Redefining Responsibility Through Hypnotherapy
Trauma is a trickster, able to distort how we see ourselves and others. One of the metaphors I find useful in describing the illusions trauma creates is a fun house. Each mirror reflects back whoever stands in front of it, but it is distorted, sometimes making us look like interesting shapes.
We know from an outside perspective, that the mirror is distorting how the person really looks. However, if that person has only ever looked in that mirror to see themselves, they may believe the image or idea reflecting back is their truth.
There are an endless amount of ideas trauma is able to distort, but one of the most overlapping in healing sessions is the idea of responsibility.
Healing responsibility can look like taking responsibility for one’s self, removing the responsibility from oneself, or removing responsibility from both parties. It can be given to us directly by someone else or a group and we believe it, such as you should feel this way because of x, y, z.
Other times, we may unconsciously take on responsibility when someone energetically projects their own feelings onto us and we interpret that as something we should be responsible for.
However, sometimes it is necessary to take responsibility. This can happen when clients believe the circumstance causing them stress is completely out of their control, when it is in fact not, leading to feelings like anxiety and depression. It can also happen when the client struggles with setting boundaries.
It is common in hypnotherapy to release unnecessary responsibility through a regression. Most likely, the client will be taken back to the start of the issue and asked to examine the scenario from an outside perspective using the knowledge they have acquired during their life.
Regressions are used to bypass the thinking mind so the client can accurately view the memory without the criticism of the thinking mind as they remember it. They are able to see who else was involved and what state the other person was in if they were projecting.
If boundaries are involved, it is possible the client is able to see why they are allowing the boundary to be crossed and possibly why the other person is crossing it.
Either way, if another party is involved, a conversation is to take place where the client states their truth. This is not only done in the mind’s eye to the other person, but also to the client themselves, creating a space to be heard.
If the client needs to take responsibility, hypnotherapy can help the client shift their perspective by allowing them to focus on what is in their control and what is actually their responsibilities to carry.
Responsibility can feel scary, especially when we fear what might happen if we do accept it. Hypnotherapy empowers the client to want to take responsibility by helping them overcome fear and understand they are worthy and able to make this decision.
It can also feel scary to release what is no longer serving us when that part has been a part of our perceived identity, almost as a friend.
Yet, it’s important to note how exciting it is to finally gain relief and strength within circumstances that have been a cloud over our heads.
Through hypnotherapy, clients have the possibility to gain new perspectives as the hypnotherapist helps them identify and remove blocks so the client can finally leave the funhouse and see clearly.