Inferential Learning

Me with Monty Roberts at the Pomona Equine Affaire in 2008

Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan

The first time I heard the term “inferential learning” was at a Monty Roberts horse-training seminar at the 2008 Equine Affaire in Pomona, California. To help a horse overcome its fear of obstacles, Mr. Roberts asked some assistants to roll and lay out a blue tarp on the ground for the animal to investigate. Over the course of about 10 minutes or so, the horse sniffed, pawed at and eventually put a hoof on the tarp. With some encouragement and tons of praise, he eventually built up enough confidence to stand on the material. Mr. Roberts explained that this process facilitated the horse’s inferential learning: by allowing it to investigate at its own speed and even make a few mistakes along the way—the horse did balk at the tarp when it was first laid out—he was able to figure out how to negotiate the new stimulus and get the situation to work for him.

I went through a similar process when I started to write this blog.

For some reason, the cursor pad on my laptop stopped working a few weeks ago. The technicians at Staples deduced there was a problem with the computer but I could easily navigate the screen with an external mouse. That was no problem until tonight, when the cursor froze again. This time I was in my office waiting for a client to arrive; there was no time to go back to Staples to get assistance. If I couldn’t use the computer it wouldn’t be the worst thing—I would have to improvise creating the reinforcement track on a different machine at home, was all. However, I had a few minutes to spare so I decided to figure out a way to resolve my problem, a la inferential learning.

I knew that the remote external mouse I use worked off of a USB attachment, so I started moving the attachment back and forth to different ports. I soon discovered that one of the ports was not working at all, but I had no problem using the mouse when it was plugged into one of the other ports. Phew! At least I could get my work done this evening and deal with the defective USB port when I had more time (and no one waiting for me).

Once again, I had to credit my hypnotherapy training for helping me remain calm and using the rational, logical part of my mind to address the unexpected challenge. Ten years ago, I probably (definitely) would have become panicked and frustrated right away. I am sure that it would have taken a lot longer for me to even consider trying possible solutions for this problem. In fact, I felt like I imagine my horse does when he figures out a new movement in his dressage training. When he gets it right, his tail floats merrily from side to side and he even gets a little spring in his step when he trots off again. Whenever Galahad completes a turn on the haunches, a lateral movement he is currently learning, my trainer or I give him a lot of verbal praise and a few pats on his neck or shoulder to acknowledge his success.

Maybe I should give myself a pat on the back for my successful problem-solving with my computer.

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/.

Thoughts of the Day

Photo by Sara Fogan

      Every now and then I like (and need) to take a few moments and remind myself about what is really important to me, in my life. If you follow me on my Calminsense Hypnotherapy Facebook page you may have seen some of these quotes before on this page, or will in the future. Many of these Quotes of the Day are beautiful examples and illustrations of the work I do as a hypnotherapist, so I will probably draw on them in future essays.

• “Whatever you do, never go back to what broke you.” – Frank Ocean

• “We can’t take any credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.” – Madeleine L’Engle

• “There are three constants in life…change, choice and principles.” – Steven R. Covey

• “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou

• “Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain.” – Anonymous

• “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus

• “No one can create negativity or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world.” – Wayne W. Dyer

• “Today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” – Dr. Seuss

• “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha

• “When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” – Dalai Lama

• “The past has no power over the present moment.” – Eckhart  Tolle

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/.

Eating Disorders Are Not an Extreme Diet

“I have it on very good authority that the quest for perfection our society demands can leave the individual gasping for breath at every turn. This pressure inevitably extends to the way we look. Eating disorders, whether it be anorexia or bulimia, show how an individual can turn the nourishment of the body into a painful attack on themselves.” – Diana, Princess of Wales

Recently, singer Meghan Trainor took her music label to task for altering her image. Apparently, the company digitally slimmed her waistline in the video of her song, “Me Too.” Trainor was happy and confident with her talent and her body image. Apparently, the record company had a different idea, which is why the tweak was ordered in the first place. Long story short, the video was promptly taken down and replaced with the original version, sans photo-shopped images and exactly how the singer wanted to be presented.

But not everybody has the opportunity or resources (internal or otherwise) to determine how to present herself and be perceived by others. With so many magazines and movies/television programs featuring uber-slim models and actors/actresses, it is not surprising that we integrate the message that this is how they should look. After all, that is the image the media and clothes designers want to promote. NBC’s popular weight-loss program, The Biggest Loser, makes the process of losing weight into a competition. In this case, the “winner” is the person who has dropped the most weight within the duration of the series (just a few months). Is it really surprising when someone takes these popular images and subconscious suggestions about the importance/value of looking like the beautiful people featured in the magazines, to an extreme? Apparently, there are websites devoted to the various ways a person can lose weight—including fasting and purging—and there are various dietary “supplements” available to suppress appetite and facilitate weight loss. 

An eating disorder is not an extreme version of a diet or extreme over-eating at a meal. There are three basic categories of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa; bulimia; and compulsive eating. In the context of this essay, I will address just the first two. Each is a very complicated, dangerous condition that can cause severe physiological destruction and even death. The symptoms and etiology (medical/psychiatric origin) of each are addressed in the Diagnostics and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, a basic reference guide for various psychiatric disorders. Typically, these conditions are out of scope of my or most other certified hypnotherapists’ professional expertise to address in hypnotherapy. To do so, I would have to receive a referral from the person’s (licensed) medical doctor and/or mental-health worker to work with the individual. Even then, my input as a hypnotherapist would be only to help the client fortify her or his self-confidence and self-esteem and reinforce new healthy-eating behaviors recommended by the person’s medical and psychiatric team. Ultimately, the treatment (management) of anorexia nervosa and bulimia is often a lifelong process which must be done under such medical supervision.

You can watch the late Princess of Wales’s entire speech about eating disorders at, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqNI9aRUb3k.

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

Opportunities

Photo by Rick Hustead

It is cause for celebration whenever one of my clients achieves his or her therapeutic goal. No matter how many (or few!) hypnotherapy sessions it takes to accomplish it, the decision change an unwanted behavior and the subconscious work and dedication it takes to make that change happen are significant commitments. I tell each client at the start of hypnotherapy that my door is usually the last one the person knocked on during their search for the solution to whatever their therapeutic goal happens to be. However, once they achieve that goal and walk out of my office a whole new world of opportunities opens up for them. By that time they have a new set of skills or tools with which to solve and resolve any new challenges that may pop up along the way.

The same is true for me. It is true that when someone has taken off the last pound of weight he or she wanted to drop or given up cigarettes for good, I have essentially “lost” a client. But I don’t look at it that way. The day someone achieves his or her self-improvement goal is a day of abundance for both of us. I know that the hypnosis skills and guided-imagery techniques I employed to help the client succeed are ecologically “sound.” They are natural, drug-free and are effective tools with which to achieve a variety of vocational and avocational self-improvement goals. My clients often refer my hypnotherapy services to a friend. But even if a referral is not forthcoming, I know that the energy and attention I have devoted to that individual will manifest a new client for me, anyway.

When clients leave my office, they are invariably relaxed and comfortable—more than they were before the appointment, anyway. Moreover, they have learned (consciously or otherwise) valuable techniques to call up this sensation whenever they need relief from daily stressors. Hypnosis facilitates a state of natural calm and relaxation as well that enables a person to use rational, logical thought processes in situations which previously might have induced a lot of stress or anxiety. The experience of having already used hypnotherapy to achieve a goal builds self-confidence and increases self-esteem and strengthens the belief in their ability to handle other challenges. Every time they overcome another obstacle or achieve a new goal reinforces these beliefs until they naturally look at any challenge or inconvenience as an opportunity to shine, grow and continue to succeed.

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