There is a lot of information that never gets stored in our memory and there are experiences that cannot be recalled because they are kept out of our awareness some how. These are the memories that sit deep inside the mind affecting our everyday lives. Hypnotherapy is one of the best ways to help people access and analyse those memories. Everyone has memories or experiences in their unconscious mind that they may not be able to recall or understand their significance in present life even if they are remembered.
Regression Therapy is an approach to hypnotherapy treatment that focuses on resolving significant past events that potentially may be interfering with your wellbeing.
How does Regression Therapy work?
Regression is the process by which the hypnotherapist guides you back through time to particular events that need to be looked at. During the Regression Therapy sessions that I conduct, I always take my clients to a deep relaxation state first, with the use of deep breathing techniques and focusing on the body. Then when my client is ready I facilitate the process of regression by asking open, non leading questions, That is the moment that the client speaks out loud about past significant experiences and feelings. When the emotional connection and understanding of how this situation influenced the client’s present behaviour is established we begin the healing part of the session where I incorporate Gestalt therapy techniques or Inner Child work, depending on how far the client had to travel to reach the past events. All the Regression Therapy processes I facilitate are person-centred and for each client it’s a completely different experience. The Regression Therapy session lasts up to 90 minutes. Usually one Regression session is sufficient, but on some occasions there are fewer past memories worth revisiting and healing and this doesn’t necessary mean that they were all repressed. It may simply mean that the significance of those events is not clear for the client regarding their present issue.
The importance of the conscious and subconscious mind.
The consciousness is a central component to the Regression Therapy. There are three levels of consciousness recognised in Regression Therapy:
- The conscious mind, which represents the thoughts a person is aware of having
- The subconscious mind, which represents emotions, habits, and instincts a person is unaware of having
- The superconscious mind, also known as the spirit, soul, or higher element of a person, may provide a model for how that person wants to think or act in the world
How can Regression Therapy help?
Regression can be used to help recall events from any point of your lifetime. It can help you remember specific events or to understand its meaning and significance. It certainly can be a very powerful psychological tool to work with deeper parts of the mind. Through a hypnotherapy experience we can open the door to the unconscious mind that will reveal conflicts, expose the obstacles, the root of self sabotage, and reveal connections between events and emotions. Regression performed by a skilled therapist can be completely healing and transformative. It often brings up new insights into awareness.
Most of the memories revealed are not traumatic, but yet significant to your situation. Occasionally, traumatic events can come up that require a very skilled resolution. The hypnotherapist must help the client resolve these issues during the Regression session and then afterwards a significant amount of counselling may be required to help you process these insights in beneficial ways.
Important aspects before you decide to find a therapist.
If you think that a Regression Therapy could help resolve your issue, find a therapist with the relevant qualifications and accreditation of professional body (such as the National Hypnotherapy Society) as well as counselling skills. Regression should’t be used during the first few sessions for a number of reasons. First of all not every client needs Regression Therapy, it may take few sessions to asses if that is necessary to use this technique. Second, the client must be aware of the process and give consent, if for some reasons you don’t want or do not feel ready to face past issues, the therapist should respect your choice. Third, you need time to build a relationship with your therapist and be able to trust her/him, so you can let go and bring to awareness memories and feelings that might be painful for you.
The source of your problem may lie in the past, but it doesn’t have to – it’s worth remembering that. It is essential that the therapist does not try at any costs to find reasons from the past to explain your behaviour or present feelings which may not have existed back then. That and leading questions may cause the danger of inducing false memories, as our memory can sometimes play tricks on us. Although to suddenly remember forgotten sexual abuse, as many people fear that might happen, as an example is very rare.
Moreover I believe some memories should stay in the subconscious mind, especially if the client is not ready or not in a good place to deal with them. The client’s benefit and wellbeing is the most important, not finding the answers at the cost of their wellbeing.
The Experience of Regression Therapy with my clients.
I find Regression Therapy helpful with many issues such as anxiety, fears and phobias, OCD, weight loss issues, self-esteem and self-confidence, changing habits, motivation blocks as well as feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness which many clients doesn’t have an idea form where these feelings may stem from. Regression therapy helps to identify triggers and show the moment in life that was significant for creating certain behaviour, which we could have developed in the past as a coping strategy. Quite often those memories lead clients to the childhood experiences that took place in a family environment, nursery or on the playground but not always, as certain behaviours and feelings could evolve in the less distant past. What’s important is that these are not always painful and difficult memories, quite often the person wants to keep pleasant feelings from the past by keeping certain behaviours that at this time in their life are not beneficial for them anymore. Sometimes simply finding out and understanding what the root cause is may change one’s behaviour. My clients very often go back to the events from their life that weren’t forgotten themselves, but the significance of that event and emotional component is an important yet missing part that we need to re-experience in order to come to a resolution.
If you have experienced psychological problems in your life, and all your efforts to resolve these issues on the conscious level have not been successful, then Regression Therapy included in your Hypnotherapy program may offer you a potential solution.
If you are interested in Hypnotherapy sessions, call me for a free phone consultation or email me to find out how I can help you.
07449 430340
Sessions: online via Skype or in Chelmsford, Blackmore, Essex
Anna Yardley