I'm Looking At The Man In The Mirror...

By Herve Boisde

Crazy times in the world these days. Whether it's politics in America or strife around the globe it can be stressful to follow the news day to day. ISIS and extremism dominate the headlines and extremist politics seem to be taking hold here at home in the US.  When everyone appears to be looking for real leadership instead we seem to be getting mobs riled up by angry and fearful pseudo-leaders. Sometimes it's difficult to be hopeful for the future.

People wiser than me have said that in times like this it's better and easier to start at home...meaning ourselves. If we want healing and positivity in the world then we need to first look in the mirror. Gandhi might have said it best but for whatever reason today I had Michael Jackson's song stuck in my head today. "If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make the.....change"

It's natural and easy to react to problems with fear. With change comes uncertainty and with uncertainty comes stress and anxiety. On a global scale this translates into lots of distrust and negative politics and perhaps violence. As human organisms our natural primitive instinct is to go into 'fight or flight' mode. But fight or flight evolved as a survival mechanism to be used in short bursts when man was confronted by an imminent threat such as a dangerous animal. Once our ancestors either confronted or fled the threat, they would literally shake off the stress (like your pet dog does after it gets startled) and then calm down immediately, ready to resume the day in peace.

Nowadays we have been socially conditioned to "keep it together" so we don't tremble or shake off the stress when we endure a traumatic or scary event. This animation describing that process is the basis for TRE or Trauma Releasing Exercises which are meant to release pent-up traumatic stress in the body

In essence, modern humans are not in touch with their natural healing instincts and responses. But those instincts to heal are still there. And if the world is to become more...human, then it's our job to nurture those instincts again. Meditation, hypnosis and other healing modalities help us to reconnect with our true basic nature. In terms of the mind, those instincts are held in the subconscious.

In our current Information Age we have placed so much value on the linear, logical, analytical thinking of the conscious mind, that we are neglecting our instincts and intuition. As a hypnotherapist, it's my job to help my clients get into alignment on a mental, physical and spiritual level. That means that the conscious mind and the subconscious mind need to be on the same page, working together towards the same goals. If someone is unhappy or unfulfilled in life, it's usually because there's a conflict or disconnect between their conscious and subconscious thoughts. Buried or suppressed emotions can also lead to stress and anxiety.

Let's heal ourselves and the world. And rehumanize. And with that, I'll leave you with this other 80's reference. Peace.

Healing By Using Forgiveness

By Herve Boisde

When people meditate or go into hypnosis their brainwave activity actually changes. These brainwaves can be measured with medical equipment such as an EEG. Studies have shown that when people go into hypnosis or practice meditation, their brain activity switches from the common waking patterns, or Beta, to the more relaxed frequencies associated with Alpha or Theta state. Alpha state is awake but relaxed and not processing much information. When you get up in the morning and just before sleep, you are naturally in this state. When you close your eyes your brain automatically starts producing more alpha waves. Theta is associated with light sleep or extreme relaxation. Theta is also a very receptive mental state that has proven useful for hypnotherapy, as well as self-hypnosis using recorded affirmations and suggestions.

Both of these brainwave patterns are naturally very healing for your mind and body, since they induce homeostasis and your mind sends out signals to the body that you are "safe". This safety encourages the body to heal itself, boost immunity, and regulate itself in way that wouldn't be a priority if someone is in the opposite mode, "fight or flight." This is why hypnosis and meditation is so effective at managing stress and the physical effects of stress. By learning self-hypnosis or meditation, a person can not only have a greater feeling of well-being, but also help themselves to heal, both mentally and physically.

However there's an additional tool that you can use to allow yourself to heal even more. That tool is forgiveness. Forgiveness has been shown to create spikes in Alpha wave activity in people's brains that sometimes exceeded those attained through other methods.

How To Truly Forgive & Liberate Yourself

(courtesy of Vishen Lakhiani)

Step 1: Set The Scene

Firstly, with your eyes closed and for about two minutes or so, bring back all the anger, frustration and pain you felt when someone in your life wronged you. Feel yourself in that very moment when it happened and picture the same environment you were in when you interacted with them.

Step 2: Feel The Anger And Pain

As you see the person who “wronged” you in front of you, get emotional. Relive the anger and pain. Feel it burn. But don’t do this for more than a few minutes.

Once you bring up these emotions that these people created in you, move on to the next step…

Step 3: Forgive Into Love

See that same person in front of you, but instead, feel compassion for them. Ask yourself what did I learn from this? How did this situation make my life better?

So think about what lessons you could derive from this situation as painful as it might be. How did these lessons make you better? Or help you grow?

Next, think about who this person is. What pain or anguish could they have have gone through in their life that made them do what they did.

Now there’s something important to distinguish here. “Forgive Into Love” does not mean to simply let go. You still need to protect yourself and take action if need be. Criminal acts, especially, need to be reported to authorities.

But what it does mean is that the pain of what happened no longer eats at you.