Explaining Hypnosis and Lasting Change
Posted by Hypnocoach Lisa at 3/29/2009 6:10 PM 
Categories: Mindset
Tags: hypnosis subconscious what is hypnosis weight loss hypnosis virginia beach hypnosis stop smoking hypnosis
Categories: Mindset
Tags: hypnosis subconscious what is hypnosis weight loss hypnosis virginia beach hypnosis stop smoking hypnosis
Hypnosis has had a long history and difficult transition into acceptance by mainstream society and the medical community. However, its continued effectiveness for millions who have used it and the mounting research that has been conducted with it over the years, are finally raising it up as a valid and useful modality for habit change, learning enhancement, and healing.
Conscious and Subconscious
Let me explain a bit about how the mind works and what we do know about the mechanism of hypnosis. The conscious
mind is the rational, mind. It deals with analytical processes (math, logic, reasoning), temporal awareness (time and
space), stores new memories and skills temporarily, and engages force of will ("willpower") to actions.
This level of the mind is very good at analyzing, organizing, making decisions. It is capable of incredible focus and
concentration. However, its limitations are that it can only perform one task at a time, can only deal with the familiar
and concrete, and is finite.
The subconscious mind is the creative and conditioned part of the mind. It deals with emotions and imagination and works through symbols and metaphors. It stores programs, patterns, and habits to create autopilot responses and actions to save us time/energy and to protect us. It stores memories permanently.
This level of the mind is creative, infinite, capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously (e.g., regulate heartbeat, breathing, coordination, etc.). Its limitations are that it cannot make decisions/judge/evaluate, and everything in here is "truth" (according to how it perceived and recorded it at the time).
The Gatekeeper
In between the Conscious and the Subconscious levels of the mind is what's metaphorically known as "the gatekeeper,"
though the technical term for this filtering system is "the critical faculty." It's job is two-fold:
1) to take information from the conscious level and decide whether to pass it down to the subconscious level or not, and
2) to bring information up from the subconscious to feed the conscious mind into taking some action.
The critical faculty tries to keep things congruent as it passes from one level to another, especially with the information that it allows to enter and be stored away in the subconscious. It checks it agains emotional links, memories, and beliefs to protect current programs (these programs are designed to make things easier for us and to keep us safe). Therefore, if new information is incongruent with the "order" and information that is currently stored in the subconscious, it will either kick the information out (not allow it to enter the subconscious) or modify/alter it to match more closely what's in the subconscious (often grossly distorting it from its orginial form).
Any info. allowed past the "gatekeeper" is taken by the subconscious mind as absolute Truth, and therefore, can be very difficult to change.
Creating Lasting, Easy Change
We will almost always do what is familiar, to avoid internal conflict with our programs. To experience significant change,
we must alter the programs running at the subconscious level. To do that, we must bypass the gatekeeper—the critical
faculty. Once we do that, we gain access to the subconscious mind where we can implement, through suggestion, the selective thinking that will assist us in achieving our goal(s).
Hypnosis is the bypass mechanism around the Gatekeeper. It relaxes the gatekeeper from its hypervigilant state, which
allows fairly docile information to be allowed into the subconscious and new patterns to be conditioned. However, the gatekeeper is not completely "de-activated," which means that truly harmful or highly incongruent information/suggestions will still be able to be kicked out or modified by the gatekeeper.
This is not brainwashing. It is simply a way to allow beneficial information to be accepted into the level that is most effective
to initiate permanent change or to influence the body to respond in a certain way (e.g., boost immune system, change blood flow, ignore or diminish pain signals, etc.).
There are a large array ways that people (my clients, myself, others) have positively utilized the process of hypnosis to enhance their lives, often in seemingly miraculous and easy ways. Visit my website for more information and to watch/listen to a hypnotic process on line, then call for a no-cost consultation (can be done by phone if you are not in my area).
Live Fully!
Conscious and Subconscious
Let me explain a bit about how the mind works and what we do know about the mechanism of hypnosis. The conscious
mind is the rational, mind. It deals with analytical processes (math, logic, reasoning), temporal awareness (time and
space), stores new memories and skills temporarily, and engages force of will ("willpower") to actions.
This level of the mind is very good at analyzing, organizing, making decisions. It is capable of incredible focus and
concentration. However, its limitations are that it can only perform one task at a time, can only deal with the familiar
and concrete, and is finite.
The subconscious mind is the creative and conditioned part of the mind. It deals with emotions and imagination and works through symbols and metaphors. It stores programs, patterns, and habits to create autopilot responses and actions to save us time/energy and to protect us. It stores memories permanently.
This level of the mind is creative, infinite, capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously (e.g., regulate heartbeat, breathing, coordination, etc.). Its limitations are that it cannot make decisions/judge/evaluate, and everything in here is "truth" (according to how it perceived and recorded it at the time).
The Gatekeeper
In between the Conscious and the Subconscious levels of the mind is what's metaphorically known as "the gatekeeper,"
though the technical term for this filtering system is "the critical faculty." It's job is two-fold:
1) to take information from the conscious level and decide whether to pass it down to the subconscious level or not, and
2) to bring information up from the subconscious to feed the conscious mind into taking some action.
The critical faculty tries to keep things congruent as it passes from one level to another, especially with the information that it allows to enter and be stored away in the subconscious. It checks it agains emotional links, memories, and beliefs to protect current programs (these programs are designed to make things easier for us and to keep us safe). Therefore, if new information is incongruent with the "order" and information that is currently stored in the subconscious, it will either kick the information out (not allow it to enter the subconscious) or modify/alter it to match more closely what's in the subconscious (often grossly distorting it from its orginial form).
Any info. allowed past the "gatekeeper" is taken by the subconscious mind as absolute Truth, and therefore, can be very difficult to change.
Creating Lasting, Easy Change
We will almost always do what is familiar, to avoid internal conflict with our programs. To experience significant change,
we must alter the programs running at the subconscious level. To do that, we must bypass the gatekeeper—the critical
faculty. Once we do that, we gain access to the subconscious mind where we can implement, through suggestion, the selective thinking that will assist us in achieving our goal(s).
Hypnosis is the bypass mechanism around the Gatekeeper. It relaxes the gatekeeper from its hypervigilant state, which
allows fairly docile information to be allowed into the subconscious and new patterns to be conditioned. However, the gatekeeper is not completely "de-activated," which means that truly harmful or highly incongruent information/suggestions will still be able to be kicked out or modified by the gatekeeper.
This is not brainwashing. It is simply a way to allow beneficial information to be accepted into the level that is most effective
to initiate permanent change or to influence the body to respond in a certain way (e.g., boost immune system, change blood flow, ignore or diminish pain signals, etc.).
There are a large array ways that people (my clients, myself, others) have positively utilized the process of hypnosis to enhance their lives, often in seemingly miraculous and easy ways. Visit my website for more information and to watch/listen to a hypnotic process on line, then call for a no-cost consultation (can be done by phone if you are not in my area).
Live Fully!
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