If you are ready to make a change in your eating habits, workout routine, motivation, substance abuse, smoking habits, parenting habits, or any other thing, hypnotherapy can move your item into the Not Box.

I read an article on changing habits that discussed change as moving an item from “I can’t” to “I don’t.”

I don’t, in hypnosis terms, is the “not box.” It’s where things simply are not. It’s the place in subconscious mind where things you would never do, but have heard of, exist. I might ask if you would punch a baby or rob an old lady, and you would [hopefully] said “no, never.” That’s your Not Box.

I can’t, on the other hand, is everything you feel you should not do, but definitely would or might do. This is still in the realm of possibility, so it is still in Yes. “Yes, I would,” and “Yes, I might” exist in the same plane of the subconscious.

If you want to change a habit, the item needs to move from Yes to to the Not Box. It needs to get out of the realm of possibility and become something you simply don’t do.

For example: If you want to quit smoking, I could ask if you would ever smoke and – because it’s not nearly so horrendous as punching a baby – you might say “yes, I might, but I don’t want to.” My job, then, would be to move the act of smoking from the Yes plane to the Not Box. A person who never took up smoking, like me, would simply say, “No, I don’t smoke.” A person who quit smoking and plans to never return to smoking will respond, “No, I don’t smoke anymore.”

If you are a person who has quit drinking, if I offered you a cocktail, you’d say “No thanks, I don’t drink.” Exactly the same, is the response of a vegan when offered a steak, “No thanks, I don’t eat meat.”

Having something in the Not Box makes it so “I don’t” is a natural response without any emotional connection attached. If there is fear of use, it is still in the plane of Yes because it is still attached to “I might” or “I know I shouldn’t.” That is the mark of unfinished work. There is no interest in something you simply don’t do. If you offer me a cigarette, I simply say “no thanks” but am neither offended or tempted as it is something that merely holds no interest for me.

If you are ready to make a change, call today. 954-612-9553

Autumn Hahn is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist practicing at Clear Mind Group in Weston, Florida. Call 954-612-9553 for a consultation. Follow Autumn on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Sign up for the e-newsletter HERE.