I wanted to write an article connecting hypnosis and your unconscious mind.
This is that article, so obviously I made it.
But I have to say this now:
None of this is final. It is my best attempt to explain it to a wide audience. Even so, many hypnotists will not agree with me on all points. Some will argue emphatically the opposite.
What’s worse, they’re probably right.
Imagine someone describing the ocean. They say some things like it’s big and wet. Then they focus on a small part, talking about how it’s bluish green and has plankton.
No one could adequately describe the entire ocean in this way, even if they understood all of it, which no one does.
Some parts are not blue-green, have no plankton, and are probably not even wet.
Can you even draw a clear line between what is ocean ‘is’ and what is ‘not’? The surface of the water seems like a clear candidate, so to speak, but what about the air above it? The ocean controls it, changes it, shapes its climate: is it part of it too or not?
If there is a cave in the deep sea filled with an air bubble, is it in the ocean even though it is dry?
Does it even matter? Can’t you continue to navigate through it, even if your definitions, labels, and limits are all wrong?
This is how you talk about hypnosis and your unconscious.
We speak of something called the conscious mind. This is all you know and can control, more or less.
That assumes that consciousness is not an illusion…or is it?
And let’s not discuss what is conscious thought and what is unconscious: the lines are among the blurriest on the planet.
During your normal day, you are conscious to some degree. Sure, sometimes you get distracted and do things without thinking. And sometimes you fall asleep.
But, at least part of the time, you are to some extent ‘aware’ of what is going on.
Notice how I’m over 300 words into this article and I haven’t said anything about hypnosis yet. I can’t even tell if I need to slow down or skip some things.
This is an exceptionally murky subject.
But looking back at your conscious mind:
Hypnosis is a process that, to some extent, bypasses your consciousness in an unusual way.
It doesn’t knock you out, at least it doesn’t have to.
You can (and usually will) remain fully conscious at all times.
The hypnotist will activate parts of your unconscious that you normally ignore.
We may give you instructions, ask you questions, use your symbols, and speak your language.
And how much of that is a metaphor? How much is literal?
Some of you will find that explanation too vague to argue against, although some will insist that it is wrong. And many of you are just confused.
It’s okay. One of the secrets to mastering hypnosis is to give up your desire for cozy explanations.
Everything that goes on in your mind makes sense… but most of it won’t make sense to you.
That’s not a comment on your intelligence. The smarter you are, the more sophisticated, interconnected and faster your thinking is. In other words, the smarter you are, the harder it is to understand your way of thinking.
Sometimes you just have to trust the process.
Trust your unconscious mind.
Trust your genetic heritage. Your ancestors survived long enough to reproduce, something that required instincts, intuition, and inner genius. You carry that in your blood. You are smart enough to survive the worst the savanna throws at you, including other humans.
It’s not like your ancestors survived through logic alone.
So trust everything that boils within you. At least part of it is the key to your even bigger mind.
