Both hypnosis and flow embody the notion of opening up a channel with the subconscious whilst giving little importance to the conscious interference. Both make the notion of time seem irrelevant, with many people reporting time either slowing down or going by in a flash. Both states help us stay in the now, the present and be consumed in nothing but the moment. The body is fully capable during both flow and hypnosis, in fact more so, we do things that we would never deem possible when the conscious brain is in charge. In both flow and hypnosis the noise of the conscious brain and ego seem to be very small or non-existent, and a we are bake to access parts of our mind, body or performances in seconds that can otherwise take years when in control of the conscious. With so much in common it is a wonder why so few performers and athletes have cottoned on to the power of hypnosis.
Often people have a negative perception of hypnosis due to the tv programmes where people make other people do stupid things in front of the masses, leading many people to think that it is a dangerous and misguided technique, that gives control of our minds to others. However nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnosis allows us to experience, understand and get to know our subconscious through various trance states. During most hypnotic trance states the conscious is completely aware of what is going on, we only stay in hypnosis by the conscious continuously allowing the process to take place. As soon as the conscious has had enough, we step out of trance, just as we step out of flow. Hypnosis can help us communicate with our deeper levels, such as our belief and value levels or competencies, which may take months or years of work otherwise. Which is why hypnosis can be used to help people stop smoking, loose weight or stop addictions, if we allow the learning to integrate with the subconscious. Hypnosis just as flow can be used as a powerful to tool, to do what we want to do.
So it would make sense to see hypnosis and trance states as a possible entry point or method for helping us achieve flow. Ultimately what we want is to design our own self hypnotic flow sequence with a professional that we shorten over time, to a short enough practice that we can use during competition or our performances. We can start practicing right now if we want. There are many different states of hypnosis, trance and flow, which we can experience at different depths. The more we practice at any depth, the more the mind and body get used to feeling its connection to each other without the interference of the conscious mind, and the higher the chance we have for flow.
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