(This blog was originally posted on December 14,
2014)
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| Image courtesy of Microsoft |
Scene #1: You’re sitting at your desk writing a report
for work or a term paper when you realize that you need to find one more
reference to complete your project. You steel yourself against temptation to
browse the internet for anything unrelated
to your question and type a key phrase into the Google search engine. “This should
only take a couple minutes,” you tell yourself as you wait for the search
results.
Scene #2: You are answering a very
important e-mail or posting a response on your Facebook page. Then, to your
exasperation (but secret delight) you notice something very interesting on the Internet and decide to check out one more
post.
In both scenarios, not only have you forgotten what
you were originally looking for but an hour (or several) has passed. Where did
all that time go? And why—how—could
so much time pass without your even noticing?
If your answer or explanation was “hypnosis,” you are
right. While you were on-line, all those images and words that you were looking
at on the screen gradually, subtly overloaded your subconscious mind with information
(message units). Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D. explained
that this phenomenon occurs when sensory stimuli bombard the inhibitory process
of the mind with information (message units). This sensory overload disorganizes
the inhibitory process of the subconscious mind, which triggers the
fight-flight response and produces the hyper-suggestible state we recognize as
hypnosis.
As I explained in my blog titled Natural States of Hypnosis, there are many common instances of this trance-state. I think computers
and Smartphones, which have operating
systems and web-browsing capabilities, likely induce a form of environmental hypnosis
whenever we go on-line. The instant we connect to the internet, the
subconscious mind is confronted with a cornucopia of information. Somehow it
must interpret and process information that often includes audio and visual
data designed to pull browsers into the virtual worlds they are exploring. Then
there’s the tactile (touch) stimuli that the mind must process as you type on
the keyboard and manipulate the cursor, whether that is the computer “mouse” or
the index finger on one of your hands. A final source of this data overload
will come from your conscious mind:
whatever you are thinking about or your motivation to conduct that on-line
search or interact with friends is an important source of subconscious
overload. Many of us eat or drink, or simultaneously talk to someone on the
telephone while we are doing internet searches or interacting with friends and
acquaintances on-line. It’s no wonder that the conscious mind temporarily
“checks out” until there is less sensory stimulation going on.
When we come out of this trance-like state, we may
feel temporarily disoriented and even forget where we are for a little while. Following
are some tips to help you remain aware of yourself and your physical
environment while you are on-line so you can be alert and aware of yourself and
your surroundings when you (finally) log off.
- Limit the amount of time you spend working on the computer. Take a break from the activity every hour or so: put the device on sleep mode (or silent mode, for the smart phones) and walk away from the screen. Work on another task for a little while or at least take a genuine break or time-out from the on-line conversations and hashtag trends.
- Regularly count yourself out of this hypnotic state while you are working on the computer, etc. Say to yourself: “One, two, three, four, five. Eyes open [say your name], wide awake and in a fully alert and aware state.” Repeat this mantra as necessary.
- Stand up and stretch and take deep breaths. Do jumping jacks or run in place for a minute to get your body moving and switch your focus and awareness to your physical environment.
- While you are working or interacting on a social-media site, eat nutritious snacks that contain protein to keep your mood even and reduce your suggestibility to things you see, hear or read while you are on-line. (For more information about the role between nutrition and suggestibility, go to my blog titled Nutrition and Development of Phobias.
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·
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 calminsensehypnotherapy.com.
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