A favorite topic when someone finds out you're a hypnotist is past lives. Are they real? Where do they come from? Does that mean reincarnation is real?
When I was first starting out, I would avoid that controversial issue by simply saying something like "I don't know where they come from or whether they are real. All I know is that if I work with them to resolve whatever issue they've presented, it also takes care of that issue or problem in this life. The therapy around the past lives works, and that's all I care about for my client."
And that is true. One doesn't have to believe in past lives to experience them in hypnosis. (See the separate page on past lives that talks about young souls.) And at the same time, a belief in past (or future) lives doesn't have to conflict with your spiritual or religious beliefs.
For the subconscious mind, all time is NOW. There is no past and no future. Everything happens NOW. So when you're experiencing something in hypnosis, you are indeed experiencing it the same as you would at that time, whenever that time exists whether that is in the "past" or "future" to your current perspective. Linear time does not exist in the subconscious mind. (There are techniques to minimize the emotional impact of revisiting a traumatic incident so that you do not have to relive it quite as intensely as the first time around.)
This correlates with some current theories on time as a circular river, where if we could pop our heads up above the waterline, we'd see all of time existing at the same time. Others tell us that Time and Space is the 4th dimension for our physical 3-D existence.
I don't know whether it is or not. All I know is that often, when the subconscious sees its chance to work on something, it takes it. This happened with my very first paying client many years ago. He came in for a specific problem he wanted to work on; however, his subconscious mind had a different problem in mind. I was guiding him to a "safe and happy place" to do this work----but his subconscious led us to a graveyard! (Of course, I'm thinking OMG! Now what do I do????, but never let him know that.) Most people go to a mountain meadow or beach or something.
Graveyard as a "safe and happy place?" So, I'm cool. I've been taught well and I've been taught to "deal with what emerges" in hypnosis, whatever that may be. So I ask him to find a path in the graveyard and start following it.... That worked until he ran into a WALL and then proceeded to tell me that his Heart Was Buried inside the walled off portion of this graveyard.
Now he was getting agitated, as well as me. This wasn't what he bargained for, and it wasn't what I bargained for either! So we did a little work around his heart being buried in here, then we emerged. I gave him some paper and pencil and asked him to draw what he saw. He did. And as he did, we talked a bit more. It seems that many years before he was an artist, but the "day job" had been keeping him from expressing his creativity, which had been coming out in some other ways --- the original problem he had consulted me about. His daughter had give him a set of drawing pencils for Christmas the year before, but he had not been using them.
Before I sent him on his way, I suggested that he spend some time each week allowing his creativity and artistic talents to express themselves and that it would probably help. Needless to say, it wasn't what he had expected for his first hypnosis session (me either!) and he didn't return as a client. I only hope that he followed the suggestion to express his artistic drives in a healthier way.
And that was my first lesson on how when the subconscious sees an opportunity (especially if it thinks it won't get another one), it will take it.
until next time... relax, breathe deeply, and exercise those creative impulses in healthy ways. :)
---melodie
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
relationships
There are some family birthdays coming up this month and next and that so soon after Mother's Day has me thinking. About relationships. Our relationships with our spouses or lovers are relationship patterns we learn from our parents.
Either we subconsciously repeat the patterns we saw in our family or we decided to be the *exact opposite* of what we saw in our family. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's not so good. If we find ourselves repeating the same pattern of relationship over and over and over again with different spouses or lovers, then that may not be so good. Especially if your family fell into that 99% of families in the US that was/is dysfunctional.
But the good news is that you can break that repeating relationship pattern. If you want to. And the fastest and easiest way to do it is using hypnosis.
Repeating patterns are buried in the subconscious, and when given the choice of the "devil we know" or the "devil we don't know" the subconscious will indeed chose the devil it knows. Again and again and again.
There are several techniques we could use, including re-parenting, healing the inner child self, making certain that you don't see yourself as "half a person" (most often that applies to females), and making you a happy and complete "whole person" all by yourself. Then what happens, once these repairs or adjustments are done is that you will attract a different type of mate or lover, one that will not fall into that old pattern the subconscious used to choose, thereby breaking the old pattern.
Of course, that doesn't really apply to Karmic Relationships. That, my friends, is an entirely different ball game. :)
Either we subconsciously repeat the patterns we saw in our family or we decided to be the *exact opposite* of what we saw in our family. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's not so good. If we find ourselves repeating the same pattern of relationship over and over and over again with different spouses or lovers, then that may not be so good. Especially if your family fell into that 99% of families in the US that was/is dysfunctional.
But the good news is that you can break that repeating relationship pattern. If you want to. And the fastest and easiest way to do it is using hypnosis.
Repeating patterns are buried in the subconscious, and when given the choice of the "devil we know" or the "devil we don't know" the subconscious will indeed chose the devil it knows. Again and again and again.
There are several techniques we could use, including re-parenting, healing the inner child self, making certain that you don't see yourself as "half a person" (most often that applies to females), and making you a happy and complete "whole person" all by yourself. Then what happens, once these repairs or adjustments are done is that you will attract a different type of mate or lover, one that will not fall into that old pattern the subconscious used to choose, thereby breaking the old pattern.
Of course, that doesn't really apply to Karmic Relationships. That, my friends, is an entirely different ball game. :)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mothers, Fathers and Re-Parenting Ourselves
Mother's Day is tomorrow, and Father's Day will be coming up next month. These "holidays" often remind me that our parents gave us the best they could; the best they knew how to give --- but often it wasn't what we needed. Or it wasn't enough. Or it was too much.
That reminds me of a line at the end of the movie Smoke Signals where the voice-over comes in and says:
As a hypnotist I deal with the subconscious and I believe that most if not all of our problems have their roots in our subconscious mind. That means childhood for a lot of things, and if our souls have been engaged in repeating patterns it could be many childhoods of many lifetimes, each time the problem going deeper and deeper into the subconscious. If the messages have been compounded enough or traumatic enough, it may even be necessary to "re-parent" ourselves as part of our own healing.
There are special techniques in hypnosis that deal with this re-parenting technique from Alchemical Hypnotherapy, and I have known some who have needed to re-parent themselves with an entirely new family. I have also known some who have "lost years" of growing up---indicating a family life so horrible, that their conscious minds have completely blocked all recollection of them.
In hypnosis, we can recapture those years if wanted. Or we could just work to repair the damage of those years. And some of the techniques used would indeed involve "re-parenting" yourself, comforting yourself, and bringing in your "adult" self to work with the "inner child" self.
So even though your own parents may not have been the best or most loving or most understanding, you CAN claim control of that part of your life in your own self-help work. Because in the end, we are all responsible for ourselves, our own actions, and our own reactions.
Happy Mother's Day,
---melodie
That reminds me of a line at the end of the movie Smoke Signals where the voice-over comes in and says:
How do we forgive our fathers? Maybe in a dream. Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often, or forever, when we were little? Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage, or making us nervous because there never seemed to be any rage there at all? Do we forgive our fathers for marrying, or not marrying, our mothers? Or divorcing, or not divorcing, our mothers? And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness? Shall we forgive them for pushing, or leaning? For shutting doors or speaking through walls? For never speaking, or never being silent? Do we forgive our fathers in our age, or in theirs? Or in their deaths, saying it to them or not saying it. If we forgive our fathers, what is left?That applies to mothers as well.
As a hypnotist I deal with the subconscious and I believe that most if not all of our problems have their roots in our subconscious mind. That means childhood for a lot of things, and if our souls have been engaged in repeating patterns it could be many childhoods of many lifetimes, each time the problem going deeper and deeper into the subconscious. If the messages have been compounded enough or traumatic enough, it may even be necessary to "re-parent" ourselves as part of our own healing.
There are special techniques in hypnosis that deal with this re-parenting technique from Alchemical Hypnotherapy, and I have known some who have needed to re-parent themselves with an entirely new family. I have also known some who have "lost years" of growing up---indicating a family life so horrible, that their conscious minds have completely blocked all recollection of them.
In hypnosis, we can recapture those years if wanted. Or we could just work to repair the damage of those years. And some of the techniques used would indeed involve "re-parenting" yourself, comforting yourself, and bringing in your "adult" self to work with the "inner child" self.
So even though your own parents may not have been the best or most loving or most understanding, you CAN claim control of that part of your life in your own self-help work. Because in the end, we are all responsible for ourselves, our own actions, and our own reactions.
Happy Mother's Day,
---melodie
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Spiritual Dieting: What's with this new fad?
I read an article the other day that "spiritual dieting" is becoming all the rage. Spiritual dieting? Now there's a term I hadn't heard before and certainly not two words one generally puts together in the same sentence.
After reading the article and doing a quick Google search, it does indeed seem to be a topic buzzing around the Net. And after thinking about it a few minutes, it makes a certain kind of sense for a particular type of person.
Think about the 12-step programs, including Overeaters Anonymous. All 12-step programs include a centerpiece of believing in a higher power --- a spiritual power --- and focus on making it through one day at a time. Other programs involve Angels and asking them for help or agreeing to ask these Light Beings to replace whatever it is that you're craving with something that's better for you.
In hypnosis and hypnotherapy, we can do these things as well and they may have an even greater impact on your psyche and your life than they do when they're done in your normal waking state. But unlike OA, we don't view food as something to be avoided. (OA advises avoiding those foods that are "trigger foods" for you, much like a recovering alcoholic avoids alcohol.) If you do that with ALL foods, you'll end up anorexic. And this does by it's very nature make "dieting" or "weight management" or "weight loss" (we don't like that word because when we LOSE things often our subconscious will look and look and look until it FINDS it for us) more difficult than quitting smoking or drinking alcohol or most other addictive substances because when those other substances are given up, you literally do not have to touch them EVER again. Not true for food.
We have to eat to live; therefore, we can't just avoid food. So moderation in eating those foods that are not that good for us becomes key. Another key item we must deal with is emotional eating. And when we're eating for emotional reasons, then yes indeed your spiritual beliefs may indeed provide additional help for you to avoid the chocolate or ice cream or brownie.
You (or we in hypnotherapy) can strengthen those spiritual ties that you have and believe in and help reinforce those ties so that you can have food cravings taken from you and replaced by a craving for something better.
You (or we in hypnotherapy) can help strengthen your desire for eating a more nutritious diet. The less processed a food is, usually the lower the glycemic index, the higher the fiber, the better the vitamins and the denser the nutrition.
Interestingly enough, many religions have nutrition and dietary guidelines. For example, Judaism and Adventists advise against "cloven-hooved" animals as "unclean." This grouping includes pork and many wild meats. They also advise against filter-feeding fish (scallops, clams, muscles, etc.) and also scavenger fish (catfish). Judaism also goes into great detail about not combining certain foods at the same meal, which I won't go into here. But the point is, that certainly in the last several years there has been a revival somewhat of diets that adhere the biblical dietary guidelines. If we look even farther East, many other religions recommend a vegetarian diet.
Hypnosis can help you reinforce whatever dietary guidelines it is that YOU wish to follow. Helping to instill them into your subconscious makes it much, much easier to follow them in your conscious, waking state. So, what about this new fad? I'd say it's really just some old-fashioned guidelines that have been revived.
Be well and eat healthy until next time,
---melodie
After reading the article and doing a quick Google search, it does indeed seem to be a topic buzzing around the Net. And after thinking about it a few minutes, it makes a certain kind of sense for a particular type of person.
Think about the 12-step programs, including Overeaters Anonymous. All 12-step programs include a centerpiece of believing in a higher power --- a spiritual power --- and focus on making it through one day at a time. Other programs involve Angels and asking them for help or agreeing to ask these Light Beings to replace whatever it is that you're craving with something that's better for you.
In hypnosis and hypnotherapy, we can do these things as well and they may have an even greater impact on your psyche and your life than they do when they're done in your normal waking state. But unlike OA, we don't view food as something to be avoided. (OA advises avoiding those foods that are "trigger foods" for you, much like a recovering alcoholic avoids alcohol.) If you do that with ALL foods, you'll end up anorexic. And this does by it's very nature make "dieting" or "weight management" or "weight loss" (we don't like that word because when we LOSE things often our subconscious will look and look and look until it FINDS it for us) more difficult than quitting smoking or drinking alcohol or most other addictive substances because when those other substances are given up, you literally do not have to touch them EVER again. Not true for food.
We have to eat to live; therefore, we can't just avoid food. So moderation in eating those foods that are not that good for us becomes key. Another key item we must deal with is emotional eating. And when we're eating for emotional reasons, then yes indeed your spiritual beliefs may indeed provide additional help for you to avoid the chocolate or ice cream or brownie.
You (or we in hypnotherapy) can strengthen those spiritual ties that you have and believe in and help reinforce those ties so that you can have food cravings taken from you and replaced by a craving for something better.
You (or we in hypnotherapy) can help strengthen your desire for eating a more nutritious diet. The less processed a food is, usually the lower the glycemic index, the higher the fiber, the better the vitamins and the denser the nutrition.
Interestingly enough, many religions have nutrition and dietary guidelines. For example, Judaism and Adventists advise against "cloven-hooved" animals as "unclean." This grouping includes pork and many wild meats. They also advise against filter-feeding fish (scallops, clams, muscles, etc.) and also scavenger fish (catfish). Judaism also goes into great detail about not combining certain foods at the same meal, which I won't go into here. But the point is, that certainly in the last several years there has been a revival somewhat of diets that adhere the biblical dietary guidelines. If we look even farther East, many other religions recommend a vegetarian diet.
Hypnosis can help you reinforce whatever dietary guidelines it is that YOU wish to follow. Helping to instill them into your subconscious makes it much, much easier to follow them in your conscious, waking state. So, what about this new fad? I'd say it's really just some old-fashioned guidelines that have been revived.
Be well and eat healthy until next time,
---melodie
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