Who's Hypnotizing Who?
The utilization of language in transforming your life
As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist I know very well how the language we use affects our body and mind. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and the benefits are powerful. We can accomplish so much when we quiet our minds and tap into our inner creative resources. During that process we quiet that inner chatter and establish a focused state used to solve problems and overcome barriers. But what about when people become entranced in a form of "group think", which like hypnosis requires a focused state of mind based on repetitive ideas.
The way we use language and the labels that are contrived to unite or divide us are powerful forums to influence people's thoughts and actions. Even more than that it affects the lives of those around us more than anyone could appreciate at first blush. To illustrate this point, consider the task of getting someone to do something they really can not bring themselves to do. Sometimes when we have to do things that we don't want to do, the way we utilized our language and apply labels helps us to justify those acts. Sometimes we are called upon to do things we can't bare to admit to doing. Other times the labels we use for ourselves and others are actually used to unite or divide us in times of extraordinary circumstances.
One example of the use of language was utilized in order to divide us was during the Vietnam War when the enemy was referred to as Victor Charlie or the Viet Cong. The label VC was used by the military during the war and was derived from the phonetic alphabet short for Victor Charlie. There is a reason for labeling one's enemy in such a way. Consider for a minute that when one man faces off to kill another it may be difficult to pull the trigger in the beginning. When one considers that the person who comes face to face with his enemy is a person just like himself and has a spouse, children and a will to survive, it may be difficult to commit to the termination of another. After all, this is a person who, under any other circumstance, could likely be a friend or colleague. While that may be the case, when we change the way the enemy is labeled the circumstance changes considerably. For example, if the enemy is now Charlie Cong, the groundwork is laid for a dissociative means of liquidating one's enemy. If one believes, Charlie Cong is NOT like me in fact, he is not a person at all, rather he is the face of the enemy, then it isn't so hard to pull the trigger anymore. In this way, using labels actually unites the people who need to be closely united to accomplish an extraordinary task, such as fight a war.
Another example of how we use language as a means to disassociate or to distance ourselves from others is when we use pejorative slang to identify different religious groups and ethnic minorities. Anytime we use labels to highlight the difference between us, rather than notice similarities, we radiate discord. We see how this creates division in society and creates road blocks to a peaceful existence with others and with ourselves. The point is, the way we use language is critical to the way we interpret and negotiate our reality. In the cases above, it is a kind of social or group hypnosis.
Advertisers know how to convince us that we need a product or service and we are hypnotized into acting upon the suggestions to buy what we do not need. If we are such rational beings, certainly we know whether we need a new car, perfume, or new pair of shoes, etc., and yet we buy them, even if we know we do not need them.
We hypnotize ourselves daily as well. Everyday the words we use in processing the thoughts we think, and the repetitive statements we vocalize, shape our world. We are, in part, a sum product of the language of our thoughts. If our thoughts are positive and constructive, that becomes our reality. If we think we are young when we are 60 years old, our body tends to follow that suggestion. If we think life is too hard and nothing will change, that tends to show up too.
Like peeling an onion layer by layer, we come to understand that there are beliefs and limiting ideas represented in the language we use against ourselves, that keeps us stuck. The language we use impacts us deeply, even without a conscious awareness of their damaging effects in our daily life. Our personal pejorative labels sound like, I am stupid, I am unlovable, I am not important, I am ugly or I am not good enough etc., and these personal lies are the software running our subconscious program. On a conscious level, we are not aware of the language creating the emotions or illness in our body, but we do become aware that something must change in order to feel better. We begin to notice what we do not want showing up anymore in our lives.
People are very familiar with what they do not want, can not do, or may not feel, but give little consideration for determining what they can do or do want. This is more than positive conditioning, the statements and suggestions we and others use to hypnotize ourselves, become anchored in our emotions and in our physical bodies. To stop the war we wage against ourselves and others, we need to use language that brings peace to our collective minds.
Suggestion in and of itself is not good or bad. It can be utilize in negative or positive ways. Become aware of the suggestions you accept daily. Most of the time, in order to create a healthier appearance and balance in our lives, we need to clear the limiting beliefs that keep us stuck on the proverbial battlefield of the mind. In engaging in hypnotherapy, people free themselves of verbal and emotional debris that no longer serves them.
Sometimes, there are underlying issues that need to be cleared in hypnoanalysis, which is considered a deeper level of clearing. However, many times, just by changing the way in which we speak to and think about ourselves, we clear a way for progress to be made. Consider the following example. Sally wanted to lose excess weight. When asked, "What do you want?" Sally responded, I want to lose weight so badly. At first glance, it seems like Sally is highly motivated to lose weight, but look closer, how does she want to lose weight? She wants to lose it, BADLY, and she does.
Sally's subconscious mind hears these words and takes that order to deliver it as she wishes. When Sally discovers and verbalizes that she wants to engage in a healthy & active lifestyle she will lose the weight. The focus is on what she DOES want, not on what she does not. The intent and focus becomes paramount in making the changes and getting the results that are wanted. Like Sally, you will want to do some internal searching to really define what it is that you want as well and then focus on those positive outcomes. As you shift your focus, your use of language will naturally shift as well. Like priming the pump, the results you seek will begin to show up in your life as a result of this process.
Just as our intentions shape our mental focus, our bodies replace millions of cells daily and we are constantly physically renewing our body whether or not we are aware of it. By utilizing the appropriate language and clearing debris within our subconscious mind, we renew at our core level of awareness into the person we desire to be. So who is hypnotizing who in your daily life? Decide today what suggestions you will act upon using the power of hypnosis in transforming your life.