The language of the limbic system (or unconscious mind) is solely imagery, symbolism and imagination. Language which we speak and read is exclusively the domain of the intellect and cognition.
Imagery for relaxation
The client’s limbic system (or paleomammalian brain) is the primitive structure at the centre of the brain which is designed to allow the human organism to handle stress, on the one hand, yet also resolve it, on the other. Every human being, consequently, has the facility to access the seat of his/her personal stress and trauma in a relaxed state of mind yet also the creative and imaginative capacity to resolve any dilemma.
The role of hypnotherapy in the therapeutic equation, therefore, will be important when communicating with the client’s unconscious mind. From the vantage point of relaxation, the client can investigate his/her psychological stress and trauma because the limbic system requires a calm persona in which to work most effectively. The practitioner will, consequently, utilise imagery which will stimulate the client’s unconscious processes. The client, by this means, can employ the services of his/her own mind in order to bring about therapeutic healing.
The client, for instance, may be invited by the practitioner to imagine a restful image, such as a peaceful desert island, a beautiful landscape or a clear blue sky on a summer’s day. Images of a thunderstorm, a battle-ridden scene or a fierce inferno, on the other hand, will not evoke relaxation in the client – imagery often evoked on a daily basis by many people. The practitioner, by working in this way, will be allowing the client to access his/her own unconscious mind in a beneficial manner. And this methodology, moreover, is widely employed in meditative and relaxation practice.
Can you conjure up for yourself some imagery which will allow you to rest and relax and to induce a feeling of calm?
Can you limit or even eradicate non-restful thoughts from your mind?
How frequently do you put pressure on yourself by adopting stimulating rather than relaxing imagery?
Imagery for therapeutic healing
Another facet of unconscious language is the use of symbolic imagery which can assist the client with his/her distress and suffering.
The client, for instance, may be helped by employing metaphorical imagery during the therapeutic process. Or the client may utilise a metaphor or may imagine a scene in which he/he effects a self-rescue scenario.
Symbolic imagery may also be usefully employed in the therapeutic context by the client in order to make realisations about himself/herself and his/her life.
Can you perhaps see yourself as an animal, a creature or a mythical being?
Can you identify and relate to a well-known figure in the public eye?
How would you describe yourself in terms of symbolic imagery?
Let’s take an example …
A client sought therapy because she was beset by being unable to complete any projects which she had started. The client listed a whole catalogue of unfinished projects, such as abandoned knitting work, failing to make enough effort in order to find a new job and only half decorating some of the rooms in her flat.
During therapy the client discovered that her mother had a similar tendency to start numerous important assignments and then simply to abandoned them. This gave the client, in consequence, a feeling of being totally unsettled and confused in her childhood.
The client was then asked by the practitioner to imagine her dilemma in pictorial terms. The client reported that she saw herself as a kestrel which hovered but never actually swooped to earth. The client was then invited to find an imaginative way of resolving her dilemma and she chose to show her mother the various incomplete projects which she had begun but had failed to finish. The client now imagined making her mother realise the extent of the damage which she had inflicted on her daughter and to make an apology for this injustice.
The client was thus able to relinquish her unwanted and unhelpful behaviour with therapeutic investigation which utilised imagery via her imagination in order to resolve her long-term dilemma.
Help from a JMHT practitioner
If you wish to overcome your psychological pain, then please visit the “Find a Practitioner” page on the JMHT website (www.jmhypnotraining.co.uk). All JMHT practitioners have undertaken their own personal therapeutic investigation and, therefore, are ideally placed to assist the client with root-cause analysis and resolution.
Jacquelyne Morison
Jacquelyne Morison Hypnotherapy Training