What is hypnosis and how does it work?
The brain is a pattern-making machine. All-day long, the brain is coming up with examples of how old patterns are correct and adding new instances to prove that the way we see things, is the right, true and moral way to behave. Unless we specifically train ourselves to seek out change, to dance with it, we tend to “fall” into the comfort zone of our rehearsed behaviors and our life remains the same. In neuroscience, these are called neural loops. These thinking, behavior patterns follow the path of least resistance, the path most walked. If we use the metaphor of a forest to represent the mind, this is the difference between following a well-trodden path (those rehearsed comfort zone behaviors), and going off track, where the fear of the unknown, fear of getting lost, or coming across a dangerous monster if you stray, is looming. Maybe you’ve heard this quote by Albert Einstein “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. Exploring the unknown is where the gold of new resources, and where our innate wisdom, intelligence lie, waiting to be discovered. This is why it is important to work with a coach or a therapist you trust, someone who has your absolute success and your best outcomes in mind. Maybe even someone who can see a better future version of you, than the one you currently see for yourself.
So what happens when you go into the unknown, the subconscious? You are able to examine the cause of some of your unfavorable tendencies and behaviors. Then, you can rescue yourself, safely relive those often very old, outdated situations through a more resourceful perspective.
Think of all of your emotions as colors in a tapestry. Perhaps your anger is represented in red, all your old, repressed pain is expressed as a fog-like grey, your joy shines yellow, and your happiness portrayed in a dazzling green, etc. Each time you experience that emotion, another thread of that color is added to the tapestry of your experience. In a lot of ways, all the times you felt anger, or sadness, is connected to all the other times. They’re all the same color.
Think of the deep hurt a small child feels when they don’t receive a treat they want really badly. Imagine going back into the past, into a similar moment when you were, say, 3-years-old (or, if you’ve had the chance to observe any small children recently, imagine them in this role). You can easily see the pain: it’s all the child wants, it’s the only thing that matters to them at that moment. There is no delayed gratification, no later. There is only now. That pain, that very intense emotion, is recorded and a gray thread is added to your tapestry. From your current adult perspective, you can see several reasonable explanations for why your little self did not receive what they wanted in that moment.
In trance, we are able to go back in time to soothe your Inner Child’s emotional state, which “taught” the little you that you cannot have what you truly desire. In simplified terms, the feeling of "if I really want something I cannot have it” (coupled with the gray yarn of pain) got coded into your system, especially if this was an experience you came across often in your formative years. The brain loves to find patterns, it loves to generalize. You can re-experience that memory, and also bring healing with your current knowledge, confidence, and experience to the younger you. You can pick out that one gray yarn, and when you do, you might see how subsequent experiences in your life might have changed, had that initial “If I really want something I cannot have it” belief been taken out of the equation. When you pick on one yarn, it pulls on many others of the same color, same emotion. You might notice your brain generalizing for the better now. you’re bringing other positive, beautiful colors into that experience, while also removing the initial pain.
Revisiting an old memory, then re-living an updated version of that experience, sends a signal to your mature brain that you are actually able to change. A new pattern emerges. The brain is constantly looking for patterns and in creating empowering new ones, you become the architect of your life. The new pattern says: I can change. And now, being aware of this innate ability to change, the mind starts searching for more examples of how that is true. Gaining inner confidence over time really stacks up and we evolve into self trusting, self-sufficient beings. We ease into our most authentic, worthy selves. The feelings of self-confidence and self-trust are the touchstones to creating any compelling, productive, important work. Whether that is in your personal life, career, family life, or out in your community. If you want to make a positive mark on the world (on whatever level you choose), trusting yourself, believing your gut, and following that inner knowing is the foundation you need.
Hypnosis can help you pick off what’s not serving you, and weave a new, more resourceful tapestry.
