Do you know our brain is constantly changing?
As you gain a new skill you create new neurological pathways in the brain and once you have used that new pathway often enough it becomes a neurological superhighway! Athletes refer to this as muscle memory – they are essentially referring to the phenomenon where, after an extended period of detraining, muscle size and strength returns, endurance improves, they become faster etc.
Your mind can’t differentiate whether this new skill is a useful one or a detrimental one. The more the brain rehearses “the skill” the more it becomes a habit. Like it or not… This is one of the reasons why I am so adamant that my youngest does not keep rehearsing behaviours I don’t want her to learn! Children, like animals, are fantastic learning machines. They are, in fact, just like sponges….absorbing information, looking for stimulation and seeking opportunities to learn. If we don’t provide an environment where they can learn useful things they will learn by themselves. And usually this involves a whole range of things we don’t want them to!!
It’s important to recognise here that the mind does not discriminate or know anything different. Whether you would consider this new pathway a useful one or not so useful one is besides the point. The more you rehearse and use it, the stronger the pathway gets.
This can be the new habit of smoking or binge eating… Or it could be learning to use mind training tools to remain calm and in control… Or doing a number of pushups or squats or going outside when you’re craving a smoke or a drink or a piece of cake..
Whenever you do something new at first it won’t be easy. At least not the first few times!
But if it’s important enough you’ll keep doing it until you create a strong new neurological pathway…! And this is where the fun starts.
Hypnotherapy is so powerful with these things because the mind cannot differentiate between what’s real and what isn’t. By rehearsing and thinking about the new skill over and over again it’s just as if you are actually doing it in the real world whilst creating new neurological pathways! How amazing is this? Brain training while relaxing on the sofa!