When Habits Are Stubborn
by Arlene Thompson, M.Ed. (Harvard) Clinical Medical Hypnotherapist
(925) 485-7997 ~ www.Thompsonhypnotherapy.com

Habits are our usual patterns of behavior, which we do regularly and without much thought. We’re all familiar with such bad habits as smoking and over-eating. Though less recognized as such, fears, phobias, anxiety and stress are all habits as well. They are learned responses to external stimuli (learned, because you weren’t born with that response), which become entrenched as automatic behaviors--or habits!

The good news is that hypnotherapy is ideal for habit control, since the cure involves new learning. We do this by reprogramming the subconscious to respond differently to the usual external stimuli, seeking to meet the same emotional need with a more positive behavior.

For example, when you need a break, instead of snacking or smoking, you might choose to take a walk, drink some water, or do some stretches. And in stressful or fearful situations, you also learn a new pattern of behavior, including using the relaxation tools that you learn in the session. The hypnosis recording that we make in session and which you play on your own reinforces this new learning.

But what if a habit doesn’t respond to the usual course of hypno-therapy? Don’t give up! Obviously, part of you is sabotaging your best intentions. Is it your conscious part? Not if this change in behavior is what you want. So it must be your subconscious! And there’s no better way to deal with the subconscious than hypno-therapy!

Since the subconscious has not (100%) accepted the new behaviors that we’ve so far programmed in, there must be another, deeper part of the subconscious that is holding on to the habit.

At this point, inner-child work comes to our rescue! Through inner-child work and age regression, we explore together the source of any contrary beliefs that are thwarting the new learning and behavior. These contrary beliefs may have once served a valuable purpose, but they are now making it difficult for you to achieve your goals. Hence, they need to be identified and released!

Here are some examples. One client simply could not stop smoking, despite our usual hypnotherapy protocol. During an age regression, she remembered the circumstances of when she began smoking. She and her father, who also smoked, were very different and found it hard to relate to each other. When she began smoking, they had this behavior in common – a shared experience which seemed to bond them. After the father died, the client subconsciously did not want to let go of her smoking habit, since she felt it was the last thing that tied them together. Once we identified this underlying belief, we were able to change it, realizing that the father would have wanted her to be healthy.

Here are some common subconscious beliefs that often undermine weight loss. One client subconsciously associated size with power and strength, so the bigger (and fatter) he was, the stronger he felt. That was let go after we helped him associate a lean, fit, muscular body with the strength he desired.

Another client was so nagged at and teased as a child because of his weight, that staying fat became associated in his mind with being in control and symbolically thumbing his nose at what others wanted of him. We explored what he, as the strong and capable adult he now was, wanted for himself.

So, hypnotherapy is still the best way to explore underlying, contrary beliefs that may be causing you to hold onto a habit that you consciously want to let go. Hypnotherapy is still the fastest way to make the changes you desire, and the best way, by far, to harness the power of your own subconscious to achieve your goals!