Just Do It!

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” – Amelia Earhart

Photo by Rick Hustead

Sometimes when we are faced with a daunting, challenging or undesirable task it seems the easiest thing to do is to put it off until a “better” time. But what is and when will it be a better time? Why isn’t right now, the right time? After all, time will pass whether or not you complete that assignment. You (your conscious mind) know that you will feel so much more relaxed and even confident once that dreaded project is out of the way. But something is preventing you from even getting started.

That “something” is a subconscious mental script that doesn’t have a playbook for what you are trying to do or accomplish. Though it is invisible and without a solid form, this script might as well be that dense, 100-foot monolith that is featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Until you find a way to negotiate around that obstacle, you are unlikely to make much headway accomplishing your goal. Of course it is possible that someone else might step up and do the job for you. Maybe the situation or problem will resolve itself and no further action will be needed. But if those best-case scenarios do not come through, you will still be stuck exactly where you are right now.

Hypnotherapy and therapeutic-guided imagery seem to be made for moments like that.

Both channel the power of the subconscious mind to help reframe a perceived “negative” or situation to a positive and negotiable one. Once the physical body is completely relaxed and the conscious and subconscious mind are calm and quiet during hypnosis, the hypnotherapist can construct a new mental script that facilitates this desired forward movement.  For example, a new hypnotic script would build on and fortify existing subconscious knowns and successes where the person has already conquered a similar challenge. Then, the person would have a chance to practice the new, desired behavior in a therapeutic guided-imagery journey where the individual imagines how it feels and looks like to finish the task at hand. It doesn’t even really matter if you don’t have a specific reference for accomplishing this or a similar project in “real life,” because the subconscious mind does not know the difference between what is real or imaginary. Once you have done “x” in your mind, you are building a foundation experiencing this accomplishment. The more times you practice this behavior or action, the stronger/better/faster you will become at achieving this or even a similar, related goal in the future.

The key is to just do it.

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

Defense Mechanisms: Intellectualization

(This blog was originally posted on January 20, 2016)

 

Image courtesy of Microsoft

Sometimes we subconsciously intellectualize or try to “explain away” our feelings to temporarily “escape” the perceived/anticipated consequences of experiencing a painful emotion. Instead of feeling frustrated, disappointed or even angry when a plan doesn’t work out, the subconscious mind comes up with a list of explanations why the plan wouldn’t succeed. Rather than allow ourselves to feel or express sadness when a loved one dies, we tell ourselves that this is better because the person is no longer suffering/in pain, etc. This response, Intellectualization, is a powerful defense mechanism that people often use to escape or avoid feeling emotional pain. Rather than feel the emotion associated with an uncomfortable or painful experience, the feelings are transferred into the intellect where they feeling can be explained away rather than experienced.

Like other defense mechanisms I have explained in previous blogs about defense mechanisms, Intellectualization is characterized by the following traits: 1) it is unconscious; 2) it is self-deceptive; 3) it contains elements of denial; and 4) it distorts reality through thoughts and action. Whenever we seem to successfully “avoid” suffering a possible consequence by analyzing and explaining away a feeling, the apparent success of this technique (i.e., suppressed crying or rage) reinforces our belief (subconscious mental script) in the effectiveness of that strategy. The more successful this technique is, the more likely the person is to intellectualize emotions to repress these uncomfortable feelings at other times during their life.

Remember, defense mechanisms are fabulous temporary devices that can help us achieve such security. According to John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind, everyone is subconsciously motivated to maintain and/or restore a known physical and emotional status of comfort and security. Since the subconscious mind is motivated and even programmed to seek this comfort, we may adopt those defense-mechanism behaviors because we learned them from someone we trust who does or used to do the same thing. The primary role of a defense mechanism is to protect the subconscious mind from what it perceives as a threat or “pain” of having to deal with an unknown. These behaviors really only provide a temporary perception of control over the environment. Eventually, we must deal with and resolve the primary issue that has triggered the defense mechanism to achieve personal growth.

Just like other defense mechanisms, Intellectualization is characterized by a specific behavior or attitude of the person. In this case, the “tell” is, the disconnect that exists between what the client is telling me about an emotional experience and the individual’s facial expression. Also, rather than describing emotions or feelings associated with the event, the person will explain what he or she thought/thinks about the situation. At this point, it is important for me to “bust” or dismantle this emotional disconnect. In so doing, the client is able give her- or himself permission to feel and experience as many of those emotions as the individual can handle while in hypnosis. 

For more information about defense mechanisms, I invite you to read my other blogs about this topic: Defense Mechanisms: Projection and Projection Identification; Defense Mechanisms: Undoing and Magical Thinking; Defense Mechanisms: Denial; Defense Mechanisms: Turning Against Self; The Reaction Formation;  and Going for Cause.

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

Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Hypnosis, Part 2

 Definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is created by an overload of message units disorganizing our inhibitory process (critical mind), triggering our fight/flight mechanism and ultimately resulting in a hyper-suggestible state, providing access to the subconscious mind.” – John G. Kappas, Ph.D., founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute

Photo by Rick Hustead

Yesterday afternoon, I had the honor of describing a common aspect of my work as a certified hypnotherapist to my business-marketing group, the Network Referral Group of the Santa Clarita Valley. In my essay titled Hyper-Suggestibility and Common Examples of Hypnosis, Part 1, I listed various environmental factors that can trigger a hyper-suggestible state of awareness (hypnosis) and affect our behavior. In this blog, I will describe some strategies to get out of that state and return to one of full alertness and awareness.

• Count yourself out: Say, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Eyes Open (your name), wide, wide awake.” Repeat several times as necessary.

• Make a “slicing” movement with your hand to literally and metaphorically cut the link between the media, etc. and your attention to the invasive message. Notice the immediate sensation of relief and release when you disengage with the medium/stimulus that has been holding your attention against your conscious will.

• Take several deep breaths and ask yourself: Do I really believe what I am hearing/seeing, etc.? Do I really want the product that I am being sold? Can I live without it? (Hint: you have this long, it’s probably not a life- or game-changing item in your life!) If you really want “x” it will likely still be there tomorrow to purchase, etc. 

• Turn off the television/Smart Phone/tablet and step away from social media. Out of sight, out of mind!

• Eat good nutritious, delicious meals that include protein! Protein stabilizes blood-sugar level which stabilizes mood, reduces anxiety levels, etc.

• Get plenty of sleep at night. Lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, tolerance of pain (emotional and physical), etc. and make you more suggestible.

• Build a rapport with the professional you have hired to handle finances/investments, medical team, etc. Take notes/bring a “buddy” to the appointment to take notes and ask questions.

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