Why Hypnosis Works (Part 1 of 3)

Theory of Mind/Why Imagery Works

This is the way I was taught the brain works – in a simplified way.

There is the primitive part of the brain – where we find the fight/flight instinct. Since, we no longer live in a world where we have to fight or flee, most of the time anyway. So instead fight has become anxiety and flight is now transformed into depression. We live in a world where it’s not socially acceptable to fight or run away so when our bodies are flooded with adrenaline with no way to dissipate it we become anxious; and when we want to run away from our problems but can’t, and don’t see a solution, we get depressed.

Now, between birth and about 8 years old a child is busy forming associations, good and bad, and they write, what I like to call, their life script. These associations go into the subconscious part of the brain where they form our patterns and habits. For example, when your mother told you not to touch the big white thing in the kitchen because it was hot, you either listened to her and learned that mom knows best, or you got too close or even touched it and got burned and learned that mom knows best. Either way, positive or negative, it became something you "knew" and your subconscious stored it away for future reference.

The subconscious makes no judgments, it accepts everything as true and everything from early life becomes a known. It doesn’t have a concept of time either, past, present and future, are all the same as far as the subconscious is concerned. It also cannot discern the difference between fact and fantasy. When you learned to crawl and walk and later on to drive you first had to focus on each step necessary to move forward, but after practice it became automatic, a habit, stored in your subconscious. You don’t have to think to stand up, balance yourself, pick one foot up, move it out in front of you then put it down; rebalance then repeat the process, alternating feet. All of our autonomic processes, like breathing and our heart beating, are controlled by your subconscious as well. All of this is stored in about 88-90% of your brain.

So. Important point #1. The Subconscious remembers everything and accepts everthing as true.