To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19
virus and COVID-19 variants, I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy
sessions with me in my office. Meanwhile, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and
WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE!
(This blog was originally posted on June 10, 2015)
Sometimes, an
issue that a client presents to the hypnotherapist during a therapy session is
a symptom rather than the cause of another problem. For example, increased
anxiety and various signs of physical discomfort such as light-headedness,
headache or nausea may suggest that the individual is experiencing symptoms of
low blood-sugar levels rather than just responding to a specific stress
trigger. Low blood-sugar levels can also trigger a phobic reaction. (For more
information about this relationship, see my blog titled Nutrition
and the Development of Fears and Phobias.) In this case, it is important
for the hypnotherapist to work with the client’s physician to create an
appropriate nutrition program to control the blood-sugar level and incorporate
suggestions about nutrition and healthy eating during hypnosis to reduce these
symptoms.
However, it is
also possible that a client’s behaviors or emotional responses/reactions are
actually manifestations of his or her repressed emotions: i.e., a body
syndrome. Once a licensed medical doctor has ruled out a physical etiology (cause)
of the symptom, the hypnotherapist may explore the cause of the symptom in the
context of body syndromes. For example, persistent pain in the client’s
shoulders and upper back (Responsibility
Syndrome) may provide a secondary gain of being “allowed” to avoid
participating in certain activities undesirable at work or with the person’s
family.
For example, Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., explained how a
client’s persistent hoarse throat and fatigue was actually a symptom of her
subconscious resistance toward the woman’s husband/manager’s pushing her to
accomplish something. The client, a singer, also experienced symptoms of low
blood-sugar that were brought on by her husband’s demands for perfection in her
performances. The hypnotherapist determined that his client was subconsciously
motivated to use her hoarse throat as a way to avoid having to sing when she
didn’t feel like it. Consequently, Dr. Kappas approached her therapy by first
addressing her behaviors (e.g., feeling tired and hoarseness). He explained how
her nutrition contributed to her feeling tired and recommended ways to change
her diet that would increase her energy. Next, he explored with her the various
reasons why (cause) she was experiencing the hoarseness and addressed the
client’s perception of her husband’s perfectionist tendencies as a source of
her stress and subconscious resistance.
Once the client
understood how the various sources of perceived external and internal pressure
on her to perform were affecting her behavior, the hypnotherapist discussed
ways of treating her symptoms. First, Dr. Kappas encouraged her and her husband
to separately work with a therapist to work out some of their professional
conflicts. Then he worked with the client to help her husband agree that they
could change their interactions with each other and how this behavior change
could be achieved. Ultimately, the woman’s symptoms would dissipate as her
relationship with her spouse/manager improved, thus ameliorating her
subconscious desire to avoid singing/performing because their pattern of
interacting with each other became less stressful.
Special Offer: Discount on the First Hypnotherapy Session
for Active/Retired
Military Personnel & First Responders
Special Offer: 25 percent discount (that is
$50!) off the first hypnotherapy session for all active/retired military
personnel and first responders (police, fire-fighters, EMT/paramedics,
ambulance personnel, emergency dispatchers, ER physicians and nurses, COVID-19
Ward staff).
This offer may not be combined
with any other discount or discount package. It is not redeemable for cash.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist
based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. Sara has been voted the Best Hypnotherapist
in Santa Clarita, California, three years in a row (July 2019, September 2020,
July 2021). For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up
an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2021
