Just exactly how powerful is the subconscious mind?

I was talking to an old high school friend a few days ago in IM, one that I really hadn't had any contact with in the last 30 years, and was struck by something she said about not being able to do something: "you can't do that" was the comment. We were talking about special talents and skills and I had mentioned that I'd been doing a lot of work recently on re-opening one of my special gifts. The comment was in response to the fact that I had "shut it down" to begin with as a child. (This information that had come out in past hypnosis sessions, and it is not unusual at all for us to have "shut things down" as children, especially if we were told we had overactive imaginations.)

Obviously, we were not on the same page and not even in the same book on the subject. And rather than try and go into gross detail in IM, my reply was something like, "Yea, I did. I plugged it up" and let it go at that.  But my Mind wasn't about to let it go so easily. :)  So you get to hear about it here.

The mind is a very powerful thing, and the subconscious mind is even more powerful than the conscious mind. Think of the mind like an iceberg: only 10% is above the surface (conscious) and the other 90% is below the surface (subconscious).  

The part that is below the surface (subconscious) is the most powerful, and can be the most "dangerous" if you are unaware of what it's doing. The subconscious is the part that trips you up on all of your good intentioned diets---it is the child-like part of you that says "Screw that! We're going to eat what I like and what tastes good."  It is stronger than all the willpower you can muster, and then some. It is very child-like, often rebellious, and for it everything happens "now."  It is the part of us that plays the "programming" we received as kids, and it's also where our values and principals lie.  It is the keeper of all the hurts we have suffered (outside of time), and until it has dealt with whatever issues it has, our conscious mind and behaviors will be held hostage to the old patterns.

Thankfully, once you are an adult, it is not easy to reach the subconscious. There are controls in place to protect because once something is inside the subconscious mind --- it Believes it to be True, even if it's obviously a lie. Let me repeat that: Once something is inside your subconscious mind, it BELIEVES it whether it is correct or not.

The subconscious is protected by a barrier known as the critical factor (This mind model is based on Gerald Kein's well known mind model. Gerry is somewhat of a legend in hypnosis, known for his mind model and instant inductions, among other things, (and yes I have studied with him). The critical factor forms over time and is not complete until somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12.  Our subconscious mind is there way before that, from birth and even before. This also dovetails with some traditional Cherokee teachings that say the child's spirit is not fully in the body before 7 years of age.

Now, before the critical factor is completely formed, the subconscious mind is rather easy to access. Pretty much all children are in their subconscious mind all the time. (Even late teens and early 20s are still go there very easily.) That means things that happen before the critical factor forms go strait in --- without being filtered or checked against reality. For example, if during this time someone teaches you that a square is actually a circle and vice versa, then that's what you'll believe until enough people challenge it later, then you start thinking maybe that wasn't actually true to begin with. That's also one reason why any form of child abuse in those early years is so devastating and destructive. It can be overcome, but it will take a lot of work to do it.

Once the critical factor is formed, it's a bit harder to slide things into the subconscious. Harder, but not impossible. Outside of working with a hypnotist, other ways to reach the subconscious are: (1) trauma, (2) boredom, (3) repetition, and (4) light / sound techniques, including binaural sounds. (The recordings I do have binaural sounds embedded to ensure that you reach not only a trance state, but the theta brainwave deep trance state. And please don't worry about "induced memories" --- my training in forensic hypnotism focused specifically on how to avoid doing that. :))

Once you have reached the subconscious, you and your hypnotist (if you're doing deep work, you really need a hypnotist or hypnotherapist working with you) can then proceed to get to the root of the problem and re-frame it. You can also implant new tools to help you, for example suggesting that you don't need to count how much water you drink every day because your subconscious counts and until you've reached the optimal amount your thirst won't be quenched.

A technique often used in the subconscious is imagining yourself in a control room of sorts. Some folks see this as like the bridge of the Enterprise. And this control room houses the controls to your body and your mind. And you can adjust these various settings up or down until they are just right and just perfect for you. Using this type of technique (among others) it is indeed very possible to re-open lost or buried talents and gifts you have tucked away.  :)

until next time,
melodie

Complimentary not "alternative" medicine please

Sometimes people get confused about the difference between COMPLIMENTARY and ALTERNATIVE therapies. And as both a writer and a complimentary therapies practitioner, I often get my panties in a bunch when people confuse them.  Hypnosis is indeed a form of complimentary medicine, as is Reiki and the healing touch therapies, as is guided imagery and meditation and prayer, as is vitamin therapy and amino acid therapy, as is many herbal remedies.

Here's a link to the National Library of Medicine where they have devoted an entire section to complementary and alternative therapies:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html

The complementary therapies I practice are wonderful adjuncts to traditional western medicine as well as other complementary therapies.  I prefer the term "complementary" because they are NOT alternatives to traditional Western medicine — if I have a serious, acute traumatic problem, I want an MD or PhD or PsyD around, because more intensive treatment is needed for acute injury and trauma. As a hypnotherapist, I deal with the wounds that have been there a while, the wounds from childhood that never really healed but which result in behaviors that once were adaptive but that are now getting in your way, or the wounds that went straight into your subconscious, which have never truly been dealt with. And yes, often times wounds compounded over time and over many lifetimes. It is like peeling a onion once you start working on your own issues: with more work, another layer gets peeled off, and yes, it's hard and there are usually some tears, but in the end, the onions are what give us the most flavor, spice, and seasoning.

The therapies I offer are complementary, and designed to be used in conjunction with other therapies if you desire. Complementary therapies are quite helpful for chronic conditions. These adjunct therapies are useful for stress reduction, chronic pain management, and increasing your body's ability to heal itself. Many of these therapies are finally getting the attention of western medicine, just look at the links on a few of my pages to the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Library of Medicine.

I can hear the question: "So, Melodie, if I can find a MD or PhD or PsyD who is also trained in hypnotism, energy medicine, and story telling, why not see them instead of you?"  My answer to you is this:  Wouldn't you rather have a specialist who specializes in hypnotherapy and hypnosis? A specialist who specializes in bio-energy medicine? A specialist who specializes in the combination of those two, combined with yet a third, magnifying technique? And a specialist who is known for her communication skills and bedside manner?  A specialist who specializes in the subconscious part of the mind and the form of energy medicine concerned with cellular memory release. A specialist who knows your "inner child" very well, and who has experienced first hand many of the same growth steps you are working on now? I know in my own life, I am always much more comfortable with someone who has not only the specialty I need but who has also experienced the therapy I'm about to endure. I believe it increases their empathy for what I'm about to experience.

Shortly after beginning my practice, it became very obvious and reinforced what I had already learned many times over on my path: We are Never sent anything that we cannot handle. We may think we are, but we humans are quite a resourceful, creative, resilent lot. To quote one of my favoriie old sci-fi movies:

"You humans are at your best . . . when things are at their worst."
— Starman 1984 
Directed by John Carpenter
Oscar-nominated performance by Jeff Bridges a the "starman"  

Until next time, remember to see most "alternative" therapies as complimentary instead. :) 

      ---melodie