Changing Habits

Wars within us prevent us from correcting habits. When the conscious mind tries to force the subconscious to bend to its will, it can start a war. That’s because subconscious says, "Hey, you can’t tell me what to do. Heck with you."

This war can get ugly because each side has the ability to punish the other. When one tries willpower to stop smoking, the subconscious imagines feelings that conjure up just how great a cigarette would taste.

When the imagination is more powerful than the will, it usually wins. When it does, the person breaks down and has a cigarette. But that doesn’t end it: The conscious mind, angry about losing, then produces recriminating thoughts to make the person feel awful about themselves.

In this way, the war between the conscious and the subconscious can go on indefinitely. Both sides get so caught up in winning, they completely forget about the self. The self, made miserable by this inscrutable behavior, can’t figure out what to do because no matter what the person tells himself, nothing changes.

Hypnosis / hypnotherapy is able to end this war by getting the conscious mind and the subconscious mind on the same page about the issue. Then, the imagination strengthens the will, as the will guides the imagination. Once the war is over, changing habits becomes as simple as deciding.