What is a behavior pattern? And why is hypnosis so effective in changing them?

The power of the subconscious mind.  A perfect power!  It runs our body and keeps us alive.  It is that which understands our potential and all the possibilities that our life can attain. It has but one mission, to apply the universal laws of creation to every reaction we have to life experience.  It is why we must learn to observe, reason and then respond, if we are to gain a modicum of control over the direction our lives are heading. 

Our consciously emotional and rational reactive states store emotional patterns in the subconscious, which are scanned by the subconscious when each subsequent new event occurs.  If we encounter an event that is similar in emotional response to another event that has already passed, then that event will mostly likely encounter a similar response resulting in the pattern response growing stronger with each subsequent event that passes through our psyche.   This is the reason why so many people struggle with negative behavior (few of us stop to figure out why good things happen).  They blame and shame themselves and others for the consequences in their lives.  If they only understood that the disconnect is how their conscious mind interprets events in a quite literal fashion, and that this other part of their mind, the subconscious part is operating quite logically, scanning the database of past events for similar emotional reactions and guiding the response based upon the closest emotional match. Only then would they understand more about why their lives are shaping up the way it is.

So many people look at behavioral control issues surrounding food, smoking and other addictive tendencies, as being one of a biologically or chemically charged problem.  That the physical addiction is the root of the issue.  When the truth is that all behaviors begin with a positive end goal.  If I do this, then I will feel better about something.  And in the moment it works.  Their self-esteem, self-confidence, etc. gets a major boost.  Their perceived pain, fear, pressure, problem, etc., is temporarily eliminated. And what is stored in the subconscious mind from that experience is that emotional response, and hence the beginning of the problem has a very powerful positive association to overcome.  Most people simply are unaware that this is the case.  Hence they expend so much personal willpower attempting to overcome the problem and feel a sense of failure when their attempts are met with the same failed response.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for uncoupling the pattern, disassociating the response from the original positive intention.  Why?  Because the hypnotist is able to distract the conscious mind while re-directing a new response into the pathways of the brain.  When the right suggestion is made for highest and best, then the subconscious mind will willingly and automatically make the change.  However, some issues are more complicated than others because of the layers of complexity that are associated with them. 

For example a smoker may have begun to smoke as a teenager in an attempt to be accepted by a particular group of kids, the moment of accepting the cigarette or choosing the cigarette, is powerfully linked to an adolescent boost in self-esteem.  How powerful is that?  Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager trying to be accepted and fit in?  Why of course that makes sense that it would be the overwhelming driver that makes it very difficult for an adult to give up, especially if they are completely unaware that that is the root of their smoking problem.  And this accounts for the many people who are able to quit smoking in one hypnotic session.  The underlying issue is so typical for the smoker who began many years ago.  However other patterns maybe more complicated, an overeater may be covering up many layers of issues that may need to be addressed.  A person with a weight issue may be dealing with childhood abandonment issues, losses, attention substitution issues from early years and may add to that many other issues developed during adolescents, not to mention of course the adult pressures of life compounding them, resulting in a need for multiple sessions from a hypnotist to re-route the pattern responses, typically requiring 4-6 sessions to fully anchor to new pattern response suggestions.

The beauty of hypnosis, is that the hypnotist does not have to get underneath each issue and solve it, they simply need an idea of where it may have come from, in order to re-direct the subconscious mind.  The times where hypnosis appears to not be taking hold, is simply due to the hypnotist not knowing exactly what all the underlying issues are. This is why a good hypnotherapist will spend quality time in the first consult to get to know the client and understand the issues surrounding the client’s goal for the work they are doing.  It is vital for success.  I personally spend 2-3 hours in an initial consult depending upon what the client is coming in to work on.  It makes all the difference in the outcome.

If you are someone you know is struggling with these types of behavior change issues, hypnosis maybe the very key to undoing the problem pattern.  Many qualified and exceptional hypnotists are operating right in your own neighborhood.  To find one you can go to Google, just make sure they are certified by a reputable organization like The National Guild of Hypnotists, then call them and speak to them.  Discuss your goals and make sure you resonate with the person you are going to work with. 

(Don't know how to find one, go to https://ngh.net/referrals/, this is the National Guild of Hypnotists site, a safe and reliable way to find a reputable hypnotherapist.)