Our subconscious lays in the shadows of our mind. It influences our thoughts, perceptions and emotions. It's there when we decide to take action, shaping how we respond to situations.
The subconscious even emerges in unexpected places – such as
our dreams. Or, in the case of a woman
who I worked with this week, in the form of nightmares.
Highly intelligent, driven and an accomplished attorney, this
woman is no push-over. She takes life
challenges head on, and does a remarkable job managing family, parenting and
career.
Yet, at times when she closes her eyes at night she is met by
unexpected nightmares. We didn't dive
into their specific content, yet she explained they awaken her and leave her so
shaken she is often unable to return to sleep.
Could hypnosis be an effective tool to help her enjoy a more
peaceful and restful night?
Like many professionals in the areas of law, accounting and
finance that require a high level of critical thinking, it took some time to
get her into a deeply relaxed hypnotic state.
I guided her through a primary induction and then multiple deepening visualizations
over a 45 minute period.
Even when she instantly and willingly responded to the “sleepsuggestion," she refrained from acting on other basic hypnotic
suggestions (i.e. heavy hands, blank mind, etc.). I even showed her a photograph of what she
looked like in a hypnotic trance as a visual reinforcement of its
effectiveness.
Yet, I was comfortable enough with her level of relaxation and
focus to introduce three post-hypnotic suggestions:
--Positive feeling about the hypnotic process to encourage the
use of self-hypnosis
--Overall relaxation and stress management
--Feeling of confidence, comfort and warmth when getting ready
to sleep at night
The next day we exchanged text messages and she shared the
following:
“Just about to text you.
I slept well! Feeling low
stress. Thank you so much!”
Are the nightmares now in the past? Well...that's still something she will need
to work on using self-hypnosis and positive visualization.
Like the other aspects of her life, she is empowered now to
manage this challenge. That is the
promise and value of hypnosis.
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| Nightmares can result from an eager and anxious subconscious mind. Can hypnosis help? Photo: Fanpop.com. |
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