Self Hypnosis

As a trained hypnotherapist I am truly amazed by our ability to visualise using self hypnosis. Visualisation enables us to project into the future and to consider and to evaluate what may or could or will happen. Allowing us to contemplate what consequences might follow from our various actions.

Visualisation helps shape our plans, goals and desires it drives our direction through life. It is a pretty marvellous skill. And a considerably useful skill that is well worth the time spent nurturing it.

Imagine if, instead of approaching your weight problem directly. Just Once! You approached it indirectly. Using visualisation by self hypnosis. How surprised will you be when you “automatically” decide to manage your weight! You have a vast array of resources available to you that your conscious mind doesn’t suspect. Everyone has. Including you!

When I was first training in hypnosis I was told how it would benefit me to remember that our brain is not user-friendly. It does exactly what we tell it to do. Not necessarily what we want it to. Then we get mad because it didn’t do, what we meant to tell it!

That’s why I tell all my clients that their unwanted behaviour should not be construed as wrong or broken, when in actual fact it is unwanted behaviour working perfectly. You may not like it but, the unwanted behaviour can be replicated by you, again and again systematically.

Any regression you make to a previous unwanted behaviour is not a signal of failure – returning to earlier unwanted behaviour, is a signal for you to re-negotiate with your subconscious.

A vital component when attempting to achieve a resolution is reframing. To reframe is to take a previously painful and unwanted experience or behaviour and to re-cast it as valuable and potentially useful.

Clients often ask me to help them get rid of this or that unpleasant behaviour or experience. And I always attempt to convince them that the basic premise for any of my therapeutic interventions is that no emotion, no behaviour, or any experience is inherently “good” or “bad” they all have the potential to be useful when expressed at the appropriate time.

This is the difference between simply exchanging one choice for another which can be limiting. It is surely better to enable you to infinitely increase your repertoire of choices. One choice is better than no choice. Two choices are better than one choice. Three choices are better than two. And so on.

         “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis so why not become an honorary therapist?”

Don’t think, “I want to STOP doing X”. Consider, what would be fun to do or interesting to learn. What new abilities could you invent for yourself? How could you make your life really exciting?

All behaviour has a structure and if you can figure out your own structure you can figure out how to change it. Consider a context where a particular structure would be perfect to employ procrastination. The nature of delaying to act. What if you used that skill to put off feeling bad when you ate something you really didn’t want to.

“Oh I know I ought to feel bad right now but I’ll do it later”.

What if you delayed eating fatty unhealthy food forever you simply never quite got around to it.