Thursday 1 October 2015

How Personal Mythology can Help or Hinder



Our families give us not only DNA, but also personal history and personal mythology. As our minds re-interpret and smooth the edges of facts from our memories and as we take in stories that have grown and shrunk in the telling as family legends, we build up internal stories and we add to them our subconscious associations. Positive and negative memories are collected and attached to ideas that may be from our own past memories, from phobias and fantasies, or from elements of our lineage. The smell of apple pie baking in granny’s kitchen can become locked in the subconscious as a positive association with feelings of love and warmth and childhood delight. Such a positive association may not be consciously understood or even remembered, but it can still make millions of people smile and feel at home when they smell cinnamon and therefore be highly profitable for potpourri makers.

From my ancestors’ experiences of valuing self-reliance and assuming the roles of providers and protectors of their children and families, I can see the genesis of some of my own attitudes. Although I have no children for which to provide and protect, I grew up with a strong sense of self-reliance and a sense that I must ensure the safety and success of my household. I believe that these aspects of my personal mythology have helped motivate me to provide support to my partner and have contributed significantly to our business successes over the years.

Considering these reflections alongside the experiences I have had in meditation, dream work and regression hypnosis, I can see how some of my own elements of personal mythology have also limited my willingness to engage with others and to share with them over the years. If one is defensive, closed and mistrustful of others, it is hard to focus on the positive and to benefit from the sharing of positive energies. It is hard to tell whether the personal mythology strengthens behavior patterns, or whether behavior patterns reinforce the personal mythology. I think that both are true. In order to truly make changes, one must recognize the underlying personal mythology.  Know thyself!

Hypnosis provides a proven method of accessing the subconscious directly in order to explore, understand and begin to make changes to the internal associations that you have that may be limiting you in some way. Unfounded fears or phobias such as fear of the water or (most commonly) of public speaking affect many people and most could not explain the source or reason for their feelings. Hypnosis is a safe, effective and powerful tool to help you better understand yourself, tap into the usually hidden resources of your own mind and help you make positive changes in your life. All those powerful associations embedded in your personal mythology don’t need to remain inaccessible.

References

Davenport, L. (2009). Healing and transformation through self-guided imagery. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Feinstein, D., & Krippner, S. (2008). Personal mythology: Discovering the guiding stories of your past -- creating a vision for your future (3rd Ed.). Santa Rosa, CA: Energy Psychology Press/Elite Books.

Yapko, M.D. (2011). Mindfulness and hypnosis: The power of suggestion to transform experience. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.

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