4. LOSING WEIGHT THROUGH CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Abraham Maslow, one of the founders of humanistic psychology, describes creativity as a basic human need comparable to the needs for food and shelter. My experience with many clients has shown me that this need is very real. Children are constantly involved, if given the opportunity, in creative play. Adults however, have frequently learned to suppress our creative instincts, and all too often, to substitute eating for creativity.
Here’s a questionnaire to determine if this is a pattern exists:
If you answered any of these questions in the affirmative then you may suffer from being “Creatively malnourished”. Chances are that this programming began in childhood, when our caregivers instead of encouraging creativity, suppressed this essential self-expression with harsh criticism, neglect, or even ridicule. While these experiences may have long ago passed out of our conscious recollection, the subconscious mind does not forget. These programs can continue to strangle our creativity throughout our lives.
Teaching the Subconscious Mind to Express Creativity
Through hypnosis therapy we can use simple instructions to access these memories in the subconscious mind and rescue the child from these events. Then we provide that inner child with new experiences of being loved and supported for their creative expression by an inner family or by the client’s adult self.
Here’s a questionnaire to determine if this is a pattern exists:
- Do you find yourself eating out of sheer boredom?
- Do you watch two or more hours of television per day?
- Do you lack an exciting hobby or creative interest?
- Do you put down your occasional experiments in creative expression as amateurish or a waste of time?
- Do you often eat snacks while reading or watching television when you are not truly hungry?
If you answered any of these questions in the affirmative then you may suffer from being “Creatively malnourished”. Chances are that this programming began in childhood, when our caregivers instead of encouraging creativity, suppressed this essential self-expression with harsh criticism, neglect, or even ridicule. While these experiences may have long ago passed out of our conscious recollection, the subconscious mind does not forget. These programs can continue to strangle our creativity throughout our lives.
Teaching the Subconscious Mind to Express Creativity
Through hypnosis therapy we can use simple instructions to access these memories in the subconscious mind and rescue the child from these events. Then we provide that inner child with new experiences of being loved and supported for their creative expression by an inner family or by the client’s adult self.
Case Study - Bob
For example, Bob found that eating in front of the television in the early evening was a bad habit he wished to change. He could not remember ever having a hobby. We descend in a light trance to the first time his creativity was damaged. He discovers a memory in which as a small boy he was ridiculed by some neighbourhood boys for his drawings, which they label as “silly and girlish.” Feeling intensely ashamed, he determines to stifle these expressions.
Our first task was to rescue this boy from those who judged him, and let his adult self and the therapist assure him that his drawing ability is a wonderful gift. We then inserted the counter-programming suggestion that his drawings are an expression of his “manliness and courage.” This helped erase the core belief implanted by the neighborhood boys.
Next we took his drawings to his parents in hopes of winning their approval for his art. His parents are asked if they would like to hang his pictures on the fridge. Their response is cool, since mother is obsessed with her own pain and the father was a “busy” alcoholic. In this case, the client took great pleasure in firing his father. Then he addressed his mother with a tearful appeal for her support, until realizing that she would have to be retired and be replaced in his inner world. These intensely emotional confrontations with parental figures is often unpleasant for clients but is essential in helping the inner child to disengage from the need for parental approval, and to help the child bond to the adult self, and, where necessary, to new inner parents.
Then Bob’s adult self was encouraged to access his child self daily through gentle hypnosis techniques for a few minutes in the early evening and create some drawings. His chances of success were greatly increased by encouraging him to buy brightly colored magic markers and quality pens, pencils, and drawing paper. We also determined what room in the house was best for some quiet time and undisturbed creativity. His adult self was then instructed to enjoy this creative activity, which he would find so much more exciting than television, while praising his inner child for the effort. This is not the time for a critical evaluation, but for warm encouragement.
I instructed him to bring one of his drawings to me in my office, and to hang all of them on his fridge at home. Soon his television watching was down by more than half, and so were the unwanted eating patterns.
Of course, clients need to be reminded over and over that producing a masterpiece is not the goal of the process. Nor do we use the oft-repeated mantra “practice makes perfect” which only serves to destroy creative expression. The real goal is feeling good while expressing one’s creative instincts. To the extent that the client’s friends and family can be enrolled in support of this creative expression, we encourage this involvement. But the client’s adult self is the primary resource for this process.
For example, Bob found that eating in front of the television in the early evening was a bad habit he wished to change. He could not remember ever having a hobby. We descend in a light trance to the first time his creativity was damaged. He discovers a memory in which as a small boy he was ridiculed by some neighbourhood boys for his drawings, which they label as “silly and girlish.” Feeling intensely ashamed, he determines to stifle these expressions.
Our first task was to rescue this boy from those who judged him, and let his adult self and the therapist assure him that his drawing ability is a wonderful gift. We then inserted the counter-programming suggestion that his drawings are an expression of his “manliness and courage.” This helped erase the core belief implanted by the neighborhood boys.
Next we took his drawings to his parents in hopes of winning their approval for his art. His parents are asked if they would like to hang his pictures on the fridge. Their response is cool, since mother is obsessed with her own pain and the father was a “busy” alcoholic. In this case, the client took great pleasure in firing his father. Then he addressed his mother with a tearful appeal for her support, until realizing that she would have to be retired and be replaced in his inner world. These intensely emotional confrontations with parental figures is often unpleasant for clients but is essential in helping the inner child to disengage from the need for parental approval, and to help the child bond to the adult self, and, where necessary, to new inner parents.
Then Bob’s adult self was encouraged to access his child self daily through gentle hypnosis techniques for a few minutes in the early evening and create some drawings. His chances of success were greatly increased by encouraging him to buy brightly colored magic markers and quality pens, pencils, and drawing paper. We also determined what room in the house was best for some quiet time and undisturbed creativity. His adult self was then instructed to enjoy this creative activity, which he would find so much more exciting than television, while praising his inner child for the effort. This is not the time for a critical evaluation, but for warm encouragement.
I instructed him to bring one of his drawings to me in my office, and to hang all of them on his fridge at home. Soon his television watching was down by more than half, and so were the unwanted eating patterns.
Of course, clients need to be reminded over and over that producing a masterpiece is not the goal of the process. Nor do we use the oft-repeated mantra “practice makes perfect” which only serves to destroy creative expression. The real goal is feeling good while expressing one’s creative instincts. To the extent that the client’s friends and family can be enrolled in support of this creative expression, we encourage this involvement. But the client’s adult self is the primary resource for this process.
Tapping into Creative Expression from Past Lives
For some clients whose belief system includes reincarnation, we can journey back to a past life event where the client was engaged in a specific creative activity which is of interest to the client now. After accessing a creative ability which the client is ready to bring forward, we can enter these abilities into the body of the client for instant access. Some of the abilities brought forward include piano playing, dance, art, even leadership skills and public speaking. Of course there is no substitute for practicing these abilities, and classes in a proffered form of creative expression are also to be encouraged. But the hypnotic process makes it much easier and more enjoyable to develop these abilities with a minimum of drills and lessons. Obviously, the development of these creative abilities does far more than simply altering their eating habits. These gifts enrich lives at every level
While there are many sources of destructive emotional eating habits in addition to those mentioned here, the vast majority of my clients over the years have experienced some problem with infantile eating, stuffing feelings with food, and suppressing creative expression.
It is important to remember that hypnosis does not offer a magic bullet, a simple pill to shed weight instantly. All of these methods should be used in conjunction with a well informed plan for diet and exercise, hopefully with the guidance of a medical doctor or other health professional. These hypnotic techniques can however make the difference between a lifetime of dieting and weight obsession, or having strong and lasting healthy eating and living habits that allow life to be about many things other than trying to control the appetite.
For some clients whose belief system includes reincarnation, we can journey back to a past life event where the client was engaged in a specific creative activity which is of interest to the client now. After accessing a creative ability which the client is ready to bring forward, we can enter these abilities into the body of the client for instant access. Some of the abilities brought forward include piano playing, dance, art, even leadership skills and public speaking. Of course there is no substitute for practicing these abilities, and classes in a proffered form of creative expression are also to be encouraged. But the hypnotic process makes it much easier and more enjoyable to develop these abilities with a minimum of drills and lessons. Obviously, the development of these creative abilities does far more than simply altering their eating habits. These gifts enrich lives at every level
While there are many sources of destructive emotional eating habits in addition to those mentioned here, the vast majority of my clients over the years have experienced some problem with infantile eating, stuffing feelings with food, and suppressing creative expression.
It is important to remember that hypnosis does not offer a magic bullet, a simple pill to shed weight instantly. All of these methods should be used in conjunction with a well informed plan for diet and exercise, hopefully with the guidance of a medical doctor or other health professional. These hypnotic techniques can however make the difference between a lifetime of dieting and weight obsession, or having strong and lasting healthy eating and living habits that allow life to be about many things other than trying to control the appetite.
Go to Chapter 1: Understanding Metabolic Programming
Go to Chapter 2: Addressing The Underlying Causes Of Our Eating Habits
Go to Chapter 3: Understanding How Food Is Used To Suppress Emotions
Dieting Leads to Weight Gain: Achieve Permanent Weight Loss with Alchemical Hypnosis
Go to Chapter 2: Addressing The Underlying Causes Of Our Eating Habits
Go to Chapter 3: Understanding How Food Is Used To Suppress Emotions
Dieting Leads to Weight Gain: Achieve Permanent Weight Loss with Alchemical Hypnosis
