Hypnotherapy
"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes."
Carl Jung
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy in most basic terms is a method of getting your subconscious mind and your conscious mind on the same page. It is the job of the hypnotherapist to communicate to the subconscious mind information that the conscious mind already knows- and to elicit from the subconscious, what the conscious needs to know in order
to achieve a desired result. Hypnotherapy is a communication and re-learning process, where the result is the conscious and subconscious believe the same message.
What is belief?
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An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
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Trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
Belief is formed
As we go through life we take in messages. From parents, care-givers, friends, romantic partners, and authority figures of all kinds. As conscious adults we may choose to accept some messages as true, and discard others. When we accept a message as true, this becomes a part of our belief. But there was often a time, and may still be a time, where we accepted others truths as our own.
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When we are young this is especially prevalent as for the most part it is important that we listen to authority figures- our survival might have depended on it. But as children we are often unable to distinguish with a conscious mind what information is worth holding onto, and what might not be as helpful anymore.
Conscious mind 5-10%
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Rational, analytical, logical
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Short-term memory
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Willpower
Subconscious mind 90-95%
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Emotional responses
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Involuntary bodily functions
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Long-term memory
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Intuition, creativity, dreams
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Beliefs, habits, values
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Protective responses
The Power of the Conscious & Subconscious Mind
The subconscious is the part of your mind responsible for storing beliefs and memories based on past events. It is the subconscious that holds onto our core beliefs about ourselves and the world around us.
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The mind filters its experience through the conscious mind, choosing to ignore information that does not confirm its already held belief. It is common for the mind to look for evidence in the world to support this by favouring information that confirms previously existing beliefs or biases. Confirming the reality, and continuing the cycle. This is why it is so hard sometimes to 'fight' the voice in your head.
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The mind works in the present moment to confirm our beliefs, but can also be used to create new ones. Understanding your subconscious, or nervous system responses, and then using this understanding to put the body at ease and create new beliefs is the goal of utilizing hypnotherapy.
Why do the subconscious and
conscious mind believe different things?
The subconscious mind can in a sense be stuck in the past. It can become conditioned to respond in a particular way, for the benefit or to the detriment, of the authentic way we wish to live our lives. By communicating with this part of the mind directly we can 'catch up' this part of ourselves.
How can Hypnotherapy help me?
The way that I approach hypnotherapy is always to help my clients gain a better understanding of self, live their life with more presence, and feel more comfortable in the expression their authentic nature. Utilizing hypnotherapy to address and work past what has been holding us back, we are able to find success naturally.
Some examples of this would be to treat the root cause of anxiety, depression, fears and phobias, substance abuse including tobacco, undesirable behaviours and habits, low self-worth or lack of confidence, impulse control, negative relationship patterns, or communication issues.
Hypnosis is also beneficial for those looking for a way to work with their inner-child, get in touch with their creativity, intuition, explore past lives or do shadow work.