It is always very difficult to break a habit even when you know that it’s not good for you! Why is that so? Chances are, we are all experiencing a battle between the conscious and subconscious mind. The conscious part of our mind houses logic, rational decision-making, and willpower. But did you know that this part makes up only about 12% of our total brainpower? The remaining 88% is ALL happening on a subconscious level. In order to change an unhealthy habit we have to establish positive relations with a new habit at the subconscious level. This is done by using relaxation techniques and hypnotherapy is a great tool to “reprogram our software.” So what is it anyway? Helen Najar ,Clinical Hypnotherapist at Miracles Wellbeing Centre tells us all we need to know. .
What is hypnosis?
The first thing to know about Hypnosis is to forget what you know about hypnosis. Yes, you read that right. I say this with over three decades of experience and also because unfortunately there are many misconceptions about what hypnotherapy is and means.
To clarify let me tell you three simple facts about hypnosis:
1. No one can hypnotize you against your will, if you don’t want it, it won’t happen.
2. You will never say or do anything you do not want to.
3. You are safe and can come out of the hypnosis at any time.
Why do it?
Hypnotherapy gets to the root cause of the problem. Memories that are too painful are suppressed in the subconscious mind during childhood. This often happens when a child is unable to process the event and therefore will block it out as a way of protecting themselves from what has happened. The issue here is that although the child feels better or safer in the moment, the trauma lives on in the subconscious mind and manifests itself in various areas of adulthood. This is often accompanied by feelings of anxiety and depression relating to certain situations, these feelings are indications of triggers stemming from the subconscious mind that have not been resolved.
How does Hypnotherapy help?
Hypnosis bypasses the conscious mind to get to the subconscious mind which holds all our memories, and gets to the core beliefs creating our negative programming and affecting our life. This is so important because if we do not heal the root cause of the problem it will keep replaying in our life.
Who needs it?
To some extent most people need a form of hypnotherapy to resolve their issues. If you have ever uttered the words “I feel *insert negative emotion* and I don’t know why” hypnotherapy could be exactly what you need.
Hypnosis is also very beneficial for people who are having issues such as anxiety, anger, depression, or any other negative emotional and mental behaviors, including relationship troubles. We need to understand who we are at a core level, in order to acknowledge what is showing up in our life and how it can be resolved, this is what hypnotherapy can do.
What is the process?
Hypnotherapy starts with a guided practice to help the individual enter an altered state by bypassing the conscious mind and accessing the subconscious mind. The therapist will talk the individual into a very relaxed physical state and this will help them to access a memory which has created a core belief that now affects and controls their life and emotional wellbeing.
Individuals being regressed to an event in the past often are laying down with their eyes closed and recalling the memory to visualize the event in their mind and expressing those visuals to the therapist.
The therapist will guide the individual to relive the experience through a different perspective, often as their adult self, which allows them to heal and release any negative beliefs they have been holding onto. When the client has understood the underlying issue through hypnotherapy this enables the emotion to be resolved, effectively rewriting their history and changing the current narrative in their lives.
What are the benefits
The benefit of Hypnotherapy is that it helps to locate the origin of the issue even if the person has no memory of the event. It all happens in a relaxed state and controlled environment. It can work very quickly so the individual can see the benefits immediately and can continue with their day. They feel calm and positive as if a weight has been lifted off them. Many say they feel lighter.
Can kids do it?
This can be done for children and can be very beneficial as it enables the child to feel comfortable talking about their problems and feelings.
There is also a technique called Sleep talk therapy where the parent is taught to recognize the point before the child falls into a REM sleep and can guide the child with positive affirmations to help them feel confident and secure.
Can hypnosis help relationships?
Yes, a good way to address issues within relationships is to look at what triggers us in the other person. For example, whatever negative emotion we feel from other people, such as anger, frustration, irritation etc., is a clear indication of the unresolved issue in ourselves which we are not addressing. Hypnosis helps to make us conscious of our triggers which enables us to look inside ourselves to see what needs to be healed, and once we do that the external issue will usually resolve itself.
What are the most common reasons to seek hypnotherapy?
The most common issues we see in recent times have been around anxiety, anger, stress and relationship troubles. This could be due to many factors however, the recent events that have occurred in the world in the last couple of years certainly have affected everyone in one way or another and inadvertently brought issues to the surface due to external pressures such as isolation, restrictions, loss of finances etc.
If you have been struggling to understand why you’re feeling the way you are, and you would like to start feeling better, please reach out to us at Miracles Wellness Center.