Bonjour, my dear friends,

Have you ever asked yourself:

“I know what I want. I know what I should do. So why can’t I make myself do it?”

Perhaps you want to lose weight, stop worrying, become more confident, end a destructive habit, or finally accomplish a goal you have been pursuing for years.

Your conscious mind says, “Yes, I can!”

But somewhere deep inside, another voice seems to say, “No, you can’t.”

And guess which one often wins?

This is where understanding the subconscious mind—and hypnosis—can become so powerful.

Some of you may have heard my story. When I was in my 20s, living in New York, I became addicted to bagels and brownies. The more I tried to stop this insanity, the more I ate. Until one morning, I thought of trying hypnosis, and that became the start of my transformational journey.

In that moment, I began to realize the power of our mind and how trying too hard and relying only on willpower can sometimes work against us in getting the results we want. And I am going to tell you why.

Your Conscious Mind Is Only Part of the Story

We like to believe that most of our decisions are made consciously. But much of our daily behavior is influenced by automatic processes, learned associations, emotional responses, habits, and memories operating outside our immediate awareness.

Think about driving a car. When you first learned, you consciously thought about everything: the steering wheel, the brake, the accelerator, the mirrors.

After years of driving, you simply get into the car and drive.

Your brain has learned the pattern.

Unfortunately, it can also learn negative patterns just as easily.

Let’s talk about our self-talk—the voice nobody hears but you, and which can become the most damaging voice you listen to.

How about these statements? Do they sound familiar to you?

“I’m not good enough.”

“I can’t do that.”

“People will reject me.”

“Food makes me feel better.”

“I always fail.”

Repeat these thoughts long enough, and they can begin to feel automatic. And the harder you try to stop those inner voices, the louder they may seem to become.

It’s a vicious cycle that can leave you feeling frustrated, hopeless, and helpless, as I used to feel. Even practicing positive thinking and spiritual affirmations may not be enough if a deeper part of you is still holding on to the opposite beliefs.

Where Do Those Thoughts and Beliefs Come From?

It is important to realize that a belief can begin as a thought you repeat long enough that it becomes ingrained in your mind—and even more deeply in the hidden part of the mind we call the subconscious.

We also need to realize that these sabotaging beliefs can create very destructive emotions which, if unattended, can make our lives miserable.

Many of our deepest emotional patterns begin during childhood, when we are absorbing messages from our parents, family, teachers, friends, and environment.

A child doesn’t necessarily have the ability to analyze those messages objectively.

If a child repeatedly hears, “You can’t,” those words can eventually become something much more powerful:

“I can’t.”

I know this personally.

As I have shared before, my loving but overprotective grandmother constantly told me, “You can’t,” and then did things for me. She thought she was protecting me.

Instead, the message I absorbed was that I wasn’t capable.

Years later, I had to replace that message with a new one:

I CAN. I DO. I WILL.

Sometimes we don’t even remember the experiences that created our fears and limiting beliefs. Particularly painful experiences may be difficult to recall clearly, and our minds can develop powerful ways of avoiding thoughts and feelings associated with pain.

Yet the emotional patterns connected to our past can continue to influence how we respond in our present life.

The Pain/Pleasure Principle

Human beings naturally move toward what feels rewarding and away from what feels threatening or painful.

That sounds simple, but it can explain some very complicated behavior.

Imagine that you consciously want to speak confidently in public.

Your conscious mind sees the reward: Success! Recognition! Confidence!

But somewhere in your past, embarrassment or criticism may have taught you that being noticed equals danger.

Now you have two competing messages:

Conscious mind: Go forward.

Automatic emotional response: Stay safe.

This internal conflict can occur with relationships, food, alcohol, procrastination, confidence, success, and many other areas of our lives. We can end up feeling frustrated and incapable, which can lead to low self-esteem.

“What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I change?”

Instead of attacking yourself, perhaps you need to understand the pattern you are trying to change.

This Is Where Hypnosis Can Help

Hypnosis is not magic. It’s not mind control. And the good news is that you do not surrender your will to another person. You remain aware and in control.

Hypnosis uses focused attention, relaxation, imagery, and suggestion to help create a state in which we can become more receptive to exploring and reinforcing different patterns of thought and behavior.

You have probably experienced something similar without realizing it.

Have you ever been so absorbed in a movie that you temporarily forgot everything around you?

Have you ever driven a familiar route and arrived wondering, “How did I get here so quickly?”

Have you ever become completely absorbed in music, meditation, or a beautiful sunset?

These experiences demonstrate how deeply focused our attention can become.

Hypnosis intentionally uses this focused attention as a tool for change. The deep state of relaxation associated with hypnosis can help quiet the busy conscious mind and create an opportunity to focus more deeply on new thoughts, images, and suggestions.

Planting a New Seed

I like to think of hypnosis as planting a seed.

Suppose the old subconscious message is:

“I can’t.”

The new message becomes:

“I can.”

But planting the seed once doesn’t create a garden.

It needs repetition. It needs reinforcement. And it needs action.

This is why, in my work, I have always believed so strongly in practicing a new behavior consistently. My 28-day approach provides a structure for repeatedly nurturing the new pattern until it can begin to feel more natural.

Every repetition tells your brain:

This is the direction I choose.

Conscious + Subconscious = A Powerful Partnership

For me, the most powerful transformation occurs when your conscious intention and your deeper automatic patterns begin to move in the same direction.

During your conscious day, you practice positive self-talk with an anchor—a gesture that I give my clients to reinforce the positive affirmation they have chosen, such as:

“I am capable.”

“I am worthy of success.”

“I can. I do. I will.”

Then I create a customized hypnosis recording—an MP3 of about 15 to 20 minutes—that I encourage you to listen to every day for 28 days. Over time, you may begin to notice changes occurring in your behavior, as well as in your clarity and energy.

For someone who is serious and committed to becoming the best version of themselves, I believe a personalized hypnosis recording can be an extremely valuable tool.

In the past, I used hypnosis when I worked at the New York Addiction Institute, where I found it helpful as part of my work with patients struggling with relapse.

I strongly believe in hypnosis. I would not be the woman I am today without having discovered this tool. It has helped me become more confident and joyful and maintain the weight I like for the last 40 years.

In my life-coaching practice, hypnosis remains one of my favorite tools, along with Neuro-Linguistic-Programming, mindfulness meditation, and cognitive techniques.

I want you to think about your conscious and subconscious mind as a carriage.

You have two horses pulling it.

If one pulls left and the other pulls right, enormous energy is wasted, and the carriage barely moves.

But when both horses pull in the same direction, now you have power.

You need to teach them to become partners and move toward the same destination—with one thought, one choice, and one victorious action at a time.

Always remember: transformation doesn’t begin when the world around you changes.

It begins when you change the messages within you.

Victory to you. Victory is yours. Claim it!

*For more information about hypnosis sessions and making a Fresh Start, visit my website at

www.newlifedirections.com

Quote:  “Every day, in every respect, I am getting better and better.”

 Emile Coue

allmylinks.com/edwige-gilbert

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