Hypnotherapy and Eating Disorders

Photo by Rick Hustead

Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D. advocated addressing the emotional problems that caused the eating disorder when working with someone who suffered from anorexia nervosa or bulimia. The hypnotherapist believed that this process would alleviate the symptoms of the disease in order to address them directly. However, he warned against specifically mentioning the client’s bingeing and purging behaviors because these would be inferred during the hypnotherapeutic process. “If you’re not bingeing and purging, you’re not as concerned about the weight,” Dr. Kappas said.

Therapy with someone who is suffering from an eating disorder is a long process which may take many sessions to overcome, Dr. Kappas warned. Furthermore, it is may take many sessions for the hypnotherapist to build rapport with the client to address these issues.

When working with someone who has an eating disorder, he recommended changing the client’s suggestibility from herself to the therapist in order to facilitate treatment. “[She must] turn over conscious control to the therapist to take control of the unconscious process,” Dr. Kappas explained. While she is in hypnosis, provide suggestions to increase the client’s perception of having self-control, feeling better about herself and being calm, he advised. “Think of yourself feeling good physically, emotionally, psychologically. You’re becoming important to yourself. You’re beginning to control old habits and compulsions. You’re not controlled by old habits.” 

 Meanwhile, the hypnotherapist and other members of the client's medical/psychological team should monitor the person's eating and bingeing behaviors. “If they get worse, the hypnotherapist] will have to move in and attack the behavior," Dr. Kappas said.

As I explained in my blog titled, Eating Disorders Are Not an Extreme Diet, anorexia nervosa and bulimia are very complicated, dangerous conditions 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 (Business and Professions Code 2908). To do so, I would need 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.

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

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.

• "Be curious! A good question can take you a lot farther than a quick answer." – Jesse Lyn Stoner

• "To give value to others, you have to begin by valuing yourself." – Tim Fargo

• "Some people change their ways when they see the light; others when they feel the heat." – Caroline Schroeder

• “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress, you’re still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” – Tony Robbins

• “Trust your journey, trust the process, raise your energy and the right people will come into your life.” – Steven Atchison

• “Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don’t have to sit on it.” – Joyce Meyer

• "Wherever you are, be all there!" – Jim Elliot

• "Close scrutiny will show that most "crisis situations" are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are." – Maxwell Matz

• "If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worrying never fixes anything." -- Ernest Hemingway

• "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." ~ 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/.

© 2016

Nomination

Photo by Rick Hustead

When I started my day, I planned to network with several local business owners to raise awareness about my practice, Calminsense Hypnotherapy®. More than any other marketing strategy, I prefer to have one-on-one interactions with people to describe what I do and get them interested in and excited about the many ways hypnosis can facilitate positive changes in their lives. I have been working as a certified hypnotherapist for more than eleven years, and my enthusiasm about this work and how it can and has helped so many people is stronger than ever.

Nonetheless, I was completely blown away to learn that I have recently been nominated as the “Best Hypnotherapist” in my local newspaper’s (The Signal) annual “Best of Santa Clarita Valley” awards. What an honor! To my knowledge, this is the first time I have been nominated for this award. I don’t know who put my name forward or when, but I am truly, genuinely touched by this recognition. 

For more information about the Santa Clarita Valley’s annual “Best of” recognition and ballots, please click on the following link: http://signalscv.secondstreetapp.com/l/15th-Annual-Best-of-Santa-Clarita-Valley-2016/Ballot/Professionals. 

Thank you, again!

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht.

Calminsense Hypnotherapy®

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

In Honor of Dr. K.

Photo by Rick Hustead

One of the most interesting components of my hypnotherapy training at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute was video “classes” featuring HMI founder John Kappas, Ph.D. Dr. Kappas passed away a few years before I started my training; however, these tapes (now digital files, I’m sure) made it feel like he was still right there guiding future generations in his hypnotherapy method. Instructors at the hypnotherapy college continue to reference his methods and philosophies in their lectures.

The first time I “saw” Dr. Kappas was when I watched the 101-5 and 101-6 videos about his Emotional and Physical Sexuality concept. I had just completed the 101 mini-course about hypnosis and decided to pursue the hypnotherapy certification. My instructor suggested that everyone who planned to do the certification should watch these videos before the next (201) section of classes began in a few weeks. Ever the over-eager student, I reserved the videos and a viewing-booth right away and settled in to be amazed. Boy was I.

The first thing I noticed about Dr. Kappas was his incredible charisma and soft-yet-booming voice. I’m sure—I know—I went into a light trance watching the classes. I also thought he sometimes bore a strong physical resemblance to the late John Thaw, a British actor probably best known for portraying Inspector Morse in the popular television series. I’m sure that factor alone inspired me to “endeavor” to become the best hypnotherapist I could. (Sorry, I had to write that. I’m sure any Inspector Morse fans reading this blog got the pun.)

One of the first techniques I learned during my hypnotherapy training was how to do an inferred arm-raising induction. Dr. Kappas taught and believed this was the most effective way to help a client achieve hypnotic depth. It’s true. I confess that I did forgo the arm-raising induction for a very brief time when I started my practice. But I quickly realized/discovered that the hypnosis I was providing my clients without using this technique was not as intense or successful and quickly incorporated the I.A.-R. back into my hypnotherapy-induction repertoire.

Dr. Kappas’s models of E. and P. sexuality and Emotional and Physical suggestibility have also become a daily part of my own life. I can’t think of any situation social interaction in which these concepts do not somehow apply; they have certainly helped me to better understand behavior. I liken learning these theories and models to putting a technicolor spin on my psychology background and training. In addition to being a hypnotherapist, Dr. Kappas was also a psychologist; virtually every one of his therapeutic concepts is modeled on psychological theory. For example, did you know that passive-aggression is associated with very early stages of development? To address and change this behavior in hypnotherapy, I would desensitize the client to the various stimuli that trigger the resistance and help the person find more effective ways to express feelings and fulfil unmet needs.

When I look back on my life and various opportunities I have enjoyed, one of the greatest things I have ever done is become a certified hypnotherapist. This career enables me to incorporate the theories about the brain, psychology and emotion to talk directly to the client’s subconscious mind to help the person change unwanted behaviors beliefs and behaviors. Hypnosis is effective, drug-free and it has been around for centuries. And thanks (many, many thanks) to Dr. John Kappas’s teachings and the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, I am now part of this wonderful tradition and can help you achieve vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

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