New Year's Resolutions: Updating the Map

Here comes another New Year, a great opportunity for a fresh start and positive changes. Leaving the spiritual aspect of this for a different discussion, let's take a quick look at some useful strategies to reach your goals.

Many believe that most of your routine experiences are a created for you by your brain, based on your sensory input. And that the brain's interpretation of this input is probably different for everyone. For example, the color "red" may be perceived in a unique way by each individual. Or you may go to a movie with a friend and both have a completely different subjective experience. Bit by bit, we categorize and store our experiences. As you go through life and form memories, you create an inner "map" of your experiences which define your unique version of reality.

Once a certain type of experience has been recorded, we tend to go by this "map" rather than the direct experience since we've already categorized it. It's easier and more efficient. For instance, we take the same route to work. Or tend to be drawn to the same type of people. Or order the same menu items, etc. This allows us to move quickly through the world, and for the most part keeps us safe and gets us where we need to go. But...it can also keep us stuck when we want to grow. Quite often, even though the external conditions have changed, we're still following an old outdated inner map that doesn't get us where we want to go.

If you want to change effectively, the key is to keep your goal in mind, but pay  attention to what you are actually experiencing. And not so much to the map. 

This gives you powerful feedback and allows you to correct your course. In fact, it's been said that there are no mistakes, only feedback. You might consider a way to embrace this idea. Any mistakes yield valuable information. You can add this to the map, and your internal GPS can then choose the best route at  crucial moments. This will allow you to move quickly to your goal. The process can be effortless, as the internal GPS works best without interference.

Wishing you the best for 2013! 

-Gary

 Transcendent moments of joy and gratitude can be found in the most unexpected places...like the local mall. And you don't even have to buy anything...they're free!

Hypnotic Holidays

It’s that time of year again! Yes, the holiday season. For so many it’s a time of fun and lightness, a breezy time to slack off a little, maybe have that extra cookie, a few drinks with friends, go to parties, spend some warm caring time with family members and go bustling through the malls rosy cheeked.  And, for others….well, things are a little different.

It’s not surprising that many of us have mixed feelings about the holidays. There are some powerful subconscious messages being broadcast at this time of year, and it’s much easier to enjoy the season with a little understanding of what’s at play. First let me share some of the potential pitfalls and then I’ll give you couple of surprisingly easy to use tools for empowerment.

First of all, be aware of advertising. For any form of media, the holidays are all about sales. We are being constantly bombarded with messages to spend, indulge, and have idealized experiences like the ones we see on TV, the Internet, and in ads everywhere. These are powerful influences. People are paid a lot of money to get inside your head with these things. Don’t underestimate them.

Tool #1: Be aware of these sales messages when you are exposed. The awareness of how contrived it all is deflates the power considerably.  Keep in mind that the people in the ads you see are not real people, they are models pretending to be real. Don’t buy into any of it. If you find yourself making comparisons and feeling bad about it, just say to yourself “stop!” and think of something else (anything!) that makes you feel good even for a few seconds. Do the best you can in that moment, it gets easier with practice. And go on with your day. The more you do this, the more you find yourself doing it easily. The holidays are yours to enjoy as you desire, to do those things you want to do, the way you want to do them.

The next thing to be aware of is triggers. It’s fascinating to see society at large experiencing a range of spontaneous childhood regressions everywhere you look. Most of us have powerful associations with certain things (for example, Christmas tree lights, the Menorah, or seeing relatives) that can cause us to experience very vivid recollections and feelings of events from our childhood.

Tool #2: Recognize these triggers when they happen and allow yourself to fully experience the feelings they evoke. Celebrate the fact that you are older and wiser now, with many more resources at your command. You can appreciate and learn from these vivid experiences. Give your unconscious mind permission to make connections, resolve issues and heal past wounds on a deep level, even below your level of conscious awareness. And then go on with what you were doing.  These moments come and go, just forget about it. After a few times, you’ll get the hang of this and notice the benefit.

Hypnotherapy is an extremely powerful and effective tool that can help you resolve issues and achieve your goals. Please contact me to if you’d like to learn more, or set up an appointment in San Francisco. All the best to you! 
-Gary