How We Can Change Our Own Reality

The mind is much more powerful than most people might imagine. Within our minds we have the ability to change our perception of reality as well as to gain a much deeper understanding of what underlies our thoughts and actions.

Therapy with hypnosis can prepare us to better use our mind power. It works by diverting our attention from the here and now, allows us to better consider the possibilities of thinking differently, and permits us to choose new paths of thoughts and behavior.

Reality

What we perceive to be the real world is a construct of our mind. In other words, we do not see the world as it really is, but as our brain has been “programmed” to show it to us (Mlodinow, 2013).

For example, when we look at green leaves and then at a red flower, what is the difference between the colors? In the “real world” colors originate as light photons that travel at different wavelengths. Our brains are geared to see photon travelling at different wavelengths as different colors. But there is no color in the “real world”. Rather there are photons that we believe are all identical.

When someone mumbles a word, without our knowledge our inner brain can change the mumble into a word we can understand. For example, if someone says “I went to the bank to get out my oney,” we would hear the word “money.” On the other hand, if someone says, “The bear came into my kitchen and ate the oney,” we would hear the word “honey.”

If I gave someone a pair of glasses that turned the world upside down with mirrors, after wearing the glasses for a couple of days the world would turn right-side-up again, because our brains are geared to make the world accessible to us.

Once it is understood that our perceptions are constructs, we can accept better that the hypnotic state can be used to change a construct. For example,

• If we are suffering from chronic pain that has been evaluated and treated by a physician and thus no longer serving the purpose of alerting us that something is wrong, we can tell ourselves that rather than perceiving a sensation in our bodies as painful, it can feel warm or tingly.
• Patients who dislike the taste of their medications can be taught to change the taste by imagining in hypnosis that the medication has the appearance and odor of a favorite food. Thereafter, patients often report that their medications are more palatable.
• Anxiety often is caused by worry related to future unknown possibilities. In hypnosis, patients can be taught to shift their focus to a calm state. One of my patients used to develop anxiety-associated shortness of breath with exercise, until he learned that he could use hypnosis to shift his focus to a calm state. Thereafter, he no longer developed shortness of breath because he knew he could control it, if it occurred.

Understanding

Much of our inner knowledge and wisdom is not readily accessible when we are focused on the here and now. Through use of hypnosis we can calm ourselves sufficiently to hear the thoughts that are part of our subconscious.

I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that many people can gain access to inner wisdom through the use of hypnosis. This wisdom can help shape and guide their lives. When people become aware of such wisdom within themselves they gain confidence and develop enhanced self-esteem.

Copyright Ran D. Anbar