Hypnotherapy

HYPNOTHERAPY WITH JO DUNBAR

Hypnosis is something we do every day to ourselves, but we just don’t realise it. As children, we are hypnotised by our environment, and this creates blueprints by which we live the rest of our lives. Hypnotherapy is merely a light trance-state, which brings us in touch with our sub-conscious mind, and offers us the opportunity to choose a new positive path in this amazing journey of our lives.

Understanding the sub-conscious mind:

Our thoughts and beliefs become our habits, which consolidate into our life experiences. 95% of our life experience is driven by our sub-conscious mind, over which we have very little control. Only 5% of our life is driven by our logical conscious mind.

Our conscious mind wants the best for us, and represents our aspirations to achieve our highest expression in our lives. Our sub-conscious mind wants to protect us and to keep the status quo, but it is very often caught in a time-warp of the past. The sub-conscious mind has no concept of time, it merely reruns the old script which was embedded into our mind at a young age when we were impressionable. It does not obey our conscious mind, it simply continues doing what it has always done, usually because it utterly believes that it is either protecting us, or this is what we deserve.

Until the age of 7 years, our brain waves are in the Delta/Theta state, which is like a semi-permanent trance. We absorb everything, without any of the adult’s filters and abilities to choose or reject those ideas, and they become fixed. Even though consciously we make healthy choices, our sub-conscious will re-run and re-run our negative limiting beliefs, which is why so many people sabotage their own lives. Beliefs such as “…you are not a good girl/boy and don’t deserve love, or you are not clever enough…” There are so many beliefs which may have become embedded; even though the adults in our lives may not have meant to cause harm, our child brain perceived this negative belief and it stuck. Sometimes the adults did mean to cause us harm and in hypnotherapy this can also be addressed – thus freeing you from that awful domination.

Changing the script:

A helpful image of our sub-conscious mind versus our conscious mind is the iceberg where the tiny bit floating above the surface is the conscious mind, and the bulk below the surface is the subconscious mind – the 95% of our mind which drives our thoughts, beliefs, habits and life-outcomes.

Or you might think of the sub-conscious as a recording device. There is no point shouting at the device to change its script – it will simply continue repeating what it has been programmed to repeat, until it is re-programmed. So, we have to change the script to a more positive, life affirming belief, which becomes a habit and manifests as the life experience that you want.

There are a few ways to change this script. One option is by consciously changing the belief-habit. We have to try to become fully aware of how we may be sabotaging our lives, and then hold that awareness throughout every day, day after day, as we consciously focus on choosing a new path, and creating a new habit of thought. This could be likened to being as difficult as pushing the iceberg.

Another option is via hypnotherapy, where you enter a state of deep relaxation and revisit your sub-conscious memories, where the script of limiting beliefs was first created, and from your adult perspective, you change the script.

The hypnotherapy experience:

In my experience, most people are deeply afraid that they are going to “have their mind taken over by the hypnotherapist”. This is absolutely not going to happen. That concept is often based on stage hypnotherapy, where the entertainer will choose people from the audience to behave like chickens etc. But notice how enthusiastic those folk were to get onto the stage. Their minds were not “taken over” – they wanted to have that hypnosis experience, so in fact they offered their minds to the magician.

When I work with hypnotherapy, our first session is spent entirely on discussing the problem, and together we plan how we are going to change the script. The actual hypnosis occurs during the following session; however, the therapy has already begun because your sub-conscious mind is very interested and already engaged in the pre-hypnotic session. This primes your mind because it wants to heal, and make healthier choices. Every choice which is made during hypnotherapy is your choice. I cannot (and don’t want to) dominate your mind – every single choice is yours, and I simply offer you choices and opportunities.

Hypnotherapy with Jo:

I don’t know why this is, but all my hypnotherapy sessions tend to be some sort of spiritual experience. People may invite their guardian angel to help them, pets or loved ones who have passed over may join us if that is what you request, or you may experience the beneficence of Universal Energy. It is always a beautiful experience.

No matter how afraid you are – I am here for you. If you get stuck, I will make suggestions, and I will help you face your fears and over-come them with strength, and also compassion so that you can find inner peace and move on with your life in the positive direction that you really want to.

Conditions which may be helped by hypnotherapy:

• Unhealthy eating patterns
• Smoking
• Grief and overwhelm at the loss of a loved one
• Anger, anxieties or fear
• Limiting beliefs about your ability to achieve your highest goals.
• Relationship issues
• Exploring possible sub-conscious causes of illness.

Read Jo’s professional profile here