mind matters: theory and process

the ways in which we habitually think, feel and behave have little to do with innate characteristics. They are learned responses and, therefore, can be changed if so desired.  Although we may be born with certain traits and pre-dispositions, the habits, beliefs, behaviours and self-perceptions that form, do so mainly as a result of our life experiences and our interpretations of / reactions to those experiences

why then is hypnosis necessary? Why not just tell someone to change?

background information...

first, the human mind is the sum of two parts, the conscious and the unconscious (nonconscious, subconscious)

the conscious mind houses the short-term memory (it can only hold about 7 bits of information at one time), and represents the analytical part of the mind. Our willpower is found at the conscious level

the unconscious mind, however, has unlimited capacity. It stores not only the long-term memory but also houses beliefs about self and others, habits, imagination, creativity and emotions

second, much of how we think, feel and act occurs not as we might imagine at the rational, conscious level, but rather at the automatic, unconscious level.  Jarrett adds that, even in relation to decision making, "research undermines the notion that our conscious selves are in control, and points instead to a sophisticated nonconscious mind, wide open to outside influences, as the real source of our decision making." (The Psychologist, April 2008)

the unconscious mind also has a major influence on the internal physical mechanisms, specifically the autonomic nervous system, automatically regulating such things as heart rate, breathing, hormone / chemical release, the immune system, digestion and so on

third, as curious as it may sound, the unconscious mind is unable to distinguish between fact and fantasy.  Once the beliefs, habits and self-perceptions have been established, the unconscious mind accepts them as reality whether or not they are accurate or beneficial, often creating negative hypnotic / cognitive states such as, "I'll never be able to do that".  The unconscious mind automatically triggers specific internal physical and external behavioural responses in line with these beliefs and self-perceptions. It's not hard to see that negative self-perceptions / hypnotic states will have a very limiting effect on our behaviour and lives

so, consider a person who holds the belief that they are not confident. What typically happens when they have to face a challenging situation that requires a confident response, perhaps delivering a presentation, is that their unconscious mind finds and opens the stored box / file / memory entitled "in this situation I...." automatically releasing those learned, emotional, cognitive and physiological responses. "I feel anxious and stressed", "I don't want to do this", "I'll never be able to do this", and increased heart rate, shallow breathing, tense muscles and indigestion, influencing subsequent behaviour, in many cases, avoidance

so, to answer the above question...

whether constructive or not, once these habits, belief systems and self-perceptions are formed they are very difficult to change.  The conscious mind acts as a filter system, allowing only information that is consistent with our habits and belief systems to pass through to the unconscious mind, thus perpetuating and reinforcing our notions of who we are and what we're capable of. Therefore, for change to take place, this filter system needs to be temporarily switched off

hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to do exactly that. Hypnosis is a state of physical and mental relaxation in which the critical faculty of the conscious mind is bypassed thus allowing direct access to the unconscious mind. The reason television advertising is so powerful is because watching TV induces a trance-like state, therefore, many of the messages slip through the critical sensor of the conscious mind

let's go back to the low confidence example. If I were simply to tell this person that they already have the inner resources to tackle the situation confidently (an absolute truth), their conscious mind would filter out that information as inconsistent and wrong, and not let it pass through to add to the contents of the box labelled "in this situation I.." 

hypnosis involves temporarily shutting down this conscious filter system to permit information to enter the unconscious where positive, enduring change can take place; the contents of the box labelled "in this situation I ..." can be re-packaged and re-defined, transforming, perhaps, to one that says "I choose to remain feeling positive and calm; I know I can do this and I choose to do this; I will maintain a steady heart rate, normal breathing and relaxed muscles"; subsequent behaviour - the situation dealt with - success 

people often attempt change consciously, through will power.  But this typically fails because they still unconsciously imagine themselves doing the thing that they no longer want to do (eating too much, blushing or worrying at the thought of delivering a presentation). The unconscious mind is not receiving what it expects and conflict / discomfort tends to result

let's take smoking as an example fo this. Many smokers are keen to quit the habit, and often try to stop through sheer determination or will power alone. Although such a commitment to quit is essential, even with hypnotherapy, it tends not to be sufficient to guarantee success on its own. No matter how many times ex-smokers consciously tell themselves they have stopped, they typically still think of themselves as smokers (their unconscious mind has stored a box labelled "I am a smoker"), and such persistent unconsciously driven thoughts tend to win through in the end, the unconscious mind attempting to minimise disharmony / discomfort at all costs. If, however, ex-smokers were able to perceive themselves to be non-smokers, there would be much less internal conflict, and so, they would be much more likely to succeed in achieving and maintaining their goal

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