OUR INNATE DESIRE TO BE AUTHENTIC IS WHAT CREATES SYMPTOMS AND HABITS THAT GET OUR ATTENTION:
burn-out, anxiety, fight/flight, emotional eating/drinking, overworking, overwhelm
"There's a voice that doesn't use words. Listen." - Rumi
Those emotions, symptoms, and habits are messages from your mind and body inviting you to get curious and go deeper.
Here are a few reasons why:
From the ages of 0-12 we are observing the world through the lens of the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind takes everything literally, doesn't have a sense of humor, and becomes 90-95% of our operating system for our adult life.
The way we interpret events as a 0-12 year old is very different than how we would interpret those same events as an adult. We have a narrow view of the world, are dependent on the adults around us, and have little in our control. This interpretation is what creates our belief system, our habits, our go-to operating system for daily life.
I don't know about you, but I don't want 0-12-year-old me running the show! The thoughts, beliefs, and habits that were created need an upgrade in order for me to live my truest most authentic life.
“With hypnotherapy I was able to investigate the emotions and beliefs held by my subconscious. I got clarity in processing the connections between my actions and the emotions and beliefs behind them.
This left me with a feeling of unity within myself - like a reckoning between a deep cognitive dissonance. Like a peacefulness that comes after conflict resolution.
— Bonnie B.
My approach is varied and intuitive; a blend of insight and influences I've had along my journey.
Positive Psychology
The science of happiness and how to harness our strengths, resiliency, values, to create meaning and direction in your life.
I use an adaptation of the "broaden-and-build theory" developed by Barbara Fredrickson in my hypnosis sessions. It's an exploration of positive emotions to increase resiliency, creativity, and help process the residue of negative emotion.
The "Thought Model"
I spent several years learning from Brooke Castillo and deeply value CBT, the power of our conscious mind, and mindfulness. But if you've ever practiced an affirmation over and over again without success, you'll understand the need to go deeper.
Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT)
I trained in person with Marisa Peer to become a hypnotherapist and absolutely fell in love with the work of the subconscious mind.
So many of the beliefs we hold that help us function on a daily basis are completely outdated and hypnosis gives us the ability to update them.
and trauma defined
Irene Lyon & SBSM
My exposure to nervous system education with Irene Lyon has been life changing and thee work of Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing, and Kathy Kain have all forever changed the way I work with people, as individuals and my views of trauma.
SIBAM
I love Peter Levine’s SIBAM method: sensation, images, behavior, affect, and meaning.
“It’s not the traumatic event that happens, it’s what happens to us after – the patterns we create”.
-Peter Levine
It was revolutionary when I heard it’s not necessary to revisit trauma, nor is it necessary to work to heal everything single trauma. Healing is not linear.
The Feldenkrais Method
I've always loved yoga, and Feldenkrais just takes movement so much deeper. It's a powerful approach to improving your life through gentle, mindful movement to bring new awareness.
As my SE coach (who also teaches this) says, "you just get to be more of your self. Bringing more of your own uniqueness into the world by finding what’s authentic for you.”
Trauma Defined
(it's not what you think)
Trauma is anything that happened that was "too soon, too fast, too much" for the system to integrate and didn't receive resolution. If your parents discouraged showing emotion, if you fell off your bike and were immediately scooped up and told "you're ok", if you were ever told you're "too much", if your words or actions were ever shamed - these are examples of potential trauma locked in the body, which can create unique symptoms.
"Trauma is an unintegrated resource".
My Approach
I use guided visualization and subconscious exploration to reprogram and update outdated beliefs.
What's subconscious coaching?
I use hypnosis to visit thought and behavior patterns, examine subconscious beliefs and attitudes and invite your imagination to work with the sensations and patterns of emotion in the body – in the way that supports nervous system regulation through gentle investigation and resourcing. Every session is different, because every human is unique.
Memory Regression
I was trained to regress clients to the memory that created the unwanted symptom to get to the root of the issue.
What we're looking for is the inciting incident where two beliefs got linked that don't belong together. This could be linking being perfection with worthiness, for example. The two concepts aren't related, and cause problems when we think they are.
Once we've identified the root, we update those unwanted thought patterns in the subconscious mind, and incorporate how it all feels in the body.
NLP (neuro linguistic programming)
I create a personalized hypnotic recording with the information that gets revealed in our session. You listen to this recording for 21 days to solidify the new neural pathway you've created.
What if I don't like the sound of regression?
Some clients prefer to skip the regression all together. In this case, we don't do RTT and I utilize hypnosis, subconscious coaching tools, and work primarily with sensations and emotions in the body. Clients still experience relief from symptoms, long held beliefs get reprogrammed in the subconscious and they gain clarity and agency. Regression is not necessary.
What about spiritual bypassing?
Spiritual bypassing was coined by the late psychologist John Welwood as, "using spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional 'unfinished business', to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks (to become enlightened)".
My hypnotherapy sessions are not compensation for emotional or physical issues. Together we seek to live with the knowledge and the lessons, but not the limitations.
Most of my clients have done the tour: years of talk therapy, tried several modalities, and yet, they're still stuck and they're sick of talking about trauma. It's not about turning away from the dark; it's about looking at the light to understand the dark.
"Seeking holistic or "alternative" solutions is not spiritual bypassing. That's a varied approach to healing and it's smart."
- Danielle Laporte
"The session helped me see formative moments from my past. Moments that shaped my beliefs and behaviors around food.
Recognizing the source gave me the insight required to change my habits and temper my impulses in a way that previously required an unsustainable force of will. I no longer felt I needed to eat something simply because it was available.
The 2 sessions I completed sufficiently supported my struggles around food, but perhaps I would do a session in the future for a different issue."
- Becky
"When I first reached out to Jen, I was a mess. I felt depressed, fat and helpless.
During our initial consultation, Jen helped me to pinpoint my root cause, (confidence).
After the session, I definitely felt different; the change was instant for me! It was as if someone had turned the off button on my inner dialog.
Today, my inner dialog (or inner critic) remains silent and in its place is a kind and loving voice telling me that I’m great just the way I am.
I am starting to make changes in my life with ease and feel confident with who I am.
Hypnotherapy is absolutely amazing and Jen is wonderful to work with."
- Nora
I want to acknowledge and honour the indigenous lands where I work, play, create, and live, the traditional land referred to as Treaty 6 Territory encompassing the traditional territories of numerous First Nations, including the Cree and homeland of the Métis Nation. I pay respect to the Indigenous peoples who lived and continue to live in this territory and whose culture, practices and spirituality are tied to this land. I acknowledge our settler ancestry and the colonization that created oppression, suffering, and hardship for Indigenous Peoples for many generations.
As a white, heterosexual woman, I am committed to educating myself and investing in education about racial, systemic, discriminatory and social justice issues.
I also acknowledge this work is never complete. It is a lifelong journey of unlearning unconscious biases.
© 2021 JEN PILLIPOW All Rights Reserved
