Not a magic wand
In solution-focused hypnotherapy, we use the metaphor of a magic wand to envision a desired future. This helps engage the client’s imagination and kickstart the process of change.
However, it’s common for clients to mistakenly believe that hypnotherapy acts as a magical fix-all, that they can simply be hypnotized to stop smoking or overcome their fear of spiders. While hypnotherapy plays a role, the actual change comes from within the client. It’s a straightforward process but not always easy, as it requires effort and energy. Our primitive brain tends to resist change, preferring the familiar to keep us safe.
Reclaiming intellectual control and initiating changes, such as breaking bad habits, is crucial to reaping the benefits. This is the challenging part—dealing with our primitive brain’s resistance is like handling a nonsensical but exhausting toddler’s tantrum.
Only by starting and making changes can we retrain our primitive brain. If we engage in activities that make us feel good and break old patterns, our primitive brain begins to embrace the new way. Consistency is key to breaking habits and embracing change gradually, rather than attempting to fix everything at once. We must start small and build upon our progress one step at a time.
As we start to make these changes we begin to uncover that control is a constant, once we gain control of one area of our life we begin to gain the same control in other areas and so the pattern continues.