Hypno-Aids

All hypnotherapy sessions are conducted via phone or Zoom. 

 

(This blog was originally posted on July 23, 2014)

 

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

Swinging a pocket-watch in front of someone
is not used to induce the hypnotic state anymore.

  

 

Contrary to popular myth, swinging a pocket-watch in front of someone to induce the hypnotic state is rarely if ever used in the Twenty-first Century. One of the most effective ways to induce hypnosis is the arm raise. According to Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., this powerful technique is designed to help people reach a very deep level of hypnosis at the first consultation. However, it is not generally used at subsequent hypnotherapy appointments and it is not practical or even possible to use this induction with some clients. The arm-raising technique is also not used with young children, people who have a very short attention span or those who have a physical injury that prevents or limits arm movement.

Following is a list of hypnotic aids (hypno-aids) that may be used to induce hypnosis for these clients and people who have pre-conceived beliefs about hypnosis by attracting their attention and lengthening their attention span to enter hypnosis.

• Air machine. This device produces the lulling sound of an ocean breeze or white noise to lull a client and can facilitate a progressive relaxation.
• Crystal ball or crystal pendant for eye-fascination. This is a secondary-induction technique for adults or a primary-induction technique for young children.
• Penlight. This is an eye-fascination tool.
• Hypno-disk. This eye-fascination tool is composed of a rotating disc designed to relax you and deepen the hypnotic state.
• Metronome set at 60 beats per minute. This tool is especially effective to use with people who have a primarily auditory representational system (i.e., learn and express themselves most effectively through listening and speech).
• Strobe light. I do not use this device because the flashing light can induce seizures in people who have epilepsy.

 

 

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Hypnotherapy to Release Weight

Hypnosis for weight loss series: $2,000 for the 10-week series. Each session lasts approximately one hour and includes a free, digital recording of the hypnosis portion of the session. If you pay for the 10-week series up front it is $1,600 to save $400!

 

*May not be combined with any other offer. 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, 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

 

With Your Permission and Only With Your Permission, Part 2

(This blog was originally posted on January 21, 2014)

Photo by Rick Hustead

I could not believe it.  Right before my (and thousands of viewers’) eyes, a random hypnotist essentially ambushed a beloved character of the television series I was watching. Bam! Right in the middle of a critical scene in the episode, the hypnotist addressed the character by name, gave a command (eye fascination) and did a rapid induction to knock him out long enough for critical elements of the plot to make sense and the story line to move along. Following are my reasons why this scene worked—and made sense—in the context of Hypnosis Motivati­on Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s definition of hypnosis and the following key elements of the plot:

1. According to Dr. Kappas, hypnosis is “[a state] created by an overload of message units that disorganizes our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state [that provides] access to the subconscious mind.” The character was distraught and in a state of high anxiety when the hypnotist approached him. He didn’t want to/wouldn’t physically leave the scene, but this opportunity for temporary “escape” into hypnosis was an easy way to escape the trauma and drama going on around him.
2. The hypnotist was calm and in control—and took control of the situation. He spoke the protagonist’s name and commanded the character to look at him.
3. The hypnotist appeared to use a variation of the direct-gaze shock induction to hypnotize the protagonist. This is a legitimate rapid-induction technique in which a hypnotist has the person look him in the eye and supports his or her upper body during the physical aspect of the induction.
4. The hypnotist used the key phrase, “deep sleep” that is typically employed during hypnosis. At the end of the scene, once key plot details had been resolved, the hypnotist counted the character back up to full awareness.

When I saw this scene unfold every cell in my body screamed “foul!” at the irresponsible depiction and unethical/immoral application of hypnosis. The technique that the hypnotist employed, and the context in which he used it, was in no way hypnotherapy. However, considering the protagonist’s overwrought emotional state and the activity going on around him, it was easy to understand how this scene was a perfect example of Dr. Kappas’s explanation of how and why hypnosis works. I think the inclusion of a rogue hypnotist doing a rapid induction to temporarily overwhelm the character’s already-overloaded subconscious mind was an ingenious, extra detail that will keep fans talking about this episode for a long time.

Limited-Time Offer: Free Phone 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/send me a text message at (661) 433-9430 or send me an e-mail at calminsensehypnosis@yahoo.com to set up your free, 30-minute phone consultation, today! 

Offer valid through April 30, 2019. 

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/.

© 2019

Session #1: Deepening Techniques

(This blog was originally posted on August 3, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

“There are no second chances to make a first impression.”

This expression is certainly true when it comes to hypnosis. From the moment a prospective client contacts me until the individual leaves my office after the first hypnotherapy appointment I am focused on inducing the deepest state of trance possible. Most people come to hypnotherapy with a very open mind about its nature and efficacy; nonetheless, these same individuals usually harbor some preconceptions and even concerns about what hypnosis is, why it works and how it feels. The best way to alleviate these concerns is to hypnotize the person so he or she has a real-life association with this experience. Since a person can be hypnotized “for the first time” only once, it is up to the hypnotherapist to help the client achieve the deepest trance state during that first session.

To achieve maximum hypnotic depth, I use the inferred arm-raising technique as my first hypnotic induction. This process entails the client achieving a very relaxed state through deep breathing and pointing out various physiological responses that automatically start to happen, such as fluttering of the eyelids and dryness around the mouth, lips and tongue. Meanwhile, a specific verbal patter is used to overload the person’s subconscious mind with suggestions (message units) that one arm is lifting and rising until the hand or fingers make skin-to-skin contact with the face. At that point, the individual will have achieved the peak of his or her suggestibility and entered the hypnotic trance.

At this point, the following techniques may be employed to further deepen the hypnotic sleep:

• Eye-Challenge: Tell the client to try to open his or her eyes while simultaneously giving a double-bind suggestion: “The harder you try to open the eyes, the tighter the eye-lids will squeeze shut,” etc.

• Heavy-Light: Give the client a suggestion to hold the arms straight out from the body while imagining that a helium balloon is tied to a finger on one hand while the other hand is holding a specified amount of weight. The person perceives increasing heaviness in the hand and arm supporting the weight; extra hypnotic depth is achieved once the arm drops back down to the thigh.

• Eye-Fascination: The person is instructed to stare at a spot on the ceiling or some other object in the room until this becomes physically uncomfortable (e.g., eyes start to blink or feel dry) and chooses to allow the eyelids to gently close.

• Reactional Hypnosis: The hypnotherapist instructs the individual to open and then close the eyes several times, until the client’s eyelids become heavy and the eyes are glassy. (The hypnotherapist decides how many times this action will be done.)

• Arm-Rigidity: The hypnotherapist instructs the client to stiffen one arm and send any and all negative emotions/associations, etc. about the therapeutic issue down the arm into a clenched fist, to be released when the hand unclenches.

• Staircase Imagery: This technique—along with a progressive relaxation—will also be used in every subsequent hypnotherapy session to facilitate an even deeper state of hypnosis. Imagery of going down or descending a staircase is an inferred suggestion of hypnotic depth.

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/.

© 2017

With Your Permission (And Only With Your Permission), Part 2

(This blog was originally posted on January 21, 2014)

         I could not believe it.  Sunday night, right before my (and thousands of viewers’) eyes, a random hypnotist essentially ambushed a beloved character of the television series I was watching. Bam! Right in the middle of a critical scene in the episode, the hypnotist addressed the character by name, gave a command (eye fascination) and did a rapid induction to knock him out long enough for critical elements of the plot to make sense and the storyline to move along. Following are my reasons why this scene worked—and made sense—in the context of Hypnosis Motivati­on Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D.’s definition of hypnosis and the following key elements of the plot:

1.       According to Dr. Kappas, hypnosis is “[a state] created by an overload of message units that disorganizes our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state [that provides] access to the subconscious mind.” The character was distraught and in a state of high anxiety when the hypnotist approached him. He didn’t want to/wouldn’t physically leave the scene, but this opportunity for temporary “escape” into hypnosis was an easy way to escape the trauma and drama going on around him.

2.       The hypnotist was calm and in control—and took control of the situation. He spoke the protagonist’s name and commanded the character to look at him.

3.       The hypnotist appeared to use a variation of the direct-gaze shock induction to hypnotize the protagonist. This is a legitimate rapid-induction technique in which a hypnotist has the person look him in the eye and supports his or her upper body during the physical aspect of the induction.

4.       The hypnotist used the key phrase, “deep sleep” that is typically employed during hypnosis. At the end of the scene, once key plot details had been resolved, the hypnotist counted the character back up to full awareness.

When I saw this scene unfold every cell in my body screamed “foul!” at the irresponsible depiction and unethical/immoral application of hypnosis. The technique that the hypnotist employed, and the context in which he used it, was in no way hypnotherapy. However, considering the protagonist’s overwrought emotional state and the activity going on around him, it was easy to understand how this scene was a perfect example of Dr. Kappas’ explanation of how and why hypnosis works. I think the inclusion of a rogue hypnotist doing a rapid induction to temporarily overwhelm the character’s already-overloaded subconscious mind was an ingenious, extra detail that will keep fans talking about this episode for a long time.

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/.

© 2015