10
Using Your Mind to
Heal Your Heart

In the last twenty years, mind-body healing has become an accepted modality for the treatment of a variety of physical and psychosomatic illnesses. Mind-body healing is commonly used as an adjunct in the treatment of patients with cancer and AIDS. In these conditions it has been found to prolong and improve the quality of life. In a number of cases of cancer that have been declared incurable, mind-body healing has led to a regression of the cancer.

Mind-body healing is also being used in the treatment of a variety of conditions such as allergies, asthma, skin disorders, chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Today many of the leading medical centres in the world such as Harvard Medical School have a mind-body programme.

In America, there are several options for cardiac patients such as the Duke University programme and Dr Dean Ornish’s programme. Mind-body programmes have not become more popular with most doctors because they take a lot of time, and require a high degree of psychological skills. Insurance policies will pay for cardiac surgery but will not pay for a mind-body programme even though it can save the insurance company money by preventing expensive cardiac surgery.

Another challenge that the mind-body programmes face is that they require a commitment on the part of the patients to change life style and behaviour. Many patients find it difficult to accept the need to change their behaviour, or that psychological factors are responsible for their illness.

The main advantage of a mind-body programme is that it can prevent surgery and premature death. Even though the mortality rate for cardiac surgery or angioplasty on the average is less than one per cent, there are sub-groups of patients where the risk death due to the operation may be 5-10% or even higher.

Then there is the pain and high rate of post-operative complications. Some patients find that the cognitive functioning of their brain has been affected after surgery. Many develop depression after the coronary bypass surgery and this is a cause for concern because depression increases the risk of recurrence and of early death.

The long term survival rates of patients who have undergone surgery are not spectacularly higher than those receiving medication. Within five years, more than half the arteries operated upon will again close down and the patient will need to have another operation. Even after an angioplasty there is a chance that the artery closes within a few months. Dr Ornish has observed that his programme does not prevent the closing down of the arteries after an angioplasty, though it may help open up the other untouched vessels.

Another advantage of the mind-body programme is that it leads to the reduction in the amount of medication that the patient needs to take. A significant percentage of patients experience unpleasant side effects of their medication that are dose related. Some of the drugs used by cardiac patients have been introduced recently and no one knows what new long term toxic effects will be discovered.

A trap that you must be wary of is using the mind-body programme as an excuse to avoid surgery. Some people decide to follow a programme of mind-body healing and drop out after a short time. Thus, if you do decide to follow a programme of life-style changes, do it under the close supervision of your doctor. He will be able to guide you should you need to go in for surgery if you are unable to follow the programme.

STARTING THE MIND-BODY PROGRAMME

It is best that you start the whole programme at the same time rather than try to start it piece meal. Take a week or two off from work so that you can get used to the programme. Being away from work will help insulate you from stress and leave you with time to reflect and practise the skills.

Being away from work will also give you a chance to practise the meditation and relaxation exercises for longer periods of time initially. So by the time you go back to work you are fe eling refreshed, relaxed with an increased tolerance for stress.

If you cannot get away from work start with the programme in any case rather than wait to get leave. It is better to spend a few minutes a day on the programme rather than do nothing about it.

Before starting on a programme of lifestyle changes check with your doctor. You must be aware that self-hypnosis, meditation and deep relaxation reduce the need for anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic medication and could lead to complications unless supervised by a doctor.

Once your doctor has given you the go ahead stop smoking, switch to the low fat diet and start the exercise programme. At the same time begin the programme aimed at psychological change.

Start meditation and self-hypnosis (as described earlier). You can practise both at separate times for twenty minutes 4 to 5 times a day. Allow any painful memories or emotions to come up slowly.

As you do self-hypnosis or meditation, you will find yourself going into deeper states of relaxation. Once you are able to go into deep states of relaxation you can start ‘Mindfulness Meditation’ and the exploration of your unconscious mind under self-hypnosis.

You should also get to work on changing your self-defeating personality traits at the same time. Start maintaining a daily diary in which you should also keep a hostility log (as described earlier) and a record of the things you have done to change your behaviour and lifestyle. Begin the work of reducing your free floating hostility and self involvement first.

Simultaneously, it is important that you begin re-building your friendships and social network. To do this you will need to start taking genuine interest in your friends. You should also spend time with your acquaintances as some of them will later become friends. An important skill that you may need to learn is how to listen to others with genuine interest in a non-judgemental manner.

This is the time to read the books recommended in the bibliography. I recommend that you read The Healing Heart by Norman Cousins and Love and Survival by Dr Dean Ornish. In addition you could read Treating Type A Behaviour and Your Heart by Dr Meyer Friedman and Diane Ulmer.

CONTINUING YOUR PROGRAMME

If you stay on the programme for some time, you will probably find it enjoyable enough to want to continue the programme. It is normal to slip or lapse occasionally and that does not mean that it is the end of the programme, it is merely a signal to get back into the programme.

You should spend half an hour to an hour per day on meditation and about twenty minutes doing self-hypnosis. You should spend a few minutes at night writing your diary and hostility log and reviewing it. Maintain a record of what you have done each day in your diary.

Continue working on modifying your behaviour and practise the Quieting Response mentioned earlier through the day. The Quieting Response only takes a few seconds and it will enable you to have an amused, easier and more relaxed attitude towards life.

Within a few weeks, you will find yourself feeling much better and enjoying life very much more. It is at this point that you will need to renew your commitment to programme, as people often stop practising once they start feeling a little better.

USING HYPNOSIS FOR SELF HEALING

Trance states have been used from time immemorial to heal psychological and physical problems. The intentional use of these trance states is called hypnosis and is recognised as a therapeutic procedure by the American Psychiatric Society and the British Medical Association. Hypnosis is used in the treatment of a variety of physical and psychosomatic disorders such as asthma, hypertension, ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and dermatological disorders.

Other psycho-physiological techniques such as autogenic training, imagery therapy or meditation are also useful to heal physical problems. Hypnosis is a much more direct technique that goes straight to the root of the problem and resolves it much faster than the most of the other techniques. Other psycho-physiological techniques such as meditation also rely on altered states of consciousness but in a much more diffuse way.

SELF HYPNOSIS

Self-hypnosis is a technique of utilising the hypnotic state to cure oneself. The self hypnotic state is nearly as effective as hypnosis, as a curative measure. The advantage of the hypnotic state is that the therapist can guide the patient into deep states and utilise a number of specialised techniques for therapeutic gains.

The advantage of the self-hypnotic state is that the patient is in control of his own treatment and this reduces any resistance by the person. In the self-hypnotic state, it is very difficult to give yourself any suggestions that are likely to cause adverse effects. With practice it is possible to achieve deep states of relaxation nearly instantaneously in which the mind goes into an ‘Atavistic’ state where psychological and physical healing can take place.

In self-hypnosis, you can give yourself suggestions to alter your response to a situation and modify your personality. Remember that your personality is a collection of traits that you can alter one at a time. It is difficult to radically alter your personality rapidly. Therefore you can use self-hypnosis to alter one trait at a time and over a period of time you will find that you are a different person.

It is possible to use self-hypnosis to resolve many unconscious conflicts and traumas and thereby release a lot of energy that is tied down to these conflicts. Exploration under hypnosis can alert you to the presence of severe conflicts that you maybe unaware of so that you can then work on them with a therapist.

Mr Paul, a senior executive in a multinational company, had a myocardial infarction at the age of 49. An angiography showed that he had a minor blockage to his right coronary artery. When he went back to work three months later he found that he was feeling tired all the time and could not function properly. He started practising self-hypnosis which he had learnt at a stress management workshop. After a month of regular practice, he tried to explore his unconscious to see if he could identify any conflicts that may be related to his infarction. He was amazed to discover that a part of his unconscious mind was feeling ‘guilty’ and was punishing him for trying to deprive his brother of his share of their parents’ apartment. Shortly after this discovery, he went and talked to his brother and sorted out some long standing conflicts. He was surprised to find that in a matter of a few days he started feeling energetic.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HYPNOSIS

Many people confuse hypnosis with magic, an idea that is promoted by novels and comics like Mandrake the Magician. Hypnosis has no connection with magic or the supernatural. In fact it is learning how to systematically use naturally occurring trance states towards therapeutic ends. Most people (95%) can go into a trance state without any difficulty and use the trance state for their self-development. A small percentage of the population (5%) cannot go into a trance using the usual techniques but with training many of them can learn how to go into a trance.

Another common misconception that some people have is that in the hypnotic state they will become unconscious and will not remember what happened during the trance state. In reality, most people are aware of and remember everything that happens in the trance state. It is only in deep states of hypnosis that people may not remember what happened in the trance state and even then may not be aware of the fact that they have forgotten what happened during the trance.

Some people feel that only the weak-willed or sick go into trance. In actual fact research shows that people who are secure find it easier to go into a trance. It is difficult to hypnotise the mentally subnormal and people with severe mental illness. Intelligent and creative people find it easier to go into a trance.

A few people are afraid that they will get stuck in a hypnotic trance and will not be able to come out of the trance state. The reality is that this never happens; at worst you will go into a state of natural sleep and wake up refreshed after a few hours. The majority find that they are able to come out of the hypnotic experience automatically at a time they had decided on before going into a trance.

Self-hypnosis is a very safe state and it is unlikely that you can harm yourself in this state, especially if you give yourself the suggestion that your unconscious mind ignore any suggestions or ideas that are not appropriate for you. You can also give yourself the suggestion that your unconscious mind should bring you out of the trance instantly in case of any emergency. The inner mind has the capacity to look after you in the same manner that a mother will awaken from a deep sleep if her baby cries.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MIND

To be able to utilise your mind effectively, you must know we have a conscious and an unconscious mind. For optimal health, you should work together in tandem and in a balanced manner.

The conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg and this part is the repository of the things we are aware of. The conscious mind is that part which is associated with strong beliefs and with our identity. Our identity is the mental map we have of who we are and it defines the limits of our behaviour. If, for instance, you see yourself as a helpful person then you may find that you feel duty bound to help people when they are in trouble. The conscious mind is like a filter that allows change as long as it is within one’s belief and identity system.

Your unconscious mind is the repository of all your experiences and conflicts. The unconscious mind controls most of the regular automatic functioning of the body and the mind. The unconscious mind is like the nine-tenths of an iceberg that is underwater. It feeds the conscious mind and is very protective of the person. It is now known that the unconscious mind has great wisdom and creativity. It can resolve many problems without any conscious effort. In fact it often seems to be able to resolve things better at an unconscious level without conscious interference. Dreams are one of the healing or problem solving mechanisms that the unconscious mind uses.

PRINCIPLES OF SUGGESTION

One way of bringing about change at an unconscious level is through suggestion. It is important to know how to give yourself suggestions. Suggestions can be verbal like talking to yourself, or imagery, in which you programme your inner mind by making images of a desired outcome.

Some of the principles that you should follow when creating suggestions which you use in the self-hypnotic state are:

Always use positive suggestions rather than negative ones. Positive suggestions are things that you will do or achieve. Negative suggestions are what you will not do or achieve. Do not give yourself negative suggestions, e.g. “I will not get angry in future” or “I won’t overeat”. Instead use positive suggestions such as “I will respond in an amused and calm manner” or “I will stop eating when I feel satisfied”.

Use suggestions that gradually move you towards the goal. The sweeping suggestion is bound to fail and discourage you, e.g. “I will always be happy” or “I will be totally confident”. Instead say to yourself, “I will feel increasingly happy or confident each day”. If certain things are difficult at present, give yourself the suggestion that you will learn how to do it, e.g. “I will learn how to be more calm or learn how to eat with awareness” I will learn how to become more forgiving.

Link suggestions to naturally occurring positive feelings during the trance such as “As I feel more relaxed and calm, I will start feeling strong and confident” or “As I experience greater calm I will become more secure.”

Give yourself suggestions for deep inner healing in your sleep and dreams every night. For instance, in your sessions you could say, “I will experience deep inner healing at an unconscious level in my sleep and dreams each night.”

Use plenty of imagery. See yourself becoming calm, relaxed, more forgiving, with a better sense of humour. One way to use such imagery is to imagine yourself in a telefilm or movie. See yourself on the screen behaving in the desired way. Now float into your own body and feel the positive feelings of security, energy or positive health that you want to experience.

Use plenty of imagery and suggestions regularly for physical healing. You could visualise your heart becoming stronger, the deposits in your arteries gradually melting away and see your coronary arteries opening up.

Use reframing, a technique that allows you to change an action or the meaning of your problem. To stop smoking, you could give yourself the suggestion, “I need my body to live. Cigarettes are poison for my body. I choose to give my body the care it deserves”. To lose weight you could give yourself the following suggestions, “Fatty food and overeating are harmful for my body. I owe my body the care and protection it deserves to keep me healthy.”

Repetition is one of the more important factors in the success of the suggestions. I recommend that you give yourself the same suggestion, worded in a number of ways and use imagery and visualisation in addition to auditory suggestions.

PREPARING TO GO INTO A TRANCE

It is a good idea to prepare yourself before you go into a trance state. First make sure that no one will disturb you during this period. Put the phone off the hook and tell others that you should not be disturbed unless there is something that simply cannot wait. Go to the bathroom before you start.

It is preferable to use a different posture when you are doing self-hypnosis than that you use when you practise meditation. Since meditation is best done in the sitting posture it is better that you do self-hypnosis in a reclining posture.

It is crucial that you learn how to enter the trance state in a relaxed and easy manner. There is no need to force yourself to do anything. The skill lies in gradually relinquishing control so that your unconscious mind comes to the fore. Trying too hard can interfere. It is better to let things happen by themselves.

ENTERING THE TRANCE STATE

One useful way that I have found of entering into a trance state is to look at a spot in a relaxed and easy manner. As you do this, pay attention to any areas of comfort within your body. When your unconscious mind is ready to go into a trance you will become aware of an increasing sense of comfort and relaxation. You may find that your eyelids close by themselves or that you feel like closing them, at which point you can do so. Notice how the sense of comfort increases with each breath, as you go deeper into a trance.

Another technique is to close your eyes and start counting backward from 100 to 1. As you count each number, imagine that you are also watching the number on a television screen. As you count backward you will find yourself going deeper into the trance and feeling more relaxed.

DEEPENING THE TRANCE

Going into a deep trance can help accelerate your progress and make the process more useful.

The easiest technique to deepen the trance is to imagine that you are walking down a long staircase. See and feel yourself going down the stairs. Another technique is to watch yourself going down in an elevator as you watch the indicator. As you imagine these things you will find you will yourself going deeper into the trance.

COMING OUT OF THE TRANCE

When you start going into the trance, give yourself the suggestion as to when you will come out of the trance. For example you could tell yourself, “I will come out of the trance automatically in twenty minutes.” Generally you will find that you come out of the trance in exactly that much time. If not, your trance state will lighten and all you need do is to give yourself the suggestion that you will come out of the trance at the count of five.

A few people may find that they need to use an alarm clock initially. Most people learn how to come out of the trance at the right time without any difficulty. Set the clock for a little later than you plan to come out of the trance so that you can come out of it naturally. Try to use a clock with a soft sound or muffle it by covering it with a pillow so that you only hear a gentle sound. A strident alarm will yank you out of the trance and can be quite jarring.

STRUCTURING YOUR SELF-HYPNOTIC SESSION

Before you commence self-hypnosis it is important to decide what your objective is.

It is of vital importance that you ascertain what you want to achieve from the session — to experience relaxation, change a personality trait, allow your unconscious mind to do some deep inner healing or to help you make a decision etc.

Now spend a little time preparing the suggestions. It is a good idea to write them down before you start.

Sit down in comfortable a couch or chair. Use the induction procedure to induce a light trance. Then inform your unconscious mind when you want to come out of the trance.

Next, while still in a light trance give yourself the suggestions that you have prepared. Enhance the effectiveness of these by telling yourself that the suggestions will continue being repeated at an unconscious level while you are in the trance and at night in your sleep and dreams. Now give yourself the suggestion that you will keep going deeper into the trance with each breath until it is time to come out of the trance, at which point you will automatically come out of the trance and open your eyes gently. It may take some time for the suggestion to take effect so practise regularly.

Remember that you can give yourself suggestions to change your reaction to a situation. Social worker Meera had a difficult boss who, for no apparent reason, picked on and shouted at his women employees. Just seeing this would upset Meera for days on end. She decided to give herself the following suggestion. She would react with amusement the next time her boss launched his next tirade.

The opportunity to test the effectiveness of this suggestion presented itself a few days later. The boss summoned her and as usual, started to berate her for no logical reason. This time Meera did not break down. She began to laugh and left his office. Surprised at her own reaction, she found that she was quite immune to his vitriolic attack. The boss who had never evinced such a reaction was nonplussed and over a period of time ceased to pick on anyone in Meera’s presence. You can also give yourself suggestions for relaxation to stop smoking and to stick to the diet.

USING SELF-HYPNOSIS FOR SELF-EXPLORATION

Many physical disorders are triggered by internal psychological conflicts. Years ago Dr Arnold A. Hutschnecker, author of The Will to Live, observed that many people who become seriously ill report feeling trapped in a difficult situation and of the sense of being weary of life’s struggle. Dr Hutschnecker’s book will give you a better understanding of emotional conflicts and its relationship to physical illness.

Once you have been practising self-hypnosis for a few weeks and can comfortably enter a trance, it is time to explore your unconscious mind for emotional conflicts. The exploratory techniques will allow you to understand the conflicts and resolve them.

Using the exploratory techniques you will be able to identify inner conflicts or other reasons for your having developed heart disease and to resolve these. You will also be able to resolve many other unrelated factors that may be draining your psychological energy. I have seen cases where healing unrelated psychological conflicts has often led to physical healing as stress is reduced and psychic energy freed.

Though the self-hypnotic exploratory techniques may seem simple they are much more effective than some antiquated forms of verbal psychotherapy that often take years to obtain any effect. The ideomotor and sensory techniques hone into deeply repressed memories and conflicts and allow rapid resolution of many of these.

There is no need to push yourself or try to hurry up the process of deep inner healing. Your unconscious mind knows best and it is wise to trust your unconscious mind to resolve conflicts at a comfortable pace. In some cases your unconscious mind may indicate that you need the help of a professional therapist. You must remember that there are limitations to what can be achieved by self-therapy. For this reason if you find that you are not benefiting, you should consult with a therapist.

VISUALISING HEALING

Visualisation is a very powerful technique that has been found useful in healing many physical disorders especially when combined with hypnosis. In the hypnotic state it is much easier to visualise things and the visual images act as powerful suggestion to cause healing at a physical level. Healing visualisation is a part of both Dr O. Carl Simonton’s and Dr Bernie Siegel’s approach towards healing cancer.

The British hypnotherapist Dr A.A. Mason has treated a number of patients suffering from an incurable congenital skin condition called ichthyosis (fish skin). In this condition the skin becomes thick, fissured and oozes. His patients were taught to visualise the skin becoming healthy in one arm and within five days the skin over that arm had started healing. When one area had healed he suggested healing in another and so on. In this manner, the skin healed over most of the body.

Using visualisation under hypnosis, researchers have caused blisters to be produced on skin where subjects were told a red hot coin had been placed. Warts have been cured and the immune response altered.

Practise ‘imagery’ in which you imagine the fatty deposits inside the coronary artery gradually getting absorbed and carried away by the HDL cholesterol in the blood and the artery opening up. You can also visualise your heart becoming stronger and collateral vessels growing into the areas where the blood supply is restricted. You can practise the healing imagery for a few minutes as a part of your self-hypnotic sessions while in a light trance.

PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES

These techniques will allow you to tap into the wisdom of your subconscious mind to discover conflicts and problems, and to find solutions to them. You can also use these techniques to clarify your goals and mission in life. It is helpful to discuss your experiences using these techniques with someone you trust. If possible, you should maintain a small diary noting all the experiences you have using these techniques.

THE INNER ADVISOR/ HEALER TECHNIQUE

First go into a light trance using any induction technique. Once you feel relaxed imagine yourself walking up a mountain to a cave where you meet a wise old healer. See yourself entering the cave and talking to the healer. Tell him or her about your problems and discuss anything you need advice about. It may take sometime for you to be able to get clear replies from your inner advisor.

There is nothing supernatural about this procedure. All it does is tap into the natural wisdom within the archetypes of your unconscious mind. This process provides you with a method of accessing the inner wisdom of your own mind. I recommend this process to my patients to help them to work on their goals and on the changes they need to make in their lives.

Monica, an advertising executive, used this technique which she had learned at a stress management workshop. A heavy smoker, Monica was trapped in a job she found stifling. Her inner advisor suggested that she quit smoking and find more fulfilling work. During the process the wise one in the cave advised her to leave her job as soon as possible and pursue her dream of making films. Strangely she was also advised to go out with a friend’s brother whom she had hardly ever looked at. Monica resigned from her job a few weeks later and got a job at a much lower salary with a filmmaker. She was sceptical about the advice about her friend’s brother but decided to drop in to see her friend more often. She later told me that a romance had blossomed between her and the brother.

THE INNER THEATRE TECHNIQUE

This technique is a little more difficult than the last technique and may require some practice before you get any useful results.

Start by going into a trance. Imagine yourself sitting alone in a theatre where, on the stage, you can see a play that is meaningful for you. As you watch the play you can keep going deeper into the trance and the play will become more realistic. This technique can give you considerable information about the issues that are of importance to you.

DREAM ANALYSIS

You can use the self-hypnotic state to analyse the meaning of your dreams. You may feel that your dreams are meaningless or difficult to understand. In the self-hypnotic state you can ask your unconscious mind to help you understand a dream. Ask it to allow you to have a series of dreams with a different cast of characters either in the trance or in your sleep at night so that the meaning of the dream becomes clearer with each dream.

You can also programme your unconscious mind to have healing dreams at night. In your dreams, deep inner healing can take place particularly of childhood traumas.

IDEOMOTOR AND IDEOSENSORY TECHNIQUES

The main difficulty with the inner visualisation technique is that it is often difficult to decide whether the information gained from the inner advisor is from the unconscious or the conscious mind. The ideomotor technique overcomes this difficulty by giving you clear involuntary finger signals as a confirmation.

Basically, the ideomotor technique relies on the fact that it is possible to set up an independent signalling system with the unconscious mind, which bypasses the conscious mind. One asks the unconscious mind a question and waits for it to respond through an involuntary finger signal or a sensation if you are using an ideosensory technique.

Leela had suffered angina for some years and had been also been operated upon for a fibroid that was suspected to have caused her chronic backache. As this operation did not give her any relief her physician suggested hypnosis and referred her to Dr Nishant for hypnotherapy.

In a trance using ideomotor techniques she explored the genesis of her problem and discovered that her fibroids and back pain were a form of self-punishment for an affair that she had had with a colleague some years ago.

The pain had started after she covered up for her colleague who was involved in some illegal activities. Further exploration revealed that her angina and dyspareunia were related to the envy and rage she felt at her husband’s success in his job as a senior company executive. Hypnosis enabled her to release the chronic internalised anger that was playing havoc with her insides.

Leela was able to deal with the envy of her husband’s success and was able to resume a normal sexual relationship with her husband. She followed the advice of her inner advisor and was able to get her one-time lover to resign from the organisation they worked in.

COMMON UNCONSCIOUS DYNAMICS

The unconscious mind functions in a very different way from the conscious mind and it is useful to understand some of the common reasons that people develop illnesses. Modern psychotherapists recognise that the unconscious mind is positively motivated towards helping the person. In the following section I will give you a brief overview of the common complaints that manifest as psychological problems.

The commonest reason for developing any psychosomatic disorder is that the unconscious mind is trying to protect you from some undesirable consequence. One of my patients would get severe headaches when ever she worked too hard or did not rest enough. Another, an MBA who worked for his father, was unable to sleep at night. After a rough night he would stay home to rest. Ideomotor questioning of his unconscious mind revealed that it was trying to prevent conflicts with his father as to how the business should be run.

Similarly in some cases, the unconscious mind will try to protect you from something you fear. Milind developed an examination phobia and would get very anxious at the thought of going for an exam. His psychiatrist, under the impression that he was afraid of failing the examination, attempted to help him overcome the fear of failing. Nothing seemed to work and for three years Milind could not appear for his final engineering examination.

At a self-hypnosis seminar conducted by Dr Nishant, Milind volunteered to be a subject. While demonstrating the ideomotor technique Dr Nishant asked his unconscious mind if there was anything that he wanted to work on. To his surprise Milind found one of his fingers lifting to signal ‘yes’. Dr Nishant led him through a series of questions to determine the cause of the problem and each time another finger lifted to signal ‘No’. Finally when Dr Nishant asked again, “Are you trying to protect Milind in some way” the unconscious mind answered with a ‘Yes’ signal. Dr Nishant then asked the unconscious mind if it was willing to share what it was trying to do with Milind’s conscious mind and again there was a positive signal and Milind’s whole expression changed.

Dr Nishant then asked Milind that now that he knew the cause could he give up his symptoms. Again he received a ‘Yes’ signal. Later during the break, Milind told Dr Nishant that he realised that his unconscious mind was trying to protect him from abandoning his parents, of whom he was very fond. By having him fail at the examination the unconscious mind was trying to keep him at home!

Shomu suffered severe chest pains but his doctor could find nothing wrong with him. Ideomotor questioning in a light self-hypnotic trance revealed that as child he had witnessed the death from heart attack of a favourite uncle, aged just 45. Now as he approached this age, his unconscious mind was concerned that he was not looking after his health.

In some cases traumatic incidents like this can build irrational beliefs, which then create conflicts at an unconscious level. Looking at these childhood traumas with an adult perspective can often update these beliefs as in Shomu’s case.

An important cause of psychological disability is an ‘implant’. An idea or belief is implanted in the person’s unconscious mind when he is in an emotionally aroused state, unconscious or under anaesthesia. It is now known that many patients are aware of things that are said and this can lead to difficulties.

Dr Patil, a busy eye surgeon underwent bypass surgery. He healed well after the operation but was afraid to get back to work. Under hypnosis his unconscious mind indicated through finger signals that it was willing for his conscious mind to know the cause of his anxiety. He had the sudden insight that it was related to the surgery he had recently undergone. Dr Nishant regressed him back to the operation and he reported hearing a conversation between his surgeon and his assistant “It is a wonder that he survived. His work must have placed him under a lot of stress.” Dr Patil’s unconscious mind misunderstood this to mean that the stress of his work would kill him. Once he understood the source of his problem he returned to work without any anxiety.

Dr David Cheek is a well-known gynaecologist and hypnotherapist. He teaches his patients hypnosis before they are operated upon, so that their unconscious mind can learn to ignore such harmful suggestions during the surgery. He also gives them suggestions to reduce blood loss and encourage healing. He has found that this reduced complications and made for faster healing.

Occasionally you may discover that the unconscious mind may produce a symptom like punishment, as in Leela’s case. Sometimes the problem may be related to traumatic incidents in childhood or later, that have created fears or beliefs which produce the symptom.

DEVELOPING THE SIGNALLING SYSTEM

One can communicate directly with the unconscious mind while in the waking state through ideomotor signals, once one has learned how to set up the signalling system. Initially it may be easier to set up an ideosensory signalling system in which you ask the unconscious mind to give you a signal such as a sensation that signifies ‘Yes’. Wait for sometime (a few minutes) until you get the signal. Then ask it to give you another signal for ‘No’ and a third signal for ‘I do not know’. In the ideosensory technique you may experience sensations: warmth, coolness, tingling etc. It is important that you ask your unconscious mind to repeat the signals a number of times so that you are sure that they are really unconscious signals.

You can adopt a similar strategy with the ideomotor signals. Ask your unconscious mind to give you a yes signal and then wait for a finger movement. Similarly you can set up a ‘No’ signal and ‘I don’t know signal’. With some people it takes a certain amount of hypnotic practice before they are able to do this so do not give up if you do not get a signal the first time. If you have any difficulty it may be helpful to consult a medical hypnotherapist to help you set up a signalling system which you can then use by yourself.

STARTING THE PROCESS OF EXPLORATION

Once you have the signalling system in place you can ask your unconscious mind if it is willing to explore the source or reason for your having developed a symptom, emotion or behaviour pattern. If you get a ‘Yes’ signal proceed further and ask your unconscious mind if it is willing to let the conscious mind know the source of the problem. If you do get some information recheck it by using involuntary signals.

If you get a ‘No’ signal ask your unconscious mind if it is willing to explore the source of the problem at an unconscious level with an adult perspective. If this time you get a ‘Yes’ signal ask it to go ahead and give you another signal when it has finished exploring the root cause. Again ask if your unconscious mind is willing to share the cause of your symptom with your conscious mind. If you still get a ‘No’ signal, ask if it will share it at a later date and try to get it to set a date. You may also ask your unconscious mind if it is willing to heal and resolve the problem at an unconscious level in your sleep and dreams at night.

LEARNING TO TRUST YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND You will realise that your unconscious mind is a vast storehouse of memories and experiences. The unconscious mind can process and resolve conflicts all by itself. All you need do is to request your unconscious mind to resolve a problem or conflict. Medical hypnotherapist Dr Milton H. Erickson used to ask his unconscious mind to relieve him of the severe joint pains that he suffered from. You can similarly ask your unconscious mind to find solutions in its own way, but remember to give it enough time to do this.

The eye surgeon Dr Patil used ideomotor signals to identify the cause of his intense hostility. Dr Patil reported that he felt angry most of the time. Reading in the morning newspaper about a corruption scandal or some injustice was enough to start angry thoughts buzzing around in his head. He would begin to imagine all sorts of terrible punishments for the perpetrators of such deeds.

In the self-hypnotic state when he asked his unconscious mind if this feeling was related to something from the past his ‘Yes’ finger rose and his unconscious mind let him recall an incident where, as a little boy, he had been bullied by an older child living nearby, something he had kept quiet about at the time and quite forgotten.

The repressed painful memories were like an undrained abscess. Once he relived the incidents he said he felt a sense of relief, “as if a huge burden had been lifted off my chest.” Using suggestions for deep inner healing, he was able to heal the inner psychological scars and felt much calmer.

Once you, or your unconscious mind, have a clear idea of the conflict, you can directly ask your unconscious mind to resolve, heal or find a solution to it in its own way, particularly once you have some experience with self-hypnosis. You will be surprised to find how your unconscious mind can work on healing or find solutions to problems at a deep inner level.