People Live Everywhere!

(This blog was originally posted on May 28, 2014)

 

Photo courtesy of Fotolia

                One of my grandmothers used to say, “People live everywhere!” She would emphasize the “every,” but not the “where.” We used to laugh when she said that; the trill in her voice reminded me of the sensation of being tickled. This expression typically followed her observation about something that someone did which she had never seen or heard of before. When I was little, I had no idea what she might have meant by this; of course people live everywhere, I thought. At the time, I didn’t get that she wasn’t referring solely to geography. She was including her observations about how similar people were, despite the differences in their behaviors. In all honesty, I have only recently begun to truly appreciate what Mama Lil was talking about in the context of my hypnotherapy practice.

                No matter where you live or what beliefs you hold, you are a product of the social environment and culture in which you were born and raised. Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John Kappas, Ph.D. held that we all begin to write our mental script from the moment we are born. Our subconscious mind categorizes each one of our early experiences as a positive (pleasure) or negative (pain) “known.” Family, friends and peers may continue to influence our behaviors to various degrees during our lifetimes. Each one of us may become more or less open than our peers to tolerate or accept other belief systems even while, deep down, we will probably always hold that our way of doing something is “better” than anyone else’s. (Until proved otherwise, that is.)

                No matter whom you are or where you are from, your beliefs, perceptions and experiences are valid. They are yours—but, they are also products of your environment and what you know or have learned. As you live your life, you will have dreams, set goals and follow a path that you set—a path that is not only made for you, but one that you (your SCM) designed. Meanwhile, remember that somewhere along the way, you will encounter or hear about other people that live very near or very far away, who happen to share similar interests and have similar aspirations. Like you, they will be more or less amenable to changing their behavior or adopting a new belief system in relation to their suggestibility and whether their subconscious mind will accept that new known.

                Wherever you go and whatever you do as you fulfill your life script, you are likely to meet someone who shares your interests. You are equally likely to discover that you have absolutely nothing in common with that person. Just remember: you are still sharing the same planet with other people, even if you don’t live in the same metaphoric world. When you meet, they may also marvel, “People live everywhere!”

 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®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2015

 

7 Keys to a Successful, Long-Term Relationship

(This blog was originally posted on February 14, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

                On Valentine’s Day, many couples around the world spend the day celebrating their love and relationship. Some people will exchange cards and love letters. Others will give their partner a box of chocolates and/or a bouquet of flowers. And, certainly, no other day of the year is more romantic to become engaged. In honor of June being a favorite month in which to get married, I have decided to re-post this blog.

In 2005, I attended an eye-opening seminar at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute about the keys to a healthy, intimate relationship based on the concepts of John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Emotional and Physical Sexuality. In this seminar, instructor Marc Gravelle identified the following seven qualities of a healthy relationship. Here are seven requisite traits of a successful relationship to help you evaluate whether you and your partner are truly ready to take your relationship to this next level:

1.       You like each other. (This is the most important factor)

2.       You trust each other.

3.       You respect each other.

4.       You have good communication, where you can honestly share your thoughts and feelings about an issue with the other person.

5.       You have good sex (each partner gets his or her needs met).

6.       You have similar interests.

7.       You have separate interests.

Notice that the terms “love” and “in love” are not included in this list. That is because romantic love is what you feel during the honeymoon or early stages of a relationship. Yes, it is exciting, exhilarating and often intoxicating; but the high level of energy required to sustain this stage of infatuation eventually wears away. However, with these seven elements firmly in place, you can still enjoy and appreciate all of these ingredients (qualities) about your partner that first attracted you to each other, and your relationship will continue to flourish.

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/.

© 2015

 

Tired? There's a Nap For That!

(This blog was originally posted on April 13, 2014)

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

                Have you ever pulled an all-nighter to study for an exam or complete a project before a deadline? Or, have you ever become so caught up in a social activity that you didn’t want to close your eyes in case you missed something? (Remember when you or one of your kids tried to stay up all night to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve?) We seldom think about it—or try not to—but sleep is a precious commodity that many of us neglect or even avoid at all costs. This behavior doesn’t do our body any good.

                Sleep is the time when our body can take a rest and recuperate from any physical exertion or stress that we experienced during the day. This is when the cells in the body regenerate. This is when dreams happen—those precious seconds when the subconscious mind works through and/or “dumps” all of the information that we don’t need to consciously think about anymore. It is as natural to need and want to sleep as it is to eat, drink and create social bonds with other people. But for some reason, we tend to perceive an admission of feeling tired or sleepy as a sign of weakness and won’t slow done for that needed rest until we collapse from exhaustion.

                When you feel tired, lie down and take a nap or go to bed for the night. Show your body the same consideration and respect as you do when you eat a meal or drink some water to slake your hunger or thirst. If you cannot sleep or have interrupted sleep, or if you feel you sleep “too much,” consult your primary physician to make sure that there is not a medical cause for this behavior. Hypnotherapy is a great complement to traditional health care in that hypnosis, guided imagery/visualization and relaxation techniques also provide an opportunity to vent emotional stress that may prevent normal sleep patterns and cause you to feel (or not get) tired. Your body is telling you something when you feel tired; isn’t it time to listen to what it is trying to say?

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/.

© 2015