Ana Isabel - Life Astrologer
Hypnotherapy- Lifehypnosis
Trees have long been a symbol of life. I have called myself Lifeastrologer because my aim is to help others transform their lives by learning about Astrology. Now I have a new tool to use in my aim to help others. In my work as an Astrologer, I can quickly identify the root of problems troubling my clients. For most awareness is enough to start to make changes to improve their lives. For some, something else is then needed to help them transform their lives. This is where Hypnotherapy comes in.
As a Hypnotherapist, my aim is to teach others to develop the skills and resilience they need to help them deal with life's challenges. This is a life transforming experience. Whether you need help to sleep better, stop smoking, lose weight, become more resilient or become more confident, Hypnosis can help. In fact whatever is troubling you, hypnosis can help you regain control of your life.
On this page, I will be writing about Hypnosis, and my experiences as a Hypnotherapist to help others gain an understaning of this magical and powerful tool to change lives.
Hypnosis- Testimonials
Hypnosis- Bridge to the Subconscious Mind
Working With The Imagination
Some people believe that they can't be put into a trance. This is because they are under the impression that a trance means that they are unaware of what is happening. Actually what is needed is imagination. This is the tool that enables us to communicated with our subconscious mind. Think of your dreams. When you are asleep, your conscious mind is taking a break. This means that your subconscious mind is free to communicate, using the imagination, letting you know what it really feels about experiences that you are having. If you ignore your feelings when you're awake, your subconscious mind will shout at you when you are sleeping. These are your recurring dreams, your nightmares, or simply surreal dreams.
Dream language is symbolic language and it draws on imagination and memory to convey meaning. In Hypnosis, you are not asleep and you will not be dreaming. However, this extreme state of relaxation invites your conscious mind to step aside so that you can freely communicate with your subconscious mind. You can now use the language it understands drawing on your imagination.
Everyone has imagination. Without it you couldn't plan your route home, or plan your day. Imagination does not mean that you are making things up. In fact, it relies on your memory and memory of experiences to imagine possible events and outcomes. We all do this, all the time.
Very often when people say they don't have an imagination. They mean that they find it difficult or impossible to visualise. This is not uncommon and it is no impediment to hypnosis. One of the first things that I do when working with a client, is determine how visual they are and what they are most likely to respond to. If you can't visualise, you can remember and drawing on positive memories to evoke good feelings is a good alternative. This means that everyone can be hypnotised and everyone can benefit from hypnosis.
Improving The Imagination
Some people are better at imagining positive outcomes than others. Some see the glass half full while for others, it's half empty. If you believe that you are good with people and are invited to a party, you will be confident and you are more likely to meet new people. You will have a great time and your belief that you are good with people will be reinforced.
If on the other hand, you hold the belief that you are likely to be rejected or disliked, your body language will let others know that you are reluctant to speak to them. You will meet less people and your belief that you are not good with people will be reinforced.
It sounds simple, so why is it that negative beliefs are so persistent. These are usually developed early on in our childhoods. This is a time when we are very impressionable, and believe whatever we are told. Negative messages from adults around us, are hardwired into our subconscious minds. Experiences are often misinterpreted by children, adding to the negative and confused messages embedded in the subconscious. We then act according to a set of beliefs which may or may not be correct and are likely to be inappropriate as adults.
A fresh perspective is needed, but as we're dealing with the subconscious mind, we need to communicate directly with it. For profound change in patterns of thinking, hypnosis is the key as it connects the conscious to the subconscious.
Visualisation
Today I saw two clients both who were very used to meditating and were very visual. This makes it easier for me to work with them, but the ability to visualise is not a prerequisite for success. The depth of a trance does not rely on an individual's ability to visualise. Indeed, a deep trance is also not necessary to attain positive results.
Nevertheless, if you would like to develop your ability to visualise, there are little exercises that you can do to help yourself. Drawing on your memory is one very simple tool that you can use. If you'd like to visualise the seaside, perhaps you can start by remembering the last time that you were by the sea. If you still find this difficult, you can look at some pictures and then practice recalling what was in them with your mind's eye. What you are doing is, drawing on memory and experience in order to draw a picture. This is what we all do, it's just that some of us find it easier than others. Using this little exercise can help you. At first you might just be able to see a little. The picture might be fuzzy, but in time, you will find it easier and pictures will become more clear. Just keep practicing- because you know what they say- practice makes perfect.
Lack of Motivation
Many of us go through phases where we feel distinctly unmotivated. We go through the motions of daily life because we have to, but feel lacking in direction. We procrastinate endlessly, hoping that we can avoid making a decision. Sometimes this is a sign of mild depression, others it's one of many signs of a deeper depression.
It can be caused by a lack of self confidence that makes decisions difficult, if not impossible. Other times, it is due to unresolved grief which is suppressing a desire to live. It works a bit like a cold, our sense of smell is impaired so we lose our appetite. Grief suppresses our appetite for living, we become unmotivated.
Just like our appetite returns when a cold disappears, so too can our appetite for life be restimulated. Hypnosis can help us reconnect with our true selves and our life's purpose. It can act like a map helping us to find our way once again.
Performance Anxiety
Many people have a fear of speaking in public. In extreme cases, people can't do it at all or become ill at the prospect. Some experience panic attacks.
This kind of anxiety may not be limited to giving lectures or speeches. It can simply be that an individual finds it impossible to give their views in a meeting. They feel as though all eyes are on them and the attention is unwelcome.
Fear of failure may be one of the problems. It may also be due to a fear of being exposed or a fear of having vulnerabilities exposed. A person may also feel that they are less competent than others think an that in that moment of public exposure everyone will find out the truth.
In this context fear is an exaggeration of something imagined, but as a feeling it is an absolute fact for those who hold it. It is likely to have its roots deep in the past when a child was made to feel inferior or criticised for an imperfection. The good news is that with Hypnosis, a chat with the subconscious mind could change everything. This is a common reason for seeking hypnotherapy and the results as always could be life transforming.
Eliminating this fear from your life leads to greater confidence. Increased confidence means that you're more likely to go for jobs that you would previously avoided. The world opens up and the sky's the limit.
Insomnia
It appears that a large chunk of the population has trouble sleeping. For some getting to sleep is the problem. A bed time routine in which there is a winding down of the day helps. Having a bath before bed time, a warm milky drink, soft lights, gentle music are all ways of stimulating the hormones that induce sleep. Yet, this may not be enough.
Then there are those who have no trouble falling asleep but wake up repeatedly in the night or wake up and can't go back to sleep. Some sleep so lightly that they get very little rest and find that the slightest external sound disturbs them.
Sleep deprivation can cause irritability and accidents. It stops us from being at our best and causes our minds to be sluggish and forgetful. Sleep is a vital part of our daily cycle as it allows the body to heal and restores vitality.
There are many reasons for insomnia. The most common, appears to be stress. Worry prevents us from relaxing enough to be able to a state of deep sleeping.
So many people struggle with this problem, taking sleeping tablets which can be highly addictive. Yet Hypnotherapy can be a very effective tool. It teaches the mind to relax, which allows for sleep to occurr. A natural solution to a very debilitating problem.
Dreams
We dream every night as part of our sleep cycle. Most of the time we can't remember our dreams. Some of us are more likely to remember them than others.
Dreams are messages from the subconscious mind. They tell us the reality of what we're feeling in symbolic and vivid language. At times these can be very disturbing. Many people wake exhausted and depressed because of their dreams. Sometimes they even go through periods when dreams continually disturb their sleep.
I've been working with a number of people to change their dream patterns in hypnosis. Changing the purpose of dreaming to help people connect with positive feelings and creativity is helping many people sleep better and wake refreshed in the morning. Very Exciting!
Anxiety
Many people suffer from anxiety. Sometimes it's due to a specific event that is coming up. It could be a job interview an annual appraisal, a court appearance, anything really.
Through hypnosis, relaxation techniques can be learned and the cause of the anxiety could be addressed.
Fear of Making Mistakes
Many of us grew up with parents who had high expecations or who were harsh when mistakes were made. Sometimes it was teachers who made us feel unsafe. Whatever the reasons, fear of making mistakes is very common.
It manifests in different ways. For some it can become quite debilitating as decision making becomes virtually impossible. As a teacher, I'm always reminding my students that mistakes are part of the learning process. They offer opportunities for learning and growth. In life, they serve the same purpose. Lessons can be hard and painful, but mistakes are part of life. Gentle forvigeness of our mistakes and acceptance are vital if we are to move forward. Through Hypnosis, re-writing of the internal script that is critical and harsh, can help achieve the calm needed to make confident decisions.
Apathy
Traumatic childhoods can leave deep scars. A child who is not valued and abused learns that they are worthless and not good at very much. The world is a hostile place. Anger and resentment can build and a feeling of apathy towards life develops.
This is a tragedy. People who experience this, continue to live as adults looking at the world as hostile and often seething with anger. Unhealed past traumas cast shadows over the present and the future. The individual feels that life is something to be tolerated rather than embraced and enjoyed. They go through the motions of life. Some turn to drinking or drugs, others find others ways of dulling the pain.
Choosing to live can be an act of great courage and take a great deal of determination. Hypnosis is a wonderful tool. Using the imagination and communicating with the subconscious mind, provides the opportunity to help establish new ways of thinking and provide hope where apathy once reigned.
Transformation Therapy
There is a great appetite for and curiosity about regression. Asked by one of my students recently about doing past life regressions, I answered that it should be done with a purpose in mind. I added regressions shouldn't be treated like tour buses. Some memories, whether of previous lives or of this one, are filled with pain. We should respect that as stirring up the past can bring up many challenges.
Stirring up the past should, therefore, be done for powerful reasons such as the need to heal. Where pain is casting powerful shadows over the present and blocking a healthy and fulfilling future from emerging, regression is a powerful tool in the Hypnotherapists arsenal. With a skilled therapist, true healing can occurr. The skill is not so much as in regressing the individual. It is in helping them come to terms with what happened, deal with the overwhelming emotions involved and then helping them to gain a new perspective.
I love the name- Transformation Therapy. It totally expresses what's involved. As an Astrologer, I see the hand of Pluto. We go into the deep world of the subconscious do battle with our demons and re-emerge renewed, having shed some old skin. Powerful and miraculous.
The Christmas Carol and Transformation Therapy
On Christmas Eve, I sat down to watch a wonderful rendition of Charles Dickens', Christmas Carol. Ebenzer Scrooge is reminded that he is living a rather miserable life. Not only is he making others unhappy but he is also depriving himself of human warmth and love. He has a fixed belief that in life others can not and should not be trusted, love is a fanciful waste of time and money is the only thing that matters as it offers power and security. He is prepared to sacrifice every human need for warmth in order to feel safe. His belief is challenged when he meets the Ghost of Christmas Past- this is the equivalent of hypnotic regression in which he is reminded of how his belief has developed, how it has shaped him and what he has lost because of it. The Ghost of Christmas Present, opens his eyes to the consequences of his actions in his present life. And finally the Ghost of Christmas Future leaves him in no doubt as to where he is heading if he fails to embrace change. This is the equivalent of confronting fears and the reality of the consequences of present patterns of behaviour. Tough love is what was delivered by the three ghosts and it worked. Ebenezer was a changed man. He had a transformative experience which helped him to regenerate. Charles Dickens has helped me to explain the process of Transformation Therapy rather beautifully.
As the New Year approaches, there is only one resolution that matters. The decision to be honest with yourself about what is stopping you from being the best you can be, and then doing something about it. Let 2012 be the year in which you set yourself free from past pain. Then it can truly be a Happy New Year!
Freedom From ...
It is possible to live in a free part of the world full of choice and opportunity and be a prisoner. Looking at the world through a window and watching others live life to the full, while feeling excluded. Believing that success, love and happiness are for others. Many people live this way. To a certain extent we all hold negative beliefs which can limit us and imprison us. These were developed before we were old enough to reason and they serve as survival strategies. The question is, do you want to carry on with a damage limitation excercise that keeps you from living fully or would you rather embrace new positive beliefs which free you from self imposed limitations? Make a choice and if need be seek help in the form of Transformation Therapy. New Year, New Start!
Detachment- The Mirror of Erised- Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone
Children's stories often hold great truths. We teach these to our children and them forget to apply them to ourselves, dismissing them as myth or fantasy. Yet, we are not in the habit of lying to our children. One such example is in Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. In the story, Harry, an orphan, finds a mirror in which he can see himself with his parents. He spends a great deal of time over his Christmas holidays looking into this magical mirror. Professor Dumbledore finds out what he is doing and tells him the mirror will be removed from its present location and hidden. He asks Harry not to go looking for it.
This mirror enables people to see their greatest desire. Professor Dumbledore explains that many a wizard has gone mad looking into that mirror. It shows us what we want but what we cannot have. J.K. Rowling is touching on a great truth. Attachment to what is impossible and what we cannot have is painful and can lead to destructive behaviour. In fact it can lead to a form of madness. Harry longs for the family that he never had. What would you see in the Mirror of Erised? Whatever it is, you need to let it go. Detachment from impossible desires, liberates us, freeing up energy to focus on what is possible in our lives. It also allows us to appreciate what we do have. This brings inner peace and joy.
Regret- Wasted Energy
Regret is an insidious and destructive emotional exercise. Looking back, reviewing what we should or shouldn't have done, driving ourselves to great, levels of stress. When looking back and wishing things had been different, very often what we're doing is saying we're unhappy with what we have now. We tell ourselves that 'only if things had been different...' all would now be well. This is an excuse for avoiding confronting the reality of present issues. Confronting the present is the only way to move forward as it is a recognition that change is possible. Rather than wasting energy on the past, we are then refocusing on making a better future. The only regret we should have, is robbing ourselves of the chance for growth and a better future.
Familiar Patterns
At first glance, this term suggests something comfortable, like an old pair of slippers but even old slippers need to be changed at some point. They may acquire holes, and cease to be warm. They are no longer fit for purpose. The same goes for negative behaviour patterns. These often develop when we are too young to be rational and in response to painful events. We then adopt them as survival strategies. The problem is that they become hardwired in our subconscious and we find ourselves acting in ways that are actually irrational and counter to our best interests. The old patterns are familiar but have become inappropriate.
The wonderful thing about Hypnotherapy and in particular with Transformation Therapy, is that we can re-educate the subconscious mind. This process of understaning, integration of disperate and conflicted parts of ourselves leads to new perspectives allowing for profound change. Familiar, but inappropriate patterns are exchanged for new, positive and life affirming behaviour.
How Do I Know I Am Hypnotised?
This is a common question. Primarily it's asked because people think that hypnosis is about being asleep and they expect to be unaware of what's happenning to them. This is a myth as the state of Hypnosis is one of heightened awareness akin to that of meditation. You may experience a trance when you're watching a film or when you're driving or walking to work. At this point you are in a trance, a state of hypnosis.
You know that you are hypnotised because your subconscious has taken over the automatic function or movement of your body. In other words, you can't remember how you arrived at work because you tranced out whilst you subconscious took over your body. Working with clients, in regression, they often report that they regressed back to a time that they had forgotten or that they had no intention of revisiting. This is an involuntary process, in the sense that the subconscious knew exactly which memories to revisit in order to resolve a present dilemma. It's involuntary because it is different from what the conscious mind expected. This can only happen in Hypnosis and is a magical process to witness and experience.
Guilt- Parents
Many people who come to see me talk about guilt. Some feel guilty for not having achieved their goals. Others feel guilty about letting others down. The most powerful feelings of guilt seem to be associated with feeling responsible for either parents or children. Parents who see their children as underachieving or struggling through life, or who seem to be living disfunctional lives often feel responsible. After all, we know that much of our programming and many of our attitudes stem from what we witness with our parents, what they teach us and how they relate to us. So to a large extent parents are responsible for many of our "issues".
This does not mean that responsibility lies solely with the parents. Relationships are complex. Children evoke feelings in parents and although ultimately the adult is always responsible because they are the ones in control, children do grow up. As adults, they need to take responsibility for their issues. Only then can they become healthy adults and make positive contributions to society.
As for parents... everyone is fallible. If you fear that your child is lost, you may be angry with them and with yourself. You may have bent over backwards to support them and find that instead of helping them, you have increased dependency and that they are still behaving like raging toddlers. Beware, guilt makes it very easy for you to be manipulated and stops you from pushing them to stand on their own two feet to become independent adults. What is needed is forgiveness. You need to see that whatever mistakes you made, if you did your best and are still doing your best, that is all you can do. It's time to make peace with yourself, make some difficult decisions and help your adult child be independent.
If this is difficult, it's not surprising. Biologically we are hard-wired to support our children and protect them at all costs. Added to this is the history of fraught relationships, and all the buttons that they have been pushing since they were born. Self-awareness, a deep understanding of your feelings and dealing with these at a deep subconscious level, will help you to achieve freedom from guilt and inner peace. You'll then be in a stronger position to deal with that difficult child in a more objective and positive way. The love you feel but which is hampered by anger, will be easier to express.
Guilt- Children
It is a myth that all parents love their children. We only need to consider the number of children who are abused to know that not all children are loved by their parents. Yet, to say this is almost taboo in society. We want to believe that parents always have their childrens' best interests at heart. Originally fairy tales like Cinderella often had the mother as the one disliking the child, but the brothers Grimm thought the original tales were too harsh and changed them to have wicked step-mothers.
The truth is that most parents love their children and do their best to muddle through what is a very complex relationship. However, there are some who abuse their children physically. For these, we have laws which are designed to protect children and put them in care. What is more complicated is psycholigical abuse. Those who work with children, are often struck by the degree of loyalty displayed by children towards their abusive parents. I think that this is because we are biologically programmed to remain attached to our parents as our survival depends on them.
This then poses a major difficulty. How do we separate from our parents? Separation is a normal part of growing up. It is part of a process of individuation, in other words being our own person and independent. This is a natural process and in good relationships, a deep bond continues as parents provide confort and guidance especially in times of crisis. Equally adult children often act as conduits for change in parents lives, introducing them to new ideas and helping them to stay young.
Sadly this process can be stunted in abusive relationships. Adults who suffered psychological abuse and manipulation from their parents find it almost impossible to undergo the process of individuation. They continue to be dominated by their parents and feel guilty when they try to assert themselves. Even when they leave home, they have never really left home. They find it difficult to conduct relationships as the parental influence continually interferes and causes problems for their relationships. Some remain single. Guilt for separating and asserting themselves can be all consuming. A belief in their unworthiness is hardwired by progamming from a lifetime of manipulation, rejection and abuse.
As a society, we need to stop pretending that families are panaceas and that all parents are sacred. This would go some way to helping those who are struggling to be free from a lifetime of abuse where love is absent. Instead, we need to help those in need of help, to find it, so that they can be free to love themselves and others.
Positive Learning
As children our experiences of school leave us feeling either positive or negative. If learning came easily, we grow in confidence and believe that we are intelligent and capable. If our experiences are negative, we develop the believe that we need to prove ourselves and that we are in some way inferior to others.
This negative, false belief then stops us from developing to our full potential. We avoid learning situations like further training for work or doing courses to expand our minds. In some cases, reading is avoided altogether.
False beliefs hold us back, but they can be corrected. As a client said to me today, it's hard to see how memories from so many years ago can still influence our thoughts and feelings.
Often when regressing clients, they go back to memories of events they'd forgotten or that they didn't see as relevant. Yet it was all stored in the subconscious mind. Bringing it to the surface, offered the opportunity to deal with unresolved feelings and re-educate the subconscious to see things differently. A new perspective, frees the mind and opens doors to a more positive future.
Fear of Rejection
Human beings are by nature social. To a certain extent we need to be able to cooperate and be part of a group in order to survive. As babies and young children, we rely entirely on our parents for survival. Rejection holds the risk of death. Instinctively this is what we feel and consequently fear. We'd better behave because if we don't we'll be excluded which will then threaten our survival.
This is a powerful motivation which can mean that children behave for fear of rejection. Later in life, if this fear was manipulated and abused by parents, we continue to try to please. This may manifest in difficulties in being assertive, or in simply saying no when feeling that others are asking too much of us. In time anger and resentment builds against others but also against ourselves for allowing ourselves to become victims. This state of powerlessness can lead to depression and make us ill.
It is very important that we learn to forgive ourselves for acting out of such a powerful instinctive fear. But it is also important to then, to move on and learn to say no. This takes courage because it means going counter to programming that we received in our early lives. We all like to feel loved, but real love is unconditional.
Acceptance
We all have expectations of others. When these expectations aren't met, we feel disappointed. This is very serious when the person involved is a parent, child, partner or sibling. In other words, the more important the person, the bigger the disappointment. We then need to consider how realistic or fair our expectations were. The next step is to accept that for whatever reason, the other person is incapable of meeting our expectations regardless of how realistic or fair they might be. Very often disappointment leads to resentment and anger. Accepting the other person is incapable of meeting our needs, means that we can then begin to release them with a good heart. This means that we can then be free from anger and resentment. Healing the hurt is now truly under way.
Head or Heart
I was listening to Broadcasting House on Radio 4 this morning. A young man of Syrian background who had grown up and been educated here was talking about his plans to go to Syria. He spoke of an overwhelming desire to go and help his people. He said he didn't want to go and fight but to help in a medical way, although in the same minute he also said that if the man next to him, fell and dropped a gun, he'd pick it up and carry on fighting for him. Conflict number one- I say I don't want to fight, but maybe I do.
He then continued to talk about how he thought that perhaps he would be of greater help if he were to stay in the UK and raise money for food and medicine as well as working to influence politicians here so that they might push for UN intervention. However, although he said that this would be more effective, he still preferred to go to Syria and see what he could do there. The reporter interviewing him, summed it up beautifully- it's a head or heart decision.
This young man was expressing something of a universal dilemma- do I follow my head or my heart? This in a way is at the core of life and our psychological make up. Even when we choose to follow the head, the heart or the subconscious, conspires to give us what we fear or want. This conflict between logic and feelings needs to be resolved. The most effective way I've found is through Hypnotherapy. This way the subconscious mind, is accessed so that feelings can be resolved. Otherwise feelings always win and we find ourselves in situations that logically we would have avoided.
Anger
Anger gets a bad press in our society. It's understandable as when out of control, it can be very destructive. It can be linked with violence and hatred. But anger is also an important part of our defence mechanism.
This is where things get tricky. We are taught, to "turn the other cheek". We are told that we need to rise above our feelings and refrain from expressing anger as this would lower us to the level of our enemies. Some of us even believe that to reveal anger empowers the person who has made us angry.
To a certain extent this is true; but only to a certain extent. It is inadvisable to behave in the same negative way towards others as they have behaved towards us. This can escalate conflict and is about retaliation. Revealing that we are angry can also signal a certain amount of vulnerability and allow the 'ememy' to know that they have struck us.
However, there is another view. We become angry when we are hurt or when we feel threatened. If we repress that anger, denying that we feel it or pretending that it doesn't matter, we are ignoring fear and hurt. If we do this continuously, we are telling the world that we don't matter.
Working as an Astrologer, I often find people who deny that they are ever angry. Now as a Hypnotherapist, I find that even in a trance some people don't know that they have a right to be angry. Acknowledging this anger is the first step to understanding the deep hurt that has been felt and supressed. It is the start of deep healing and the beginning of acknowledging a need to be treated with respect. This then boils down to learning about self worth. A confident person uses anger to be assertive and not destructive. A confident person uses anger to make positive changes. Let this be you!
Emotions
Feelings are like liquid. They flow and are difficult to contain. Sometimes we build tanks around them and then put that tank within another. We can carry on doing this but eventually there will be a leak. This leak will dampen whatever we are trying to do and will eventually become a flood.
Consent
There is a common misconception that a hypnotist puts people under hypnosis. Meaning that this is somehow like a spell being cast and putting the individual into a trance. Actually the reality is that you need to consent to allowing your concious mind to relax enough to allow access to your subconscious mind.
This is important as you can think about your subconscious mind as being the holder of memory and feelings. In fact it's the right side of the brain, where we also find imagination. What you are doing when you allow yourself to go into a trance with the help of a hypnotist, is you are aiding him or her to access the right side of your brain. You are suspending your concious, logical mind (left brain) temporarily so that the right side of the brain can become more dominant and active. This provides the opportunity to re-educate the subconscious and clear up any misunderstandings that it acquired in childhood.
Before we are able to reason, we can read situations or interpret what we're told and reach the wrong conclusions. These are strategies designed to cope with life but as we grow up, they may be inappropriate. Accessing the right side of the brain, provides the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective. Although there are no spells, it is magical.
Repressing feelings is a coping mechanism but it's not the answer. It is better to deal with the cause of the feelings, process them, and honour them. A change of perspective and greater understanding helps to diffuse rather than repress feelings. Real healing begins and then the risk of floods genuinely disappears.
