Hypnotic Holidays

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