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Everything that is seen, read or heard is contained in the subconscious memory, and hypnosis may be used to access this information. Hypnosis is based on the analogy that the mind is similar to an information storage warehouse or library. The front office of the library processes information, which is then sent to the storage library. The front office represents conscious thinking and the storage library represents subconscious memory. Between conscious thinking and subconscious memory is the librarian, whose role is to decide which information enters the library of stored information. In fact, nothing can get through to the library unless it's consistent with deeply held beliefs already stored away. The librarian is called critical thinking, and its job is to compare new information with stored information. If critical thinking were not present, a person would believe anything that anyone said. For instance, if someone says that the moon is made of green cheese, critical thinking compares the statement with all the information already known. The librarian recognizes the information as nonsense, placing it aside, and not letting it in. Ironically, some mistaken beliefs and judgments also make their way into the subconscious. A short time ago an older man came in for hypnotherapy because he felt he was losing his memory. He said that it was difficult for him to retain what he was reading. It has become commonplace to associate memory failure with the aging process, and this gentleman felt that he simply needed to accept the inevitable. During the initial interview, he told me that he always had difficulty in school, beginning somewhere around the fifth grade. While under hypnosis, the man recalled a moment when he was in the first grade. He did more than remember the incident; he actually relived it. He remembered that he couldn't read as well as the rest of the children in his class, and he heard the teacher telling him he was 'slow'. He was seated in the back of the room with the other 'slow' children. Unfortunately, by the time the man was in third grade, he knew his place in the back of the room. By fifth grade he was firmly entrenched in his own 'slowness'. The hypnotherapist may guide a person to relive the past while simultaneously viewing it from the perspective of adulthood. This older man was able to see his childhood, with no one at home to help him read. He also remembered that neither of his parents were able to read. When asked to look back at that little boy and all that he had accomplished as he grew through adulthood, the man easily recognized that he was 'never' slow. He only needed help with reading, as many children do. After the hypnosis session the man shook his head and stated, "Fear's a terrible thing, I've been afraid all my life, afraid that something was wrong with me. Now I understand." We then discussed alternate solutions for him to pursue and carry forward with. One of the greatest rewards of hypnotherapy is in witnessing someone's self-esteem improve to the point that their whole world turns around. In many cases, as with our older gentleman, the cause may not be obvious at first. Through hypnotherapy, change takes place on many levels. It's all about the mind, body and spirit. |
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