Hypnosis -- Mental Hygiene?

I'm always trying to think of new ways to explain the benefits of hypnosis to folks, and this one struck me today. Hypnosis is like mental hygiene!

Bear with me now, as I try to describe this analogy.

We all agree that good hygiene is important when it comes to bodily things. And we go into our dentist or doctor on a regular basis to have things checked out & cleaned up. Ummmm, love the feel of clean teeth!!

And we do this 'cuz, ya know, stuff builds up (not to get too descriptive). Well, stuff builds up in your mind, too. Stuff you can't get rid of yourself and stuff that limits you from living life to its full potential. Let's take a look at what some of this "stuff" consists of.

1. Old, negative, self-limiting beliefs. This is a biggie. If you've hung around me for awhile, you've heard the speech. Our behaviors and actions are driven by and always congruent with our self identity. Our self identity sits on the foundation of our beliefs and values. That's ALL beliefs--positive and negative, chosen and foisted upon us. And for the most part, did you know that you did not CHOOSE the beliefs that your subconscious mind holds dear? Most of our foundational beliefs are formed between the ages of about 2 and about 9 or 10, and are adopted from the people in our environment: parents, siblings, teachers, etc. Are you walking around with your Mom's beliefs about sex? With your Dad's beliefs about perfectionism? With your brother's beliefs about competition (which he got from Grandpa)? Based on your life experiences, what would YOU like to believe about these things, if you were free to choose?

You are free to choose, and you can do so in hypnosis. That would be a good mental hygiene activity.

2. That negative little voice. You know the one. The Nay-Sayer. The wet blanket, the one that tells you what you CAN'T do instead of what you CAN. Wanna get rid of that little voice? We can do that!

3. Old habits. Sometimes we just do things because that's the way we've always done them. Pull those old habits out of the closet and if they don't fit anymore, toss them away.

The benefits of mental hygiene? Fewer limiting beliefs = a more powerful, positive and proactive self identity. Which equals more happiness, with yourself, others, and life in general.

Things build up. To paraphrase the paper towel commercial, "Minds are messy. Clean yours up!"