It’s that time of year when many of us start making our list of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, then wracking our brains as to what to get them for the holiday. Sometimes fun and sometimes stressful, let’s put that list aside and focus on a gift that you can give yourself, and not just some trinket that you pick up while shopping for others, one that will last for many holidays to come.
How about the gift of confidence? Or the gift of releasing grief, or healing an old emotional wound that’s been festering for too long? What about getting rid of your IBS so you can live a full and free life without having to worry about where the nearest bathroom is? Having lots of money in the bank or a hand to hold by clearing your blocks to abundance or true love? Bringing your performance to the next level? Getting rid of the fear of public speaking that’s been holding back your advancement at work? What would be the most meaningful gift you could give yourself this holiday season? What’s the thing that’s most in the way of your happiness and wellbeing? Is it constant worry? Overwhelm? Feeling like you’ve lost your love for life or a short fuse?
Put the magazine down and give this a moment of thought – this could be the moment that creates significant positive change in your life because you’ve taken the time to identify a limitation and set the intention to clear it. You’ve put a healthier destination into your mental GPS. And right in this moment, because your subconscious mind is an action-oriented mind, you are already starting to head in that more positive direction. The first step can sometimes be as simple as identifying what’s in your way; envisioning how great life would be in its absence and deciding to take one positive step in that direction.
Some of you readers are probably thinking, “What could possibly help with all of those issues?†and others are thinking, “There’s nothing that can help with all of those issues. Whatever “this†is, it’s too good to be true.†I get it because I used to think exact same thing. I was a huge skeptic. If I hadn’t experienced more positive shifts in myself and in my life than I can even count at this point, I wouldn’t believe it either. Let me count the ways. I’ve given myself the gifts of being smoke free for past 13 years, I’ve released 35 lbs and have kept them off, gotten over my fear of succeeding and of public speaking, said goodbye to my GERD, IBS, migraines and my hot flashes, healed a tough break-up or two and countless others that have made my life far better than it would have been otherwise. I’ve also been privileged to witness the transformation of thousands of people, which has brought a tremendous sense of fulfillment to my life. If I hadn’t experienced it for myself, and witnessed it in literally thousands of others, I wouldn’t believe it either, but I have and I do. I not only believe, but know with 100% certainty that your subconscious can, and if you allow it, create incredible positive shifts in your life.
So what is this thing called the subconscious and how can it help? The subconscious mind is the mind that lives behind our conscious mind, and is referred to as “the brains behind the operationâ€. It’s the part of the mind that takes all of our conscious mind’s decisions and forms them into habits or mental programing. For example, the conscious mind decides to have a glass of wine with diner, decides to try a cigarette, hit the snooze button, blow off a workout, doubt your decision, or decides “I don’t know.†Once the conscious mind makes that decision a handful of times over the course of a week or two, the subconscious mind say, “Let me help, I’ll make it really easy for you by making that in to mental habit so you don’t have expend the energy to decide.†And then you find yourself in the habit of having wine every night, smoking, getting to work late and packing on the pounds. And because energy gains momentum those habits will expand so that you’re having wine before and maybe after diner, smoking a pack instead of a ½ pack, really struggling to get out of bed, letting dust collect on the workout equipment, becoming riddled with self-doubt and unable to make a decision. Not pretty.
Literally everything is habituated programming to the subconscious mind. Whether it’s a repetitive thought like “I can’t or I don’t know.†The belief “I’m not good enough†or “I’m not lovable, worthy or deserving.†The feeling of doubt, fear or sadness or a decision to do or not do.†It’s all habit. The conscious mind makes a decision and the subconscious starts running it in a loop, never assessing whether the decision is constructive or destructive because the conscious mind is the boss and the subconscious mind doesn’t question, it just does. Once the habit is formed, because the subconscious mind that’s running the programming processes information a million times faster than the conscious mind, it becomes difficult for the conscious mind to intercept or change.
We become stuck in the same grove. Sometimes we’re aware that our habit loops are unhealthy and sometimes it takes someone else to point it out to us because it’s so subconscious or “below consciousness†that we’re not aware.
I think you get the picture. So, how can hypnosis help? It can help because it allows direct access to the subconscious mind. Trance state moves the conscious mind aside and enables you to understand all the programing that’s running below your surface and better yet change the programing to something that’s healthier and more constructive to your life. Hypnosis literally re-writes your software. Some of you are probably thinking, “Well that sounds great but I don’t think I can be hypnotized because you’re in the mental habit loop of “I can’t do it.†But rest assured you can and you have a thousand times already. Go take the “Can I be Hypnotized?†quiz on the web-site. Or, you’re concerned that the new programming will come from your hypnotist and that you’ll be under their control. Not true either. Any hypnotist worth their salt will thoroughly review your goals and work with you to develop the suggestions your subconscious mind needs to receive, or better yet work directly with the subconscious to allow the suggestions to come up from your core of truth.
Bottom line is that you have a choice. Leave things exactly the way they are, you’re welcome to project forward to see what life would look and feel like if you do, or create one positive change after another and put yourself on a whole new path that will lead you and yours to a much better place. Give yourself the meaningful gift of positive change. It really is a gift that keeps on giving.
Lisa Zaccheo, MA, BCH, BC†is the owner, lead hypnotist and hypnosis instructor at Mind Matters Hypnosis Centers in Avon, Rocky Hill, Guilford and North Branford, CT. She is Board Certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists and has numerous additional certifications in all aspects of hypnosis and the subconscious. In addition, she’s a sought-after lecturer and high-level Executive Hypno-Coach. For more information or to schedule a lecture, workshop or appointment, call Mind Matters Hypnosis Center at (860) 693-6448 or visit MindMattersHypnosis.com.
