Facts

Everything in life seems to follow a pattern. First we are born, and then we die. We crawl before we walk. We toddle before run. We eat baby food before we eat a steak dinner…etc. You get the idea.

Did you know that your thoughts also have patterns? We call them neuro pathways, and for better or worse we repeat, and repeat, the patterns of these pathways. For better or worse these pathways become stronger and stronger the more we use them.

According to Albert Einstein the definition of insanity is,  “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you have always got.” Perhaps you have noticed this pattern in your life. So, whether you see the glass as half empty or you see the glass as half full you can thank your neuro pathways. 

In other words your mind keeps processing information in the same old ways. It seems like a rotten trick of nature does it not? 

I remember when the book “The Secret” came out it resonated with me. I remember trying to think positive thoughts, but to be honest it was difficult for me. I remember driving along in the car singing the happiest most positive songs I could find. I would sing them at the top of my lungs just to keep the negative thoughts away. It was interesting…the more I tried to get rid of my negative thoughts the stronger they became. It is true “What you think about you bring about” or  “what you think about expands.”

Lucky for us our patterns are learned behaviors. Though breaking patterns with the conscious mind is difficult, it is not impossible. The subconscious mind has a guard at the gate known as the critical factor. The critical factor checks pieces of information coming into the conscious mind. It determines whether the information will pass through to the subconscious mind or bounce out. The critical factor is a pretty tough character. The good news is that through the use of hypnosis the critical factor can be set aside. Hypnosis allows us to easily access the subconscious mind, and through this process we are able to redefine pathways. We are able to create new patterns which are healthier than their old counterparts.

What we all need to realize is that everything is a pattern. Whether it is chronic pain, smoking, insomnia, or overeating. They are all patterns, and we can break patterns or interrupt them. We can change the neurological pathway our brainwaves travels.

I am going to give you a little gem… called a “Pattern Interrupt.” Take your cellphone, a water bottle, or a small ball, toss it back and forth from one hand to the other hand. Back and forth, back and forth. The negative feeling you are fixating on originates on one side of your brain. Tossing something back and forth between hands interrupts your brains usual pattern, eliminating the fixation. The more you interrupt a pathway the weaker the pathway will become and your brain will make a new, more desirable pathway.

I have a friend who is coming in for weight loss hypnotherapy in a few weeks. I gave him the above pattern interrupt at a birthday party we were both attending. I told him that anytime he felt the need to eat out of boredom or habit he should try it. Last night I saw him in the grocery store. He told me that every time he has the urge to eat out of boredom he uses this pattern interrupt, and guess what? It works!

Give it try.

“Look into my eyes….you are getting sleepy…very sleepy.” (Spoken in a thick Romanian accent.)  We have all seen movies (my favorite is “White Zombie.”) that depict hypnosis as a form of mind control.  The villain places an unsuspecting person under their power by the use of hypnosis. The person is then required to do things that is completely out of character for them. Such as hurting someone they love, or serving the villain as some sort of zombie slave. 

Most of us have seen a hypnotist show. The hypnotist gets people from the audience to come up and preform on stage. The hypnotized, hop around like rabbits, flap their arms like a chicken, or sing a songs.  It’s entertaining because, what the participants are doing, seems out of character for them. But is it?

The truth about hypnosis is, it’s not mind control. Sorry folks…you will never rule, or control hundreds of unsuspecting minions with it.  The hypnotized person must be willing to accept the suggestions given by the hypnotist. The important word here is “Accept”. It is only through accepting and agreeing with the suggestion that the person will act upon it.

The idea so many people have that hypnosis is a deep state of unconsciousness, is a false one. Hypnosis is actually a heightened state of awareness. A sort of hyper awareness if you will. Because clients have watched movies etc. They believe that they will not remember what has taken place. And that the hypnotist will take control of their mind. They believe that all the desired changes will occur without any effort on their part. This is not true. People doing change work with hypnosis need motivation. They must be willing to follow through with the changes suggested by the hypnotherapist.

Because of the false idea of unconsciousness. Many people during a hypnosis session question whether they are even hypnotized. Because they are aware of a car driving by, or voices of people talking in the hallway. And the fact that they hear and remember everything that the hypnotherapist says etc. The truth is that all this awareness is normal. Remember hypnosis is a heightened state of awareness.

Most good hypnotherapist include a convincer with their trance work. Such as telling the client that their leg is too heavy to lift, or suggesting that you can’t open your eyes. When the client tries to do these things and can’t, or feels like it would take too much effort. They become convinced that they are in a state of hypnosis.

Why Hypnosis is successful is the fact that it allows access to the subconscious mind. The subconscious is where emotions and imagination originate. Emotions drive behavior. The subconscious is difficult to access without hypnosis. Because of the difficulty of accessing the subconscious it is difficult to change. If is not impossible, but difficult. For Example in your conscious mind you know what must take place to lose weight. You know that you must eat less. Exercise more etc. You tell yourself consciously that you are going to diet and make these changes. You are good for a couple of days, but as time goes on you revert back to eating the wrong foods, and skipping exercise. Why, you ask? The reason is that you do not have the subconscious mind on board. And for whatever reason the subconscious feels that it is in your best interest to eat and not exercise. Weight loss is only one example. This holds true to any change in behavior a person wants to make. There are people who “white knuckle” change.  Sticking with their intentions long enough to get the subconscious involved. This is applaud able but it doesn’t need to be that difficult. Hypnosis can help the person change instantaneous, and with ease.

In conclusion. Hypnosis is a trance state which allows access to the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is the place where Emotions and thus behaviors originate. In Trance these emotions are changeable. Changed emotions equal changed behaviors. Hypnosis is not a state of unconsciousness, but a state of heightened consciousness. The client is always in control of what suggestions they accept. They are also in control of what suggestions they will reject. And last, but not least hypnosis allows for instant change.