Proprioception

(This blog was originally posted on October 11, 2016)

Photo by Rick Huston

When I count a client up and out of hypnosis at the end of the hypnotherapy session, I always drop in a suggestion that the individual begins to become more aware of his or her physical body. I add that the person is also becoming more aware of where the body is in relation to relaxing in the recliner in my office. I do this to re-stimulate the person’s proprioception: i.e., awareness of the different areas of the physical body and strength in relation to movement and position in the environment in the alert and aware state.

Proprioception is something most of us take for granted on a day-to-day basis. Remember, the conscious mind can only process a small amount of information at any one time. The ability to discern important (urgent) information is necessary for our survival, which is why so much of what the subconscious mind perceives and processes “rarely” makes it to conscious awareness. Can you imagine what your day would be like if you constantly felt the scratching sensation caused by the label stitched inside the collar of your shirt or blouse? How long would it take for you to become overwhelmed by the persistent sensation of each muscle in your legs constrict and relax while you walked across the room?

Consequently, we don’t think about how our muscles, tendons, joints and bones work let alone what they are supposed to do when we first roll out of bed or run to catch a bus or train. We just do the activity and expect that everything in the body is working/doing what it is supposed to. When we feel threatened by something in the environment or even the environment, itself, we become very aware of every muscle in the body. As the subconscious mind goes into the fight/flight data processing, the conscious mind wonders: How fast can I get out of here if I need to escape?

 

Another time we become much more aware and attuned to what is going on is when things don’t work like they should, such as after an injury or during an illness. For example, people who experience chronic pain are often hyper-alert to every sensation in the body as they try to find some position that provides some relief, if only for a little while.

Athletes, including dancers, naturally tend have very good proprioception. Or, I should clarify that this “natural” ability is a learned, oft-rehearsed behavior that has become a subconscious mental script. These individuals must have this to successfully execute their special skill in the sport to achieve the winning goal or point or, ensure that their movements seem effortless as their and their dance partner’s bodies flow with choreography. No matter what is going on, these individuals remain consciously and subconsciously aware of/attuned to the placement of the body and what it is and should be doing at all times. 

When my yoga teacher started to explained proprioception to the class today, instructing us to pay greater attention to specific areas of our bodies, she reminded me how similar this physical work is to what I help clients do in hypnotherapy. She wanted us (the students) to increase our awareness of how these separate parts worked together (or not) by noticing if there was any resistance in certain areas and then ease that tension by breathing into it. She also suggested that it was okay to allow ourselves to release or let go of anything we felt was holding us back or what we no longer wanted or needed to hold onto in our lives. This exercise reminded me so much of what I do with my hypnotherapy clients: i.e., inviting the breath into the body to release tightness and tension while increasing their relaxation, calm and comfort. Like yoga, hypnotherapy is an opportunity to increase self-awareness and make desired behavior changes starting with something as simple breathing in and breathing out. Directing awareness to what we are able to do to increase comfort within and control of the entire body or just specific areas is a great way to build self-confidence and belief in our ability to handle other areas of our lives.

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

Your Inner Guide

(This blog was originally posted on October 10, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

Therapeutic guided imagery often utilizes the concept of an “Inner Guide.” The Inner Guide can be an animal, another person—living or deceased—or even take the form of a plant, flower or tree. It doesn’t matter what or who it is so long as the Inner Guide is all-wise, all-knowing and all-loving and provides the client with unconditional support. 

A hypnotherapy client’s first introduction to the Inner Guide typically occurs during Special Place imagery journey during hypnosis. This is an imaginary environment that the client creates in the subconscious mind using associations and imagery to provide a relaxing, emotionally “safe space” in which he or she can explore options and make decisions, etc. Similarly, the Inner Guide is a product of the client’s imagination and associations. Meeting the Inner Guide here while the client is experiencing the greatest relaxation and confidence reinforces the person’s sense of comfort and confidence, thus facilitating integration of the advice and reassurance this image has to offer. (If a guide does not show up in the imagery exercise, that is fine, too.)

Like other imagery work I do with my clients, I help the client create a rich experience by asking the person to describe details about the Inner Guide, including what it looks like, what it is wearing/if it is clothed, its name, qualities, etc. I also ask the person to describe how it feels to be with this guide. (If a “negative” or critical Inner Guide has shown up, my training as a certified imagery facilitator enables me to gently redirect the client to find or identify an all-wise, all-loving guide.) I encourage the client to talk to the Inner Guide and ask any questions he or she may have. As the imagery journey comes to a close, I ask the client what advice or important information the Inner Guide has to share with the person. Then I then incorporate this information into the hypnotic script to facilitate the person’s desired behavior change.

Of course, the Inner Guide is always available to accompany the client on other imagery journeys, by invitation only. It is also possible to have more than one Inner Guide and consult with specific ones depending on the issue being explored and what skills/advice the person feels would be more relevant in that situation. Regardless of the Inner Guide’s physical form, the client always has control over whether and when to incorporate it into the imagery journey.

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

Just What I Need When I Need It

(This blog was originally posted on October 6, 2016)

Photo by Rick Hustead

I have noticed something very interesting in the past couple of weeks. When I think about some physical skill or flexibility that I need to improve for my riding, that “thing,” whatever it is, seems to appear in my environment. Then there were those fortuitous events I described in my blog, Lost…And Found, when various items I believed were gone forever suddenly showed up again. On a couple of occasions, I have been able to find not only a spot but a great spot to park my car in a lot where parking is at a premium. And now, this has started to happen.

  At the beginning of each yoga class the instructor suggests that we set an intention for the practice. Most of the time I “ask” for patience with myself to be able to stay in a pose for a little longer than I have been able to in the past, or hope that I need fewer corrections from the teacher. That is coming from my conscious mind, though, and these desires are more superficial. They aren’t what I actually need. My subconscious mind takes care of that.

 Inevitably, the focus of the class addresses something my riding instructor has told me to work on during my previous ride. At some point during my lesson, she will identify something I need to work on, such as strengthen the muscles in my legs or abs, sit up taller or keep my shoulders back, increase my stamina, etc. She has even created a regimen of ballet stretches and other exercises for me to do to improve these areas for my riding. I do sets of lunges and demi and grand pliés in second and first position to open my hips and tread my feet on the edge of step to increase flexibility in my Achilles tendons. In addition, I practice straight kicks to the front, side and behind my body to isolate movement of my legs from my hips; sit-ups to strengthen my abs; and sprints up and down her long driveway to increase my stamina. Meanwhile, I also take yoga classes five times a week to improve my balance, strength and, of course, practice isolating movement in specific areas of my body.

I didn’t mention that goal to the yoga teacher before the class; but my subconscious mind attracted the day’s curriculum for me, nonetheless. The day after my trainer told me I needed to get more flexibility in my hips, the yoga instructor focused on hip openers throughout most of the practice. We did a lot of those today, as well. As I rolled up my yoga mat at the end of class I thought about all those crunches I still needed to do later, and the teacher announced, “Next week we are doing core work!”

In his book titled, Success Is Not an Accident: The Mental Bank Concept, Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D., explains how the mental scripts we program into our subconscious mind determine the outcome of our actions. Whether we imagine a positive or negative result, the SCM follows that subconscious mental script to actualize the goal you “want.” These instances are great examples of how the Law of Attraction facilitated the opportunity to work toward my goal of increasing strength and flexibility through my yoga practice. As Ralph Waldo Emerson previously wrote, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

 It’s like magic, and I am the magician.

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