On today’s episode of The Addicted Mind Podcast, Duane interviews Erika Flint about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and how the two can help you to overcome mental blocks in your life.
Formerly a software engineer, Erika loves the idea of reprogramming, even your mind. Her recent book, Can You Be a Hypnotist? shows how virtually anyone who wants to be a hypnotist can become one. She tries to subvert the idea that all hypnotists are stage hypnotists. There is a more practical kind of hypnosis that can help you with your mental health.
Though her job was great on paper, it ultimately wasn’t fulfilling. After going through her struggles with alcohol, she hit her rock bottom. Seeking meaning, she found hypnosis was useful in battling demons and fighting off addictions. Now, she spends her time helping people to get their lives back, to love their lives fundamentally.
Interestingly, people are regularly entering into hypnosis, whether they know it or not. The goal of Erika’s work is to get people to enter that state intentionally to achieve some specific purpose. Hypnosis helps to cut through the conscious mind into the unconscious mind. It helps to target beliefs and values to get to the source of particular behaviors. Hypnosis can help to identify “limiting beliefs” and uproot them, dismantling unhealthy thoughts and behaviors in the process.
Because hypnosis is an “opt-in” experience, it cannot be done in covert. There has to be willingness on the part of both people in order to be successful. Because so many of the decisions we make are based on convictions in the subconscious, hypnosis tries to get to those baked in prejudices to free up the conscious mind. And contrary to popular belief, it all happens very quickly.
Erika’s style, called “insight hypnosis” is directed at coming to moments of insight. The goal is for her clients to have massive “aha” moments and generate great results in just one session. Erika mentions her concept of “bad data,” which is basically bad or misinformed perspectives and attitudes that can be corrected by illuminating truths through insight hypnosis.
Time stamps:
02:25 — Erika introduces herself.
05:30 — Stage hypnosis is really just a form of entertainment.
10:00 — Breakdown of what hypnosis is.
14:10 — Limiting beliefs and cognitive blocks.
16:15 — Bypassing the critical factor, or the conscious part of the brain.
19:00 — The specific hypnosis techniques.
24:00 — Light in a dark room.
26:20 — Sometimes our best intentions have negative consequences—even hidden ones.
Key quotes:
— “Can we demonstrate the power of the mind [through hypnosis]?”
— “If you really could have the full power of the human mind, what would you really want to
do?”
— “I know what’s waiting on the other side when you get through it.”
— “It’s a state of being highly focused and aware.”
— “The precursor to addiction is usually some type of abuse.”
— “A lot of people are aware of their own trauma; however, they don’t know how to release it.”
— “Hypnosis is an opt-in state.”
— “Hypnosis is like walking into a dark room and turning the light on.”
— “You can’t see it until you see it.”
— “If there’s something that you want to do but are somehow unable to do, the answers are
likely in the unconscious mind.”
Contact:
Contact Erika and listen to her free relaxation recording at http://cascadehypnosiscenter.com/breathe
Get Erika’s book for free at www.canyoubeahypnostist.com
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