I’ll begin by saying what it’s not! It’s not mystical, it’s not sacred, it’s not “woo” and it’s definitely not complicated. It also does not involve being put into any sort of trance; the person is awake, alert and aware of what’s going on throughout. There is no homework, no CD’s to listen to for days on end and it’s not open-ended; the entire programme typically consists of an initial consultation and three ‘change’ sessions.
What it is is simply a direct conversation with the subconscious mind to find out why your thinking is a bit wonky (wonky being a catch-all term that covers everything from anxiety to weight control; there’s a list at the end of this post) and making it unwonky — quickly and permanently.
It’s helpful at this point to explain a bit about how your mind works.
Think of your mind is a ship, a ship with a captain and a crew.
The captain is your logical, conscious, rational mind. The captain decides where we are sailing to and why we are sailing there — in other words, thinking, planning and deciding on how to achieve our goals, both short and long term.
The crew is our subconscious mind; they steer the ship and carry out all the day to day tasks we are not consciously aware of — things such as our automatic thoughts and actions. When you get in your car you don’t consciously go through the motions of inserting the key, operating the controls and steering, it’s all carried out at a subconscious level.
The crew are also in charge of our emotions, our imagination and our core beliefs — which is the way we view the world and our place in it. Up to the age of around 10 years old there was no captain on board the ship, so the crew lived in the moment to keep the ship afloat. At the same time they absorbed lots of information, ideas and opinions about who we are and how we should behave, feel and think. Some of this information was correct, but some of it wasn’t (or was misunderstood), however it was all taken on board and believed to be absolutely true. This is our “map of reality”.
When we mature and try to do things that the crew has decided at an earlier time are not in our best interests, we can hit the rocks. It could be something as simple as a trying to accept that spiders are not dangerous or it could be life changing, such as standing up to a bully or giving a confident presentation to a group of colleagues.
In spite of how it might appear, the members of your crew are only looking to do one thing, that is to find the best strategy for the most happiness. When we were young happiness meant staying safe and comfortable in the moment, so many of the ideas the crew members adopted back then don’t make much sense now to an adult who wants to grow, personally and professionally.
Once we talk directly to the subconscious (which is where I come in) we can change the thoughts, feelings or behaviours that are out of date, incorrect or unhelpful - quickly, easily, permanently.
So how does this work in practice?
We start with an initial consultation which is free and noncommittal to see if this type of therapy is right for you and to check that your crew are willing and able to communicate. If you are happy to proceed we have three weekly sessions - in person or by video - to make the agreed changes to your thought patterns. In the (unlikely) event that three sessions aren’t sufficient we carry on - without any additional charges - until the process is completed.
Here’s the list I promised at the start - it’s not exhaustive so if there’s something you’d be interested in working on that’s not mentioned please contact me to see if I can help.
Addiction, Alcoholism, Anger issues, Anxiety, Bad habits, Blushing, Bruxism (teeth grinding)
Confidence, Depression, Guilt, IBS, Insomnia, Intrusive thoughts, Jealous, Motivation, Nail Biting, Nightmares, Pain relief, Performance anxiety, Phobias, Positivity, Public speaking, Self Esteem, Smoking Cessation, Snoring, Sports Performance, Stammering, Stress relief, Weight Control.
What are your thoughts on hypnotism? Have you ever tried it? Would love to hear about your experiences!
And on a totally separate issue - don’t miss the Netflix series on Bernie Madoff; it’s absolutely fascinating and a salutary lesson on listening to your inner voice, not the noise of the crowd!
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