When my hypnotherapy clients come to see me, I talk A LOT about how the brain works. As solution focused hypnotherapy is firmly based on the latest neuroscience this is highly relevant. Neuroplasticity means that we can change the wiring in our brain by thinking and doing things differently, which in turn helps us change how we react to things in our lives and how we feel. I also explain that there is part of our brain which is responsible for coming up with solutions to problems, be logical, creative and wise. It constitutes almost 40% of our brain mass and is known as the conscious brain or our frontal cortex. This area of the brain has a unique capacity, a magic trick you might say, that we do not share with any other other mammals, it’s uniquely human.
We can imagine and rehearse stuff before it has happened!
This is also known as mental rehearsal. Why is this anything to write home about? Well, what it means is that we are able to imagine, rehearse and fine tune an approach before we go ahead and say/do something. But more importantly, it also means that we are able to imagine, to project, what we would like our life/relationships/health/home life/jobs/bodies (you fill in the blank) to be like before we have achieved it.
And why is that useful?
It means that we can work out what in particular we want our life to be, who we want to be with, what our perfect job would look like or what perfect health would feel like. The beauty of mental rehearsal is that when you imagine or visualise something you’d like to achieve, you automatically tap into what it would feel like to have it. Let’s say you are struggling with relationships. Now imagine what it would feel like to be loved like nobody’s business. Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? It might fill you with joy and anticipation and hope. Knowing what you want gives you a blueprint of where you are heading, what good looks like to you and this is very important information as it can inform your next little step to get closer to that vision. The more detail you have the better. It gives you a rudder, a focus, on what you want instead of what it is that you don’t want.
The more time you spend thinking about what makes you happy, the less time you spend in that other part of your brain, the primitive mind aka the fight/flight part where we are negative, reactive, stuck and lacking in self-esteem. So go ahead, believe it before you see it and make it as vivid and uplifting that you can make it. Then re-visit daily, each time feeling that you believe it a little bit more. You’re the creator of your life.
Have a lovely day.
Much love,
Birgitta
