| Just a few years ago several of my colleagues and I | | | | electrical signals, may also be triggered by thoughts |
| were enthralled as Robert Otto gave us his normally | | | | and imagination (or anticipation). An example of this will |
| charismatic pep talk concerning the wonderful powers | | | | occur when a woman sees a child nursing or even |
| of the "subconscious mind." As a well-trained and | | | | thinks of the situation, the hypothalamus releases |
| experienced advocate of hypnotherapy, he was | | | | sufficient estrogen to create either a production of milk |
| faithfully following a tradition rooted in the works of | | | | or at least a feeling of heaviness in the female |
| Sigmund Freud and further expounded by other greats | | | | mammary glands. Please note that the |
| such as Ormond McGill, Milton H. Erickson, and David | | | | neuro-physiological systems of the human mind and |
| Elman. Nevertheless, I am proposing the heretical | | | | body will react to both realities and fantasies. |
| stance that our profession's fascination with the | | | | My conclusion here is that every thought, idea, or |
| concept of the "subconscious mind" has retarded the | | | | concept has a corresponding biochemical and |
| acceptance of hypnosis and hypnotherapy as valid for | | | | bioelectric pattern. Thoughts, ideas, and concepts are |
| clinical applications. This well-traveled path may have | | | | creatures of the frontal lobe centered mind rather than |
| turned into a rut which we must transcend. | | | | some mislabeled "subconscious mind" system. The |
| In order to understand my view on this, one must delve | | | | intra and inter neuro-physiology patterns are developed |
| into the semantics of the words consciousness and | | | | and programmed with one key requirement. That is |
| mind. Consciousness implies not only thinking, | | | | self-preservation. (Note this means preservation of the |
| sensations, perceptions, moods, emotions, and dreams, | | | | patterns, not necessarily the organism. This is why we |
| but also self-awareness. So, for phenomena to be | | | | too often have the tendency of doing dumb things |
| "sub", "un" or "pre" conscious, one or more of those | | | | despite a higher awareness that the organism - |
| elements -- especially awareness -- needs to be | | | | meaning us - is at risk. Just think of addictive behavior |
| missing. This implies that as a minimum that for a | | | | which we know will result in our early demise.) Our |
| subconscious to exist there needs to be some aspect | | | | innate and adaptive immune system and what Darold |
| of our human mental or physical system that fails to | | | | Treffert MD has coined as the "tyranny of our left |
| meet the "self awareness" test. However, at each | | | | brain" exists for the purpose of protecting these |
| reductionist level of the human system of organisms a | | | | collective of patterns. When these patterns become |
| level of self awareness exists. As the histology | | | | dysfunctional because of a defective reaction to injury, |
| professor Bruce Lipton, PhD, so clearly states, even | | | | disease, or "thought viruses", then interventions such as |
| our cells are acutely aware of its environment. | | | | surgery, pharmacology, energy medicine/psychology, |
| Therefore, despite an occasional distraction, we are | | | | or psychotherapy (to include hypnosis) are warranted. |
| comprised of an aggregate community of self-aware | | | | This means that every dysfunctional situation is one in |
| (conscious) systems which work in harmony - and | | | | which the emergence of a pattern threatens the |
| communicate with each other on a regular and | | | | existence of a higher level of the collective, then the |
| continuous basis. In my relentless pursuit for the holy | | | | intervention must circumvent the self-preservation |
| grail of the subconscious mind, I have yet to find any | | | | function so that the underlying patterns can be altered. |
| part of the human entity that is truly subconscious. I | | | | Rephrasing this differently, you may wish to say that |
| fully realize that thinking and dreaming is normally | | | | we need to "get out of our own way" if we are to |
| attributed to humans and other creatures with more | | | | change. Indeed, to treat addictions and even |
| developed frontal lobes. However, this alone does not | | | | physiological situations such as cancer, the individual or |
| justify the overstated obsession concerning the | | | | clinician must find ways to get past resistance so that |
| existence of subconscious. | | | | the intervention can have a chance. David Elman said |
| Then let's look at the concept of the mind. This is | | | | this very appropriately. He said that we must bypass |
| where our humanness seems to emerge. The mind is | | | | the critical factor so that we can engage in selective |
| an aspect of our consciousness, but with a twist. It | | | | thinking. Dr. Milton H. Erickson talked about splitting and |
| implies strongly that we have the capability to | | | | linking. |
| participate in thought, perception, memory, emotion, will, | | | | Therefore, I look at something as simple as a smoking |
| and imagination. While all living systems have | | | | addition as a manifestation of a neuro-physiological |
| consciousness - as I just defined it in the previous | | | | pattern which the subject's self-preservation obsession |
| paragraph - only certain intelligent systems truly have | | | | will actively fight to hold on to. This pattern is |
| the attributes of the mind. The ability to use the mind to | | | | manifested by biochemical and bioelectric responses |
| create or organize data and phenomena into new | | | | which can be detected by kinesthetic awareness or |
| concepts or ideas is unique to the level of intellect | | | | modern medical technologies. There is a self-aware - |
| which seems to correlate with the size and function of | | | | which is one reason why change is resisted - and |
| a developed frontal lobe. | | | | communicative dimension to these systems. The |
| Am I merely splitting hairs to be point of silliness? I think | | | | subject or clinician will be most successful by initially |
| not. Our insistence on believing in the concept of a | | | | employing techniques which nullify or bypass the |
| wonderful entity which exists below the conscious | | | | natural pattern-preserving tendencies of these |
| level belies the point that we are made up of a very | | | | conscious (not subconscious) systems. Then by |
| intricate system of self-aware and communicative | | | | installing new functional patterns dysfunctional ones are |
| components. Nor does it accept that they are | | | | crowded out and wither away. Merely to remove a |
| organized into harmonized patterns coexisting for a | | | | system without replacing it with a new stronger one, is |
| mutually beneficial purpose of our continued existence. | | | | an invitation for the later recurrence of the |
| By respecting the nature of these neuro-physiological | | | | dysfunctional system/pattern. |
| systems - and getting away from the almost new age | | | | I know that my ideas are contrary to the conventional |
| mysticism surrounding the fallacious concept of a | | | | (and erroneous) wisdom of the medical and |
| subconscious mind - we begin to understand the | | | | hypnotherapy communities. However, if rather than |
| power of selective thinking, which is at the center of | | | | looking at the reactive components of non-intellectual |
| the core concepts of what has been called suggestive | | | | systems as a vast repository of reactive behaviors |
| therapeutics, selective thinking, and hypnosis. | | | | you look at them as conscious (self-aware and |
| Every aspect of the neuro-physiological system is | | | | communicative) entities, then you can begin to respect |
| organized into patterns of behavior which reflect both | | | | the power of a clinician as dysfunctional patterns are |
| their self-aware nature and their abilities to effectively | | | | virtually excised and replaced by new functional ones. |
| communicate internally and externally. For instance, just | | | | It is in the conscious attributes of these systems that |
| think about the relationship between the hypothalamus | | | | the power of the intervention lies. Unfortunately, the |
| and the anterior and posterior portions of the pituitary | | | | term " subconscious mind " is an outdated oxymoron |
| gland. The flow of "release hormones" into the blood | | | | which leaves hypnosis in the realm of mysticism and |
| stream triggers sympathetic or parasympathetic | | | | pseudo-science rather than a scientifically verifiable |
| autonomic reactions. If the hormones released are | | | | concept worthy of mainstream discussion. The future |
| organ specific, the organ will provide feedback in the | | | | of hypnotherapy (and allopathic medicine) will not be |
| form of inhibitory hormones which signal the | | | | found not in the fallacious "power of the subconscious |
| hypothalamus and pituitary gland that a further | | | | mind" but in the "power of the conscious mind" to |
| hormonal release is no longer needed. | | | | direct and direct the mental and physical |
| These reactions, which also involve peptides and | | | | manifestations of human existence. |