The role of perspective

The question of whether math has been invented or discovered has been haunting philosophers and scientists for millennia. I’m not sure if you have ever been grappling with this question, and now, you may even wonder what it is about this philosophical problem, and why is it important to write about it in an article that should be about hypnotherapy?

You may even think that looking for the solution should remain with the philosophers. You may think that the answer does not have any practical implications, no direct impact on your day to day life. Well, some scientists e.g. Max Tegmark, would argue that at its deepest level our universe is purely mathematical. How does it work? That, I am afraid, is well beyond my understanding and capacity to even grapple with. Nonetheless, thinking about this very problem illuminated to me that maths does matter. Precisely, numbers do matter. And numbers are closer to us than we may appreciate it. But how does it relate to the subject of hypnosis and mindfulness? Well, let’s look into it.

I want you to take a moment to look at the following figures, and please bear in mind that this is a very rough estimation, I do not take a plethora of factors eg. physical exercise into account. The breath rate of an adult Westerner is anything between 12 to 20 breaths per minute. In fact, breath can reveal quite a lot about the physiological and psychological state of an individual, but let’s park that for another article.

Let’s assume that an average adult takes 20 breaths per minute, which gives us 1,200 breaths per hour, which is 28,800 per 24 hours. Okay, 28,800 a day times 30 days is mind-boggling 864,000 per month. This leads us to 10,368,000 breaths per year. With the life span expanding we live well into advanced age, an 80-years young person will take 829,440,000 breaths across their lifespan. Wow, isn’t it?

Ok, let’s think about heart rate now. Just stick with me for the moment and you will see where we go with all of this. Let’s say that for an average adult, an average BPM is about 80, this is 4,800 beats per hour, 115,200 beats per day, 3,456,000 beats per month, about 41,472,000 beats per year and 3,317,760,000 beats per lifetime. 

Now, let's connect the dots. How do the math and numbers relate to hypnotherapy, mindfulness meditation or maybe other types of therapy? I once saw an illustration. The illustration demonstrates a cat who appeared to be petrified by a shadow of a monstrous mouse cast on a wall. In fact, this shadow is cast by a group of four mice posing to achieve such an effect. The giant, monstrous mouse is therefore nothing else but a combination of acting, lighting and creative minds. 

Well, if the cat would have enough courage to cross the threshold, they would be able to see that. They would be able to see that a monster is a creation, an illusion. When you change a perspective you may see that there is no monster, there is a play of shadow and light, and the monster may exist only in shadow.

When you change the perspective you may let the monster go away, and there is only a small mouse that remains. Similarly, to this illustration, often, the monsters are products of our imaginations. Sometimes, these monsters get bigger over time. But they get only bigger because they are fed, and you may be the one who is feeding them. We go through life, attaching ourselves to the patterns, thoughts, actions, emotions and activities. Sometimes a change of perspective is what is needed to free yourself. And this is hypnotherapy.

Ok, so what does it have to do with these numbers then, you may rightly ask. Life is a journey, the way you interact with your environment and in fact, with yourself emerges and it is being created in every single moment. And every single moment happens only once. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought about what happened to a breath you took five minutes ago? What about the one you took two minutes ago? Can you predict specific qualities of breath you are going to take in two minutes? The point is, your future and your past, your thoughts, your feelings, your perception is being created in this very moment. 

And you are in charge, every single moment gives you the opportunity to change your perception. Start fresh. Every single moment is your opportunity to free yourself from monsters that might have been haunting you for a while. Every single moment is the new opportunity to start steering into the monster’s eye to discover that it is only a mirage, an illusion.

So whatever you are experiencing right now, whatever it is, anxious thoughts, low mood, phobias, lack of control over your life, fear of the unknown, maybe you want to quit smoking, have a better sleep or sex life. You have all the remaining breaths and heartbeats to change your perspective. Every breath you take can be a portal to your new life. The life you are longing for.

By changing your perception, you can virtually change your relationship with the world, people and fundamentally yourself. And of course, it may sound too optimistic to you, but all change starts with awareness. To change your perspective, you need to find out what your default mode is, what the lenses are that you use to look at the world.  

And hypnotherapy is a tool that enables you to do so. You may have read these words and thought, that’s not me. It can’t be that easy. I won’t be able to do it. Life throws plenty of challenges at us. We often find ourselves in a situation that may look as if there is no escape from them. And of course, it may be true for you to be in a situation that you can’t escape from, but you do not need to go alone on this path.

Hypnotherapy is an evidence-based, safe and effective therapeutic tool that enables you to discover a new perspective. A tool that gives you an opportunity to enjoy those millions of breaths, millions of heart beat free from suffering, free from monsters. A tool that gives you power over your perception.