It’s Hallowe’en – what does that mean to you? Fun? Terror? Or just another day in the year?
Gut Reaction?
Our perception of situations can be coloured by all sorts of things – history; culture; religion; folklore. The way that we think about things changes the way that we respond mentally and physically. If I ask you to think about something scary, or if you actually witness a scary scene, you probably feel a tightness in your stomach, a catch in your breath or maybe your heartbeat increases a little? These physical responses to an image arise to help protect us against the danger that is perceived – whether it is real or imagined.
Imagined or Real?
Our primitive mind doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality. It produces a response regardless. It’s up to our rational mind (the human part of our brain) to decide whether the perceived threat is something we need to do something about. Whilst that part is making up its mind, the primitive part of our brain will have already pushed the buttons for adrenalin and cortisol – readying us for flight or fight. That’s all very well if we have actually seen a ghost, but not so great if we jump out of our skins every time someone says hello!
A Useful Tool
We can use this trait of the primitive mind to our advantage by ensuring that we give it images of how we want things to be, rather how we don’t want them to be. It’s a very powerful tool that can make us feel strong, confident, calm in situations where we may otherwise have felt powerless.
How I Help
I help my clients take full advantage of this in their daily lives by creating a calm, relaxed space where visualisation of their goals becomes easy. The use of skilful solution focused questioning allows my clients to recognise their strengths and to use those strengths to their best advantage. One of the benefits of hypnosis is that it reduces anxiety and stress, which enables our rational brain to take control and see things for what they are, putting them into perspective and dealing with them easily.
Reality
The reality is that sometimes our strength and resilience gets a little lost in the rush and hurry of modern life. We all have everything we need to move our lives forward in a good and positive way, we just occasionally need some help!