Consciousness Raising Hypnosis: Learning to Trust the Choices You Make
What on earth is Consciousness Raising Hypnosis? Consciousness Raising Hypnosis, or CRH, is a combination of Hypnosis and meditation techniques that are a result of over 30+ years of research and experimentation. It is as a result of my journey of searching for answers to the problems that came up in my personal life.
The Consciousness Raising comes from my study and practice of meditation starting with Transcendental Meditation (TM), and has progressed from there. My motivation for beginning meditation was a diagnosis of Epilepsy which would have resulted in a lifetime of dependence upon medication and a restriction from driving. As a result of six months of meditation practice, the doctor who diagnosed me retested me and declared the first test must have been wrong. Right!
The Hypnosis side of CRH comes from my training as a Hypnotherapist in the early 1980’s. I was interested in utilizing the technique to overcome unwanted habits. I became more personally motivated to use hypnosis and visualization when my son, 5 years old at the time, was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with the prognosis that he may never walk. The only relief was with mega doses of aspirin and that was tearing his stomach up. I could not accept this sentence for my son. Every night at bedtime I used relaxation and visualization techniques learned in hypnosis training as he was going to sleep. Six months later he was riding a new bike, and today he is serving our country in the prestigious Old Guard (Army) in Washington, DC.
My reason for stating these occurrences in my life is to prove that the utilization techniques can work for you, as they have for me. It is my experience that each and every one of us has far greater potential than we are aware of in our consciousness. Hypnosis has been around since the 1800’s and meditation even longer. The states of consciousness that one taps into are natural states. Science has proven the benefits of both.
No matter what circumstance or condition in your life that you want to change, it is my knowing through practicing that a positive effect can result. I am not stating that this is the cure all for all disorders or diseases; I can only speak with certainty on those things which I have experienced to be true.
When I was diagnosed with epilepsy, I was placed on Dilantin and took the meds while I pursued meditation training. When retested, I stopped taking the drug without reoccurring symptoms of attacks. I am not endorsing that anyone stop seeing a healthcare professional. What I am recommending is that in addition to your healthcare professional, you learn my technique, which will help you to choose the right adjunctive practitioner for you.
We become so busy with our external lives that we totally ignore our inner self. We make decisions based upon the opinions of others. However, this is not to say that we should not seek advice from experts in a given field of knowledge - that would be ridiculous at best. What CRH is about is learning the techniques to go within your own consciousness to determine the best way for you. You need to be the final say in your life. You need to be free to pursue your own destiny. You need to trust that inner guidance. When you do, you will be more at peace, more focused and confident, and perhaps more abundant and healthy.
It is so simple; I, like millions of others, overlooked it. This reminds me of the following story:
A story told in India concerns an argument among the gods as to where to hide the secret of life so that men and women cannot find it. “Bury it under a mountain,” one god suggested. “They'll never find it there.”
“No,” the others countered. “One day they will find a way to dig up the mountain and uncover the secret of life.”
“Put it in the depths of the deepest ocean,” another suggested. “It will be safe there.”
“No,” said the others. “Someday humankind will find a way to travel to the depths of the ocean and will find it.”
“Put it inside them,” another god said. “They'll never think of looking for it there.” All the gods agreed, and so it is said the gods hid the secret of life within us.
(Retold in Awakening at Midlife: Realizing Your Potential for Growth and Change (Riverhead books, 1996) Kathleen A. Brehony.
Rev. Robert Resewehr is the owner of Simply Wellness, located at 24710 Washington Ave., Murrieta, CA 92562. He is a Certified Hypnotherapist, Meditation Instructor, holder of Masters Degrees in Counseling and Special Education, and credentialed for life as a non-denominational minister. His private practice is by appointment only. Call (951) 764-1668 for further information.