Reaching Self-Actualization Through Hypnosis

One of the first things I learned about back in Psych 101 was self-actualization in Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you're unfamiliar, I'll start off by saying that Maslow was not the first psychologist to present the idea of self-actualization... The credit for coining the term goes to Kurt Goldstein, a Jewish Refugee from Hitler's terror in Europe. Goldstein had been a significant name in psychiatry before immigrating to the United States early in the Second World War, but when Hitler came to power in 1933, Goldstein was unceremoniously evicted from the country with a warning to not return.

He coined the term "self-actualization" in his book The Organism, and identified it as the "tendency of an organism to actualize itself". (Goldstein, 1939, pg 167)

According to Goldstein, self-actualization is the balance one should strive for, to actualize their potential in every moment.

Now, Maslow, on the other hand, identified self-actualization as a kind of end-goal, something one must strive for in his proposed Hierarchy of Needs.

According to Maslow, one must reach fulfillment of the earlier stages of the hierarchy (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem), before one can reach self-actualization.

So, for today, I propose we stick to the understanding of self-actualization from Goldstein's lens.

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Now that I've explained what I mean by "self-actualization", let's get into the meat of the thing that you came here for.

How can hypnosis help you reach self-actualization?

What I mean by "actualize" here, when I say "self-actualization", I mean that you have potential.

You have potential, every minute, to be the best "you" you can be.

What "best" looks like is extremely subjective, because that can range from "quitting smoking" to "Enjoying a really good piece of cake with full participation in the moment, being completely mindful." Every single moment, you are confronted with choices.

I'm sure you know what I mean, how every action you take, every word you say, all of that is active choice.

We are constantly making choices - choices that we know about, and choices that we're not aware of - because so much of that happens in the subconscious mind.

And that's where hypnosis comes in.

Now, the subconscious mind - while seeming so differentiated from the conscious mind - is really just the conscious mind without the filter of consciousness.

You don't actually have two minds, one conscious and one sub-conscious mind, both trying to do their own thing. Your mind is 100% complete, before, after, and during hypnosis.

But - there are parts of the mind we don't access when we're conscious.

Your consciousness can ony handle so much at once, but your mind can do so much more.

According to George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who studied the working memory and how the brain processes information, one's consciousness can only hold and process between five to nine "chunks" of information at a time (Miller, 1956).

In fact, some readers may know of this theory from the known "seven plus or minus two" hypnotic induction technique.

However, the brain can process and hold an almost incalculable amount of data. So much more than the "maximum" nine chunks.

So where is all of that "brainpower" going? What's it being used for?

Well, that's the subconscious mind right there.

Can you imagine if every single second, your conscious mind told you what surface you were standing on?

If every second, your mind gave you the entire ocean of information your eyes really bring to your brain?

Your consciousness only can focus on so much, and the rest of the brain sorts through everything else, determining what is important for recollection (working/short term/long term) and what is not.

So...

How does this all tie in to actualization?

And how can hypnosis help?

Imagine this: You have an untapped well of information about yourself just hiding behind your conscious mind.

Now imagine being able to open up that well, reach in with a pail, and get clear, clean water, clear, clean information about what you want, what you desire...

Hypnosis can help you actualize moments.

It can help you find the right headspace to fulfill your potential in each moment, to be the best "you" you can be.

There are many ways this can happen, but for a quick example...

Imagine a smoker who chooses consciously to quit. There is something conscious that has decided to quit... but the subconscious mind, the parts of the mind that work underneath the consciousness, that is still addicted and wants the smoke.

Hypnosis can help by reaching into that mind, finding what is making it difficult to stop, and find a resolution that will help the person reach their conscious goals.

And... to go back to the earlier example of enjoying a cake wholeheartedly...

Well, you can enjoy food without self-judgement, if you release your subconscious mind from where it's trapped, wanting to perpetuate the cycles it learned through exposure to certain mindsets.

It's all about finding that connection in the subconscious mind to help you reach your absolute potential, in every single moment.