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Exploring the Interplay of Negative Self-Talk, Self-Hypnosis, and De-hypnosis

Neuron

What is self-talk and where does it derive from?

Self-talk is a natural part of a human’s child development1 and has been proposed to have an important role in the self-regulation of cognition and behaviour in both childhood and adulthood2. Think of a young child. When they are building a tower with Duplo or making pancakes with an adult, they voice every move that they make, every action is paired with a vocal explanation of what they’re doing. “The blue block goes on the red block, then the green block goes on the yellow block”. This external dialogue occurs because young children have not yet developed the skill of internal speech.

As children grow, and their internal speech develops and cognitive abilities evolve, internalised thoughts extend beyond simple action narrations. Around the age of seven, critical thinking skills develop3. Children start to question and critique the information given by caregivers and others, leading to a more analytical form of self-talk.

The Development of Negative Self-Talk

The nature and extent of our internalised thoughts, which are significantly influenced by our environment starting from childhood, continue to evolve through various life changes as we age. Influential factors such as friendships, romantic relationships, workplace dynamics, health issues, and other significant life experiences have a profound impact on how we perceive ourselves and the conversations we have internally. Challenging relationships or high-stress work environments, for example, can lead to a more critical or negative self-dialogue. Similarly, both physical and mental health challenges can shape our self-talk, often skewing it towards negativity. As a result, our ongoing life experiences play a continuous role in shaping and molding the nature of our internal dialogue, leading to increased internalisation and, potentially, to more negative self-talk.

Understanding the Impact of Persistent Negative Self-Talk on Our Minds and Behaviours

Learning any new skill, including patterns of thought, involves repetition and neural adaptation. The brain’s neuroplasticity allows for the strengthening of neural connections through repeated patterns of thoughts or actions. Prolonged periods of negative self-talk, therefore, lead to deeply ingrained patterns of negative thinking. These patterns can become so automatic that we are often either unaware of the thoughts themselves, only recognising the emotions and behaviours they trigger, or our minds become so saturated with negativity that it’s challenging to pinpoint the specific thoughts and their origins. This pattern of internal dialogue, characterised by negative self-talk, has been linked to various psychological issues. Research indicates associations with negative affect4, anxiety4 6, psychological maladjustment4, psychological symptoms4, and dissociative traits such as lower self-esteem4, and loneliness4. Conversely, training in positive self-talk has shown significant beneficial effects, such as reducing depression in students with suicidal ideation11, enhancing self-esteem in children from Grades 4 to 712, and boosting self-confidence13.

What is the Connection Between Self-Talk and Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy serves as a transformative tool, which can be tailored to alter the nature of our self-talk, particularly when it is negative. It achieves this by systematically replacing detrimental thought patterns with more constructive and positive ones. Its efficacy lies in its ability to induce a heightened state of focus and attention in the individual, which simultaneously activates neuroplasticity and fosters a deep state of relaxation akin to sleep, yet with the individual remaining fully conscious. It is within this unique state that the ‘rewiring’ of thought processes occurs.

In cases of negative thinking, during hypnosis, the therapist introduces suggestions of positive counter-thoughts aimed at replacing the negative ones. The individual’s heightened state of attention during hypnosis enables a focused concentration on these suggestions, minimising distractions from both the external environment and other internal thoughts. The brain’s neuroplasticity responds to these internal rehearsals in the same manner as it would to real-life interactions. However, within the context of hypnosis, these modifications are more specifically targeted toward particular problem areas, thereby accelerating the process of change.

The state of deep rest experienced during hypnosis aids in memory and learning, which is crucial for the rewiring process. Research on sleep patterns has shown that Deep Sleep, or Stage 3 of the sleep cycle, plays a significant role in memory consolidation, learning, and the overall mechanisms of neural plasticity14. This stage of sleep is key for processing and solidifying the information we’ve gathered throughout the day.

Hypnosis is a focused form of therapy that triggers the key mechanisms responsible for synaptic wiring in the brain. The therapist possesses the expertise to craft suggestions, developed through discussion and agreement with the client. These suggestions lay the groundwork for what the brain needs to relearn, guiding the rewiring process.

Un-learning = De-hypnosis

The word ‘hypnosis’ is ususally associated with stage hypnosis in the sense that people get ‘hypnotised’ by the hypnotist to act in a particular way, usually a fake performance (influenced by pressures of social compliance, or simply a contract between the show and the contestant) that brings enjoyment to the audience. However, it is esstential we understand that hypnosis undertaken in most therapeutic settings (where the therapy being conducted is based on the scientific research) essentially undertakes the same process of neuroplasticity as if we are interacting with the external world. When we understand that hypnosis is neuroplasticity, we can understand that we are hypnotising ourselves all the time. Every time we repeat the ‘suggestion’ that “we’re not worth it” we are hypnotising ourselves to believe that we are not worth it.

De-hypnosis, therefore, is a term used to describe how most of us need to ‘un-learn’ what we have been hypnotised to believe (through our upbringing, our environment, our self-talk) before we can ‘re-learn’ a new pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

The Power of Self-Hypnosis

Understanding that our brain possesses the capacity for self-rewiring, and recognising that we continuously hypnotise ourselves through repetitive thoughts and actions, we can grasp the significance of hypnosis in expediting targeted neural changes in the brain. This awareness allows us to effectively harness the power of self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis is a technique where we initiate a hypnotic state on our own, usually without the help of a therapist. This process entails purposefully entering a state of deep concentration and relaxation, akin to what is experienced in guided hypnotherapy. By mastering methods to enhance our focus and relaxation, we have the ability to formulate and practice our own positive suggestions, thereby reshaping our thought processes.

Tips for beginners:

  1. For overall relaxation and improved focus, consider trying a body-scan meditation. You can easily find a variety of these on YouTube, the Calm app, or music apps like Spotify.
  2. Look for hypnosis sessions on these platforms that specifically target negative thinking. These might include positive affirmations focusing on self-worth, confidence, anxiety, etc.
  3. Explore mindfulness meditations designed to address negative thoughts. These meditations aim to increase your awareness of negative thinking and help you avoid attaching emotions to these thoughts.

I have employed various techniques, including therapeutic hypnosis, which have significantly altered my perspective on many aspects of my life. These include recognising and changing co-dependent behaviours, handling general anxiety, markedly decreasing my tendency to ruminate on past events, coming to terms with separation from family and friends, and managing stress. While I don’t always get it right and sometimes struggle to maintain consistent meditation and hypnosis practices, the years I’ve spent engaging in these disciplines has led to a deep understanding. I’ve learned that I can always fall back on these techniques during challenging times.

Achieving the ability to perform self-hypnosis is often the ultimate goal for therapeutic hypnotherapists, as it empowers their clients with self-efficacy. This skill enables clients to manage similar situations in the future independently, without a therapist’s assistance. However, like any skill, it requires practice. If you’re serious about mastering your mind, I highly recommend consulting a hypnotherapist and experiencing the process with a trained professional.

While practicing with videos and audio is beneficial, it’s important to remember that most psychological issues are not ‘general’ but multifaceted. A skilled therapist can help untangle the complexities of your thoughts and focus on specific areas for improvement.

In hypnotherapy, the responsibility lies with us, the client, to commit to change and do the necessary work outside the therapy sessions. Becoming proficient in hypnosis is neither a quick nor easy path; it demands time and dedication. However, once we have honed this skill, the potential for personal transformation is immense!

References:

  1. Geva S, Fernyhough, C. A Penny for Your Thoughts: Children’s Inner Speech and Its Neuro-Development. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019. Vol10. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01708. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.0170810.3389/fpsyg.2019.01708 ↩︎
  2. Alderson-Day B, Fernyhough C. Inner Speech: Development, Cognitive Functions, Phenomenology, and Neurobiology. Psychol Bull. 2015 Sep;141(5):931-65. doi: 10.1037/bul0000021. Epub 2015 May 25. PMID: 26011789; PMCID: PMC4538954. ↩︎
  3. Piaget, J. (1962). The stages of the intellectual development of the child. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 26(3), 120–128. ↩︎
  4. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  5. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  6. Kevin R. Ronan & Philip C. Kendall (1997) Self-talk in distressed youth: States-of-mind and content specificity, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26:4, 330-337, DOI: 10.1207/s15374424jccp2604_1 ↩︎
  7. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  8. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  9. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  10. Kamio, Y (2021) The Effects of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism on the Likelihood of Engaging in Positive vs. Negative Styles of Self-Talk. Manoa ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (https://www.proquest.com/openview/e548fcb8d7fcc7dd6f898c2154b87fef/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y) ↩︎
  11. Sabzipour M, Mousavi S, Shahsavari MR. Effect of Positive Self-Talk Training on Depression Alleviation in Students with Suicidal Ideation. Int. J. School. Health. 2023;10(2):62-68. doi: 10.30476/INTJSH.2023.98029.1289. ↩︎
  12. Burnett, P.C. Self-talk in upper elementary school children: Its relationship with irrational beliefs, self-esteem, and depression. J Rational-Emot Cognitive-Behav Ther 12, 181–188 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02354595 ↩︎
  13. Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis, Nikos Zourbanos, Sofia Mpoumpaki, Yannis Theodorakis, Mechanisms underlying the self-talk–performance relationship: The effects of motivational self-talk on self-confidence and anxiety, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 186-192, ISSN 1469-0292,
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