Changing behaviour with Hypnosis
It is generally accepted that it is hard to change your behaviour. Most people think that once you are an adult your personality is “fixed.” We are always talking and suggesting all kinds of things to ourselves. These suggestions are souvenirs we have gathered since childhood.
Behaviour is determined by the programming of the subconscious mind. This programming came about by suggestion through the senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing and thought. Since behaviour is learnt to start with, they can be re-learnt by using behaviour modification techniques like hypnotherapy
Altering the programming through suggestion can change behaviour - provided these suggestions are delivered directly to the subconscious mind, by-passing the conscious thinking mind.
The conscious mind has a memory factor. This memory factor remembers the times you tried to stop or change a behaviour and negates the suggestions so the behaviour stays the same.
It is called the “critical factor” or the “criticising factor” of the conscious mind.
The only way the subconscious mind can receive suggestions directly, without interference from the conscious mind, is when you are in a hypnotic state. Hypnosis sets aside the conscious mind, and suggestions given go directly to the subconscious mind bypassing the critical factor of the conscious mind.
These new thinking patterns cause more adaptive behaviour.