About Hypnotherapy

As we grow up, we are programmed to think and behave in a certain way and this is influenced by our parents, siblings, peer groups, authority figures, our culture, traumatic events, routines, and how we perceive or interpret situations. This initial programming is often flawed because it was written by a child that didn’t have a very good understanding of the world and lacked the ability to make sense of it. This leads to limiting beliefs and undigested or unprocessed emotions. For example, let’s say when you were younger you asked a question in class and other kids laughed at you. That made you conclude that you must be dumb and it is better to stay quiet. Perhaps other similar experiences reinforced this thought, and the belief continued into adulthood. Now you have a fear of public speaking or get anxious when you are given additional responsibility at work. Or, maybe when you were little, you got upset that your brother didn’t want to play with you and your mom redirected you by giving you a cookie. Before you knew it, an association was made that you eat sweets when you feel sad or upset and now you have unhealthy eating habits and weight issues as an adult. 

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Bad habits are often formed when we feel an uncomfortable emotion. Our body tells us we don’t like this feeling, so we need to find a way to cope with it. This is how kids start habits such as sucking on their thumb, twirling their hair, biting their nails, picking their nose, or cracking their knuckles. As we age, habits can become worse like binge eating, smoking, or excessive drinking. The behavior helps to divert focus from the uncomfortable feeling by placing attention on something else – like a physical sensation.

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The problem is these habits become programmed into our subconscious mind. They become automatic. So, every time you feel a certain way, your body says, “Oh, I recognize this feeling, I know exactly what to do!” And you start engaging in a bad habit without even thinking about it. The longer this pattern continues, the more difficult it is to break because the repetition of the behavior creates stronger and stronger neuropathways in the brain.

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Other habits aren’t quite as recognizable. For example, you may engage in self-sabotaging behavior any time you are up for a promotion because there is a hidden subconscious belief system that you aren’t good enough or deserving of it. Perhaps you are running on a program that money is the root of all evil, so you can never get ahead financially. Or maybe anytime a relationship starts getting serious, you behave in a way that pushes the other person away because deep down you believe you are unlovable. Inevitably, your relationships fail, and the belief is reinforced over and over again.

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Because habits live in the subconscious mind, that is where we need to go to upgrade the operating system and fix corrupted files. Through hypnotherapy, we can quiet the conscious mind so that we can communicate with the subconscious mind, figure out what thoughts and emotions led to the habit in the first place, clear those, and then replace the bad habit with a better behavior. When you practice the new behavior (even if you are just imagining yourself doing it), new neuropathways are then formed in the brain.

 

Hypnotherapy requires a desire to change, a commitment to the process, trust that it will work, and a willingness to follow given instructions to the best of your ability.​ There is extensive evidence and numerous scientific studies showing how effective hypnotherapy and guided meditation are in treating a variety of conditions. This is because these techniques intentionally access the power of the subconscious mind allowing you to regain control of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. As a result, it becomes much easier to reach your goals, quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress/anxiety, overcome fears, resolve past traumas, manage pain, boost immunity, and even heal faster.