Is the Past...Past?

"Insight is the booby prize of life" -David Levy, psychologist and author

A question that comes up occasionally with prospective clients in my hypnosis counseling practice is whether we have to extensively explore their past in order for the them to achieve their goals. Is it necessary to drift back in time and "set things straight" ?

This belief comes from the field of "psychodynamic therapy."  Figures such as Sigmund Freud insisted that present problems of thought and behavior had their origin in childhood experiences, the memories of which were often repressed from conscious awareness. The process then would be to reconnect to those memories, create an awareness of how the negative patterns came to be and that once you have this knowledge in your conscious awareness, you can resolve them. In this model Insight=Healing.

However, there is little evidence that this is an effective approach and actually it has the potential for harm. One danger is the phenomena known as "false memories," where a suggestible individual begins to "remember" events that didn't happen, especially if the therapist asks leading questions. Quite a few individuals had their lives ruined by accusations made because of false memories of abuse that never took place except in the accuser's imagination.

Another pitfall to consider is that what is called "repression" may actually be a healthy coping strategy-that there can be some very good reasons to push negative memories out of conscious awareness. Ponder this: if remembering trauma was curative, post-traumatic stress (PTS) would simply heal itself quite rapidly since the person is repeatedly experiencing the upsetting event as if were happening now. PTS is really a problem of remembering too well.

So as a rule a very small percentage of my interactions with clients involve exploring the past. One exception is having them retrieve some good, empowering memories so we have some positive anchors to work with-and you would be surprised how many people seem to have repressed those!

But what if you are carrying around a lot of negative memories and imprints-what can be done?

Current thinking suggests that while you cannot alter the past, practices such as mindfulness and self-hypnosis can help you learn to live more fully in the present moment. Thanks to what is called neuroplasticity, with some persistence you can rewire patterns and associations in the brain that may be keeping you tethered to a negative past. The past does not have to determine your future!

If you have any questions, I'm here to help. Feel free to connect by calling (732) 714-7040.

Tinnitus Tragedy Considered

I came across a rather sad news story online today regarding a boat skipper from Northern Wales who committed suicide 6 days after being told his tinnitus was incurable and was offered no hope or apparent guidance on how to cope.

Described as a proud man with a strong personality, he had been struggling with tinnitus and hyper-sensitivity to sound for about 6 months.

A coroner's inquest was held and during the hearing one family member stated, "He was just told to get on with it. There was no bit of encouragement, no hope of improvement."

Although the coroner did not believe there was any malpractice involved, she did state, "...I feel very strongly that there should be a more robust and proactive approach when someone is given a prognosis in which there is no hope for cure or improvement."

Notice how the word hope is rather prominent here?

This incident may reflect a problem inherent with modern medicine where specialists deal with one specific area and tend to ignore anything that doesn't fall within their bailiwick.

Yet the whole person does need to be considered in all healing situations.  Personally I cannot think of anything more tragic than when the thoughtless and careless communication of a person in authority such as a doctor drives someone into a state of utter despair and panic.

Talk about negative hypnosis and the misuse of suggestion! Is it really any surprise this person acted as he did if he fully accepted the idea that he was a hopeless case? Makes sense in a sad sort of way.

The truth is that while it is not always possible to do something about the neurological signal that creates the unwanted sounds of tinnitus, there are plenty of strategies than can help a person learn to cope with that experience and to become less bothered by it-to regain your quality of life.

Another truth is that there is usually no magic bullet and that a number of strategies may need to be tried until you find an adequate level of relief or what is called "habituation" to the tinnitus, so this may take some time. Taking a holistic approach that includes mind/body healing methods such as self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation can make this process more comfortable for you.

Probably the most important idea you can take away from this tragedy is this: never, ever, under any circumstances, let anyone take your hope from you!

And if you have thoughts about harming yourself, you have to call the appropriate emergency services in your community without hesitation-no debate on this point.

Please feel free to connect if you have any questions, I'm here to help!

Source article: http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/155661/deganwy-boat-skipper-leapt-to-his-death-after-being-told-there-was-no-cure-for-his-tinnitus.aspx