The Reluctant Hypnotherapist

I was talking to a friend recently who said something I could relate to.

"If I didn't know you, and someone said "oh meet this person, they're a clinical hypnotherapist", I'd say f*ck off."

I get it. The public perception of a hypnotherapist has a lot of uncomfortable overlap with street magicians (no offence to either group intended)

I've always felt a bit uncomfortable with the title, and feel that sometimes the public perceptions about hypnotherapy are one of the biggest obstacles in getting to a space for engaging in therapeutic work.

I was studying psychology when I first really started reading about hypnotherapy, sort of as a quirky side note. I was expecting to find out about it mostly being nonsense, and a little vague quote about the "power of the human mind" in the end. I just couldn't find that conclusion in the literature. Because there's just case after case, and a number of peer reviewed, scientific, clinical studies showing that its remarkably effective in a wide range of areas.

I couldn't figure out, why isn't this mainstream? Why isn't everyone FASCINATED with what the hell is going on here? And I still don't have an answer to that question. It should be far more mainstream. There should be far more clinical studies.

Part of me asks... Do I think that because I’m into it? Like a trainspotter who can't believe everybody wouldn’t be thrilled to spend all weekend jotting down the numbers of the trains that go by?

I dont think so. I think it's stayed in this fuzzy, "alternative medicine" space (even though clinically proven and accepted by scientific and medical circles for a number of applications) because it's impossible to define what it actually is.

Hypnotherapy is about creating new perspectives and reframing your ways of interpreting what's happening for you. When changes are made to your worldview, it has far reaching implications for your behavioural and c responses, and even your sensory experiences.

There are an endless number of techniques for achieving this. Consciousness and subjective experience is an impossibly elusive target, and anything that's even a little blurry round the edges is too easily disregarded as unscientific. Which is a shame, because its applications have very testable, repeatable results.

Although the branding of hypnotherapy has (hopefully) outgrown its "swinging watch held by someone with a twisty moustache" phase, it's still a little too firmly in the "close your eyes and I'll whisper positive affirmations in a very particular monotone to you with some gentle synth in the background" for my liking.

But I love working in this fuzzy, unseen space. And my favourite people to work with are the kind who aren't remotely interested in being “hypnotised”.

Affirmations and Doubts

I've never been a fan of affirmations.

I have done  a LOT of personal development; courses, books, techniques. But affirmations have never hit the mark for me.
I've always felt extremely self conscious the times that I've tried (amazing how embarrassed I can be in the privacy of my own mind!) and I've been so uncomfortable with it that I know it wont stick. I can feel that its not landing, not breaking through whatever mental blocks are there that make me need the affirmation in the first place.

But I've recently been re-using a technique I first tried decades ago, and been blown away with the results.

I remember it being pretty powerful back when I was a teenager. I'm in my forties now and some of those unhelpful unconscious beliefs have really had time to slow cook and simmer in their own juices for a couple 'o decades.  Some of them have been so good at staying unconscious it's quite shocking to see their obviousness, once all has been revealed…

Anyway, maybe it's the current phase of my life, maybe it’s that I’m just not remembering my teenage years with as much clarity, but I sure am getting some bang from re-using this technique.

Its a simple practice that uses free association to shine a little bit of light onto some of the thoughts connecting with your affirmation.

Here's what to do;

Decide on an affirmation sentence. (Make sure it’s framed in the present tense of whatever you want to feel / do / be.. eg "I am ........."  (Put whatever details you want in the sentence but you'll be writing it out a few times so don't make it too long. Short and to the point is good.)

Write it out, and immediately afterward write a stream of consciousness response, just a sentence or two. Whatever comes to mind, whether related to your affirmation sentence or not.

It could be "I need to take something out of the freezer for dinner". It could be "remembering our driveway and a particular song" whatever pops into your head. Write it down, then refocus your mind back on the affirmation. Rewrite the affirmation, and see what pops up next.

Rinse and repeat.

The suggestion is 21 times in a row, for 21 days. The repetition of 21 times in a row really helps illuminate patterns. Just like with dream journaling (writing down your dreams each night) you will notice connections over a number of repetitions, with things that don't seem related on the surface. The 21 days in a row enhances the chance that the affirmation (new pathway, or thought pattern) will stick around for the longer term.

The effectiveness of this technique, I believe, is in creating increased and more variable links to your affirmation, resulting in greater neural connectivity to the new thought pattern you want to implement.

In addition, by allowing an unfiltered internal response , you have a much better chance at identifying unconscious blocking beliefs, and the memories, thoughts and responses associated with them.

Your unconscious sneaks in, and it speaks.

Enjoy!