by Linda-Ann Stewart

Sometimes, a client may be afraid that hypnosis means that my will, my mind, dominates and overpowers theirs. That no matter what I say, they’ll have to dance to my tune. Hypnosis doesn’t unplug their will.

With hypnosis, the conscious mind, which is the willpower, and the subconscious mind, which is the processor, co-operate to bring about a desired result.  If the will, which filters all information, doesn’t agree with a particular suggestion, change won’t occur.

For instance, I may tell a client that if she smokes, her cigarette is going to taste absolutely awful, and the subconscious complies by making the smoke taste vile. But if she really wants to continue puffing on a cigarette, then her conscious decision can counteract my suggestions, no matter how disgusting the tobacco might taste.

However, if that same client really wants to quit smoking, then she must make a conscious committment to follow my instructions. Such as taking three deep breaths, and getting involved with something else, to take her mind off smoking.  Her decision reinforces the suggestions to carry out the result she’s chosen.

Hypnosis balances the conscious and subconscious. The conscious, analytical part of us quiets down and quits picking things apart, while allowing the subconscious to come out and play. Have you ever looked for the answer to a problem, and started throwing out solutions, no matter how silly they were?

Many times, there’s a seed of an answer in one of the “silly” ideas. That answer would never have been found if the critical part that says, “That’s nonsense” had been involved. There’s a time for the logic, and a time for unrestricted thought. Writer’s and creative people are very aware of the analytical part versus the creative part.

Our critical aspect sabotages our work by tearing down every idea we come up with. When we get immersed in our project, and set the critical voice aside, we are able to be innovative. This is hypnosis. Later, we use the critical part to assess what we’ve done, and decide how to make it better.

Hypnosis helps a person get in touch with abilities they have that they haven’t been able to contact consciously. A person can quit smoking cold turkey, but hypnosis makes it much easier.

We all know of people who have put down their cigarettes and never gave them another thought. They’ve convinced themselves that when they quit, that was it. The subconscious mind knew that, and it followed their decision.

Another example is that everyone has the ability to block pain. Consider the person who was in an accident, and saved others without realizing he was injured, too. Only later, when the crisis was over, did he begin to hurt, and discover that he had a broken leg.

With hypnosis, a person can access that natural ability that we all have. Usually, our conscious, critical “I can’t” gets in the way. Hypnosis moves that self-defeating thought aside.

We’ve been hypnotized all of our lives. “You’re stupid,” “I’ll never succeed at anything,” “Life is hard,” “Quitting smoking is almost impossible,” “Every time I even pass a bakery, I gain weight,” “I’m a klutz,” and on and on. We’ve been using hypnosis to program ourselves every day of our lives.

Review the beliefs and attitudes you have. You probably accepted them without question, without your logic evaluating whether those concepts were true for someone else with your abilities.

All hypnosis does is de-hypnotize a person of self-limiting beliefs, and impress the ideas they choose. Hypnosis is simply a process that we’re already using anyway. Why not use the process to achieve the results we want?

Copyright 1999, 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

A nationally known coach, hypnotherapist, author, and speaker, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers people to discover new possibilities and realize their full potential. Download a copy of her free ebook, Secrets To The Law Of Attraction.

self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development