Every week I see clients in my hypnotherapy clinic who come to me with problems. They are having panic attacks, or sleep problems; maybe they are struggling with depression or worry; sometimes they are concerned about how much they drink or how much sugar they are eating.
Whoever they are, they usually start with a problem. They tell me that they don’t want to have the problem. It is something they are doing or feeling or thinking about that they don’t like – they just want to get rid of it and can’t seem to do it on their own.
After hearing what the problem is, I will usually ask: “So what do you want instead? What do you really want?”
The Subconscious’s Role
If you are thinking, feeling or doing something that you don’t really want to – it is your subconscious that is prompting you to do it. The subconscious is not good at processing things that are said in the negative. If I tell you not to think of a pink elephant – you have to think of a pink elephant in order to decide not to think about it. If I tell you not to keep doing your problem, your subconscious is prompted to think about it again – which just re-enforces the problem.
Start With the Positive
So I want to find out – what does my client want instead. Suppose a client comes to me complaining of anxiety when travelling on a train. It is important to start to understand how they would like to feel when travelling on a train – calm maybe … or excited … or maybe they don’t want to feel anything about and just get lost in a book.
Whatever it is, thinking about how they would like to feel is the first step on the path to getting rid of the problem.
You Can Do This Yourself
So if you get worried about something – you can start by asking yourself, “How would I like to feel about it?” “What would it be like if I did feel like that?”
Or if you find it difficult to get to sleep at night, ask yourself, “What would I like to feel like when I get into bed?” “How would I feel in the morning after a good night’s sleep?”
I know that this is not the whole answer – it is just the starting point. But it is one step on from simply worrying about the problem.
And Finally …
There are a lot of things you can do to help yourself when you have problems, but if you cannot manage to get through on your own, you might consider therapy of one type or another. I help people with anxiety and other issues in my hypnotherapy clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and also online. If you want to Contact Me, I would be happy to have a chat.
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