Since it is October and, in the US, all the ghosts and goblins will be coming out at the end of the month during Halloween, we're going to talk about scary things. Phobias are actually designed to protect us. If, for example, you have an unfortunate experience in the ocean, your mind may cause you to be afraid of the ocean. The chances of you having the same negative experience in the water twice are small, but your mind doesn't want to take chances. The subconscious mind is programmed to avoid pain, and any large body of water resembling the ocean will be classified as pain after your bad experience.

Let's say you have a relationship in which your significant other cheats on you. Perhaps he/she would announce that they were "going to meet a friend for drinks" and you later discovered that it was during those times that the infidelity occurred. The subconscious mind acts like a computer and simply links these two things (i.e. Going to meet a friend for drinks=Cheating). You may not even be consciously aware of this linking process, yet the next time you find yourself in a relationship and your partner announces that he/she is "Going to meet a friend for drinks," guess what happens. Your subconscious mind automatically alerts you that there is trouble. There may not be any trouble at all, but one of the jobs of the subconscious mind is to keep us away from pain so that we can emotionally and physically survive. That announcement about the drinks will be just as powerful to you as the sight of the ocean would be to someone who had experienced something negative in the ocean.

Thank goodness our minds have this capability…to help us steer clear of danger, so we don't get hurt twice. BUT, many times the programming becomes a problem. It can slow us down and fail to reflect our current situation. The ocean doesn't always mean trouble. And the announcement about going out for drinks doesn't always mean cheating. But until we change the programming, we will avoid people and situations which our subconscious minds have labeled as scary.

This is where hypnosis will help. I have seen many cases of people afraid of things which they do not want to be afraid of. I have been successful in eliminating those fears. The technique is simple and straightforward. A positive association to the scary situation is created in the subconscious mind. This overrides the debilitating programming, leaving the person in a powerful, fearless position. Below, I have chosen CDs which address specific fears and eliminate them.

Have a fun Halloween and we'll talk next month.

Steve G. Jones
Clinical Hypnotherapist