How Hypnotherapy Works
How Hypnotherapy Works. Our perception of the world around us differs from one person to another based on our experiences. These perceptions are stored in our subconscious mind as fact.
You are the sum total of your past. Your past experiences will mould your goals and expectations and you will make your life whatever these goals and expectations are – whether good or bad. The subconscious mind is the most powerful goal-achieving agency.
What you Think, You Become
Hypnosis works by helping you understand how your past experiences have moulded your perceptions. Hypnotherapy allows you to view these perceptions differently so you can move forward to a better and richer life.
To understand Hypnosis, you need to understand a little more about your critical Faculty and how an Initial Sensitising Event can become fact in your subconscious mind.
What is the Critical Faculty?
The Critical Faculty is that part of the conscious mind that takes its orders from the subconscious. It monitors all incoming suggestions and compares it to the perception you have on that subject. If the new suggestion does not agree with the existing perception it will reject it. If the new suggestion does agree, it will allow it through thereby compounding the original perception and giving it power.
You will think your next thought, act your next action, feel your next feeling based on everything that’s happened to you in your past.
Initial Sensitising Event
The first negative perception stored in your subconscious is usually accompanied by great trauma – we call this the Initial Sensitizing Event (ISE).
An Example
A child is told that he is stupid by his teacher and is humiliated in front of his classmates. Any subsequent sensitising events (SSEs) in harmony with the initial event will compound and strengthen the original perception.
Maybe the child does badly in a spelling test and is again humiliated by the teacher. When he takes the test home, his father punishes him for doing so badly. All of these events strengthen the perception in his subconscious that he is stupid.
There may be many sensitising events which do not produce negative symptoms, but then one event will cause an eruption. This boy could grow up to be very successful, but deep down in his subconscious he will always believe he is stupid. This feeling could manifest itself in many ways – relationship problems, addiction issues, anxiety or stress.
How does Hypnosis Help?
One of the best ways to change your perceptions is to bypass the critical faculty. Without this, your conscious mind may continue to reject any suggestion which does not agree with the existing perception.
Hypnosis induces a trance-like state, where you are actually in a heightened state of awareness and inward focus. In this state, the conscious mind is relaxed and the subconscious mind is available. In this state most people are more aware of their internal world, emotions and memories. These are not “thinking” memories but rather “felt” or “knowing”. Very importantly, because the critical faculty of the conscious mind has been bypassed your subconscious mind becomes open to new suggestions. It is important to note, however, that we still have our natural defences in this state and any suggestions that are against our values, beliefs and goals can be rejected.
What Happens to You in Hypnosis?
In your initial sessions, Linda will help you analyse your life story to look for clues as to what initial sensitising event caused the problem you are struggling to overcome.
Hypnosis is then used to identify the actual cause of the problem. Linda will use hypnosis techniques to guide you through the stages of increased relaxation until you are in a deeply relaxed, trance-like state. In this state, Linda will use regression techniques to take you back to that moment in time (in this life or a past life) when you first felt or experienced the emotion.
Because your subconscious mind is open to new suggestions, Linda will help you re-look at what you experienced and start the healing process. Any negative feelings and emotions can be replaced with positive suggestions.
- You may express previously suppressed emotions (the cathartic effect); or
- You may look at the event differently and forgive either yourself or the perpetrator; or
- Linda may suggest ideas, concepts, lifestyle changes , the seeds of which become firmly planted.
You will also be taught self hypnosis with the aid of a CD to continue reinforcing these positive suggestions.
Hypnosis is an approach that unlike many others does not address only the symptom, but rather endeavours to uncover the cause. By addressing the cause you are more likely to be rid of unresourceful thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Look at these Case Studies on Hypnosis to see how effective it can be in the hands of a skilled practitioner.
Contact a professional like Linda Clarke to really find out how hypnotherapy can help you.