Posted by: lastingchange | February 15, 2013

Exciting news!

As you may have noticed, this blog hasn’t been updated for some time (ahem)… In my defence, recently I turned my attention to writing books on topics such as insomnia, confidence, procrastination, and motivation. (If you’re looking for something to read – why not take a look!)

However, I have some very exciting news. I’m relaunching adriantannock.com in the Summer of 2013. The new website will cover the topics I am passionate about, and will be practically focused. So – in the meantime, let me wish you a good few months and see you soon.

Regards, Adrian

Google+ here.
Twitter here.
Facebook here.
Amazon author page here.

Posted by: lastingchange | September 20, 2010

Hypnotherapy training – is it adequate?

Most of my hypnotherapy clients will get better, by which I mean they’ll overcome those difficulties that brought them to my office in the first place. It could be an end to depression or an eating disorder; it could be overcoming an anxiety disorder, or feeling more motivated and positive in life. I work with my my client’s needs in mind, and most people will benefit from my ability, insight, and skill.

And yet some professionals feel that ‘lay hypnotherapists’ are inadequately trained to deal with such matters. When talking with other therapists, the question of adequate hypnotherapy training often crops up. It’s an interesting topic, and it has consequences for our clients.

A UKCP registered psychotherapist might train for 4 years (followed by several more years on probation) before they can consider themselves ‘fully qualified’. Such training is usually based around a theoretical framework that offers both an explanation for the mental and emotional difficulties people face, as well as a framework for treatment of those difficulties, be that person-centred counselling, CBT, gestalt, or whichever….

In contrast, it is possible to call yourself a hypnotherapist within weeks of starting a training course! Usually there will be little theoretical explanation of why (or how) people do the things they do. Instead, hypnotherapy training often consists of a) learning how to hypnotise people and b) learning how to give hypnotic suggestions and guided imagery, carrying out hypnotic regression and possibly (hopefully!) working with parts integration..

(It has to be said that not all courses are like this, in the UK the LCCH and the NCHP both offer extensive courses that come highly recommended. However, typically, hypnotherapy training usually contains a minimal amount of theoretical information when compared to psychotherapy training.)

So the question is, does the relative lack of training make a difference? Most psychotherapists would say yes, of course. It might seem obvious even, however lets look at analytically.  Although an academic, theoretical framework might help a therapist understand why their client has a problem with bulimia, or low self-esteem, or anxiety (or whatever), this is only useful if that therapist has the practical tools to help a person change… Theoretical understanding in itself helps nobody.

It is true that some hypnotherapists lack an understanding as to why people do the things they do. However, hypnotherapists are taught – first and foremost – tools that help people change. Hypnotic suggestion, hypnotic regression, NLP techniques such as the ‘fast phobia cure‘, using hypnosis to apply CBT techniques… These are all tools that help people.

Some critics might point to those cases where, via a lack of understanding, hypnotherapists have said things that haven’t helped their clients. However, the therapeutic faux-pas is not confined to hypnotherapists; I’ve worked with many clients over the years who have been told damaging or limiting things by highly-trained people…

At this point I have to be honest about my own experiences… Learning about different psychotherapeutic frameworks has definitely increased my skill as a therapist. By learning the classic ideas (Freud, Adler, Jung), more recent innovations (the work of LeDoux and Wolinsky), by learning about trauma and memory, I feel I am better equipped to tackle more complex cases – cases I would have been wary of in the past.

And yet – a theoretical education does not in itself make you a good therapist. My way isn’t the best way for all therapists. The only thing guaranteed to help a therapist improve is experience; experience in working with people and learning what makes people change? The best education is found in those hours ‘sat in the chair’ working with people, successfully helping people overcome their challenges in life.

So ultimately, I respect all therapists who take the time to get good at what they get good at, be that a classic hypnotherapist’s approach, or something like myself: more integrative and psychotherapeutic. Ultimately, it seems to me that these differences don’t matter providing people find the changes they are looking for.

Food for thought – if you’ve found this interesting, please leave a comment :-)

Adrian
http://twitter.com/adriantannock

Posted by: lastingchange | September 13, 2010

My poor, poor blog!

Are you dreaming? Am I? After a couple of years of deep neglect, the time has come (finally) to resurrect this blog. There was a time when I updated regularly, then “real life” took over and time marched on…

Over the past couple of years I’ve seen hundreds of clients (in my capacity as a hypnotherapist), and with very good success. I am in my 6th year of practice now, and feel very much on top of my game. That isn’t to say I have stopped learning – far from it. In fact the more experience I get, the more I realise there is so much to learn. I am grateful to each and every client I have seen, as from each encounter I have taken some learning, some experience from it.

At present I am seeing clients only part time (hence now having the time to update this blog). I am also to be found on Facebook, Twitter, Hypnothoughts, last.fm (if you’re into obscure, European electronica!) and sometimes even in my office! If you’re interested in coming to see me as a client, you would be very welcome to get in touch. As I tend to have a waiting list at the moment, I also supervise a team of excellent therapists who’s work I can vouch for personally.

You can read more about my practice on my other website: http://www.lastingchange.co.uk

If you’re interested in reading more of my writing, I am posting regular information on Hypnothoughts.com:

A post about the fast phobia cure, SAM memory, and the amygdala.

A couple of posts (here and here) about hypnosis, the unconscious, and dreams.

Finally, if you’re looking for therapy rooms to rent in Manchester, drop me a line – I can help you out!

Bye for now,

Adrian

PS: If anyone is really interested in my Freud posts (promised two years ago) I’ll publish them here ;-)

Posted by: lastingchange | February 9, 2009

I heart the Internets

Just a quick update. Very busy with other projects at the moment (hence the inordinate delay between posts here) but that will change in March. In the meantime, I’d just like to link to a few things:

I am currently moderating an online discussion forum: http://www.hypnotism.org.uk If you’re a hypnotherapist/hypnotist (or simply interested in hypnosis and you want to know more) then come and join us. It is free to join and the quality of discussion there is top-notch!

Also, there is a “Facebook for hypnotherapists” type community growing strongly here: http://www.hypnothoughts.com You can view my profile page here: http://www.hypnothoughts.com/profile/AdrianTannock

Finally, if you like mind-mapping try this site (thanks Bob for suggesting it to me) – it’s not technically mind-mapping, and the interface takes a little working out (about 5 minutes, nothing too strenuous) but it is a useful little tool nontheless: http://www.bubbl.us/

That’s all for now – any questions, why not take a look around or drop me a line.

Warm regards,

Adrian
http://www.lastingchange.co.uk

Posted by: lastingchange | December 27, 2008

Anniversary!

Just a quick note – this blog has made it into its second year! When I wrote my first post, I have to admit to being anxious as to whether I would be able to commit enough time to it, but so far I’ve found it a really enjoyable experience.

That said, I’ve been pretty slack of late! :-/ I’ve got a series of posts, firstly on Freud, then Jung lined up. They’re mostly complete and, when I get through the busy period in early January, I’ll have time to finish them off and upload them. I am especially excited about the Jung posts…

So, thank  you for your patience, and also your comments (we love comments, we do). Have a great Christmas period, and a great 2009!

Warmest regards,

Adrian
http://www.lastingchange.co.uk

Posted by: lastingchange | November 20, 2008

How Time Flies…

Well – firstly apologies for the delay since the last update. I can’t believe it has been around two months! I guess I’ve been busy with my practice, with my course, and the rest…

I have a series of posts in the pipeline based on old Sigmund Freud. In the meantime, here’s a fun tool if you’re into Myers-Briggs tests: http://www.typealyzer.com/index.php?lang=en – this one will ‘analyse’ a blog and tell you the character type of the author(s).

Does it work? Who knows, here’s what it had to say about me!

INTJ – The Scientists

The long-range thinking and individualistic type. They are especially good at looking at almost anything and figuring out a way of improving it – often with a highly creative and imaginative touch. They are intellectually curious and daring, but might be pshysically hesitant to try new things.

The Scientists enjoy theoretical work that allows them to use their strong minds and bold creativity. Since they tend to be so abstract and theoretical in their communication they often have a problem communcating their visions to other people and need to learn patience and use conrete examples. Since they are extremly good at concentrating they often have no trouble working alone.

It’s not far wrong , actually, although I am generally more extrovert than introvert, and slightly more perception than judgment; if you own (or regularly read) a blog – why not give it a try!

That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with a (series of) longer updates.

Warm regards,

Adrian
http://www.lastingchange.co.uk

Posted by: lastingchange | September 22, 2008

The Myth of the Subconscious Mind

Firstly – thank you for the emails and messages in response to my posts on Common Misconceptions of Hypnosis (Part 1, Part 2). It’s always good to get feedback (even constructive criticism) and I enjoyed writing the posts. Thanks.

It occurred to me, whilst reading some emails from fellow hypnotherapists in response to my posts, that there are also misconceptions of hypnosis held by practitioners in the field. For example, I often read that hypnotherapy “works with the subconscious mind”… This is the sort of thing that hypnotherapist say without really thinking “What does that mean?”

(Check the websites of practitioners out there, and you’ll see this written time and time again).

So – lets ask: what does that actually mean?

I’m currently writing an essay on Sigmund Freud (or “Sick Man Fraud” as Richard Bandler likes to say) for a diploma course in hypno-psychotherapy. Freud was an interesting character (to say the least) and, despite the fact that I disagree with many of his ideas – both in terms of theory & practice – it would be useless to discount his contribution to human understanding.

One of the key ideas he developed was the idea of a dynamic unconscious which influences our experience of life. Our unconscious desires can be expressed symbolically, through dreams, mistakes (Freudian slips), and the like. Presumably this is the subconscious mind that hypnosis works on…

But what is a subconscious mind? (Or, my preferred term, an unconscious mind – they are (most often) used interchangably, the only difference being that “subconscious” suggests lesser importance.) Well, I explained here how “the mind” is the process of our experience of being alive, dependent on the functioning of our brain, and not an object to which you can ascribe characteristics, abilities, or functions. Some therapists seem to believe there is a strange little guy in there making people do crazy things.

This model of conscious and unconscious minds is very simplistic, particularly in light of more complex models that take into account ‘ego states‘ and the like. I imagine many, many hypnotherapists believe statements like:

  • The unconscious mind is the storehouse of our memories, our skills, learnings and emotions (etc).
  • The unconscious mind has great wisdom, and is concerned with protecting us, ensuring our survival.
  • The unconscious mind processes information differently to the conscious mind: it isn’t rational, but emotional.

Etc, etc… It’s no surprise that many therapists subscribe to these attributions – most of the books relating to hypnosis will talk about the unconscious mind in this way. For example, from Michale Yapko’s excellent Trancework book:

“The unconscious mind is, metaphorically, a reservoir of all the muti-dimensional experiences squired throughout your lifetime, inclding your historical experience, personal and social learnings, manner (drives, motivations, needs) for interaction with one’s world, and your automatic functioning in countelss behaviours each day. The unconscious mind, in contrast to the conscious mind, is not as rigid or analytical.  It can respond to inferences between the lines, it is capable of symbolic interpretation,  and tends to be global in view.”

Note the key word: metaphorically… I’m not going to quibble with Yapko, he is rightly regarded as a powerhouse in the field of hypnosis. However, I wish that the word ‘metaphorically’ had been repeated, underlined, bolded and then repeated some more… just for good measure…

(The problem of reifying metaphorical concepts in the mind stretches way back to Freud himself, with his tripartate model of the mind – the id, the ego, and the superego).These are just metaphorical concepts – there is no ego, there is no superego, and again, as Richard Bandler likes to ask, “Have you in your life ever met an id?”

So, because of this historical tendency to turn concepts into real things, hypnotherapists often believe they are using “a state of trance” to communicate with a person’s “unconscious mind”. However, there is no such thing as an object named the unconscious mind, except metaphorically…

(You could argue that there is no such thing as a “state of trance” either, but I’ll save that for another post!)

Now – just to confound you! ;-) When practicing hypnosis, I will often ask a person’s “unconscious mind” to make changes, or give an unconscious signal, or to bring a memory into conscious recall, etc… How can that be, given my comments above?

The point is, although the unconscious mind doesn’t exist as an object, there are, within us, processes that are not conscious, yet which profoundly affect our experience of life. As you read these words, you recognise them instantaneously – there is a process taking place between the act of looking and your recognition. That process is happening at an unconscious level…

So let’s be clear, when I (or any other therapist) refers to “your unconscious mind” they are referring to the collection of these many, many, unconscious cognitive process, like the one mentioned above. That’s what an unconscious mind “is”.

To be fair, in practice, whether the unconscious exists or not isn’t particularly important to therapeutic outcomes. However, I think it’s important that hypnotherapists realise the difference between scientific research vs the accepted dogma that exists within the field, particularly if they want to improve as therapists.

That is the most important thing to me.

Any comments or questions leave a message.

Adrian
http://twitter.com/adriantannock

Posted by: lastingchange | September 10, 2008

Zenhabits.net

I am in the middle of writing a longer post, but I just wanted to add a link to zenhabits.net

As a long time fan, I reckon this is probably the best thing I’ve ever found in teh internets particularly in light of Leo’s open source philosophy. The truth is, if you’re looking to get your self up and running with organisation, with a healthy lifestyle, with living simply and happily, or even help with family finances (and more!) – this is one of the very best sites out there.

Check it out!

Adrian

Posted by: lastingchange | August 21, 2008

Hypnosis – common misconceptions (Part 2)

Following on from my previous post Hypnosis – common misconceptions (Part 1) (thank you for the comments I would like to outline some more examples where people get the wrong end of the stick regarding hypnosis.

A client becomes dependent on the hypnotist

This is quite a common misconception amongst those who work in the field of psychology, which can be traced all of the way back to Freud. It is true to say that clients depend on clinicians to help, to comfort, and to care. Psychotherapists, no matter which modalilty they practice, know that the ultimate goal if responsible treatment must be to help each client establish self-reliance whenever possible.

All people who offer care & support to others run the risk of finding people becoming dependent on them. That is not a quality of hypnosis, but a quality of the relationship that exists between therapist and client.

As a result, I often teach self-hypnosis to my clients. The reason being research has demonstrated that self-hypnosis can play an important role in self-reliance (Alman, 2001).

You can become “stuck” in hypnosis

This is my favorite! As hypnosis is an experience of focused attention, which is controlled by the subject, it is literally impossible to become “stuck”.

Think about this one for a moment, it might be difficult to tear yourself away from a good book or from the TV, but if there were a fire you’d be on your toes in no time. The idea that hypnotic trance, an experience that you allow yourself to enter, could last for days, or months, or years, isn’t particularly well thought through.

Hypnosis always involves a ritual of induction

This from Michael Yapko’s excellent 2003 book “Trancework”:

If a person’s attention is directed in an absorbing way, either to an external stimulus, or inwardly on some subjective experience, and that person is responsive to suggestions to alter their experience, they can reasonably said to be in hypnosis (Matthews, Lankton & Lankton, 1993; Zeig, 2001).

The “directing of attention in an absorbing way” can happen without a formal induction, for example TV Advertising. There is no need for any swinging watches, any hour-long progressive relaxation exercises, hypnosis can happen in an instant. Ever lost track whilst driving? Hypnosis, as evidenced by hypnotic phenomenon, can even be induced whilst a person undertakes physical activity, such as riding an exercise bike (Banyai & Hilgard, 1978).

Hypnosis is an everyday occurrence that can happen with, or without, a hypnotist present.

Hypnosis is simply relaxation/meditation

personally, I think meditation and hypnosis are closely related. I’ve not seen studied into whether hypnotic phenomena can be elicited from a person in a meditative state. I suspect probably not, because of the expectancy factor. Related? Possibly, yes. The same? Definitely not.

In terms of hypnosis being simple relaxation… Well – no one would simply complete a relaxation exercise (even a deeply relaxing one) and then expect to undergo surgery painlessly. If you would like to see more hypno-anesthesia (and you’re not squeamish) then click here. There is more to hypnosis than simple relax-o-therapy.

Whether hypnosis is a special state, a transactional outcome, a socio-cognitive experience, or all of the above and more, one thing is for certain: it is not just mere relaxation.

Hypnosis is the Devil’s work, or can lead to ESP

I am very tolerant of people’s religious beliefs. Such beliefs don’t always make sense to me, and I expect some of my beliefs wouldn’t make much sense to others. However, I do occasionally encounter the idea that hypnosis is somehow evil… It’s one thing I just can’t understand.

I accept that the experience of hypnosis is non-routine. However, as noted above, hypnotic phenomenon can be elicited whilst a person is in a state of focus, such as whilst riding an exercise bike. Hypnosis perhaps is psychological, or biological, but it simply has nothing to do with religion.

It seems to me that exercise bikes are far from esoteric, or evil! (Although that depends on whether you consider them to be instruments of torture or not!)

Hypnosis can be used to accurately recall the past

Lets be certain on this – research on memory makes it clear that the brain does not record experience accurately. Memories are based on perceptions, and so memories are subject to the same potential sensory distortions. Hypnosis does not increase the probability of accurate recall (Lynn & Nash, 1994).

One thing hypnosis can do, is help a person recover repressed material. However, understand that any memories recovered via hypnosis (or, frankly, just by lying in a warm bath and asking “What can I remember about my childhood that I’ve not thought about in years?”) will not be an accurate representation, but a subjective one.

This is an interesting topic. I once worked with a phobia sufferer who, using hypnosis, recalled an experience (relating to the phobia) that she felt certain hadn’t happened. I explained that she could very well have seen it on TV, or heard it in a story, but that she had fully identified with the event in question. As a result, it was possibly contributing to her phobic response. We worked on that basis, and the phobia was cleared up.

Some people naturally fear what memories might “come up” when delving into the past. People fear the worst (Trauma with a capital “T” – abuse and the like) but in my years of practicing I have never, ever seen this. Where that kind of Trauma exists, people know – even if the actual event has been repressed.

Our memories of the past have an effect on who we are in the present. Using hypnosis the past can be cleared up. Don’t expect hypnosis to help you accurately recall every little detail in your past, but don’t fear using hypnosis to look at the past through different eyes, either. The best thing about the past is that it’s over. It only exists as events encoded into the neurons in your brain. As such those memories are your posessions, and you are free to do with them what you will.

I hope you found the post interesting – let me know what you think!

Warm regards,

Adrian



Posted by: lastingchange | August 12, 2008

Hypnosis – common misconceptions (Part 1)

It is fair to say that, when it comes to hypnosis, there are many misconceptions in people’s minds. These misconceptions are often rooted in old media portrayals, and rarely make any sense. However these outdated (or just plain ridiculous) ideas can lead to a person being afraid of a process that could be wonderfully beneficial to their health.

So – I want to discuss some of the common misconceptions, and hopefully allaying some fears along the way.

In hypnosis, you are asleep or unconscious (i.e. “Put under”)

Some researchers believe that hypnosis is an altered state of conscious awareness. Others feel that hypnosis is a result of normal psychological function, coupled with certain sociological forces (e.g. role-playing at being hypnotised). However, no matter which theory of hypnosis you subscribe to, it has nothing to do with being unconscious. The truth is, physical relaxation need not be present in order for hypnosis to occur – you can be very alert and yet still capable of producing hypnotic phenomena.

Whilst experiencing hypnosis, particularly in a clinical setting, you will always retains your conscious awareness, even if it becomes a bit ‘day-dreamy’.

Not everybody can be hypnotised

There is defnitely a spectrum of responsiveness to hypnosis. This spectrum depends on a whole array of factors. These factors could be intrapersonal, such as a fear of hypnosis, ability to relax, a belief that it can be done, etc. These factors can also be situational, such as the room in which the hypnosis is being carried out, the time of day. These factors can also be intrapersonal, e.g. personal rapport between the hypnotist and the client, etc.

According to some research (Gfeller, 1993; Wagstaff, 1996), “low” hypnotisables can be coached into responsive hypnotic subjects with practice and training.

Everyone can be hypnotised. All it takes is feeling comfortable with the idea of going into it. Some people find it easier than others to begin with, but with practice it just gets easier and easier.

To give you an idea – I’ve hypnotised thousands of people in my time (so far) and I can count 3 people who I couldn’t hypnotise (and one of those kept pinching herself! I guess she really didn’t want to stop smoking after all…) ;-)

Only the weak-minded or weak-willed can be hypnotised

There has been a lot of scientific research into whether specific personality traits correlate with being “more hypnotisable”. According to research the ability to be hypnotised does not correlate with any specific personality trait (Kirsch & Council, 1992), including a person’s capacity for will (Kirsh, Lynn, & Rhue, 1993; 1996).

This is one of those things said (usually by men) by people who believe that hypnosis is some form of mind control. There is simply no connection between being ‘strong willed’ or ‘weak willed’ and hypnosis.

Once one has been hypnotised, one can no longer resist it

Although techniques such as anchors can be used to rapidly re-induce hypnosis, the hypnotic process is always context-determined. According to Michael Yapko, “Prior experience of hypnosis is not the sole or even primary factor in whether hypnosis is accomplished or not”.

This is one of those misconceptions that make little sense, if you think about it. Let’s say I hypnotised you to stop smoking. Then, a year later, I bump into you in a put. The idea that all I’d need to do is go “SLEEP!” and you’d be “under” (and be willing to buy me free beer all night) is (sadly?) not true…

One can be hypnotised to do or say something against one’s will

This is an interesting one. Despite the fact that virtually all hypnotherapists will tell you that you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do, the truth is that people can be manipulated negatively to do things seemingly inconsistent with their beliefs and attitudes.

However – and this is important – the conditions necessary to exert such a powerful influence have nothing to do with a typical therapeutic encounter (Yapko, 2003). Again, as research carried out into social factors and hypnosis has demonstrated (T. Barber, 2000) hypnosis is context-dependent.

Think about it – if, whilst sitting in my therapy room, I hypnotised you and said “And – now – you will jump out of the window / give me all your money / take off all your clothes / etc”, the truth is you will come out of the trance and probably punch me on the nose for thinking you were so gullible. It just makes no sense.

If it were a stage show, and you thought I was asking you these things as part of a show – i.e. entertainment – then maybe you’d go along with it, maybe you wouldn’t. But in a therapy session? Never.

Hypnosis doesn’t make you gullible, stupid, or blind.

One can be made to disclose things they would prefer to keep private

Hypnosis is not a truth serum, but a process that is dependent on personal choice. A hypnotised person would not disclose any information they would not normally disclose. Much research has been carried out into this, particularly by “Millitary Intelligence” types (oxymoron?) who, for obvious reasons, would love to find out if people were telling the truth or not. It was quickly established that people can lie under hypnosis just as easily as out of hypnosis.

When experiencing hypnosis, you still have free will. You don’t have to do, or say, anything that you do not want to.

Hypnosis is dangerous

Hypnosis, particularly if induced via relaxation, causes a slowdown of physiological functions, and an inner absorption. Such responses are inherently healthy, reducing stress and discomfort, and can relieve hypertension, anxiety and pain. Hypnosis also helps to foster feelings of self-control, increased self-confidence, enhanced emotional well-being, and a freedom from past traumas. Far from being dangerous, hypnosis is an incredible tool for bringing about psychological or physical healing.

It is true that difficulties may arise through misdiagnosis or inappropriate content during therapy, but those conditions exist in any therapeutic relationship where one is in distress, vulnerable, or seeking relief.

With that in mind, it is important to get a good therapist, not just somebody who has learned how to hypnotise people, but somebody who is interested in the art & science of hypnosis, therapy, psychology, and health. Perhaps somebody who takes the time to blog on the subject! ;-)

Hypnosis in itself just isn’t dangerous, it is beneficial for the body & mind. It is important that you visit a skilled therapist; consider how long they have been in practice, what approaches they take in therapy, whether they are flexible and knowledgeable enough to help YOU.

So that’s all for now – in part two I’ll look at more misconceptions. Any questions or comments, drop me a line or leave a comment (I love comments!)

Adrian

http://www.lastingchange.co.uk



Posted by: lastingchange | July 17, 2008

Lalibela Educational Trust (LET)

Recently, at the request of a colleague, I built a website on behalf of the Lalibela Educational Trust (LET) – a registered charity that works with children from some of the poorest families in Ethiopia. Their aim is to help those children achieve their ambitions and independence, by helping to finance further or professional education.

It is a good cause and you can read more about it (and maybe even get involved) here: http://www.let.eu.com

Cheers,

Adrian
http://twitter.com/adriantannock



Posted by: lastingchange | July 11, 2008

Wordle, will, and more…

Here’s a cool little thing that sums up my blog quite nicely (click on the image to see it full-size)

I am currently working on a post regarding typical misconceptions held about hypnosis. However, I’m in the thick of revising for an exam and, as such, I’ve been a little busy…

Yesterday (Thursday) I had one of those mornings where, try as I might, I just couldn’t seem to get going. I figured I’d follow my own advice, and the second half of the day was really productive. However, today something occurred to me.

If, when you think about doing something that you have to do, you feel resistance to doing it, then it’s tough to get it done.

If, when you think about doing something that you have to do, you think to yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow”, then it’s tough to get it done.

There has been a lot of researched carried out into behaviour. In 1986, two researches (Norman & Shallice) suggested a model of action control which puts forward the idea that automatic behaviour, comprised of routine and habit, is governed by a modular system of “information models” or schemas. These schemas come into play either via external stimulus, or internal motivations. Tasks that can be classed as automatic are tasks that have become routine, and most often are performed without a conscious awareness of the pattern. So this would include tasks such as sitting down, writing with a pen, driving in a car (and, in some cases, procrastinating over an essay)…

These schemas operate until the task is finished (e.g. when driving, arriving at your destination) or a higher-priority schema is operated (pulling into the services because you need the loo).

Speculatively, I’d include having feelings as being under this automatic control. Feelings are often generated beyond our conscious awareness, and they are governed by schemas that sometimes co-operate with one another, but often compete with one another…

However, the Norman & Shallice model acknowledges the fact that not all behaviours are routine. Where novel tasks must be completed, the “Supervisory Activating System” (who comes up with this stuff?) comes into play. The SAS “is responsible for more complex cognitive operations and, in general, intervenes when routine control is insufficient.” To relate this to our driving example, this would be driving in France and realising (hopefully) that you now need to drive on the other side of the road. As this thought occurs to you, “you” intervene, and swerve to the other side of the road… This is known as “willed action”.

The Supervisory Activating System is closely related to conscious awareness in another interesting theory, the “Global Workspace Theory” (Baars, 1988), and also to the idea of a “Central Executive” in the theory of “Working Memory” (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974).

So this seems to relate to our thoughts – at least those thoughts that feel like us (rather than the random ones that seem to “pop” in there from time to time…) The Supervisory Activating System seems to relate to that “inner voice” that is trying to plot our way through our days. In other words, our will.

(There are other models that include automatic and willed action however Norman and Shallice’s model is the simplest).

The above model relates to hypnosis quite nicely, in that some researchers (Woody & Bowers, 1994) suggest that hypnosis has the ability to disengage that supervisory system, granting the hypnotist increased access to the automatic control schemas. This is certainly consistent with my practical experience and it’s a powerful proposition. However, that wasn’t the point of this post…

(Hmmn – and there was a point; this post was really only meant to be a brief update, but now I’ve gone and written my usual 500+ words… O well.)

The point is: if your automatic behaviour (and feelings) are averse to completing a task, or if your willed thoughts (that voice in your head that’s supposed to be in charge) is averse to completing a task, or – worse still – if both the voice and the feelings are averse to completing a task, then it’s damn difficult to complete a task!

This is where NLP comes in. By using NLP patterns (visualisations, use of language, etc) you can empower the supervisory activating system to intervene more effectively; to build a better outcome that is beyond those limiting, routine, behaviours…

Richard Bandler is right: living an effective life is all about generating better feelings…

If you feel like doing something, and that voice in your head is saying “let’s do it!” then you are going to get it done. It’s pretty simple really…

Finally, on ITV’s This Morning, Nurse and hypnotherapist Bernadine Coady, 67, (btw I hope I look as good as her when I’m 67?!) explained how it felt to have surgery under hypnotic anesthesia. You can read about it (and see a video – if it finds its way onto Youtube, I’ll replace the link) here:

http://www.itv.com/Lifestyle/ThisMorning/Health/Surgeryunderhypnosis123/default.html

At the end of the piece Dr. Chris Steele explains some of the interesting cases he’s treated with hypnosis. If only all doctors were as open minded as he seemingly is…

That’s all for now – if you find this interesting, please leave a comment!

Adrian
http://twitter.com/adriantannock



Posted by: lastingchange | June 28, 2008

Electioneering…

Just a quick, cheeky plug for my blog. If you have enjoyed reading the posts, then please click here: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/adriantannockcom.html and Rate This Blog. I would be happy to get the rating higher than a 2/5 (some miserablist out there knows who they are, or maybe somebody twitched when looking to press 5!?)

;-)

Either way, some votes would be great!

I trust I can rely on your vote?

Adrian

http://www.lastingchange.co.uk



Posted by: lastingchange | June 28, 2008

A final word on motivation (for now)

I’ve received many emails over the past couple of months in response to the Positive Motivation Series of posts earlier in the year. I’ve been asked about my own motivation strategy and whether it works.

I used to be the world’s worst procrastinator. If there had been a Procrastination Olympics, I would have won Gold. I was a 10th dan black-belt, zen master procrastinator who could out procrastinate a lump of rock.

I would do the whole range. Thinking about doing things, then putting them off. Doing other things first: more interesting things, less interesting things, then, finally, just things – anything, just so long as it meant not having to do the thing I was procrastinating over.

And this wasn’t enjoyable. I’d be stressed about the things I wasn’t doing, and be pissed off at myself for being the sort of person who procrastinated. Bills would go unpaid, washing up would remain undone, books remain unread, websites remain unbuilt… All in all, it was a bit of a car crash…

(Which gives me an idea – perhaps somebody should sell this idea to Channel 4 as a replacement for their ailing Big Brother “show”: gather 12 procrastinators together and watch them grow increasingly stressed in their avoidances as the viewing public votes to burden them with more and more tasks?)

Anyway… Here is how I beat procrastination once and for all – it’s built around the S-M-E-R-T-E model:

Stimulus. This can be external, or internal. Something that happens, or something we feel needs to happen, or a thought that occurs to us.
Memory. In response to a stimulus, our brain accesses memories. It does this to determine whether the stimulus is good, or bad, benign or scary, etc. The memories accessed in response to stimuli are often unconscious to us.
Emotion. Emotions are felt when these memories are accessed; often the emotion we fear is the overriding emotion in the memories we have just accessed. In a typical procrastinator, the emotion is usually one of reluctance to act.
Response. Response refers here to either cognitions or behaviour that happen in response to the emotions we have just felt.
Termination. The end of those cognitions or behaviours; so in the procrastinator, this would be finishing watching Dial M for Murder or whatever…
Evaluation. The evaluation phase is often unconscious. In the procrastinator, a thought process will run along the lines of “Great! I avoided doing that for a little while – a great result!”

The S-M-E-R-T-E model is a useful model for most problems in life. For example, phobias run along these lines (see the spider, access memories of being scared by spiders, feel the fear, run away crying, relax when away from the spider, think “great – I avoided the spider”), as do problems with confidence or self-esteem, anxieties, insomnia, eating disorders, etc…

So, you can probably work out that for the procrastinator, it is the Emotion and Response part of this model where the major problems lie. Here’s the process I follow:

Stimulus. So, for example, seeing a pile of washing up.
Memory. Unconsciously, my brain will access childhood memories of having to do the washing up, and hating it.
Emotion. Those old resentments and resistances flood back, leaving me feeling all “procrastinaty”.

At this point, I’ll:

1. Consciously access memories of being motivated to do something, which brings about feelings of motivation to combat the procrastination feelings.
2. I’ll consciously access memories of time flying by (time distortion is a hypnotic phenomenon) – to remind me that that it’ll only take 10 – 20 minutes, and that time will fly by (particularly, if I listen to music whilst doing it).
3. I’ll then consciously access memories of completing the washing up, which brings about feelings of satisfaction. I’ll then affirm that I want those feelings again.

Because of this intervention, I’ll have a new emotion; rather than the childish resistance felt previously, I now feel motivated, and certain it will only take a jiffy to get the job done.

With that emotion felt bodily (and it doesn’t need to be strong, just stronger than the old procrastination feelings) my Response is now different – it is easy to do the behaviour of “getting it done”. Those behaviours happen automatically in fact.

When the resourceful behaviour is complete, I’ll then use the Evaluation stage to consciously generate good feelings, and congratulate myself for doing a good job. This is important – it helps to build good, happy memories for the future. The more happy memories you have for getting things done, the less of a procrastinator you will be.

The above works for any type of procrastination, except perhaps where there is a fear of failure involved. Just follow the instructions, substituting a task you’re struggling with for my example of “doing the washing up”. After a while, the process becomes natural – try it…

(And not tomorrow…) ;-)

That’s all for now, if you find this post helpful, don’t forget to vote for my blog

Warm regards,

Adrian

http://www.lastingchange.co.uk



Posted by: lastingchange | June 19, 2008

It’s all in the mind…

Or so they say… So one obvious question is: what, exactly, is the mind?

It’s a good question.

I’d like you to stop for a moment, and then imagine an elephant wearing pyjamas. What colour are the pyjamas?

(Interestingly, most people will say “blue and white stripes”.There is a post on “memetics” in that fact somewhere… Another time maybe!)

Perhaps even more interesting, is the fact that you can imagine an elephant wearing pyjamas, of any colour, somewhere in your experience of consciousness. That’s quite amazing, if you think about it.

Now – if I were to chop up your brain into tiny pieces (don’t worry, I’m not going to do that), at no point would I find, amongst the cells that have clumped together to form your brain, any tiny pictures of elephants. In fact I wouldn’t find any pictures of anything: your front door, your first love, your first car… I wouldn’t find audio recordings of your mother’s voice… I certainly wouldn’t find the taste of lemons, nor the smell of disinfectant.

However, these are all things – to a greater or lesser degree – that we can recreate in our experience of consciousness… This means that the mind must exist, right?

Well – we can refer to our experience of consciousness, our experience of living, and state “Cogito, ergo sum” - I think, therefore I am. However, the problem with the mind is that it has no weight, no colour, it makes no sound, it doesn’t exist in a physical locale. So although, through consciousness, we experience having a mind, it is beyond measure… Therefore does it actually exist?

And if it doesn’t exist, why do people talk about it so much?

One thing seems clear. Our experience of consciousness is connected to the functioning of our brain. As the brain functions, we experience consciousness. The functioning of the brain is a process, with a beginning point and an ending point, so therefore our experience of consciousness is also a process.

This means that our “mind” is also a process. That is an important point to consider. It means that we don’t have thoughts or memories, we engage in the activity of thinking, or recalling.

Imagine waving your arm (or, if you are adventurous, give it a wave now!) A trained anatomist would be able to work out the macro and micro-anatomical properties & processes that constitute the act you have just completed (waving your arm). (you can stop now, if you haven’t already ;-) )

Put energy into those processes, and the arm can’t fail to wave. However, at no point would the anatomist locate a wave. Now that you have stopped waving nobody would ask “Where is the wave stored now?”

So, with that in mind, eventually, it should be possible for a neuroanatomist to work out structure and processes of those neuronal networks – those networks that exist physically in your brain – that are active when you think of an elephant in pyjamas, just in the same way as an anatomist can work out the processes that can cause your arm to move. With that breakthrough, it should be possible to demonstrate that, on putting energy into that neuronal network, it (the brain) cannot help but engage in thinking of an elephant in pyjamas.

And when finished, at no point will the neuroanatomist ask, where is the elephant (or any other thoughts or memories) stored now?

So basically: according to science, our minds don’t exist. We don’t have stored memories, or beliefs, or ideas, we experience remembering, or believing, or thinking. Our experience of consciousness is a process, not an object, and is as a result of the functioning of our brain’s activities. It’s depressingly reductionist, but scientifically, it is sound… You can’t have one without the other.

In therapy, this doesn’t matter one bit of course. Even as a metaphor, appealing to the unconscious mind to make changes or whatever still works just fine, because we know what it is like to experience owning one!

However – if, you can’t have an experience of consciousness without the functioning of your brain, surely this means: when your brain dies, you die. It’s all down to biology…

Well, personally I am loathe to believe that we are simply animated puppets of meat, roaming the surface of the Earth with no meaning other than eating, fornicating, dying (although venture into Manchester city centre on a Saturday night, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest just that! However…)

400 years ago, microbes were immeasurable by science, and yet their existence (and effect) were speculated upon even in Roman times. Just because those microbes were beyond the measure of science, doesn’t mean they didn’t exist until they were discovered. Consciousness is not measurable by science: it has no taste, no smell, no weight, and yet we know it exists because we experience it. I feel that consciousness, or life, has a dimension that is beyond genetic histories and biological imperatives… a dimension that is currently beyond scientific measure.

A flower knows to point itself towards the sun. Oysters open and close, not in time with the tides where they originated, but with the moon. Man built The Ring of Brodgar some 4500 years ago perhaps because, in their mind, consciousness and the world in which they lived were connected in ways which modern science is only just beginning to consider.

In the immortal words of Bill Hicks:

“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.

Now, here’s Tom with the weather.”

And with that thought in mind, have a great week!

Warm regards,

Adrian
http://www.lastingchange.co.uk

PS: I think this is my favorite post made to this blog, so do feel free to leave a comment! ;-)



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