be anything more
frightening than seeing your dearly-departed relative wandering around, intent
on doing you harm?
Another
popular costume this year honors the 2016 Presidential candidates: Democratic Party
nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton
and Republican Party nominee, Donald J. Trump (R).
Do the real candidates represent a real or perceived threat that the Halloween
celebrants to metaphorically exorcise before the election on November 8? Or,
does the costume enable the wearer to publicly express some secretly admired
behaviors or traits that the person does not want to (publicly) own?
It’s
something to think about.
Happy
Halloween!
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
