Ancient philosophers and modern psychologists share the concept of a three-part mind with separate domains for thinking, feeling, and doing. In order to understand how to change and program the mind, it’s important to understand the functions of each part of it.
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The Conscious Mind
The Conscious Mind is analytical and logical. It is where we problem-solve - assess situations and implement resolutions.
The processing capacity of the conscious mind is limited to short-term memory, multi-tasking of about 1-3 events at a time and averages about 40 bits of information per second.
The Conscious Mind is also where “willpower” comes into play. One thing to understand about willpower is that it is only there to get us through the short term. It is not the most effective way to change a long‐term, deeply rooted program. Over time, our subconscious programming will generally overtake any of our efforts supported only by mere willpower.
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The Subconscious Mind
The subconscious mind can be compared to a computer. It starts out empty, then, as we grow and learn, the unlimited capacity database stores our experiences and perceptions, which then create our personality, emotions, learned responses, beliefs, and habits. These ideas and concepts become ‘imbedded’ and are then highly resistant to change. The subconscious mind has vastly expanded processing capacity, housing our long-term memory, multi-tasking thousands of events at a time and processing at 4 Billion bits per second on average!
The subconscious mind is very literal in its thinking and requires us to be very specific in communicating with it. It communicates with us via emotions. The Subconscious Mind is always active and never sleeps. It controls the Autonomic Nervous System, respiration, digestion, heart rate and virtually every function of the body.
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The Critical Factor
The Critical Factor is the gatekeeper between the Subconscious Mind, and the Conscious Mind. It functions as a filter for new information coming in from the Conscious Mind and compares/contrasts it to the existing database of beliefs in the Subconscious Mind. When the newly introduced data does not jibe with the existing database, the Critical Factor rejects it, by not allowing changes in emotional or behavioral responses to occur. This is why it is so difficult to break habits or change our beliefs. However, there are some programs that we know on a conscious level, limit us from living the life we want. And so how do we get to them so we can change them? Hypnotherapy is the answer! It allows us to bypass the critical factor and implement selective thinking.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention or concentration, often associated with relaxation, heightened awareness and suggestibility.
Researchers have divided our natural brain functions into four basic brainwave frequencies and each correlates with a specific state of consciousness.
For most people, hypnosis is a mid-Alpha-Theta range activity, and although you are under hypnosis, you remain fully conscious of everything that is going on.
Hypnosis is simply a matter of setting aside the conscious mind, to one degree or another, and selectively focusing one's attention on either a particular point or a whole range of experiences. Because of the hyper-suggestibility inherent in the Alpha and Theta levels, positive programming during hypnosis is extremely effective in helping to create positive life changes.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is the term used to describe the use of hypnosis in a therapeutic context - with the intention to solve problems or improve conditions of the mind or body.
Hypnotherapy is the container name for a great variety of techniques and methods that make use of specific trance states that are used to realize mental and physical changes.
Hypnotherapy has been approved by the British Medical Association in 1955, by the American Medical Association in 1958 and has been incorporated with psychotherapy since the earliest days of its existence.
Hypnotherapy is experiencing resurgence at the moment, as a lot of studies show that it is very effective. There are many innovative applications possible by using modern hypnosis techniques and the development will continue by research.
