The Power of Choice

March 9, 2011 By

Choice is a powerful concept.  We make choices everyday.  But have you ever considered the fact that the choices you make are an integral part of who you are and will become?

Many people may think that their personality is the result of genetics and the influences of their life and yes, these are important players in the creation of your personality.

But there is another component and that is “free will” or “choice “.  Now some who do not understand hypnosis may wonder why a hypnotherapist is talking about free will…. In reality hypnosis increases your ability to make better choices and increases your willpower.

You can and do choose your thoughts on a daily basis.  Sometimes it might not feel that way but if you become more conscious of your thought patterns and self talk you will begin to notice that you can change them.  There lies the power of hypnosis.  Hypnosis makes you aware of what you think and gives you choice as to what you do with the thoughts you have.

All behavior begins with thought and hypnosis  puts you more in control of your behavior and therefore your life.

Filed Under: Health & Hypnosis, Hypnosis & Depression, Hypnosis & Performance Tagged With: , , ,

Is the Internet Destroying your Intelligence?

December 9, 2010 By

I can’t focus
I’ve been diagnosed with adult ADD
I can’t sleep at night
I just can’t concentrate anymore
My memory stinks…
These are just a few of the complaints that I hear from my clients daily. What is going on and why do so many people have such a hard time with their minds? We are literally a nation of broken minds.  ADD, depression/Anxiety and memory/focus issues are just the most visible problems.  The average person is functioning at a much lower level then man did in the past.

First we need to make sure that nutrition is up to par before looking elsewhere. But if someone takes vitamins and eats right and gets a decent amount of sleep, what is the story? Is it possible that we are training our brains to focus shallowly? To simply skim the surface? To never delve deeply into researching and reading since we can find any fact we want by using Google? What an amazing tool, but like any other increase in technology there is always a downside.

There are several studies that demonstrate exactly  that. The mind will become patterned by the way it is used.  If you consistently move from channel to channel on the TV or from web site to website on the internet you are training your mind to think shallowly.  You are not spending time thinking through a problem so much as finding someone else who has done it for you on-line.  Rarely does anyone need to spend time in school delving through major amounts of text to find an answer. Instead we jump from idea to idea, concept to concept and maintain a “novelty seeking” mentality to finding the answers we desire. This results in permanent changes in brain function and the size of various parts of the brain. Multi-tasking has been  proven to be bad for the brain.

When we engage in thrill seeking or novelty addicted behavior we grow the part of our mind that responds to pleasure. Soon that part of our mind becomes addicted to the brain chemicals being released and needs more and more to get the same feeling.  Think gambling addictions, sex addicts or substance abuse.  Through using technology in a specific way we are turning technology into an addictive substance that integrates easily into our lives. But the results can be as negative long term as having any other kind of addiction.  Shrinking the prefrontal cortex creates  behavior problems like ADD, depression and Anxiety.

One of the best ways to change this pattern is to increase the size of the prefrontal cortex which is done by increasing blood flow to that part of your brain.  The prefrontal cortex controls executive functions and when you use hypnosis to still the mind or relax the mind into the alpha/theta brainwaves you are supplying nutrition to this part of the brain. You are building mental muscle. Buddhist monks who meditate daily are shown to have a much larger prefrontal cortex than the average person.

So give it a try…take a day off from the Internet.  Watch one show at a time on TV.  Read a non-fiction book instead of just snapping up information on Google. Turn off your “smart phone” .  Stop making calls and texting while driving.  Better yet just take some time to simply “be”. You may actually start feeling smarter, more focused and calm then you can remember feeling in a really long time.

Filed Under: Academic performance, Hypnosis & Depression, Hypnosis FAQ Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Anxiety and Stress

July 30, 2009 By

 Anxiety and stress are major problems today. These emotional conditions are intrinsically related. Stress is a major cause of Anxiety and anxiety creates more stress in a life already filled with enough stressors.

Fear is the base emotion that creates these feelings.   Fear of the future, fear of the unknown underlies most anxiety. The thoughts that create the anxiety are often on a subconscious level but they still produce increased levels of stress hormones which then create a cascade of negative mental and physical reactions.  Perceived problems in the future create major problems now. 
Researchers have demonstrated that we have approximately 150-300 words per minute that flow through our minds creating the thoughts that then create our behaviors.  They estimate that on average 40% of these thoughts are negative and self critical.   Negativity and fear create anxiety and stress. So it’s pretty obvious that if you can change the way you think you will change your life! .
Fear and anxiety stop us from taking action. The fear in essence creates more of the very things we are afraid of in life.  hypnosis is the key to taking back control of your thoughts. By creating a new way of thinking and feeling you will begin to feel more confident and relaxed. Everything changes when you make this shift and the power is yours.
Another aspect of fear and anxiety is phobias. These are very strong reactions to a perceived threat. Phobias are irrational fears and because of this fact we don’t need them. They can be released usually by reprogramming the fear that is attached to a particular trigger. Things like fear of flying, spiders, heights, elevators are all effectively relieved through hypnotherapy and NLP.

Why not harness the power you already have within, your subconscious mind? Call Inga Chamberlain for more information at 770-560-4861 and author. Her book “The Power of Choice” is expected to be out in late 2010.

Filed Under: Hypnosis & Depression, Hypnosis & Performance Tagged With: , , ,