But what exactly is willpower?  Where does it come from? Meditation

In clinical hypnosis and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), it is taught that what most people consider “willpower” actually lies in the subconscious mind. Beliefs, attitudes, and thinking patterns that we often repeat daily live in the subconscious; and if we change those beliefs and “frames” in our subconscious, we cannot help but change our behavior.

One of the frames that you may need to change first is the picture that you have in your mind of what you are capable of. Chances are good you are capable of much, much more than you tend to think.

It is as simple, and as complicated, as that. What most people typically think of as “willpower” is basically nothing more than self-coercion. This can be successful for a time, but if the foundation of subconscious beliefs that underlie the behaviors are not also changed, the self-coercion approach is unlikely to result in permanent change.

Hypnosis and NLP is a way to “short-cut” into your subconscious mind, and to look at the patterns that you hold there, and evaluate whether those patterns are “where you want them to be” or not. It’s not a magic trick or something that a hypnotherapist or NLP practitioner does “to” you – it’s something that you learn to do for yourself with their help. They help you to do this in a variety of ways, including through the use of:

• Guided imagery.
• Visualization.
• Goal setting and anchoring.
• Focusing on process.
• Positive thinking and replacement of the negative “tapes” we all tend to play in our minds about ourselves.
• Exploring and considering all the senses: hearing, feeling, movement, seeing, etc.
• Full goal exploration (e.g. “What will life be like after I reach my goal?” “What are the good things that will come as a result?” “What are the challenges?”)
• Plans for action. Thoughts are very powerful but so is actually doing something.
• Examination of patterns. Where did they come from? What patterns do you want to keep, or not keep?
• Developing your intuition.
• Examining the agreement (or lack of) between your conscious and subconscious mind.
• Suggestion (for instance, a therapist might suggest that you feel repelled at the sight of a cigarette, rather than attracted.)

Both hypnosis and NLP can make use of the concept of “anchoring.” This is done to help you instantly recall a desired state that is part of your subconscious mind, such as feeling full of “willpower,” and having no desire to smoke, overeat, etc. (or any other desired state.) Very often this “anchor” will be related to your physical body, (e.g. every time you cross your legs, you will feel stronger in your resolve to eat healthily, etc.) and usually the patient is well aware of the “anchoring” behavior that can be used to maintain willpower. Anchoring is also used to tie a pleasant memory or concept to something the patient tends to think of as unpleasant; such as instead of tensing up physically and suffering when the craving for a cigarette comes across you, you will instantly visualize a beautiful, calming – specific – scene.

Most people have been done a disservice when it comes to the understanding of what “willpower” is all about. It’s not a question of gritting our teeth and forcing ourselves when we want to, or need to, make changes in our life. It’s a question of accessing, over and over again if necessary, the power of our subconscious minds.

Hypnosis and NLP can give you the tools to easily do this, and many people learn the information they need in as little as one session. Once you do, you can bolster your “willpower” at any time, just by thinking and accessing the tools within. They have always been there, and they always will be.