How powerful is the subconscious mind?
Very powerful.
Perhaps the best-known study on the effectiveness of using the subconscious mind vs. the conscious mind alone, to support healing and recovery was conducted by Dr. Alfred Barrios. It was a peer-reviewed paper with some impressive findings. He looked specifically at the use of hypnosis vs. psychological treatment. The study was a review of over 2000 journal articles. Dr. Barrios looked at studies comparing outcomes of traditional talk-based therapy vs. therapy using the subconscious mind:
Type of Therapy Recovery % # of Sessions
Therapy with hypnosis 93% 6
Behavioral Therapy 72% 22
Analytical Therapy 38% 600
It is important to recognize that these findings should be interpreted carefully. These numbers represent statistical averages and that each individual seeking help is unique. “Recovery” is also defined differently by different people. Nevertheless, the implications of Dr. Barrios’ study are dramatic when we consider the power of our subconscious mind.
It’s compelling to consider this data along with newer studies that have looked at using hypnotic suggestion for other types of therapy such as brain injury recovery.
In a study published in 2017, 68 participants showed moderate to significant gains. It was a randomized control trial, and the participant scores on memory tests went from being in the impaired range to being in the average or above average range after only a handful of sessions. Participants had only ONLY 4-8 sessions, and they found a treatment effect (showing significantly improved memory scores) after ONLY 1-2 sessions.
The author of that study has compiled a great list of other articles related to hypnotic suggestion and brain injury, here. There was another recent study published in July 2018 by Chandra Irawan, and colleagues, that looked at combining hypnotic suggestion with folks who were recovering from a stroke. This study paired hypnotic suggestion with arm exercises. 32 patients, in acute rehabilitation, had sessions (2x a day for 3 days). The 16 clients who had their exercises paired with hypnotic suggestion had statistically significant improvement in their arm movement as compared with the other 16 clients whom had exercise alone.
These studies do not mean that accessing the subconscious mind cures neurological injury; however, they do speak to how powerful our subconscious mind is in promoting healing, and change.
How else do you work with the mind?
Our Vital Mind approach helps build your cognitive reserves, improve your attention, enhance memory, support you to read with more efficiency and retention, and overall optimize your brain.
We use individualized methods such as:
-S.M.A.R.T. goals to meet your needs
-Specific & customized strategies to enhance functional tasks related to attention, memory, reading and integrating information
-Organizational tools that we know work and help with pacing prioritizing achieving success
-Metacognitive strategies to help you achieve and integrate success and understand why
We use the 3 keys to neuroplascity (brain change):
1) Support the nervous system to work successfully (between the parasympathetic and sympathetic triggers)
2) Challenge the system, progressively, yet within the safe zone
3) Have you reach success and then practice success over and over until success is the brain’s norm