Fear of Change

find that the fear of CHANGE is a very common phenomena not with just our clients, but within every human being. It may not be recognizable until we seek to make some change in our habits, or face some transitional period in our lives.
I believe it is necessary to address these fears when working with clients. This is why, once the intake is completed, before doing any "reprogramming" with my client, I start with a process that helps the mind seek out any imprints that might block the client from their goal. The method allows change to be more appropriate to what the client needs, and less likelihood of meeting resistance, from the deeper mind, to that change. During hypnosis, from that point on, almost always I include suggestions, during hypnosis, that encourage the client to be released from the past, and to move forward. I remind them that change is easy and pleasant, and that they have the courage for it (and the courage to let go of any blocks or resistance to that changing).

The image I often give my clients, who are in the midst of transition, is the "playpen." A person can have outgrown their playpen long ago, it is very messy and unclean, it is painful to stay in, the toys are all broken, etc. When there is a breakthrough for that person, it is as if the "playpen sides" come down. The person is left facing a vast and unfamiliar territory. At that point, they have a choice of launching out into that unknown place, going on an adventure of discovery, and redefining themselves in the midst of that change (or changes), or of quickly pulling up the sides of the playpen again.

Or, one could use the image of a being in a prison cell. Suddenly the prisoner finds the door to the cell has been left unlocked. They venture out, and eventually leave the prison altogether; or they become a prisoner again by returning to their cell and closing the door on their fears. For, to them, venturing forth seems far more terrifying than the trouble than they already experienced in the confinement. This has nothing to do with whether the prisoner is aware of this at a conscious level.

This is because each of us lives in a particular comfort zone that we've created for ourselves. Even if it is painful or messy, some of us prefer staying in it, rather than dealing with expansion of that zone. Although it can be rather uncomfortable and scary, it is the key to real growth. And it is the key to whether a client coming to you for assistance will actually want, at a deeper level, the healing they desire at a conscious level. There is very little a therapist can do if a person doesn't really want that change--consciously or unconsciously.

Jesus, the great teacher, now and then, asked a person in obvious need, "Do you want to be healed?" This seems like a rather strange question to ask someone who is in obvious need of healing! Even stranger, he sometimes healed people without asking the question at all. For instance, he asked it of the paralyzed man who had been lying by the pool for 30 years. The man was waiting for an angel to come along and stir the waters so he could be carried down into them for healing. He'd been waiting for most of those 30 years, it seems, but no one carried him down. Then, along comes this guy who asks the seemingly idiotic question, "Do you want to be healed?" Think about it, though. If the paralyzed man is healed, then he probably will have to go to work, or take on some other responsibility that he hasn't had to do before. He'll have to go out into the environment beyond his little mat. Besides, he has been defined, for 30 years, by his own illness. What will he talk about with his friends? People will be less sympathetic; and they'll expect more of him. Where will his excuses be now for not going out on that date? Everything will change. So, perhaps Jesus' question is really not so strange, when you think about it.

Sometimes guilt and the need for forgiveness (either to self or to others) are major blocks to healing. There may be other issues whose sources lie in the past or are being struggled with currently, of which the therapist is unaware. These, too, must be addressed in some way. However, the client may not have come to the therapist to have those issues tackled in any direct way. Yet they may block the person from meeting their particular goals or dreams.

For these reasons, and for lasting healing, I believe it is very important to deal with the changing of causal imprints before tackling an issue head-on.

My GREAT ESCAPES scripts, and my recording, NEW BEGINNINGS, are designed with this in mind. They are specifically for those who are in the midst of change, and who may be totally unaware of what blocks them from that changing. This includes their own fear of change, itself. They cover these areas, as well as giving positive suggestions for happiness and success in the future.