What Does Your Behavior Say About How You Feel?

(This blog was originally posted on September 14, 2014)

Photo by Rick Hustead

According to John Kappas, Ph.D., whenever a person represses or does not express an emotion the displaced energy from that experience is converted into a physical “symptom” of that emotional trauma. The phenomenon is called a body syndrome. There are no nerve endings in the brain; however, sensory perception (e.g., smell, taste, sight, hearing, touch) that begin there send electric impulses that carry this information through the body. These impulses ultimately begin to manifest physical discomfort in areas of the body that are specifically associated with a certain repressed emotion. Once we are aware of which emotion is being manifested, we can treat the syndrome, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder stated.

A few nights ago, a late-night talk-show host told his audience that he tends to wander across the stage while he does the monologue during his show. In fact, the host confided that he never really noticed this behavior until one of his producers showed him a clip from a previous episode. Sure enough, within a few minutes he had drifted several feet to the left of his mark (tape) on the middle of the stage. His studio audience laughed. My mind whirred and came up with an immediate explanation for his nightly migrations across the stage:  Flight Syndrome.

Flight Syndrome represents physical symptoms and behaviors that affect the legs and feet. In this syndrome, a person manifests his or subconscious desire to run away from a situation or problem that may be inducing fear or anxiety. Physical symptoms affect the muscular/skeletal structure of the legs and feet (e.g., bunions, breaks or sprains) or even disorders of the circulatory or nervous system (e.g., varicose veins or neuropathy). Flight syndrome behaviors include pacing, toe-tapping and an inability to remain still.

As a certified hypnotherapist, it is out of my scope of expertise to diagnose an illness or to recognize/identify specific symptoms that have a psychological or physiological basis. Therefore, I do and will refer clients to an appropriate licensed medical or psychology professional to determine the cause and/or treat that specific physical symptom that. However, once this other expert has ruled out a medical etiology of your symptom, with a follow-up referral from that licensed professional, I can continue to work with you in hypnotherapy, which can provide complementary therapeutic benefits and help to alleviate and/or control these symptoms and help you to pursue and achieve your vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

People generally do not know the cause of this presenting issue when they seek hypnotherapy. Therefore, the first step to treating someone who is manifesting a flight syndrome is to explore what the client is running away from and possible reasons why the client needs or wants to run away. Once the possible cause(s) has been established, I would use systematic desensitization to help the client neutralize the intensity of the stimulus that triggers his or her physical symptom or flight behavior. I would also incorporate guided therapeutic imagery and teach the emotional freedom technique to increase the person’s perception of being able to control and prevail over the flight triggers and manage symptoms of physiological discomfort.

       

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/.

© 2018

Hypnotherapy for Impotence

(This blog was originally posted on March 10, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

Sometimes, anxiety about sexual intimacy can really break the romantic mood. While it can be frustrating and potentially embarrassing, however, one or two instances of impotence do not have to signal the end of the relationship. It is normal for men to experience impotence at some stage of their lives, particularly as they grow older. Hypnotherapy and guided imagery can be powerful tools to reduce anxiety and build and help the person sustain an aroused state. However, before employing these to treat impotence, the client must have a physical exam with his physician to confirm that there is not a physiological reason such as diabetes or prostate issues, etc., that are preventing him from achieving an erection. Once a physical cause is ruled out, the hypnotherapist can address the symptom from an emotional and behavioral standpoint.

John Kappas, Ph.D., recommended that the first question the consulting hypnotherapist should ask is whether the client has been able to function well sexually in the past. Has the individual ever been able to achieve a full erection before this current episode of impotence? It is also important to ascertain whether the individual has experienced an emotional trauma during his life; this can also affect sexual arousal and performance. If so, it may be necessary to guide the client through the different stages of trauma or grief before addressing his impotence, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder said.

Dr. Kappas recommended using the Law of Association to get the client past the first stage of arousal (partial erection) to the second stage (a full erection). While he is relaxed in hypnosis, the hypnotherapist should provide suggestions where the client alternately visualizes or imagines that he is healthy and able to function normally in a sexual relationship. Alternate the suggestions between images of the client having a full erection, then a partial erection and then a full one. Next, have him visualize or imaging that he is with his current sexual partner talking about sex and developing an erection. Once this is achieved, have the client visualize or imagine that he has gone through stages one and two of the arousal cycle and is getting ready for sex. “Each time you think, verbalize or get into a sexual behavior or penetration, you’ll get a very rigid erection and feel very confident,” the hypnotherapist advised.

It is also important to explain to the client how drinking alcohol, taking certain medications or smoking cigarettes can impede arousal. Such abstention is particularly important on a weekday, when the person is more likely to experience stress from work during the day, Dr. Kappas said. Finally, provide a hypnotic suggestion that the client will have an early-morning venting dream to release any suppressed thoughts that prevent his achieving a full erection and facilitate the arousal process.

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/.

© 2018