Blogging

I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. However, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE! 

 

 

(This blog was originally posted on April 10, 2014)

 

Photo by Sara R. Fogan CHt

     The first time I ever heard the words “blog” and “blogging” was from a former client. I admit that I initially didn’t really get what blogging was about or what it could do—let alone why someone would do it in the first place. All that changed when I saw the film Julie and Julia, which starred Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. Computer blogging was the cornerstone of the movie in which Adams’ character (Julie Powell) wrote a blog each day for one year about her experiences cooking and eating food that she had prepared from a Julia Child cookbook. She also included other details about her life in these essays and provided background information about the late chef’s personal and culinary challenges and triumphs. Ultimately, Powell’s online journal was not only a chronicle of her own culinary adventures that year, but it also provided a cornucopia of life experiences and philosophies that she had learned in the process.

     I often think about this film when I sit down to write my own blogs. I think about Powell’s passion about recreating each of Julia Child’s recipes exactly how the chef wrote them. I think about the author’s dedication to sharing each aspect of these culinary projects with anyone and everyone who was interested or curious in what she was trying to do. Unlike Powell, I do not have a general or generic book of hypnosis recipes that I can replicate and will share with you each night. In fact, each one of the hypnotic scripts that I create for my clients is as individual and specific as the person for whom I have created it. Also, for ethical reasons I would not and could not share this information in order to preserve client/therapist confidentiality.

     However, I am like Julie Powell in that I do have a lot of information, skills and experience in my own area of expertise that can help and motivate you to achieve your own goals. I can share the theoretical premises behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and human behavior/motivation. I can explain how and why hypnosis works. I can tell you how and why the subconscious mind responds to the negative (or positive!) “chatter” that you have been telling yourself so that you continue to practice a behavior or habit that no longer works for you. I can share information about the many and various hypnotherapeutic techniques that I have learned and mastered since I first started working as a hypnotherapist. I can write blogs about all these things to inspire you to give hypnotherapy and therapeutic guided imagery a try so you can also achieve your own vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

     Hypnotherapy worked for me… I know it will work for you, too!

 

Special Offer: Free 30-Minute Phone or Zoom Consultation

This is a great opportunity to find out why hypnosis is so effective and how hypnotherapy can help you achieve your self-improvement goals. Call or text me at (661) 433-9430 or send me an e-mail at calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com to set up your free, 30-minute phone or Zoom consultation* today! 

*This is not a full hypnotherapy session. Hypnosis will not be provided during this consultation. This offer is not redeemable for cash and may not be combined with any other promotion.

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, four years in a row (2019-2022). For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/

© 2023

 

Lessons I learned While My Computer Was at the Spa (Again)

Photo by Rick Hustead

On Tuesday night, the cursor on my laptop froze. No matter what I tried, the little arrow wouldn’t budge and just blinked at me in the center of the desktop screen. I methodically pressed every Function key in every combination I could think of, but nothing worked. After about an hour of frustrated brainstorming and restarting the machine countless times, I finally gave up. Based on a similar experience nearly two years ago, I deduced that the laptop was probably infected with a virus. Obviously, I needed professional help solving this problem. Since it was already well past midnight and I couldn’t do any more work, anyway, I took my frustrating situation as a sign that it was time to just go to bed. I had already written, but not yet posted, my blog for that day: Who Do You Trust? Obviously, it would have to wait. I just hoped my readers would forgive and my not posting a new essay that night.

The following morning, I took my computer to the nearest Staples® store for their computer experts to diagnose and treat (de-bug) whatever had infected my laptop. I was still sure that was the problem and even went so far as to tell the technician what I believed he needed to do. Seven hours later, all we knew was that the cursor was still frozen but my machine did not have a virus. To my mind, the situation was going from bad to worse.

Just as I was about to take the computer home, the head technician returned from an off-site appointment and offered to see if he could figure out what was going on. He also tried various key-combinations to unlock the cursor. No luck. Then he plugged a computer mouse into the USB port and, voila! The cursor moved easily over the computer. I thanked the technician for the diagnosis, purchased a computer mouse and went home. I could finally get my work done.

Later that evening I thought about the surprising lessons I learned during that day. The first was probably patience. Since I completed my hypnotherapy training and became a certified hypnotherapist in 2005, I have become much better at being patient and accepting that sometimes I need to step back and wait for a situation work itself out on its own. The second lesson was to recognize and accept that when I don’t know how to resolve a conflict or solve a problem, the best course of action is to allow the expert in that field take over. I am no expert in recognizing let alone resolving a computer problem—even one that looks “just like” a conflict I have experienced before. I know to always refer a client for examination by a licensed medical or mental-health expert if the person’s behavior or goals falls outside my scope of expertise as a hypnotherapist. This situation was another example of when to recognize when I should step back and let the experts do what they know how to do.

Although I hadn’t needed to use an external computer mouse in many years—the laptops I have owned only required a fingertip to navigate the cursor around the screen—it was easy to get back into this action. Obviously, all those years of working on a desktop computer and external computer mouse created strong subconscious knowns. Less than a day after purchasing the computer mouse, I can’t believe that I haven’t used one all along. 

The final lesson I learned was that sometimes I need to take a break and relax; if I don’t make the time to do nothing for a little while, the Universe will intervene on my behalf. I had been spending a lot of time and late nights working on various projects to promote my hypnotherapy practice and to complete formal handwriting analyses for various clients. It did feel good when the only thing I could do that night was kick back on the sofa, work on a word-search puzzle and watch some episodes of various television series still stored on my DVR. As Dr. John Kappas would have advised, even when a plan doesn’t work out as expected you can always turn the negative situation around to create a positive outcome and learn from that.

I definitely learned a lot on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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

Blogging

Photo courtesy of Presentation Pro

I write my blogs to inform, educate and inspire readers
about hypnotherapy's many benefits.

                The first time I ever heard the words “blog” and “blogging” was from a former client. I admit that I initially didn’t really get what blogging was about or what it could do—let alone why someone would do it in the first place. All that changed when I saw the film Julie and Julia, which starred Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. Computer blogging was the cornerstone of the movie in which Adams’ character (Julie Powell) wrote a blog each day for one year about her experiences cooking and eating food that she had prepared from a Julia Child cookbook. She also included other details about her life in these essays and provided background information about the late chef’s personal and culinary challenges and triumphs. Ultimately, Powell’s online journal was not only a chronicle of her own culinary adventures that year, but it also provided a cornucopia of life experiences and philosophies that she had learned in the process.

                I often think about this film when I sit down to write my own blogs. I think about Powell’s passion about recreating each of Julia Child’s recipes exactly how the chef wrote them. I think about the author’s dedication to sharing each aspect of these culinary projects with anyone and everyone who was interested or curious in what she was trying to do. Unlike Powell, I do not have a general or generic book of hypnosis recipes that I can replicate and will share with you each night. In fact, each one of the hypnotic scripts that I create for my clients is as individual and specific as the person for whom I have created it. Also, for ethical reasons I would not and could not share this information in order to preserve client/therapist confidentiality.

However, I am like Julie Powell in that I do have a lot of information, skills and experience in my own area of expertise that can help and motivate you to achieve your own goals. I can share the theoretical premises behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and human behavior/motivation. I can explain how and why hypnosis works. I can tell you how and why the subconscious mind responds to the negative (or positive!) “chatter” that you have been telling yourself so that you continue to practice a behavior or habit that no longer works for you. I can share information about the many and various hypnotherapeutic techniques that I have learned and mastered since I first started working as a hypnotherapist. I can write blogs about all of these things to inspire you to give hypnotherapy and therapeutic guided imagery a try so you can also achieve your own vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

Hypnotherapy worked for me…I know it will work for you, too!

 

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/.

© 2014

Blogging

Photo courtesy of PresentationPro

My blogs are an important tool by which I can educate, inform and
inspire others about hypnotherapy and guided imagery as effective
tools of behavior change.

                The first time I ever heard the words “blog” and “blogging” was from a former client. I admit that I initially didn’t really get what blogging was about or what it could do—let alone why someone would do it in the first place. All that changed when I saw the film Julie and Julia, which starred Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. Computer blogging was the cornerstone of the movie in which Adams’ character (Julie Powell) wrote a blog each day for one year about her experiences cooking and eating food that she had prepared from a Julia Child cookbook. She also included other details about her life in these essays and provided background information about the late chef’s personal and culinary challenges and triumphs. Ultimately, Powell’s online journal was not only a chronicle of her own culinary adventures that year, but it also provided a cornucopia of life experiences and philosophies that she had learned in the process.

                I often think about this film when I sit down to write my own blogs. I think about Powell’s passion about recreating each of Julia Child’s recipes exactly how the chef wrote them. I think about the author’s dedication to sharing each aspect of these culinary projects with anyone and everyone who was interested or curious in what she was trying to do. Unlike Powell, I do not have a general or generic book of hypnosis recipes that I can replicate and will share with you each night. In fact, each one of the hypnotic scripts that I create for my clients is as individual and specific as the person for whom I have created it. Also, for ethical reasons I would not and could not share this information in order to preserve client/therapist confidentiality.

However, I am like Julie Powell in that I do have a lot of information, skills and experience in my own area of expertise that can help and motivate you to achieve your own goals. I can share the theoretical premises behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and human behavior/motivation. I can explain how and why hypnosis works. I can tell you how and why the subconscious mind responds to the negative (or positive!) “chatter” that you have been telling yourself so that you continue to practice a behavior or habit that no longer works for you. I can share information about the many and various hypnotherapeutic techniques that I have learned and mastered since I first started working as a hypnotherapist. I can write blogs about all of these things to inspire you to give hypnotherapy and therapeutic guided imagery a try so you can also achieve your own vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

Hypnotherapy worked for me…I know it will work for you, too!

 

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/.

© 2014

Looking for Inspiration

                Tonight when I sat down to write my blog, I discovered that all of the ideas and topics that had been swimming around in my head and screaming for attention during the day had suddenly disappeared. No matter what I did the words wouldn't come, and the night was ebbing away. In an effort to track down all those inspirations, I employed a technique that I recommend to my hypnotherapy clients to help them overcome writer’s block: I took a few deep breaths, visualized that I was sitting at my desk and writing the stream of words that quickly, easily and enthusiastically bubbled up from my subconscious to my conscious mind. Then, I walked away from the computer for a few minutes and then found another activity to distract me for a while I waited for my new inspiration to take hold. I decided to catch up on some social networking on Facebook. Within a few moments, I came across tonight’s inspiration—or, many inspirations—in the form of a quote of the day from Bruce Lee: “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.”

                Suddenly inspired, I scrolled through previous posts, looking for more quotes and muses for future blogs and essays. If you follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Calminsense-Hypnotherapy/) you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these QOTDs are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

                In the meantime, I hope you enjoy and find as much inspiration reading these quotes tonight as I did in sharing them with you.

“When you forgive you don’t change the past, you change the future.” Kissing Fish

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” Dalai Lama             

“The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” General Knowledge’s photograph

“You are stronger than you think.” Crystal Moradi

“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.” Markus Zusak

“Surround yourself with people who know your worth.” Curiano.com

“Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives.” Letters of Gratitude

“Just because your fears have stopped you in the past doesn’t mean they have to do so in the future. Believe in your talents. Trust your gut. Have faith in yourself.” Helene Lerner

“Happiness isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the ability to deal with them.” Steve Maraboli

“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather starting over.” Nicole Sobon

“When you are truly comfortable with who you are, not everybody will like you. But you won’t care about it one bit.” Lessonslearnedinlife.com

“Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, ‘I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.” Ann Landers

“Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken.” Anonymous Mother Superior’s prayer

“It’s not just enough to swing at the ball. You’ve got to loosen your girdle and let ’er fly.” Babe Didrikson Zaharias

“Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?” Rose Kennedy

“Worry is one of the best techniques I have to avoid my feelings.” Anonymous

“Learning too soon our limitations, we never learn our powers.” Mignon McLaughlin

“You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.” Jeannette Rankin

“I don’t think about what I missed, I think about what I had.” Katharine Hepburn

“Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.” Doris Lessing

“Things come suitable to the time. Childbirth. An’ bein’ in love. An’ death. You can’t know ’em till you come to them. No use guessing an’ dreading.” Enid Bagnold

“Nothing can happen nowhere. The locale of the happening always colors the happening, and often, to a degree, shapes it.” Elizabeth Bowen

“Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live.” Margaret Fuller

“An uttered word cannot be taken back.” African Proverb

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” Chinese proverb

“Nothing icky lasts forever.” Deborah Norville

“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” Ruth Rendell

“However great the flood, it will ebb.” Irish proverb

“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” Erica Jong

 

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/.

© 2014