Erika Flint, BA, BCH, A+CPHI
Cal Banyan, MA, BCH, CI, DNGH, OB, MCPHI
A few weeks ago I was home by myself. My family was in Alaska visiting relatives, and I remained at home to complete a large (and fun) work project.
There I was, sitting at the table and surrounded by all of my work elements prepared to get a significant amount of work done.
Free of distractions, I had planned on completing the video project that day.
But then I felt it.
That uncomfortable feeling.
I just didn't feel right.
I was uncomfortable in the chair.
"Maybe I need a blanket?", I thought. So I grabbed my favorite blanket. It was cold enough to snow after all.
A few minutes later I settled in with my blanket wrapped around me all set to go again.
As I started to type, the feeling came back!
I went and made some tea.
That wasn't it.
Then I did a few minutes of yoga (ok not really yoga per se, just random stretching on the floor touching my toes and things).
Nope, that wasn't it either.
At this point, I realized it clearly was nothing in my external environment, so I did what any good hypnotist would do - I turned my attention inward.
And in a few minutes of powerful self-hypnosis, I had realized what was bothering me, and resolved it.
I wasn't cold, or bored.
I was lonely.
I hadn't talked with my family in almost 24 hours.
I picked up the phone, had a nice video conversation with my family, and the feeling went away.
I felt loved and supported, and reaching out to my loved ones released the feeling.
I completed the video project without any further issue.
Why am I sharing all of this?
Because I could have ignored the uncomfortable feeling - and if I did that, I would have wrestled and procrastinated a few more hours and getting the proejct done would have been a struggle.
Feeling uncomfortable can be a good thing - when you know what to do. Unfortunately most people don't, and rather than feeling uncomfortable they turn to unwanted, distracting behaviors like drinking, smoking, and eating. Thankfully, skilled hypnotists will know how to help many of these people to eliminate the unwanted behavior.
And although using hypnosis to eliminate the unwanted behavior is a great strategy - there is an even better way.
Don't allow the uncomfortable feeling to cause distracting behaviors - by addressing the underlying message the uncomfortable feeling is attempting to communicate!
Feeling uncomfortable is really a message from our subconscious that we don't like something. Becoming aware of, and welcoming uncomfortable feelings really allows us reach a higher level of fulfillment and peace in our life as we can eliminate the underlying reasons for uncomfortable feelings more quickly.
Imagine for a moment, that you have a pebble in your shoe...what do you do? Do you continue walking around with a pebble in your shoe? Probably not - most people will stop and remove the pebble, not think much of it, and move on with their day.
The uncomfortable feeling is like the pebble in your shoe - in many cases, the uncomfortable feeling is an indicator of something to address - and once addressed properly, it will go away.
Addressing these uncomfortable feelings can take time to learn how to do it effectively - and thats one of the areas that a great hypnotist becomes skilled in! The motivating factors behind uncomfortable feelings and how to eliminate them.
The underlying message of this episode, is that uncomfortable feelings are message from the subconscious mind - and they're worth paying attention to. They are our body's wisdom attempting to reach through to our conscious mind. When we pay attention to uncomfortable feelings, we can eliminate issues - instead of covering them up with distracting techniques like unhealthy behaviors. Paying attention to, and even being grateful for our uncomfortable feelings allows us to meet the needs of our hearts and minds to an even greater degree than ever before. This leads to greater feelings of accomplishment, and fulfillment in life.
So the next time you feel uncomfortable, welcome it, then listen for its message. You'll be so glad you did.
Having this personal experience will help you become a better hypnotist because your clients will be experiencing uncomfortable feelings as well.
I hope to see you in the classroom soon - the world needs more great hypnotists!
With love,
Erika
Did you know we do hypnosis with heart at Cascade Hypnosis Center for Training & Services? It's not easy to help people with some of life's biggest issues, but if your heart is in the right place, then the training can help you to help people with really deep and hurtful things they're suffering from.