People often come to therapy when they find it hard to understand why they continue to feel the same, or why they are unable to cope with events that happen in their lives. Life is full of surprises and experiences, both good and bad. It can be hard to cope at times or feel like we will never move forward after something happens.
We can’t control the uncertainty of what life brings, but we can be better equipped to deal with what life throws at us. Many of my clients are unsure what to do or how to change things on their own. Often people are unaware what issue they may have, and therefore it’s important to establish an individual plan and a potential diagnosis for treatment.
As a therapist, it’s my job to understand how each individual thinks, feels, and behaves. This helps gain insight into how someone views themselves in the world. I have found understanding how the brain works and what it does to protect us keeps things simple when it comes to treatment. We are, after all, animals with a part of our brain that is considerably more advanced than other mammals. When we simplify things, we can begin to see what is behind the confusion, stress, and overwhelm that mental health issues create.
How the Brain Works in Therapy
To understand the brain, we have to understand its function and purpose. Essentially, we have an evolved part of the brain consisting of the neocortex that allows us to be rational, creative, and problem-solve.
We also have the more primitive part of the brain that is more reactive and consists of our instincts—the fight, flight, freeze mechanism—along with emotions and physical responses. The primitive brain is there to keep us alive and function in our environment. Information is processed and stored throughout our lives, particularly during childhood and adolescence, where experiences are stored as templates to be used again. Sometimes these templates can become outdated or faulty; however, we will still use them without being consciously aware. Most often these templates can be activated when there is a perceived threat or danger, even though the danger is not accurate.
We create behaviors to protect ourselves from feeling these uncomfortable emotions or physical feelings; however, these can often maintain our problem or make it worse. In therapy, it is essential these templates and behaviors are addressed through reframing new ways of being and feeling.
The Power of Therapy: CBT & Hypnosis
By attending therapy, we can explore your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, whilst establishing the root cause. CBT & Hypnosis offers the incredible ability to change emotion on a subconscious level, rather than trying to change thoughts, which can take longer to do.
Hypnosis can offer the opportunity to change unwanted behaviors or habits that may hold you back from who you want to be and what you want to achieve. Therapy can offer insight into how the brain works, but also, more importantly, how you think and behave as an individual.
