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Free Your Mind - Hypnosis and Creativity
Though successful, David* felt he was not reaching his full potential as a graphic designer. His perfectionism, which in many ways was one of his greatest assets, was starting to interfere with his flow of ideas. He found himself criticising new designs before he could finish the first draft, and his work was becoming less enjoyable as well as less original. After listening for a few minutes, the hypnotist asked him to describe how he had felt while working on "the best piece of work you ever did". As he talked and then listened to the hypnotist, David found himself re-experiencing the heightened state of mind he had been in while executing his best work: vivid images appeared in his mind's eye, and he found it easy to manipulate and enhance them; his body felt light and balanced; an excitement he hadn't felt for months was surging through his veins; he had a strong sense of new creative possibilities opening up; and it was only when the hypnotist asked him that he realised that the familiar nagging voice of his "internal critic" had vanished.
While still in the trance state, David mentally rehearsed being able to re-access this "creative state" on his return to the office. He was also surprised to discover that he could have a constructive dialogue with his internal critic, who agreed to withold criticism until the initial creative work was over, and to present the criticism in a much more positive and supportive fashion. A week after the session David rang to say he had completed his latest project with much greater ease and enjoyment, as well as producing work of a higher standard.
David's case illustrates a truism about the creative process that seems so obvious it receives little attention: creative work is accomplished in a particular state of mind. When you are in such a state, you can create; when you're not, you can't. Although the multifaceted nature of creativity means that there is no standard "creative state", my work as a hypnotist with creative individuals from many different fields has enabled me to identify the following general characteristics of creative states of mind:
- Vivid
awareness of internal experience in the form of imagery,
sounds, emotions and
sensations.
- Focused concentration leading to an intense absorption in the work in progress.
- Ideodynamicism - ideas,
words and/or images "pop into" the mind
without conscious planning or effort. Traditionally referred to as
"inspiration", this process illustrates the crucial importance of
accessing unconscious sources of creativity.
- Pleasant
feelings and sensations
- such as curiosity, excitement, pleasure and
satisfaction.
Together,
these characteristics constitute a naturally occurring trance state;
all of them are present in David's description of his optimum working
state.
As anyone dedicated to creative expression will know, the frustration
of not being able to access such a state is only matched by the sense
of release experienced when the ideas start to flow again. Personal
state management is consequently of great importance to creative
professionals, and hypnosis is a powerful tool that can save them much
unnecessary and unproductive effort. Unfortunately it is also an
under-used tool, as for many people hypnosis is still associated with
stage entertainment and "mind control". Before elaborating on the
benefits of hypnosis, I would like to dispel a few of the myths that
surround it. Based on the work of the American hypnotherapist Milton
Erickson, modern hypnosis does not involve "surrendering control" to
the hypnotist, but is a collaborative interaction between two
individuals, in which the hypnotist's role is that of a facilitator,
not an instructor. As David's case illustrates, the emphasis is on
helping the client to achieve desired future goals, rather than looking
for problems in the past. Instead of losing consciousness, most clients
describe the experience in terms of expanded consciousness, as they
become more aware of their own internal creative processes. The trance
state itself is typically pleasantly relaxing, and clients emerge from
trance feeling refreshed.
Because they already make extensive use of naturally occurring trance
states in their work, creative professionals can benefit greatly from a
workout in the "imaginative gymnasium" provided by a skilled hypnotist.
By working with the unconscious as well as conscious mind, hypnosis can
enable an individual to make significant changes even in a single
session. The first step is usually to assist the client in re-accessing
his or her "best ever" performance state. The state can then be linked
to a "trigger" such as a word, image or gesture which can be used by
the client to re-access the state whenever he or she desires.
Once you have easier access to your own creative ability, the next
question becomes "How can I make this even better?". A hypnotist can
help you stretch your imagination by intensifying key elements of your
creative state. This may involve amplifying awareness of a "neglected
sense", to create a richer multisensory experience. For example, I
worked with an artist who was an excellent visualizer, but was less in
touch with his feelings; developing this aspect of his creative state
helped him add emotional depth to his paintings. Another client, a
writer, had an good ear for dialogue when creating characters, but very
little sense of what they looked like; trancework enabled her to
develop her visualisation skills and create more well-rounded
characters.
Integral to creative work, metaphor is used extensively as a vehicle
for change in hypnotic trancework, and can lead to some unexpected
solutions. Of course, David didn't really believe there was an internal
critic inside his head, but it was a useful fiction that enabled him to
organise his skills more effectively. Another useful ficton was
presented by an journalist client who said that his best ideas came
from "a sort of ideas generator" in his mind. By using trancework as an
opportunity to "turbo charge" the machine, he was able to come up with
good ideas more often. Metaphor is also useful in removing blocks to
creativity. Several of my clients have solved the problem of "coming up
against a brick wall" by using the trance state to either build a door
in the wall or climb over it with a ladder - and they found some very
interesting things on the other side.
Though hypnosis is very effective for solving problems, you don't need
to be "stuck" to benefit from this kind of work. Change and development
are the hallmarks of the truly creative individual, and are not simply
responses to problems. Hypnosis is a powerful catalyst for the
imagination, whether you want to improve the overall quality of your
work or generate ideas for a specific project. And I have yet to meet
an artist who didn't want to improve on past performance. As one client
put it, "I never get bored of surprising myself".
*Client's name changed to preserve anonymity.
Are you interested in experiencing more creative states of mind, or helping your team to be more creative? Ask Mark how coaching can help.
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Wishful Thinking is a coaching consultancy for creative professionals and the Creative Industries.
Based in London, Mark McGuinness works with individuals and companies across a wide range of media - including design, film, literature, advertising, music, acting, computer games, architecture, marketing, photography, fashion, TV and radio.
As a published poet with a track record of coaching and training for large and small organisations, I offer a unique blend of creative and business expertise. In addition to my coaching experience and professional qualifications I am nearing the end of a part-time MA in Creative and Media Enterprises at the University of Warwick.
Please ask if you'd like to discuss how I can help you realise your creative and commercial goals.