Background Noise

Photo by Rick Hustead

So much goes on in our immediate environment, let alone the world, that we don’t know about or even perceive. But, what if you smelled the scent of every flower or heard every car horn or dog barking in the neighborhood? Imagine noticing each and every person who walked into the room or felt the sensation of the label sewn into the back of your clothes? Consider what it would be like if you could isolate the distinct flavor of every ingredient in KFC fried chicken or your favorite cookie? You would be in a state of overload every minute of the day and probably not be able to enjoy a lot of any of these experiences. In other words, you would be in hypnosis—literally and metaphorically trying to escape the overload of sensations bombarding you every moment of the day.

I particularly notice this phenomenon when I am at yoga. There is always music playing softly in the background, but after the first few minutes of class I stop noticing it. I am so focused on moving and adjusting my body into the various positions, everything else just falls away. My attention only shifts back to the environment when the teacher instructs the class to move into a different pose or adjusts my position. Then I notice the music again for a moment and the other students nearby before my focus returns to what I am doing.

If you drive a car, you probably do a lot of things automatically now that used to take much longer and require a lot more attention when you first learned this skill. Back then, you would take the time to adjust the rear-view and side mirrors and make sure the seat was adjusted before you even turned on the ignition. This was especially true if you were driving the family car and these things were already set to their preference. Eventually you became so familiar and comfortable with the workings of the vehicle that you could adjust the mirrors while you drove. The first few weeks or months after you got your license, you couldn’t even deal with having someone else in the car. Now, you barely pay attention to your favorite CD or radio station blasting through the car speakers while you have animated conversations with your passenger(s). Driving, which was once the complete focus of your attention, has become the equivalent of background noise. We barely notice what we’re doing until something different happens to grab our attention.

The mind can only process seven items of new information at one time. This discrimination is an important aspect of survival: when we notice everything in the environment, everything is attributed equal value and requires a lot of attention (energy) to determine whether it is a threat. As we become used to different aspects of the environment, we can file these experiences as safe/comfortable/familiar (subconscious knowns) and can focus on other things. However, when something new happens or catches our attention, it is immediately filed as a possible threat or danger and triggers the fight/flight response. Once this potential threat has been addressed and the details/information processed, it also becomes part of our subconscious mental script for future reference—in most cases, a non-threat or background noise.

Now, back to that label sewn into the collar of your shirt….

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

The Relationship Between Low Blood-Sugar Levels and Fear of Loud Noise

Photo by Rick Hustead

When you experience a drop in blood-sugar level, it is possible to mistake or attribute the environmental stimulus or event as causing any physiological distress you experience at that time. However, the confusion, headaches, tremors, cold sweats, increased anxiety, etc., are actually symptoms of low blood-sugar levels and not specific consequences of what is going on around you. For example, the late Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas Ph.D. once worked with a client to help her overcome her fear of loud noises. He explained how nutrition can affect these levels; specifically, how low blood sugar can trigger the physical symptoms she had been experiencing. The hypnotherapist concluded that his client’s fear of loud noise was actually associated with agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), as her anxiety about this stimulus essentially kept her house-bound. Her extreme sensitivity to loud noise was exacerbated by her low blood-sugar level, which in turn strengthened her negative reaction to the noise. To treat her, Dr. Kappas recommended stabilizing the woman’s blood-sugar level through diet and used hypnosis to desensitize the client to loud noises.

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

Handwriting Analysis for the Forgotten Angels Cat Rescue, 2016

Photo by Sara Fogan

Our “Forgotten Angel”

For the fourth year in a row, I spent a wonderful autumn afternoon doing handwriting analyses at The Cat Doctor & Friends  veterinary clinic in Santa Clarita, California.  In addition to honoring all things “cat” and introduce residents to Dr. Tracy McFarland and the other wonderful veterinarians and technicians who work at her clinic, the open-house event was also a fundraiser for the Forgotten Angels Cat Rescue. My family adopted our kitty from this rescue four years ago, so I donated all donations I received from the analyses to help support this organization’s rescue efforts. Following is a description of how I use the information I learn about you from your writing to facilitate your hypnotherapy session with me so you can achieve your vocational and avocational self-improvement goals.

Handwriting is a manifestation of what you consciously think, but it is motivated by a subconscious ideomotor (automatic physical) response. The way you write—the shape and size of each letter, whether you connect the letters and even the speed of your writing—are literally a reflection of your behavior and personality traits. Your handwriting does not reveal your age or gender; nor will it enable me (or anyone else) to determine whether you are right- or left-handed or to predict your future. However, your handwriting will reveal your mood, personality traits, suggestibility and subconscious motivations at the time of writing this sample. Following is a list of some of the characteristics I analyze in every writing sample. I do not focus on the content of what you have written; however, the form and characteristics of each letter will help me identify, confirm or negate your specific personality traits and how those traits may be affecting behavior.

·                     Baseline slant: This handwriting characteristic indicates the mood of the person at the time the handwriting sample is done. An upward slant would suggest that you tend to be optimistic. A downward slant suggests a more pessimistic attitude or possible depression, which would necessitate a referral to a licensed medical or psychological professional for further evaluation and/or treatment. A baseline that undulates like waves indicates moodiness, which could be associated with low blood sugar/hunger.

·                     Connecting strokes: Writing samples whose letters are connected and flow together indicate someone who has a very methodical and systematic way of thinking. Writing samples that feature little or no connection between the letters could indicate someone who is very analytical and can intuit information or results from just a few pieces of information.

·                     Margins: Do you start and/or finish writing at the edge of the page? The more room you leave on the right-hand margin of the page indicates that you tend to be generous with the amount of time and space you leave for other people. If you have wider margins on the left-hand margin of the page, you are more generous with yourself.

·                     Pressure of the writing: I can tell by feeling the grooves on the reverse side of the page how much pressure (intent or emotion) the writer invested in writing this sample. Someone who is very passionate or emotional about the topic would tend to exert more pressure when writing. Conversely, areas of lighter pressure (no groove) could indicate less emotion, indifference or even physical weakness.

·                     Signature: A person’s signature indicates how he or she would like to be seen by others. It is not necessarily indicative of who the person really is/what the person is really like. Someone whose signature matches or is most like the body of the writing tends to be very no-nonsense; “what you see is what you get.” The opposite would be true of an individual whose signature is very different from the rest of the writing.

·                     Slant of letters: The degree of angle or slant of your letters indicates whether you tend to repress or express your emotions. Someone whose writing has a left-hand slant tends to hold in emotions whereas a person whose writing that slants to the right will express how he or she is feeling. The greater the degree of the slant indicates the degree to which emotions are repressed or expressed.

·                     Zones: Each “zone” of writing indicates where the person puts the greatest emphasis or priority in his or her life. The upper zone is where thought/fantasy/analysis occurs. The middle zone concerns daily life, communication and responsibility. The lower zone is dedicated to fulfilling physical or materialistic needs: sex, clothes, shelter and money. A similar model is also applicable in terms of where you begin writing the sample. 

These are just a few of the indicators I look at when I analyze handwriting in my hypnotherapy practice. For more information about handwriting analysis, or if you would like to request an in-depth analysis of your own writing, please contact me via my website at www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com.  I am also available to do handwriting analyses at fund-raising events to help you raise money for your preferred charity; please let me know if you are interested in this, 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/.

© 2016