(This blog was originally posted on January 25, 2017)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
The metaphor of
earth—and Earth, the planet we live on—are also useful images in hypnotherapy.
In addition to
providing stability under our feet and the ground we stand on, earth also
represents growth, fecundity and prosperity. For example, trees, grass, vegetable
crops, etc., grow in and from the earth. When the rich soil is rich, it
provides the nutrients they need to create and grow sources of nutrition that
humans and other animals need to survive. When the soil is arid, however, such
growth is more difficult and may result in starvation or at least, deprivation.
Earth also
represents strength and power. Consider the force produced when tectonic plates
several miles below our feet move: Just a shift of one or two inches up, down,
right or left creates a ripple effect that can be felt around the world as a
powerful earthquake. Similarly, when a significant event happens in our own
lives we might use this earthquake metaphor to describe how it felt as though
“the earth moved” when it occurred. Or, when we are willing or have expended
significant effort to achieve a goal or accomplish a particularly daunting
task, another popular earth metaphor comes to mind: “It felt like I had to move
mountains/draw water from a stone, but I got it done!”
And then there
are those times when we take on more jobs or responsibilities that we are not
physically or emotionally equipped to handle at that moment. In our willingness
to appear flexible and accommodating, the subconscious mind absorbs more and
more pressures and stresses without expressing the discomfort that are
actually, silently building up. Suddenly and to even our own surprise, that
final small request to do something that we would not even notice or even
register as an inconvenience becomes that final pound of pressure that releases
a cascade of pent-up emotions in a potentially damaging outburst. After the
dust has settled we are left wondering what happened and what could have been
different had we addressed the first, second or even third issue before the
compound weight of those pressures became so overwhelming. Perhaps that
earth-shaking emotional outburst was needed to effect change, anyway.
Finally, there
is the metaphor of the planet Earth, the person/place/profession or any other metaphoric
center of our world. How often do we put the greatest importance or value on
something or someone other than ourselves and our own well-being? Learning to
appreciate, love and respect ourselves the way we deserve to be appreciated,
loved and respected often produces the greatest (emotional) tectonic shift of
all. The ability to incorporate all of these aspects of positive self-regard
requires a solid foundation of personal awareness that hypnotherapy can help
everyone realize, actualize and reinforce in our daily lives.
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/.
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