The power of words in hypnosis part 1

hypnotherapist


Today we are going to discuss an aspect of hypnosis that most people are probably unaware of. This is the area of language and how it is used in hypnotherapy. The reason why this is so important for the work we do as therapists is because all language is processed and created unconsciously. This is why therapy does not fit into a neat box and it can never be a case of one size fits all, especially when it comes to delivering language to the unconscious of our clients. Therapists who use scripts are merely indulging the 'junk food' of hypnosis. Before you write to me defending the script based approach, let me tell you I used to be exactly in the same school of thought. All that has now changed and here's why.

When we speak we don’t actually know how we produce language we just make various sounds and the words seem to just emerge from our mouths as sentences with meaning. Whenever I initiate a trance in any of my clients I don’t think about what I’m going to say in advance I just seem to ‘know’ what to say. I’m not following a teleprompter I’m not following a pre written script, I’m just saying what comes to mind and letting the ideas ‘flow’, In fact, unless I say something random during a particular train of thought like “butterfly” you will naturally make sense of everything I say to you, because as the subject you are also processing information unconsciously. There is a neuroscience and the neurology going on behind the scenes. This is why language when it comes to hypnotherapy and change work. If the therapist cannot deliver language which evokes a person's own unique representation of their world, then how can he hope to engage with their perceived reality and change it? Language is produced unconsciously, it’s comprehended unconsciously and it’s perceived unconsciously. Language is able to produce powerful hypnotic states, emotional states, deep feeling states. Language can cause us to create pictures in our minds. You only have to think about your favourite novel that you’ve ever read that stimulated your imagination. Why was that? Clearly the language that you were reading was being perceived through your brain as a set of emotional and visual associations and connections which brought the story to life. However, the way you perceive the story is very different from how someone else perceives it based on how they unconsciously process that language. All language is hypnotic, which is why there are certain words and phrases that carry more power than others. In my next blog I will talk about these in more depth.


David Faratian





Eliminating fear of heights with hypnosis

heights hypnosis cumbria


Jim from Windermere in Cumbria approached me very recently for his fear of heights. Like so many people with phobias, Jim had an irrational understanding of his problem. Having not been born with this problem, Jim had spent a good part of his life with no issue whatsoever. In fact part of his life had been spent as a fireman and so heights were a natural part of his reality and his experience. Unfortunately this was all to end once he encountered a one off experience which locked itself in as a limiting belief around heights. The detail of the trauma is not as significant as the new reality it created. From that point onwards Jim was able to activate his reticula memory so that every height was generalised as a problem. Through the reframing of his experience with Hypnotherapy Jim was able to not only neutralise and own the feeling rather than run away from it but he was also able to neutralise the spontaneous release of adrenaline associated with the phobia. You can listen to, and watch Jim
talk about his experience with hypnotherapy when dealing with his fear of heights. In the interview you can find out about how Jim overcame his fear of heights once and for all and watch him as he demonstrates his new-found confidence.


Some recent photos sent by Jim demonstrating his new found confidence. These photos were taken from the top of Barnard castle. Thank you to Jim for agreeing to share his experience.


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If you are struggling with a particular phobia and would like to know how Hypnotherapy may be able to help then click on the following link for more information.





5 ways to detect if someone is lying

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One of the many skills of human survival has been a person’s ability to tell a lie. We often lie to protect ourselves or others from being emotionally injured in some way. Of course lying has also got a darker side where deception is the main goal, whether to commit and cover up inappropriate actions or else to deceive and manipulate. However, there is one thing that will always be true and that is the fact that most people cannot help but give away their lie through the 80% of non verbal communication, which we as human beings are all hard wired for. You see you may be able to deceive through your words but there are always trails of deception communicated through other unconscious cues.

In a study of non-verbal cues that are signs of lying, researchers say rubbing, touching, or blowing the nose are all ways to tell if someone’s lying. When it comes to detecting a lie, scientists believe, stress causes an increase of blood to the extremities which causes tingling in the nose. This explains why people tend to rub their noses when they are feeling uncomfortable in some way. Of course other areas of our bodies are equally able to betray a lie, especially the eyes. Have you ever watched someones eyes? Sometimes people don’t realise how the direction their eyes move when done subconsciously can tell a great deal about whether what they are saying is created or remembered. You can learn more by watching this short video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNg5gi_-dY

Other common signs that someone could be lying to you:

  • Tripping over words and using ‘um’ or ‘uh’ as filler words
  • Long pauses before answering
  • Evading the question
  • Using ‘well’ at the beginning of a sentence
  • Use of the words ‘no,’ ‘do not,’ or ‘cannot’
  • Higher pitch/tone of voice
  • Keeping eye contact longer than usual
  • Folding arms
  • Touching throat (for women this is a sign of lying)
  • Holding something in front of them, like a piece of paper
  • Clasping hands together
  • Positioning feet towards the exit
  • Hand gestures don’t match what is being said
  • Not using any hand gestures
  • Blinking often
  • Moving the fingers

At the Cumbria Hypnosis Clinic we use some of the eye accessing cues you have just read about to deal with emotional blocks, anxieties and fears. If you would like to find out how an unconscious movement of the eyes which can be used to detect a lie can be equally effective at dealing with emotional problems then please feel free to Contact us following the link on this page.
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Gambling your life away



Pasted Graphiceriksonian hypnotherapy



A few weeks ago one of my clients, John (name changed) from Kendal in Cumbria came to see me about his problem with gambling. This gentleman was suffering from a life which had been destroyed by his inability to look beyond his infrequent wins. He was completely addicted to the idea of horse racing (real and virtual) and over the course of a number of years had managed to lose over £50,000. This was clearly a serious problem for him. Not only had it ruined him financially but it had also taken away his life socially and personally. His inability to walk past the temptation of maybe being able to ‘win this time’ had meant that he was alienating him self from every relationship and was even being stopped from seeing his own children because the relationship with his partner had broken down to such an extent. The desperation on this man's face was clear when he first came to see me. Attending gambling anonymous had not helped and simply talking about it in some kind of counselling context had been equally ineffective. What could be done?


John’s problem is very common indeed and in fact affects over 40% of the adult population based on data as recent as 2014. With any addict the problem is always associated with the emotional feelings created by an artificial release of a powerful hormone into the system called dopamine. The problem with dopamine is that once it gets into your system and gives you that thrill feeling you require twice as much next time to get to the same level you experienced the first time. It is the surge of excitement associated with the initial thrill which leads to the need for gambling strengthening and eventually becoming addictive. Unfortunately once someone is addicted, then the priorities in a person’s life shift and person can become isolated and detached to the point where they are unable to see clearly or make rational judgements.


Through the treatment I was able to offer John we were able to disassociate him from the emotions that he felt around the idea of winning a particular horse race and therefore neutralising the release of dopamine. In effect there was no longer any thrill associated with the idea of winning so therefore the thought of gambling very quickly lost its interest. This approach is highly effective for this particular addiction if the person can engage with the creative process. Hypnotherapy and hypnosis as well as a combination of other psychological tools like neurolinguistic programming are powerful when it comes to dealing with limiting behaviours like gambling because they make the shift back to rational thinking effortless and automatic. Thankfully ‘John’ is now in a much better place and is managing to his life back on track, looking forward to making this a very positive year (2016 at the time of writing this blog). This was what he had to report recently.....


“ I have my head sorted out with thanks to yourself, am in a good place and think about things in a different perspective, to what I use to, am am busy taking my father for his treatment at this present moment in time, thanks for all your help if I ever need you I will be in touch, and I will highly recommend you to people, thanks again “


With a decade of experience The Cumbria Hypnosis habit change clinic serves the entire Cumbria and South lakes region, including Kendal and Lancaster. If you would like to find out more about the power of hypnotherapy to deal with an addiction like gambling then click
HERE to be redirected to our dedicated page.