Understanding the Subconscious Mind
In order to understand the mechanism of hypnotherapy and how it works to successfully transform your life, it is necessary to understand what it means.
Hypnotherapy can be best described as a process which produces deep physical and mental relaxation, increases awareness and heightens suggestibility, and gives us access to the subconscious mind through the use of imagination and imagery. This process occurs while being guided by a professional hypnotherapist who is consciously adhering to a goal that you have pre-determined.
The Powerful Mind
Our mind is extremely powerful and affects every aspect of our lives. We ordinarily think of our minds as our own—as something belonging to ourselves and to no one else. No one can “read” our minds. We think of ourselves as in control of our own thought processes. However, we are not ordinarily in control of our minds, despite what we may think.
We can’t turn them off, and we can’t always make them do what we want. Judgments, thoughts, and emotions seem to arise unbidden and often unwelcome. Rather than being in control of our own mind, our mind often seems to control us—compelling us, driving us, urging us in the directions it deems fit.
“Whatever an enemy might do to an enemy, or a foe to a foe, the ill-directed mind can do to you even worse.” Buddha
The Buddha, who warned of the tremendously harmful potential of the undisciplined mind, also proclaimed the tremendous benefits of a well-trained mind:
“Whatever a mother, father or other relative might do for you, the well-directed mind can do for you even better.”
The conscious mind, the part of which we are most aware, consists of only 10-12% of our brain. This part is responsible for logic, reasoning, decision making, critical thinking and will-power. Our subconscious mind makes up 88-90% of our brain and is mostly below the level of our awareness. This part of the mind is responsible for memories, ideas, reflective actions, ideomotor responses, automatic physical actions (breathing, blood circulation, etc.), ideas, emotions, creativity, values, beliefs, and contains negative and positive associations we have made though life. The subconscious mind is where we can find out why someone has a limiting belief, destructive habits, negative thoughts, fears, phobias or health issues (as a complement to existing medical treatment) and address it through hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapists guide clients into hypnosis and into the subconscious mind to work with the issue and heal clients from the inside out. Clinical Hypnotherapy places clients in a hypnotic trance state for therapeutic purposes. It means that person is not treated with hypnosis, but is treated in hypnosis.
How Hypnotherapy Works
Hypnosis is a very natural and common state of mind that the average person experiences several times during the day (for example, daydreaming, deep concentration or prayer). During a hypnotic state, the physical body and conscious mind are in relaxed state while the subconscious mind remains in a heightened state of suggestibility – This space is the key space to enter to address our deepest problems and concerns, change unwanted behaviors or habits, and unleash our true potential.
The “hypnotic trance” is a state between being asleep and awake and can be compared to a dreamlike state that feels like complete physical and mental relaxation, though you are completely aware of everything that is occurring in the surrounding environment, as well as what is happening in the inner mind. Our conscious mind (“ego”) is still present, but relaxed and relatively inactive, and the doorway to the subconscious, inner mind is opened with a person’s permission. In trance state, you are continuing to retain your values and morals and is in complete control.
Hypnosis is an education-communication process to a person’s mind that allows the conscious and subconscious minds to agree. You’re guided into the hypnotic trance state through guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Once you have entered a trance state, the hypnotherapist uses many different therapeutic methods from simple suggestions to psychology and metaphors. The therapist may ask about past, present, or future issues or concerns to uncover the reasons behind the problem brought forward by client. With this information, your hypnotherapist is able to establish goals related to that issue and then provide suggestions to the subconscious mind during the hypnosis session directed at overcoming that specific problem or behavior.
We inherently act, feel and perform according to what we imagine and believe to be true about ourselves and our surroundings. Hypnotherapy allows you to use your own imagination to achieve your desires and goals.
When the subconscious mind is given a new suggestion that is within the bounds of a person’s belief system and moral orientation, the subconscious mind accepts it literally as a new reality! The ability to reprogram emotional attitudes and reactions is a natural and very often undiscovered ability inherent to humankind. Hypnotherapy is an effective, practical and reasonable way to train lifelong attitudes.
How Transformation Occurs with Clinical Hypnotherapy
Using clinical hypnotherapy to access the subconscious mind can effectively:
- Change unhealthy relationship habits: codependency, avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive and borderline personality disorders, narcissism, unhealthy submission
- Enhance creativity and imagination
- Develop natural abilities
- Improve self-esteem and self-confidence
- Aid weight management (especially as a result of emotional or stress eating)
- Increase athletic and sports performance
- Improve concentration, memory, work or study performance
- Eliminate common habits: smoking, nail biting, stuttering, alcohol and drug abuse, etc.
“…hypnosis has been embraced by scientists. Those using hypnosis lost an average of nearly 15 pounds, those not using it, only 6.”— Oprah Magazine, Dec. 2006
Health Benefits of Clinical Hypnotherapy:
- Manages stress and anxiety
- Relieves symptoms of migraines, bronchial asthma, gastrointestinal and neurological problems
- Reduces high blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
“Studies have shown that non-pharmacologic analgesic in the form of self-hypnotic relaxation during invasive medical procedures significantly reduces patient’s pain, anxiety, drug use and number of complications.” – National Institute of Health
- Pain control in dentistry, pre/post surgery, arthritis and general neuro muscular aches and pains.
Dr. Gerard Sunnen of the New York University School of Medicine calls hypnosis “the most potent non-pharmacological relaxing agent known to science.” He will prescribe hypnosis before prescribing a tranquilizer.
- Gynecological issues such as PMT, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, psychogenic infertility and in obstetrics.
- Mental Health Conditions:
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- overcoming phobias, addictions, depression, compulsions, insomnia, emotional issues, inhibitions, feelings of guilt, jealousy and variety of the worries and anxieties of daily life.
WASHINGTON —April 28, 2013— “Hypnosis seems helpful in treating addictions and the depression and anxiety associated with them” — Psychology Today
- Sexual problems including impotence, premature ejaculation, frigidity and others.
- Dermatological conditions like eczema, psoriasis, neuro-dermatitis, herpes simplex or warts.
Clinical Hypnotherapy Case Studies
In January of 2015, Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix launched a pilot program called the Guided Imagery Project. Linda Bennett, SWIHA’s Hypnotherapy Program Director, states: “Data has shown that using guided imagery and hypnotherapy creates a 40 to 50 percent decrease in pain, anxiety or nausea from the initial meeting”.
During the 1200 hours since the launch of the program in 2015 the recorded numbers are as follow: 42% reduction of pain, 52% reduction of stress, and 56% reduction of nausea.
On Weight Loss
Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 41, Issue 1, 2006 study “Abstract Effectiveness of hypnosis as an adjunct to behavioral weight management” describes that a 9-week behavioral treatment with the addition of hypnosis resulted in significant weight reduction in patients. Also at the 8-month and 2-year follow-ups, the hypnosis clients showed significant additional weight loss, while those in the behavioral treatment without hypnosis exhibited little further change. More of the subjects who used hypnosis also achieved and maintained their personal weight goals.