When Good Thoughts Go Bad by William Molitor, BCH, CI Many times when clients walk into my office they say: “I’ve tried everything, affirmations, meditation, CDs, and nothing works.” For most of their life they have been taught that repetition is the best way to learn. Even though repetition works well as a learning tool it is by definition a tedious process. The number one reason that people choose to use hypnosis to make changes in their life is speed. It is easily understood that the faster you change a habit the faster the new habit can become a natural part of your life. The difference between repetition and most hypnotic processes is that hypnosis engages both parts of the mind - the conscious and the subconscious - simultaneously, as well as the left and right hemisphere of the brain, which is commonly overlooked. The findings of modern research indicate that each hemisphere of the brain tends to specialize in and preside over different functions, processes different kinds of information, and deals with different kinds of problems. An example of these differences is that the left hemisphere uses logic and reason, the right uses intuition and emotion. The left thinks in words and the right thinks in pictures. The left thinks sequentially and the right things holistically. The left is controlled and orderly and the right is spontaneous and free. Although we are born with a natural ability to operate simultaneously out of both sides of the brain, our life experiences often trigger dominance of one side over the other when we are responding to specific situations. The more emotionally charged (traumatic) the experience is, the more likely the conclusion of that event will be stored in one or the other hemisphere for future reference and the more likely you will automatically over-identify with that one hemisphere of the brain when faced with similar life experiences in the future. By now you’re probably saying, “So what”. What does that have to do with me changing my habits? My
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answer to this is that here lies the magic of hypnosis. In order to change a habit it is imperative that you address the belief assigned to that habit. A common belief that a smoker holds is that smoking relaxes them. We know from all studies that the effects of nicotine and the other chemicals associated with smoking are not relaxing. In fact in most cases those chemicals do just the opposite. But because the smoker has this belief the results are a mental experience of relaxation even though the physical body is in turmoil. This is commonly described as the placebo effect. By learning to directly access the subconscious mind, negative beliefs that sabotage behaviors and wellness can be changed into beliefs that support them. If smokers establish a new belief that every time they breathe in the smoke from a cigarette, they are poisoning their bodies they will begin to feel all the ill effects of that action. As most smokers will attest when they first tried to start smoking they felt those ill effects. Because it was their desire to become a smoker, for what ever reason, they established beliefs that would support that desire. So when you engage the whole brain, left and right, you address all aspects pertaining to the beliefs associated with the habit. You address the belief or the reason for smoking in the left hemisphere and you address the belief about how it makes you feel in the right hemisphere. This creates a balance, so you no longer have conflicting beliefs that sabotage your desire for change. These principles are not limited to just physical habits. Hypnosis is also used to change habits of thought that create stress, fears, guilt, jealousy, and the list goes on and on. Intentionally engaging and modifying your beliefs gives you more choices, having more choices will release you from being trapped in a singular response to any event. All too often you will, while attempting to change a negative habit, become more focused on what you don’t want to happen. It is often said that if
Dec / Jan 2012