Despite you trying very hard to change some patterns in your life, they keep repeating! Have you ever wondered why? It happens because your subconscious mind influences you.
The subconscious mind is basically the part of you that is quietly running in the background (meaning in your brain, which is still unknown to you). However, this is not the most exciting part! The real interesting part is that many psychologists believe that the subconscious mind guides about 95% of humans’ daily habits, thoughts, and reactions.
The hypnotherapy process works directly with this deeper part of the human mind that helps reshape old beliefs and rewrite people’s inner stories that may be stopping the changes needed to fulfill their dream to be true.
Let’s understand this in detail!
How Does the Human Mind Work?
Just imagine that your mind is like a computer. Thus, your conscious mind is like the part of the computer you actively interact with, such as the screen and keyboard. On the other hand, your subconscious mind is like the operating system running in the background. Just as an OS quietly manages processes, your subconscious mind also manages bodily functions and stores your memories, habits, emotional responses, and beliefs.
As your subconscious mind stores memories from your early experiences, learned behaviors, emotional patterns, and other things, all these will reflect in your decision-making. Neuroscience research indicates that conscious awareness represents only a small fraction of your brain’s total processing capacity. Furthermore, most of your daily behaviors, reactions, and decisions operate through automated subconscious processes rather than your own conscious will.
The problem is that not all of this subconscious programming is helpful. Negative messages when you are immersed in the early period of your life, especially in the age between infant to pre-teen, such as “I’m not smart enough,” “Success is for other people,” or “I don’t deserve love,” can get wired into your brain. Over time, these beliefs become deeply embedded neural pathways, what neuroscientists call “default networks”, and influence your perception and behavior (like how you think, feel, and act) into adulthood.
How the Hypnotherapy Process Works with the Subconscious Mind
A hypnotherapist helps people connect the dots between their conscious and subconscious minds through a naturally occurring state called trance. Far from the dramatic portrayals often seen in movies, a hypnosis process is simply a focused, relaxed state of awareness that all people experience daily, i.e., when they’re absorbed in a good book, thinking about a deep memory that happened in their life, or something else.
During this trance state, something intriguing happens in the brain. The critical thinking capability (that analyzes, judges, and filters information), a part of the conscious mind, becomes less dominant. It helps your subconscious mind to become more open-minded to new information and positive suggestions.
Hypnotherapy actually changes neural activity, increases connectivity between different brain regions, and enhances neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new neural connections). This open-mindedness helps the hypnotherapy process work effectively and directly with your subconscious. Therefore, if you change the negative beliefs after knowing them and build positive habits, you can transform yourself completely.
The Effect of Positive Message Units (PMUs)
PMUs are powerful statements used in hypnotherapy sessions to reprogram the subconscious mind.
For example, if you struggle with self-confidence, you should begin with “I am learning to appreciate my unique qualities,” which proves effectiveness.
The formation of PMUs consists of present-tense and personal statements with authenticity to your experience. Besides, it also addresses specific areas of your life where you want to change. Some effective PMUs are, “I am calm, capable, and in control of my choices,” “I welcome growth and learn from every experience,” and more.
These messages are most useful in their delivery during the relaxed, receptive state of hypnotherapy. When your conscious mind is quiet, these positive messages can begin rewiring the neural networks that control your automatic responses.
The Process of Hypnosis That Helps in Rewriting Your Inner Narrative
The hypnotherapy session starts with you sitting on a chair or in another comfortable sitting. You then enter a deeply relaxed state through simple techniques like breathing, muscle release, or visualization. This will result in quieting your conscious mind, and your subconscious mind becomes more active.
In the subconscious state, your old patterns naturally come out of your mind, whatever emotions or fears are stored and limiting you from overcoming in your life. The hypnotherapist will guide you on how to notice and let them go.
In the next step, the hypnotherapist suggests chanting new and empowering PMUs, which represent the reconstruction phase. This isn’t a one-time event but a process of repetition and reinforcement (more like learning a new language or skill). Your brain then starts to create new neural pathways while weakening the old ones through neuroplasticity.
Therefore, apart from these procedures, the hypnotherapist will suggest other things based on your situation, and you, in the last, slowly with time, can transform your life entirely and kill those fears, childhood trauma, post-divorce depression, work-related stress, relationship failure, or whatever it is.
Common Challenges and Solutions in Reprogramming Your Subconscious Mind
Every transformation journey includes challenges, and subconscious reprogramming is not an exception.
You may often bring up doubt, resistance, or temporary increases in the behaviors you’re trying to change. This isn’t failure; it’s actually evidence that change is occurring. Your subconscious mind may initially resist new programming because its main job is to keep you safe by maintaining familiar patterns, even when those patterns are useless for you.
The solution is your patience, consistency in following the process regularly, as advised by a certified hypnotherapist, and, of course, self-compassion.
Last Words
You can even read books such as “Hypnotherapy” by Dave Elman and “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy. Alternatively, if you are not an avid reader, you can use mindfulness and guided hypnosis apps with user-friendly PMU templates. The best of all these is to directly consult with a certified hypnotherapist if you’re dealing with trauma or severe anxiety.
