Perceptions are Deceiving
The biggest problem facing us today is our incorrect perception of ourselves, of others and the world at large.
There is nothing innately wrong with perception because there is actually nothing else we can do given that in order to interact with each other and the world we can only perceive what we observe. The reason for this is that we are dependent on interpreting the information that we receive from our five senses.
Making it up in our Heads
The information we receive from the external world, like light reflected from an object, is converted into electrical impulses which are sent to the brain where they are decoded and an image is created of the object. This all happens in an instant so we imagine that the image we see is the object we are observing outside of us. In fact the image we see and which we attach meaning to is in our own heads.
We automatically assign meaning to things we see in our heads and we pass judgement on people, places, experiences and things normally based on our past experiences with what we observe. Judging and criticising is what we spend most of our waking day doing and it is how we preserve our belief system, self concept and what we believe reality to be.
The Price of Wrong Perception
Most people do not question this state of affairs and are content to accept this but there is a price to pay for such an attitude. Perceiving is not the same as knowing the truth and as long as we hold fast to the notion that our perceptions are reality then we are bound to encounter problems.
Most of the problems we encounter, by believing our illusions to be true, are pain, suffering and disease. It is our reluctance to look past or through the veil of illusion that covers our emotional and spiritual eyes and let go of our wrong perceptions that we invite the pain that we experience.
Stage Hypnosis fuels wrong perception of Hypnosis
In our work as a Clinical Hypno-Psychotherapists my wife Mary and I deal with people who come to us initially to ask us to take away their pain. Most of them are completely oblivious to the idea that it is in fact their erroneous belief system that is causing the problem and it only when they choose to change their minds that any progress can be made.
Most come under the illusion that we are some kind of magicians that will whisk away their problems while they are “under”!
This is not their fault however because most of them have formed their preconceived ideas about Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy based on stage shows by entertainers who wish to give the impression that they are controlling the people on stage. This in fact could not be further from the truth. Nobody controls you when you are in hypnosis. In fact you are more in control of your self in hypnosis than at any other time in your life primarily because in hypnosis you are free to consider ideas that you would normally never entertain.
Hypnosis to Facilitate Change
During your normal waking day you judge whatever you hear and see based on what you believe to be reality. So if your reality is that you are suffering from a serious illness then you are not going to accept any ideas that suggest anything that goes against this belief in your illness. As long as your belief system protects your illness there will be no change. Doesn’t it make sense therefore that in order to address the illness you have to suspend your judgement in order to entertain an alternative belief about your health?
Hypnosis enables you to suspend your judgement to the degree that you can entertain alternative perceptions some of which may ideally even contradict the notion of your illness. By learning how to hypnotise yourself you are taking responsibility for how you decide to perceive reality and you are free to choose how you wish to perceive your problem.
“ Life has no remote. Get up and change it yourself.” was a message shared by a friend on FaceBook and though I like the message it is easier said than done. Unless people are equipped with the tools and resources to change, they find it difficult to do so. I am going further with this article and proposing how each person can equip themselves with the necessary tools to affect the change they desire. Learning the art of Self-Hypnosis is a way to equip ourselves with the necessary resource to at least entertain the idea of change.
Learning Self-Hypnosis
Mary and I both run our own Private Hypno-Psychotherapy Clinic here in Peel, Isle of Man and before we begin any therapy with anyone who seeks our help we first require them to purchase and download from our website an audio we have have developed that teaches them how to hypnotise themselves. The audio costs £29.99 one is with my voice and the other with Mary’s depending on whether the person prefers to be treated by a male or female therapist. We ask them to put the audio on their iPod or MP3 player and play it at least once a day for a week to ten days before starting therapy. When they come to us to start treatment they are already in charge of their own recovery and we are facilitators in the psychotherapeutic process that effectively leads them to correct their self concept.
To find out more about the audio I refer to in this article please visit our Manx Hypnosis Fan Page on FaceBook and please be sure to press the “like” button.
For information about our other products which are not on the FaceBook fan page please visit our website downloads page
Please share this article if you find it useful. Thank you for reading.
Video by Xavier and Mary Nathan explaining Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy:
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