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Expansion of My World
Part of becoming the best version of ourselves is a very personal journey. Months ago, I had a conversation with an acquaintance about traveling and my utter loathing of it because I get so motion sick. This acquaintance also happened to work in science and research. So, when she mentioned that I should seek out hypnotherapy, it shocked me a little. I knew little or close to nothing about the topic, other than it seemed mysterious and a bit for the person who is easily swayed (I had this way wrong). I thought to myself at the time, I’ve always been motion sick for as long as I can remember. How could hypnotherapy possibly help ME?
As it turns out, there is some great science behind hypnotherapy and a rich history, but you really need to dig for it (and I have been doing a lot of this lately). I have worked in the field of medicine for a long time, and have never once heard hypnotherapy come up in conversation. I hope to help change this.
Months passed, and I continued to suffer in traveling. I was prescribed Scopolamine, which helped manage the motion sickness, but the side effects were as bad or worse than feeling motion sick. Phenergan made me dizzy and my heart pound. Help? I think not. Ginger didn’t work (although it helps me tremendously in other aspects of my life.) Dramamine helped slightly. As far as science has come, none of the medicines used for this purpose proved helpful in my sickness. How much proof is there that hypnotherapy works for motion sickness? None if you ask the prevailing community of medicine, but it seems plenty of evidence abounds if you ask around. But what is medicine to us if it ignores the subconscious mind? And I love nothing more than to experiment for myself. So here I go.
My Journey into Hypnosis
I went to a hypnotherapist with some degree of reserve and a lot of nervousness. Would it work for me? Would I say or do something stupid? Going in, there is an assertion (at least in my mind) that something might be wrong with me psychologically, which is a bit difficult to reconcile.
I searched Google for hypnotherapists in the area, and Clark Patton at Inner Wisdom came up as getting five-star reviews.
I made the call, not even sure if I would go in. But I did. Within minutes of meeting Clark, I knew I had made the right decision. He had a very relaxed and non-hurried demeanor, and he listened, really listened. We spent most of the time talking and exploring what it was like for me to feel motion sick. We explored what would my life be like if I didn’t get sick. When I eventually did close my eyes, Clark guided me to a relaxed state (trust me, it isn’t scary and it is just like taking a relaxed mental lunch, a healthy mental lunch, not junk food!),
I was able to find and make new visualizations in my brain. The best way I can describe this experience is the word good. In the truest sense of the meaning. Healing. Like a fast track to imprint new and good coping skills. I didn’t realize that my brain could so easily do this! And it was fun and very positive. He taught me ways to perform self-hypnosis. So, in one session, I had all the tools I needed. But what would happen when I get on the plane?
Elation Sets In
The plane ride with self-hypnosis: In one word: EXCELLENT. I have never in my whole life said that about any form of travel. The ride was super turbulent, and yet I felt fantastic getting off that plane. I was ready to shout if from the rooftop. And if you ask my friends and family, they would tell you that I did shout it with exuberance. What is interesting as well, is that I would find myself able to get rid of aches and pains through self-hypnosis. Toe hurts? Back aches? No problem, it will go away if I want it to or need it to.
Do We Have Power Over Our Health?
I became increasingly curious. It worked so well for motion sickness… could it help my seasonal (but year-long) allergies? I was already starting to notice I could affect this too, if I tried. Allergies have seemed to plague me for around 30 years. And 20 of those years or so I relied on antihistamines to manage. I moved on to natural mast cell stabilizing herbs and supplements which were far better. But what if hypnotherapy could help? As you might have guessed, it did.
I went back to see Clark, and again, he was kind, thorough, and compassionate. He didn’t trivialize the problem or sweep it under the rug as insignificant, even though I did previously, because other people have REAL problems, don’t they? As it turns out, illness is more than something we get because it is our destiny, our minds create maladaptive ways of dealing with memories and emotions. So, my allergies are a big deal in the sense that they are a signal that my body was coping in a way where I became sick.
Transformation
The second session of hypnotherapy certainly helped my allergies: In one session. Unbelievable. After being resigned to having allergies forever I could now be free.
But….with improvements in this aspect of my health, other emotional stuff started to surface, and I felt stress from work and at home. I decided I would go back once more to see if Clark could help me, as I was now 100% sure hypnotherapy works. This was where the real work took place for my soul and ultimate healing. It turns out, we all have certain emotional “prisons” which often manifest in some physical way, and I was finally able to really get to the point of happy. Really and truly happy in a way that peace is my new baseline. The healing happened so quick. It will always be a part of my life, and I will practice self-hypnosis forever.
Our ability to deal with food is also in the subconscious. I will refer to hypnotherapy for aspects of nutrition therapy as well, because food choice and amount is tied to our subconscious minds. So, I continue to shout it from the rooftop. Seek out hypnotherapy; find a good hypnotherapist like Clark. It is truly good medicine. Check out Clark Patton’s webpage:
