Clinical Hypnotherapist, Dip. H. and Psychotherapist
Emma Wicks
Hypnosis is not a new phenomenon and has in fact been used for hundreds of years to help others. Hypnotherapists work very differently from the stage hypnotist you may have seen on TV. Hypnotherapists use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool to totally relax the client's mind and body, allowing them to be able to focus entirely on the change they would like to make. It is what happens under hypnosis that is the therapeutic part of hypnotherapy.
Unlike many talking therapies that work solely with the conscious mind, hypnotherapy works with the subconscious mind also. This is important if we consider that today's scientists estimate that 95% of our brain activity is actually subconscious.
Our subconscious mind is continually working to keep us safe. From regulating our breathing, to helping us know instinctively how to respond to stimuli in our environment.
Often referred to as the 'storage room of the mind', the subconscious is where our previous life experiences, memories, skills and our beliefs about ourselves and the world are kept and stored as 'old tapes', which play over and over again. As we experience life our thoughts and feelings are constantly checked against our stored beliefs and that which does not 'fit' will be rejected. Some of the beliefs that we have absorbed into our subconscious mind serve us well, whilst others are self-limiting and negatively hold us back from living the life we deserve. Conflicts can arise between the conscious and subconscious mind which can lead to feelings of fear, stress and anxiety, or perhaps just feeling 'off', 'uncomfortable' or 'not quite right', often referred to as Cognitive Dissonance.
It is the time when you really want that new job but keep finding reasons to not fill in the application form. When you want to be sociable but keep finding excuses not to go out. When you dream of travelling to far off places but can't step onto a plane.
Stored deep in our subconscious, we are often unaware of these conflicts. Hypnosis helps to bypass the Conscious Critical Faculty (CCF), which acts as a filter for the subconscious mind. The CCF will receive information from around us and either accept or reject it based on if it matches our existing belief system - even if the belief does not serve us well - making change in the conscious mind challenging.
When in hypnosis, the CCF is by-passed and our subconscious mind is directly channelled and becomes more open to accepting positive suggestions made through visualisations of the future. Allowing us to identify and release negative or unhelpful beliefs and behaviours buried deep in our subconscious. Through the power of neuroplasticity, also helping us absorb positive suggestions and create new neurological pathways that will improve our health and well-being, remove unconscious blocks, and release repressed emotions that have been holding us back. Our beliefs can then be altered for ones that we desire and which serve us better.
All often in a more relaxed, quicker and enjoyable manner than other therapies.
