I recently read a very interesting blog by James Clear entitled “The crime your brain commits against you (and what to do about it). You can read it here: http://jamesclear.com/schemas. His blogs are usually worth a look.

It references a famous cognitive psychology study by Frederic Bartlett which look at how subjects who were told the Native American folk tale called ‘The War of the Ghosts” remembered it over time and how the memory of it changed.

What was also found was that, as well as shortening the story when retold, the subject unwittingly changed it to reflect their own cultural heritage and beliefs.

What this shows is that our beliefs can effect the way we remember things and how we interpret them. The blog goes on to discuss how these are known as ‘schemas’ and that these are formed as a result of our life experiences and that they tend to remain unchanged even if there is evidence that they are unhelpful or just not ‘right’.

So what does all this mean in terms of hypnotherapy and how it can be used to effect change?

Well in the blog James Clear refers to a reader of his who commented that “Sometimes we carry old beliefs around, unknowingly, that don’t serve us anymore.”

The problem with carrying around things that are unhelpful is just that – they are unhelpful. They restrict us, they hold us back, perhaps causing us to feel anxious, guilty, depressed, jealous etc.

The other problem is that if we hold these beliefs or schemas unknowingly, then consciously we do not know we have them. In my simplistic way of looking at things, to me that means they are held in the subconscious, and of course the more effective method for accessing that part of the mind is hypnotism, for the purpose of therapy of course.

I have been thinking of the schemas, or unhelpful beliefs, in the context of the clients I see.

It is interesting to talk to the smoker who had never been able to find the right time to quit because there was always something coming up which ‘required’ him to remain a smoker. This could be Christmas and the New Year or a forthcoming party. One client suggested that he couldn’t possibly stop until after he had come back from holiday and smoked all of his duty free allowance.

Then there is the overweight person who believes that they can ‘reward’ themselves with sweet food for virtually anything, when in fact this is completely counter-productive for their health and their desire to be in control of their diet and body shape.

Another client had a schema which involved her passing out every time she smelt a particular fragrance. It is a long story, however the gist of it is that something happened which meant that she was ‘given’ the schema a few years before by a well meaning friend after fainting.

The beauty of hypnotherapy is that once the client’s “critical faculties have been suspended”, it is possible to change the schema through the use of “selective thinking” and to help the client to work towards a more helpful schema.