It’s so easy to fall into bad habits and negative patterns of behaviour. Sometimes it happens without us realising it, especially in response to challenging life experiences where sometimes a negative emotional imprint is left behind. Hypnosis is especially valuable as a way to interrupt those patterns and to offer clients the possibility of choosing more positive and empowering responses, consciously and subconsciously. There is a saying in hypnosis circles that a subconscious problem requires a subconscious solution.
Whilst acknowledging the power of hypnosis to break down those unconscious negative patterns, there are also many things we can do consciously such as choosing more positive thoughts and behaviours and perhaps a first step in that process can be becoming a little more mindful. Practising mindfulness in everyday life means deliberately slowing down a little and starting to life our life with more of a calm awareness. It means starting to live in the present a little more rather than living in our heads so much. Starting to pay a little more attention to our senses. Starting to taste and smell our food for example and eating more slowly. Or just taking some time to do some of those routine household tasks a little more slowly and focusing on the task in a calm way, using those tasks as a kind of calm mindful meditation.
This will eventually allow us to become aware of our thoughts and feelings and whether they are negative or positive. Being mindful of our relationships is so important too. Is what we are doing in our relationships with others, strengthening or weakening our connection with them? (It’s usually one or the other). If becoming more aware of your relationships is something you would like to do, I highly recommend the teachings of William Glasser, a brilliant and innovative psychiatrist who has done much to highlight the importance of connected relationships to mental health.
