Theseus and the Minotaur
In the story of the Minotaur and the labyrinth the great hero, Theseus, volunteers to slay the beast. Theseus takes the place of one of the youths to be sacrificed to the Minotaur and sets off.
On his arrival in Crete, King Minos' daughter, Airadne, out of love for Theseus, gave him a ball of string so he could find his way out. That night, Ariadne escorted Theseus to the Labyrinth, and Theseus promised that if he returned from the Labyrinth he would take Ariadne with him. Motivated by his love for Ariadne and his commitment to playing the role of hero within his own life he ventures to face the unknown.
As Theseus enters the Labyrinth, he ties one end of the ball of string to the door post and brandishes the sword which he had kept hidden from the guards inside his tunic. Theseus followed Daedalus' instructions given to Ariadne; go forwards, always down and never left or right.
Theseus came to the heart of the Labyrinth and face to face with the Minotaur.
Knowing that more than his own life rests on his success, he has only one option, success. A tremendous fight occurs; Theseus overpowers the Minotaur with his strength and vanquishes his enemy.
Camera obscura: The dark chamber
Overcoming our personal obstacles or “facing the Minotaur” at the heart of our inner depths may be one of the most daunting tasks a person ever tackles, it may also be one of the most important to your personal success and possibly the most profoundly rewarding experience you have as a human being.
These uncertain economic times should be a siren call to self reflection for anyone wanting to create greater successes in their life. With the demise of the business as usual model it has become increasingly important that we become clear about who we are, where we want to go and what tools we need to get there.
True success has to include balance in your emotional and mental health. If your journey to the fulfilling life you seek doesn’t include identifying and dealing with those challenges that lie on the subconscious level, you can expect to find yourself playing out the same patterns indefinitely.
In my practice as a therapist I have tended towards a results oriented approach; clients often have little patience for drawn out processes that eat up resources of both time and money.
It’s here that hypnosis shows itself for the dynamic tool that it is; few other therapies have the ability to get to the core of our blocks “the dark chamber” so quickly and affect permanent and lasting resolution so successfully.
Nosce te ipsum: Know thy self
The motto “know thy self” suddenly has become of paramount importance, only those who do, will be in the position to reap the rewards of true success. Thinking we can get by with half measures simply won’t do in a highly competitive market where next the individual has made commitments to their success you haven’t even thought about yet.
To really achieve at the highest level you are going to have to know what your blocks to success are, what’s been holding you back from achieving the life you want to live? Identifying the root causes that are holding us back can be tricky, often times a behavior is only a symptom masking what lies at the heart of an internal struggle.
Delving deeply into the unconscious mind is the territory of hypnotherapy; no other tool allows us such rapport with this level of mind. As the unconscious is the store house for all experiences, it makes most sense to go directly to the source.
Vi et anime: With heart and soul
It’s Theseus’s commitment to the ideal of playing the hero within his own life that gives him the internal strength to face the unknown and overcome his fears. In the myth, Theseus must journey to the heart of the labyrinth to free that which has been imprisoned, and slay the Minotaur, only then can he be free to enjoy the love of Ariadne.
Commitment to your dreams demands you sacrifice your fears on the altar of success. Whether we are talking about personal or professional success, we have to ask ourselves “can I really afford to hold on to that which holds me back?” If you are not clear about this point let me put it this way “are you going to choose your fears over your happiness and success” don’t forget, as in the story your choice doesn’t affect only you.
Fidens sum licens: Without fear I am free
As we approach the core, we hear the Minotaur’s roar; anxiety sets in as shadows dance in the dim light of our interior world. We ask ourselves “what am I up against?” the same old repertoire of tricks that have kept us hamstrung for years begin their show.
The nature of fear is to keep us safe from that which may harm us. Your subconscious mind may have adopted fear tactics in response to negatively perceived experiences in your past; what do we do when it’s our fears that are keeping us from living up to our full potential?
Overcoming our obstacles isn’t as difficult as some would have you believe; the real difficulty is in seeing through the fear and making the decision to take action. The antidote to fear is, courage, all you need do is summon enough courage to ask for help.
Dux ducis: The guide
This is where an experienced guide comes in, with the knowledge of the labyrinth we can navigate safely to the core, accomplish our goals and be freed from our limitations.
Daedalus, gives us very clear instruction in how to find the heart of the issue “always down, never left, never right, straight down to the heart of the labyrinth” Clearly we are being told not to get sidetracked from the task.
One client of mine, Conrad, has struggled with low self esteem and social anxiety since childhood, yet he’s outwardly successful in sales and makes a six figure income. Conrad’s coping mechanism was to drink excessively in order to stave off the feelings inside.
As I led Conrad down into that comfortable place found in trance, his conscious mind made way like a gate keeper, opening the path before us into deeper realms. Asking the unconscious mind to take us to the root of the problem, Conrad finds himself reliving his first day of school.
In a low quite voice Conrad recounts the events and emotions surrounding being separated from his mother and thrust into an unknown environment. Separation anxiety and abject fear had become etched into Conrad’s psyche.
Here we have arrived at the heart of the labyrinth; what to our developed consciousness is just another scenario faced on any given day, becomes to the underdeveloped consciousness of the child the lynch pin for a life of daily internal torment. The Minotaur now becomes the protector, guarding our deepest wounds.
While Conrad is still deep within a hypnotic trance I ask him if he is ready to let go of these painful memories; with a few short steps I guide his subconscious mind to achieving a cathartic release of stored emotions, disrupting the pattern and freeing him from this cycle.
Conrad has faced the monster at the heart of the labyrinth; he’s ready to grow past this limitation. While there are likely associated issues stemming from the patterns yet to face, the underlying causation here is dealt with.
Denique: Finally
Hypnosis’s strength lies in its ability to bypass the conscious minds defenses. In Conrad’s story we see how hypnosis so effectively achieves resolution of the core issue; a very common pattern of internalizing a wound and the psyches call for healing is answered.
Millions of people use hypnosis every day to overcome the obstacles that lie in their way to success, Forming healthy patterns now becomes the objective. Making choices to form a stable foundation within yourself is easier than you may have guessed.
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