Personal Growth

Toolbox Tip: Reducing the Impact of Trauma

by marylee on May 2, 2013

Desensitization

Some people believe time heals all wounds. While time certainly reduces the intensity, there are certain experiences that are just too impactful. Experiences of trauma can have a cumulative effect, and even be carried with us as physical and emotional “baggage” from lifetime to lifetime.

Frequently manifesting as psychological pain and discomfort, and at other times as feelings of uneasiness and insecurity, these latent memories can have a tremendous impact on our effectiveness and success in modern life. In the most extreme cases, these feelings can lead to experiential avoidance, a psychological condition where people experience distressing feelings or images and then try to suppress their recurrence – an act that has been directly linked to anxiety and depression.

Relief through repetition

Desensitization is one of the numerous tools I use for dealing with these past traumas in a hypnotherapy session. It’s been helpful to countless clients bothered by emotions such as rage, anger, grief, fear, and other strong feelings. The secret to its success rate is its ability to smooth the intensity of an emotional trigger, thus restoring a better sense of balance in life while reducing the length of time it takes to heal from the trauma of past events.

At the same time, it has the added benefit of enabling us to overcome stressful situations or knee-jerk fears and phobias in our everyday lives by combating many of the psychological stumbling blocks that keep us from achieving our goals. Popular uses for this application include overcoming fear of public speaking, shyness and awkwardness in social situations.

How it works

Begin by recounting a stressful or frightening episode. Describe the event in detail, beginning from just before the event began, and ending when you’ve realized that you’re once again safe and comfortable after the event.

Now go back to the beginning, and start the story again. And again. And again. You can even change some of the details, or add humorous elements. Continue telling the story until you realize a diminished interest or an altered perception of the experience.

  • Coping Technique: If the association or memory is too stressful to even consider, try incorporating a repetitive physical action while recounting the event. Examples include tapping your foot, repeatedly touching the tip of each finger to your thumb, or tapping your wrist. Let this physical task distract the attention of your conscious mind. Alternatively, work through your worst traumas with a qualified hypnotherapist.

The goal is to create a sense of “boredom” in your recollection, gaining comfort and understanding with each retelling. Eventually, the story loses its intensity and stress is reduced because there is no longer a need to suppress the recurrence of this memory. The emotional charge has been dissipated, and you no longer rely on time to heal it.

 

To learn more about the practice of hypnotherapy and related techniques for collaboration with the subconscious mind, join me at my next Brown Bag Lecture series, May 15 at Bastyr University. Attendance is free but advance registration is requested. View my calendar–>

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A Key to Unlocking Your Best Future

by marylee on April 10, 2013

It’s Up to You

Success and happiness don’t happen by chance. They are the result of opportunity, choice, and action. And these critical steps are bound together by an innate human process that continuously informs them: the subconscious.

Your mind is similar to a hard drive, one with limitless capacity that records every moment of your waking life. Most of this data is filtered before it reaches your conscious mind – from the constant din of construction machinery and rush hour traffic to the countless bits of knowledge and information that pass in front of your eyes each day.

However, just because the information isn’t retained by our immediate awareness doesn’t mean that it’s lost. Far from it, in fact.

You are Limitless

The subconscious mind retains everything. And more significantly, it continuously interprets the information, pairing it with the daily problems we confront in an attempt to offer solutions. Unfortunately, many of us have lost the ability to be still and listen to the wisdom readily available within ourselves. We’ve become too weighed down by the pressures of the day and segmented by the many directions we’re constantly pulled in.  [click to continue…]

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Unlock secrets within to resolve blocks to your success

Have you ever said or done something that sabotaged the very goal you were aiming for – and you knew it even as it was happening? You gave away your power to a lover, or made the wrong remark to your boss. You want the perfect relationship, but end up with the wrong one every time. Have you felt frustrated that you can never quite get to where you are going, but don’t understand what is holding you back?

The answers to these questions are contained in your subconscious mind. They are locked away from the conscious mind, but not because it doesn’t want you to know. It’s because you haven’t taken the time or made the effort to unlock them yourself!

Maybe you think it would be too painful, or you just didn’t know you could have access to that information. But the truth is: you do have access! You just have to know how to do it. And the cool part is it really isn’t that hard as long as you’re willing to be honest with yourself. Ready to get started?

Common symptoms of subconscious struggle

Your subconscious mind gives you signals all the time. Here are some examples you may have experienced:

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Tool Box Tip: Moving Meditation

by marylee on March 31, 2013

The path to overall wellness involves a delicate balance between the physical, mental, and emotional elements of your being. Oftentimes that process begins by distracting your conscious stream of thought to access your subconscious – a state many induce successfully through meditation.

Long regarded as a core component of Tai Chi, complementary movements lead you to a state of mental and physical balance. With practice, you become aware of the processes involved in your body and mind, a practice that deepens mental thought and can even lead to spiritual insight. Best of all, it’s a technique that can be practiced almost anywhere – requiring no equipment – and results in zero negative impact on your body.

Moving meditation doesn’t mean you have to sequester yourself in a room somewhere. In fact, many people find that by aligning themselves with the elements of nature, they achieve a purer, more organic connection to their inner-selves. This belief has led to the practice of a “walking trance” or “moving meditation.”

Get started today by following these five basic steps: [click to continue…]

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You Are Already Successful

March 14, 2013

Keep in mind that you are already completely successful. The condition of your life, right now, is the sum total of all the decisions that you have made and the way that you have allowed the world (and its inhabitants) to impress you. The tough part about this is that you have to take responsibility [...]

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3 Ways to Improve Sleep By Creating a Sacred Space

March 7, 2013

Our lives are overwhelmed by a growing level of complexity. Surrounded by electronics, we often struggle with a regular sleep schedule or can’t sleep. But simply banning common bedroom activities like TV, eating, exercise, and electronic gadgets isn’t enough. Better sleep begins in the wisdom of our bodies and is directly linked to the sense [...]

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Build Character!

January 18, 2013

We go to the gym to improve our physical health, and shape and tone our body. We lift weights, creating minute tears, or trauma, in the muscle fibers. Weightlifters call this shredding. This encourages the body to build more muscle while it is repairing itself. In other words, we traumatize the body in order to [...]

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Appreciate Your Progress

January 6, 2013

Are you caught up in day-to-day busy-ness, and when you finish one task do you just move on to the next without really acknowledging the milestones of progress? It is likely the same is true in your own personal growth and development. When we were babies, each word or step was noted and celebrated, every [...]

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Three Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress

December 19, 2012

As the wheel of time turns, once again we find ourselves facing the biggest holiday season of the year. Since it happens every year, you would think we would have the routine down pretty well by now. Yet, for many of us, it sneaks up and takes us off guard just as surely as a [...]

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Changing Our Responses to our Experiences

September 29, 2012

How have you been doing with the practice of being aware of your reactions and responses? What have you learned about yourself? How many of your responses are bringing you results that are not supportive of your highest goals? When you are ready to move on to more useful responses, it can be a fairly [...]

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