Our Great City

Article Submitted by: Drs. Kweethai Neill & Steve Stork 

www.ihealththerapies.com

Minding my way to successful resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions are a quaint tradition. They are more euphemistic than practicable. You say, “I resolve to…” while thinking, “It would be nice if something magical happened that would make me…”

Resolutions are not lies…exactly. But somehow they are more often intended than actualized. How is that so?

At the beginning of each new year you express desires to improve your state of well-being. You resolve to lose weight, manage debt, save money, get a better job, get back in shape, eat right, learn more, drink less, quit smoking, reduce stress , take a trip or grow a garden.

Such resolutions are reasonable. It’s not like asking to win the lottery, find a cure for cancer or negotiate world peace. Yet, given you have the resources and the capacity to attain reasonable goals, you still fall short. What stops you from getting what you want? How come your resolutions feel more like a dream than a plan?

In her book “Hypnotherapy: An Alternative Path to Health and Happiness” (iChange Press), Dr. Kweethai Neill provides an explanation for the failure of most resolutions. Briefly, it’s not what you are eating, it’s what is eating you. While that sounds like dieting advice, the concept applies to all manner of resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions arise in the conscious mind, from things you know about yourself. The resolutions are expressions of desires to change your behaviors for the better. However, the conscious mind is the wrong place to start the process; because all habits—good or bad—originate in the subconscious.

The conscious mind is aware of habits but is powerless to change them. The conscious mind is logical and concrete, while the subconscious operates on emotions, and it is emotions that drive behaviors. For someone with bad food habits, you know a second piece of chocolate cake is unnecessary, yet you cannot resist the indulgence. Perhaps it is comfort food; the taste and texture reminds you of a time when mom’s baking provided a sense of love, comfort and safety. Those emotions trump logic and you take a bite.

Resolutions usually seem reasonable and logical. You think you have good reasons for stating what you want. But how you feel is more powerful than what you think. So understanding your feelings is a more effective path to changing your behaviors. But it is not an easy path to locate, since emotions are stored in the subconscious mind and resist being changed.

Fortunately, emotions can be accessed via hypnosis. And, via that access, they can be revised. As Dr. Neill explains it, hypnotherapy “rewrites the software of your mind” to revise emotional triggers. This makes the subconscious more amenable to change.

Change your mind to change your life

Most resolutions lead to tentative steps that, at best, create only temporary success. New behaviors don’t stick. Stressful events evoke emotions that cause you to fall off the wagon. You default back to your old habits (e.g., a former smoker lights up again as old stresses reassert themselves).

A more reliable way to ensure successful and sustainable change is to begin by revising emotions in the subconscious. This creates an energy flow that supports desired change. The result is that you feel empowered, and that makes you better able to sustain change.

This year try a new approach to actualizing your resolutions. For example, to more effectively attain what you want, first go inside yourself using meditation or prayer. With effort and practice, meditation shuts out conscious distractions; making it easier to address your feelings.

When you are still, your focus is better; which is empowering in itself. It sounds easy, but most people find this type of inner focus quite challenging.

If you cannot do it yourself, hypnotherapy can help. Hypnosis is simply a state of consciousness with a very narrow focus. You experience similar states every day. Consider how often you become engrossed reading a book or totally engaged in a project, to the point where you are not aware of your surroundings.

While in a hypnotic state, your thinking mind relaxes, which opens your feeling mind to suggestions. A competent hypnotherapist gives suggestions consistent with a prior discussion of changes you desire. You retain control. Your mind accepts only suggestions that correspond with your beliefs.

Once your subconscious is amenable to change, you are better prepared to learn new skills relevant to your desired behaviors. That includes learning self-hypnosis as a means of continuing to communicate with the subconscious yourself.

Don’t wait eleven and a half months to make new resolutions. Make them now and start looking for someone who can serve as your change catalyst. You’re on the right track; don’t be shy about asking for a push.

Success story:

Joanna, 52, was overweight most of her life. Her doctors were concerned for her health as she became borderline diabetic. She wanted and needed to lose some weight to enjoy her children and granddaughter. She had tried dieting, repeatedly losing and then gaining back the weight. As a last resort she saw Dr. Neill for hypnotherapy. Within two months, Joanna was one dress size smaller and her blood tests (HgA1c) were almost normal.

Joanna regained control of her life. She continues to lose weight without dieting. Since she is now happier and makes healthy choices to cope positively with stress, she can look at a chocolate cake and not be tempted by it!