Explaining the conscious/unconscious of our minds

 Sometimes we feel that we do things that we shouldn't but we seem to be in conflict over them and it can be hard to understand why that is

For example I was speaking to a smoker who wished to become a non smoker, this morning and this is how I explained it to them...

The brain is, very simply divided into two separate parts – the left brain which deals with logical thought, is the part that is critical and deals with most of our daily decision making process – it is the conscious part of our mind.

The other part of our brain – the right brain – becomes more creative as we relax and is responsible for all our memories, feelings, emotions and creativity – it is the unconscious part of our mind.

There isn’t normally a lot of communication between the left and right halves of our brain - for example – your left brain knows all the good reasons why you shouldn’t smoke – but your right brain has the feeling that you want to smoke.

One of the rules of psychology is that, where the left and right brain are in conflict – the right brain nearly always wins. That’s why simply deciding to stop smoking may not be enough – it is like telling someone experiencing a panic attack – not to worry. Logical thought simply doesn’t  get through in our normal waking state – to the right – unconscious brain where our feelings are – does that make sense?

If I say to you – tomorrow you’re not going to smoke anymore – the little voice in your left brain will say to “So that’s what he thinks – the idiot!!” or words to that effect. Whereas if instead I lead you into a pleasant relaxed state of hypnosis and I turn the statement into a positive form – like – “As from now you’re a non-smoker and really enjoying being a non-smoker” – its really saying the same thing but is much more readily accepted by your whole brain.

By working with you on the positives we can really help all of you to see and understand that what you want is the best for you. Both parts of you really want to achieve the same thing and give you the best in your life that you can have.

That's why when I work with smokers we are looking at the the positives that come from being a non smoker, better health, fitness, more money and the like. It isn't giving up something....it's gaining lots! Of course, that's not just for smoking. Any habit or behavior can be seen in exactly the same way too.

You can read about hypnotherapy to quit smoking here: http://www.markpowlett.co.uk/quitsmoking.html