Overview

Hypochondriasis (or hypochondria, sometimes referred to as health phobia) refers to an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. Often, hypochondria persists even after a physician has evaluated a person and reassured him/her that his/her concerns about symptoms do not have an underlying medical basis or, if there is a medical illness, the concerns are far in excess of what is appropriate for the level of disease. Many people suffering from this disorder focus on a particular symptom as the catalyst of their worrying, such as gastro-intestinal problems, palpitations, or muscle fatigue.

Hypochondria is often characterized by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis, and a preoccupation with one's body. Many individuals with hypochondriasis express doubt and disbelief in the doctors' diagnosis, and report that doctors’ reassurance about an absence of a serious medical condition is unconvincing, or un-lasting. Many hypochondriacs require constant reassurance, either from doctors, family, or friends, and the disorder can become a disabling torment for the individual with hypochondriasis, as well as his or her family and friends. Some hypochondriacal individuals are completely avoidant of any reminder of illness, whereas others are frequent visitors of doctors’ offices. Other hypochondriacs will never speak about their terror, convinced that their fear of having a serious illness will not be taken seriously by those in whom they confide.

Discover the Secrets of Method Acting - Part 3

Sense Memory is the most important part of Method Acting.

Sense Memory
Sense memory is re-living sensations that were experienced through the five senses. Strasberg stressed the term re-living and not just remembering. The difference lies between knowing something and truly recreating it. That difference is substantiated by psychology.

You have heard of psychosomatic illnesses and hypochondria. The mind can manifest symptoms and responses from simply believing the body is sick. This true even if the body is not sick. Sense memory exercises are designed to train you to be able to elicit a response from your body by concentrating on stimuli associated with an experience.

Sense memory is using your memory of real objects to create sensory objects on stage. You need a great deal on concentration to create a sensory object. When you can create a sensory object, you can invoke a "real" response. You will be re-living a sensory experience and not demonstrating an experience. From this stimulus that you know isn't real, suddenly all the other false things become real and you start behaving truthfully. The audience will believe the performance is real because the actor believes it is real. Sense memory creates great truth performance, which is the actors "ability to experience".

For example, do you know the smell of movie theatre popcorn? When you think of it, do you recall the last movie you saw in the theatre? Does the memory of the smell help trigger other memories? By concentration on the smell, can you recall other aspects of your trip to the theatre? Does concentrating on the smell remind you of the sights and sounds of the theatre? Do the sense memories you recall help you remember the movie, the date and other details? You have recalled the sense memory of the smell of popcorn to re-live the experience of going to the movies.

Smell is the sense most closely associated with memory. It has been shown that smell helps triggers memory recall. Smells become associated with vivid memories.

You must concentrate on the sensory object and it's stimuli. Do not concentrate on trying to elicit an emotion. Through practice you will learn what sensory objects produce the desired emotional response. Then you must simple devote your focus to produce the sensory object without regard for the emotion. The emotional response will follow naturally.

Again, the choice of the sensory object for a scene is up to you. Ideally, you should choose an object that you have practiced with and you know will provide the appropiate emotional response. If possible, make your choice relevant to the scene as well. The more sensory objects you have practiced, and the more scenes you work, the more skilled you will become. Dozens of scenes are waiting for you to use at the website below. You can download them instantly.



Autor: Neils Bohr

from ActingScenes.com

Do you know how to prepare in the 10 minutes before giving your audition? Most auditions consist of a cold read. A typical audition consists of you getting a side when you arrive an audition. You will have 10 minutes to read over the side and prepare to read in front of the casting director or agent. Learn how you can succeed at actingscenes.com

Do you need scenes and dialogues for an acting class or practice? Do you need material to rehearse? How much energy and time do you spend looking for quality scenes and sides? At actingscenes.com you find over one hundred scenes ready for you to download immediately.


Added: February 1, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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