The Power of Suggestion

The Bouncer!

Our conscious mind acts like a ‘bouncer’ at a night club! One of its most important functions is to protect the subconscious mind from suggestions that might undermine what we believe to be true about ourselves and the world. It is that critical part of the mind which tells us what is right and what is wrong, what is good for us and what is bad for us according to our own beliefs about reality.

Our subconscious mind, on the other hand, accepts everything thrown at it depending on our individual subconscious belief system. All of us have our own fears, beliefs and opinions and these govern our lives. For example, if somebody was to suggest to Mark Cavendish that he’d be unstable every time he got up on a bike, he would just laugh and set off to win another cycling title! His subconscious belief just would not accept that as true and he would scoff at the very idea. The same suggestion given to another person could easily be accepted and that person would never ride a bike confidently again.

Autosuggestion

A suggestion like any string of words put together has no power in itself; its power comes from the individual who accepts it. For a suggestion to be accepted by the subconscious you must first find a way to circumvent the critical factor, the ‘bouncer’ that guards its entrance. In hypnosis your critical faculty is not in play to the same degree that it is when you are fully aware. Suggestions given to a person who is deeply relaxed as in hypnosis are more likely to be accepted by the subconscious. Suggestions accepted by the subconscious are like seeds that eventually grow and bear fruit. This is how suggestion has the power to influence perception and affect changes we desire.

Who among us does not hear the voice telling us how stupid we are when we make a mistake or how fat we look in some clothes or how inadequate we are in certain situations?

Following are examples of the kind of ‘autosuggestions’, suggestions we regularly give ourselves:

Do any of the following sound familiar?

I can’t do it

I’m too old

My memory is going

I’m too fat

I’m not fit enough

I’d look stupid

I can’t afford

I don’t have enough … and so on.

The simple truth is that the more you think these thoughts the more you experience the lack that they are designed to create! Your subconscious mind will do its best to give you what you ask it for. So if you keep telling yourself that you are no good then that is what you get!

Logic v Emotion

Wouldn’t it then, make more sense to focus on more positive thoughts and suggestions? Logically, yes, it would make more sense but logic is not the driving force behind the thoughts we automatically dwell upon. The real power behind our thoughts and feelings is the subconscious which is inaccessible to the logical conscious mind unless we can distract the critical factor for long enough.

With the ‘bouncer’ distracted we could give ourselves the following suggestions:

I can achieve anything I want

I remember everything I need to remember; everyday my memory is getting better and better!

I’m young, fit and healthy

I have more than enough for all my needs

I love my life

Hijacked Mind

As adults we think we are in control of our own thoughts, even though all of us know that our minds are regularly hijacked by a voice that tells us the opposite to what we consciously say we want. Of course, there is nobody else in my head forcing me to think negatively about myself or others. The voice is my own and I have taught myself to think the way I do by the suggestions I and others have given me from the time of my birth. In order to change what I say to myself to be more positive and see love and joy in everyone and everything I need to enlist the power behind my life…my subconscious!

Heterosuggestions

Heterosuggestions are those suggestions which are passed on to us as children. The beliefs our parents hold are passed down to us, the role education plays has the effect of controlling young people from the age of four by rules and expectations. Some of the suggestions are wonderful and some are very negative. Unfortunately as children we are unable to filter these suggestions we are bombarded with from birth so we take some on board and rebel against others; the good, the bad, and the downright crazy! That is why you will have such a diverse variety of characters that have taken on board some traits of their parents and rejected others.

The Power of Choice through Hypnosis

As adults, though, it is so empowering to know that we are the masters of our own minds. We actually have a choice. By reconditioning our subconscious minds using positive autosuggestions we can be the people we were truly meant to be. Free from negative conditioning imposed in childhood. Constructive autosuggestions can change your life!

At Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic we have guided many clients to change their beliefs about themselves and the world they live in to become happier, freer and more joyous people.