Early on in my life I noticed those who had a spark and those that didn’t. To me it made a huge impact on the quality, joy and the way a person shared their unique gifts with the world. There was something engaging and magnetic about those with a spark that drew you to what they had to offer. Whether it be your high school English teacher, local hairdresser, delivery man or sales person.
This intrigue turned into my passion for helping those whose spark has dimmed and need a guiding hand to restore the natural spark they were born with.
Our bodies and minds are complex so there are plenty of places to get stuck. When I work with clients I start at the base with your biochemistry and daily patterns and declutter and build from there. Once you’ve got the foundations strong and stable you can go forth.
Hence I’d like you to meet Perri Curtis – brain pattern breaker and maker extraordinaire.
I’ve been working alongside Perri for the last 18 months and she’s a fabulous resource to help those who find that a pattern is difficult to break consciously.
I’ll get Perri to explain the rest…
How Does Your Brain Run Your Life?
Whatever is happening in the brain is happening in the body. We hear a lot these days about managing patterns like stress, depression and anxiety.
In actual fact everything we know such as how to think, feel or do has a pattern in the brain. These patterns are called “neural maps”.
Patterns may be unhelpful such as –
anxiety,
depression,
phobias,
pain,
smoking,
overeating,
poor sleep
Or helpful and desirable like –
creativity,
learning,
confidence,
performance at school/ work,
riding a bike
speaking a language
“Angela had severe anxiety and agoraphobia and couldn’t leave the house. Anxiety was cluttering up her life, draining all her energy and resources as she just coped to get through.
She came to me with five things on her list to fix. I said, ‘I’m going to treat the one thing that everything else is hinged on, and that’s anxiety.’
When I treated her anxiety, she got her energy back because having anxiety 24/7 sucks. You go to sleep with it in your face, wake up with it in your face, and all day long you’re trying to cope.
She had no interest in eating well or exercising or even having a bath to nurture herself. She was just living hour to hour to get through. I eliminated her anxiety brain pattern in a few sessions that had become locked in, through hypnotherapy.
Once that was cleared she had energy. Now her question is, ‘What can I do to feel good?’”
It’s interesting to know that our brain has created these patterns and so, is also capable of creating something different. This is where clinical hypnotherapy is a powerful tool and can be used to great advantage.
People often ask me, “What is the difference between psychology and clinical hypnotherapy?”
As a psychologist and clinical hypnotherapist with a background in neuroscience, it’s a good question!
The easy answer is that-
psychology deals with the conscious mind which is about our version of reality and keeping our patterns going.
clinical hypnotherapy deals with the subconscious mindwhich is about imagination and creation.
The subconscious mind is the Pattern Maker and the Pattern Breaker.
Traditional psychology is great for learning about ourselves and the origins of our version of “reality”. We can learn about our triggers for patterns of feeling, thinking, behaving and functioning, and create strategies to deal with them. But sometimes unfortunately we still get stuck in the pattern.
The subconscious mind, as the Pattern Maker-Pattern Breaker, does not differentiate between reality and imagination so when suggestions for change are made they are more readily accepted.
Any brain pattern is susceptible to change….and the aim in clinical hypnotherapy is to replace old unhelpful patterns and their neural maps with new ones that are helpful and desirable.
For example, in anxiety and depression,neural maps have been activated for a very long time in many patients and they get bigger and stronger the more they are activated.
So, in clinical hypnotherapy we don’t do lots of sessions that include lots of talking about the issue because that can actually activate a pattern and neural map further.
We simply do –
Sufficient investigation into a patient’s background to understand what the pattern is, how it may have begun, how their brain processes information best and identify what changes would be most desirable.
Then get the brain into a suggestible state which is like daydreaming or relaxing. This is what is called “hypnotic state”.
In fact, it is just a brain wave pattern. It’s the same one we are in when we relax, daydream, meditate, imagine an outfit when we’re online shopping or zoning out at the computer!
It’s a normal brain state that we experience every day. In this state called Alpha-Theta brain waves, the mind will create new patterns quite easily that can begin to be effective immediately.
So if your brain is running your life…What is running your brain?
If the answer is “old patterns” that don’t serve you, then take action and take back control!
Because when your brain changes…everything changes.
Emma strode into the café her eyes sparkled, positive energy exuded from every pore and filled the space around her like a radiant star. She had a zest for living that showed in the way she walked, sat, talked, smiled and laughed. It was infectious. I could feel other’s close by thinking, ‘I want what she’s got’. How do I get my spark back?
As I sat and heard Emma’s story, I quickly learnt it hadn’t always been that way. She’d been a bitch (her words!) and hard to be around in a marriage that had blocked her from pursuing her passion and purpose. Her husband just didn’t believe in what she wanted to do – alternative healing – and blocked her at every turn. After 5 years of not being her best self, the day came when she realised she couldn’t be the person he wanted her to be and be happy about it.
Once she got clear on what she wanted her life to have more of, she pursued it and her empowerment grew. A wise mentor had said ‘live the way you want to be happy, as long as nobody gets hurt, relationships will either fall away or adapt and get on board’. Unfortunately, her marriage didn’t adapt to her happiness changes and it fell away.
Emma said:” Looking back now, we were in two different worlds. In that environment I’d forgotten what it was like to feel good. What I’d learnt and had resonated with me over time, was in complete contradiction to what was happening in my marriage. It was like my soul was being ripped out. It’s even hard to go back and remember it all now, many years later.”
Lost your spark, feeling exhausted, worn out? Been through a rough patch and can barely peel yourself away from your doona, find yourself saying “I’ve Lost My Passion For Life?”
Reliving mental pictures of the old days, when you had energy, motivation, a sense of humour, optimism? Now there’s cynicism, exhaustion and feeling too tired for life. – “Lost My Passion For Life”
Libido’s crashed, living on caffeine and sugar, endlessly running the kids around and grinding out the hours at work, feeling like a hamster on a wheel.
Find yourself staring in the mirror saying “I need to find my spark again?”
Don’t lose hope your spark is smouldering somewhere deep inside.
And no it’s not because you’re old…it’s because you’ve stopped looking after you. Everything else came first and it’s time for an overhaul.
It’s time to ignite the flame!
Don’t worry your family, friends and work colleagues will thank you for it.
“Find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world.” – Oprah
Imagine bounding out of bed as the alarm goes off, you’re jumping out of your skin so exercise’s no problem and you’re ready for anything that comes your way.
I know I lost my spark in my late twenties, working crazy hours, disrespecting my body with crappy foods, little exercise and bad relationships.
I got that ‘hamster wheel feeling’ and knew things had to change because I wasn’t staying there! I had to find my spark again….and I did.
Now I look back I see the patterns, thoughts, actions and mindset that got me there. When you know better you do better.
“Don’t lose the spark that makes you….you” – CJ Peterson
Here’s six steps to finding your spark:
Step One: Clarity Is Central To Finding Your Spark
Take a moment to dream what you’d like your life to look like in five, ten or fiftenteen year’s time.
Make this an everyday practice.
Ahhh…. it feel delicious.
That’s the juice, that’s going to get you there through the ups and downs of life.
Now take stock of where you are now.
What’s three things that need to happen in next three months for you to move closer to your dream life?
Focus and consistency are the footsteps of clarity.
Let’s get walking my friend, to a spark filled life.
Step Two: Energy is Essential To Regaining Your Spark
Second stage of regaining your spark is energy.
Energy is foundational to everything.
It’s not just in your head, it’s in every cell of your body.
Having no energy is like being an inflatable toy that’s sprung a leak.
If you answered yes to any of the above, you will benefit greatly from seeing a naturopath. I can make a huge difference to unravelling the causes. CLICK HERE to book online to get it sorted.
Step Three: Rituals Are Key To Recreating The Spark In Your Life
Stop living off wishful thinking, life’s too short to hope and pray that the planets will align and you’ll be jumping out of your skin and motivated each day.
So, increase the odds by setting morning and evening rituals.
Soon your rituals will become just what you do and you can change and refine them over time.
Step Six: Empowerment Is The Glue To Finding And Keeping Your Spark
Self love equals self empowerment.
When you love yourself, you set standards for yourself and boundaries for others.
What does self love look like for you?
For me, it’s about taking care of myself by treating my body, mind and spirit like the gift they are?
I always say, the great leveller in life, “you come in with this body, you go out with this body, when it wears out so do you, so treat it with the respect it deserves.” – Julie Smethurst
If you find yourself thinking – “I have Lost My Passion For Life” You need help to find your spark.
I know it’s still there somewhere because you’re breathing…haha! CLICK HERE to book online to get started to finding your spark today at my Mt Martha office or via skype.
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re no longer willing to stay where you are.” – J.P Morgan
Much love Julie xx
(Naturopath, Life Coach, Pharmacist) Feeling Great Health Solutions, Mt Martha
