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.
