- Harmony \Har"mo*ny\, n
- The just adaptation of parts to each other, in any system or combination of things, or in things, or things intended to form a connected whole; such an agreement between the different parts of a design or composition as to produce unity of effect; as, the harmony of the universe.
-Webster's Dictionary, 1913
The human mind is a constant interplay of thoughts, feelings and emotions - conscious, subconscious and unconscious, with the majority of who we are residing in the subconscious mind. Would Nature have placed so much of our being into the subconscious mind without also giving us a simple, effective and natural way to reach it? Of course not, Nature gave us hypnosis.
If you are already living in perfect harmony of mind and body then congratulations! If, on the other hand, you sometimes feel at odds with yourself or as if some part of you is working against you then you have come to the right place.
The first thing to understand is that no part of yourself is 'out to get you'. Every aspect of your being - body, mind and spirit - is directed towards your greatest good. However, difficulties do arise when your conscious and subconscious desires are in conflict. Perhaps your subconscious mind has one or more misperceptions about what is really in your best interest, or perhaps your conscious desire truly is not in your best interest.
No matter the reason, whenever the conscious and subconscious mind are in conflict the subconscious will always win, therefore true and lasting change (and true inner peace) can only exist when there is harmony between the conscious and subconscious minds.
Hypnotherapy can be an extremely powerful tool for achieving inner harmony because it uses the mind's natural tendency to do what it believes is best for us. This is how profound breakthroughs can often be had within just a few brief sessions, leading to deep and ongoing relief for a wide range of issues, and peace at last.
Hypnosis is a safe and natural process, approved by the American Medical Association since 1958 and the American Psychological Association since 1960.
Despite the cultural mystique surrounding hypnosis it is actually a very normal, ordinary state of mind. Even if you have never been hypnotized by a professional you have almost certainly experienced forms of hypnosis as you daydream, recall past events or as you are falling asleep.
So, how can such a common, ordinary state of mind produce such incredible results? Because it enables us to see, hear, feel and understand the beliefs and motives of the subconscious mind.
Our subconscious minds are always trying to communicate with us, not in words, but in feelings and emotions. It is widely accepted that children up until about seven years of age are constantly in a trance-like state. This is why children are more impressionable and generally more comfortable being themselves than adults are. This is also why a majority of the issues that plague us as adults began as perceptions from early childhood.
As we mature we move more into our cognitive self and rely upon spoken language to think and communicate, we become less suggestible, and less flexible. We have forgotten our first language, the language of the subconscious mind, the language of feelings.
People generally tend to resist and deny bad feelings, after all, it's only natural to want to feel good all of the time. Yet in hypnotherapy all feelings are considered good because they are communications from our subconscious.
Remember, feelings are the language of the subconscious, and your subconscious is always trying to do what it believes is best for you. Just as touching a hot stove generates a 'bad' feeling, so too are the bad feelings that we can get from our subconscious, telling us that something we are doing is causing us harm.
This is justified when those feelings are based on accurate perceptions. Sometimes, however, the subconscious mind can get the wrong idea and generate negative emotions, fears and other unwanted feelings when they are not appropriate.
Right or wrong, the subconscious will persist, after all that is its function. So with this understanding isn't it obvious that when we resist these bad feelings the subconscious is only going to try harder and harder to get its message through? But, does listening to these feelings mean going through life in a state of emotional agitation, constantly dwelling on our negative feelings? Fortunately, no.
The subconscious mind is very efficient, and a very fast learner once you know how to talk to it, and the process of hypnotherapy is twofold. The first goal is to learn the meaning behind the issue you want help with, whether it be lack of self confidence, a short temper, writer's block, and so forth.
Once we understand what the subconscious is trying to accomplish the next step is reconciliation. More often than not we find that the subconscious has misperceptions, usually beginning in early childhood, that have been reinforced throughout our lives. In these cases we only need to update the subconscious with current and correct information that is based in reality in order to find relief.
In some cases the subconscious is perceiving accurately but we don't understand what it is trying to tell us. For example, that pain in the neck may be the subconscious mind's way of telling us that our job is too stressful. This doesn't necessarily mean that you'd have to quit your job to find relief, only that you should become more in touch with the situation and identify and address the areas that are creating stress. Traditional medicine may try to treat the symptom (neck pain) without addressing the underlying cause, and as long as the root problem exists the subconscious will continue to get your attention.
Before working with any physical ailments a doctor's referral is required in order to ensure that a serious medical condition is not being overlooked.
With your doctor's consent hypnotherapy can be a powerful adjunct to medical treatment.
I hope you have found this brief introduction to hypnotherapy to be informative and interesting. If you have any questions, comments or corrections please feel free to contact me by email or phone.
The applications for hypnotherapy are virtually unlimited. If you are wondering if hypnotherapy may help improve a specific area of your life then please get in touch. If I believe that I can help you we can schedule an appointment. If not I may be able to refer you to another hypnotherapist or perhaps suggest some other resource that may be helpful.