Different Layers of Consciousness
Hypnosis is a fascinating topic and I am full of it because I am
just finishing an eight week course in becoming a certified
hypnotherapist. The average person [should we ever find her] is fairly ignorant of the actual qualities of hypnotic states.
My own way of describing it is in the context of ‘mobility of
consciousness’. The idea is that we can move around in our own
consciousness to various different layers. And each layer has different
strengths and weaknesses. Each layer has access to different resources
and opportunities.
In casual conversation we have figured out about four different
layers of consciousness that every human visits almost every day. The
sleep state, the normal waking state, meditation, and self-induced
alpha states (hypnosis). There are undoubtedly many more and a whole
discipline could be devoted to investigating this.
The reason I took this course is that I believe that hypnosis is the
discipline that focuses most directly on consciously changing the state
of consciousness you are in for particular purposes. Where else do we
find this expertise in our society? [everywhere actually, I am thinking of barbers, dentists and entertainers for a start, not to mention a much older profession ;]
We
have the ability to move in our state of consciousness to the location
that is most suitable for what we want to accomplish. For instance,
there is nothing like the normal waking state for noticing and appreciating the richness of our experiences in this physical dimension.
On the other hand the dream state is extraordinary in the
range of realities and experiences we can access. The possibilities go
way beyond physical reality because in our dreams we are not nearly so
attached to the limitations we have chosen for this dimension.
The downside is that dreams do not seem to have any dependable
relationship with what’s happening in our outer lives. Dreams are so
free of structural restrictions that they are pretty far removed from
the everyday realities we face when we are awake.
Meditation is a wonderful trance state we can all learn to
enter at will. It is typified by very healing acceptance of self and at
least temporary release of many unnecessary tensions and attachments.
The issue here is that this is not a place to exert one’s decisiveness
in service of one’s intentions. Meditation is all about acceptance and
allowance, not choices and action.
A profoundly powerful layer of consciousness accessible to us all, is a self-induced hypnotic trance.
The power of this state is that we are able to talk directly to the
sub- or neo-conscious. Suggestions we make to ourselves in these states
are gobbled up by the subjective awareness and transferred to our
reality creation mechanisms immediately. The only downside here is 'do not operate heavy machinery' while in these states.
- - - - -
What this means is that if we want to say affirmations to ourselves
in the normal waking state, that may produce some results
eventually. But if we want to really mainline a suggestion into the
neo-conscious, we should put ourselves into an auto-hypnotic state.
Likewise if we want to relax and allow stuff and rejuvenate
ourselves, a meditative state is ideal. Whereas if we want to assess a
situation, make some careful observations and then some choices, we
should be in the normal waking state. This is where our ego is most
focused on the outer experience of life in this dimension.
Eventually I see a time when
every family will have not only a healer, but also a specialist in the
mobility of consciousness, perhaps one and the same. The potential that
is revealed when we discover that different energetic expressions at
different layers of consciousness produce different results in our
reality, is quite ‘beyond the beyond’.
[when will mathematicians and physicists allow consciousness into their equations?]