It’s easy at the beginning…

I know that feeling. Your will power is strong. You’ve got to the stage where enough is enough and you’ve decided to improve your life by either stopping an unhealthy habit like smoking. Or maybe you are wanting to create a new habit such as joining a gym. Your motivation is high and this time you really will do it! And at the time you really mean it!

You start off on your new regime. Feeling empowered by your decision and nothing and no one will stop you achieving your goal. You are determined to suceed.

You feel good… almost on a high, and you feel in control… and everything is going well… For a while…

After a while the effort wears us down. The struggle and conflict begin. Often using will power alone requires enormous strength, tremendous effort and creates an internal fight within our mind that it soon becomes impossible to win.

In fact, statistics show there is only a 6% success rate in stopping smoking that is based on willpower alone. Sadly, it all gets too much and you end up giving in. Feeling overwhelmed you believe the situation is hopeless and frustrated you feel that you simply have no will power or self-control.

The problem is with using will power alone to stop a habit is that we use the conscious part of our mind and forget about the bigger and more powerful mass of the subconscious part of our mind.

Will power – and the conflict of change…

So, let’s imagine for a moment that our minds are like icebergs. And let’s say that the part of the iceberg that you see, the bit which is above the water, represents your conscious mind. This is the part of the mind which is easily accessible to us – it’s where we store our awareness, and intellect. It is rational, logical and concise. This is where Will Power lives!

Now let’s imagine that the part of the iceberg that is under the water, the bit you can’t see, as representing your subconscious or unconscious mind. This is the part of the mind where our imagination, creativity, and emotions live.

The hidden power…

The visible part of the iceberg is much smaller than the hidden part. Because we can see it, we know to a large extent that it is there. However, the larger part that is under the ocean is hidden from us. Often we even forget that it is there. But the part of the iceberg that is under the surface is far more powerful (and dangerous) than the top half (remember it was this part of the iceberg that sunk the Titanic).

Just like the hidden part of the iceberg, the subconscious mind is far more powerful than the conscious mind. It is our emotions, reactions, instincts and fears that lurk beneath the surface that stop us achieving our goals. For example, when someone uses will power alone to stop an unwanted habit they are using the conscious part of their mind – their awareness, intellect and what they think they know and understand about their behaviour. They ignore the fears, beliefs, and emotions that lay lurking in their subconscious.

Any change at a conscious level triggers resistance in the subconscious.

Our subconscious intention is always for our safety and well being. Set habits and patterns of behaviour help us feel secure. Because our subconscious prefers consistency any change to these patterns or habits triggers feelings of insecurity. This is why our subconscious fights against change and we struggle achieving our goals.

This explains why when you think you should do something that is good for you, but you don’t feel like it, because your mind is split over this issue.  On one level you know what you should do, but another part of you is resisting it. Such as ,when you know the health risks of smoking, and yet continue to smoke.

In fact, you find the harder you struggle the deeper the habit becomes. This monumental struggle eventually causes fatigue and weariness and consequently the subconscious wins. Therefore, stopping smoking or changing some other embedded habit is so hard for many people, and so often the reason why many people give in after a short period of time.

Don’t worry there is some good news!

Fortunately there is good news. For it is possible to harness the power of the subconscious mind to help you achieve your goal. You can do this, by renewing your mind to new more helpful thoughts and beliefs. Therapy using hypnosis and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) focuses on spoiling those embedded beliefs using the power of suggestion. Once the subconscious takes hold of the benefits of the new change that has been suggested, it will assist you achieve your goal. And with the full weight of the subconscious behind your conscious decision it easily becomes a win-win situation. Imagine… No more internal conflict, battle fatigue and feelings of failure.

So, if you would like to know more about how hypnotherapy can help you change for good then contact me to discuss your situation. You can contact me either by email on jackie@jackiehillcounselling.com or by giving me a call on 07426088501.

Please also visit my website on www.jackiehillcounselling.com where you will find lots of further information.

Until the next time,