Most people think they make decisions consciously.
But science tells us something different — around 95% of your behaviour, reactions and emotions are driven by the unconscious mind.

That means the vast majority of what you do each day — from how you respond to stress to the way you speak to yourself — is automatic.
It’s not willpower.
It’s wiring.

And that wiring can be changed.

The silent programme running the show

Your unconscious mind is like a powerful operating system. It stores your habits, emotional responses, and the beliefs you absorbed long before you could question them.

Every time you automatically apologise, hesitate to speak up, or reach for food when you’re stressed — that’s your unconscious programme running quietly in the background.

It isn’t trying to sabotage you; it’s trying to keep you safe according to old information.
It learned what “safe” meant years ago — perhaps from childhood experiences, family attitudes, or times when your nervous system was under threat.

Hypnotherapy works directly with that part of the mind — not to erase the past, but to update it.

Why logic isn’t enough

Have you ever told yourself, “I know I shouldn’t worry” or “I’ll just stop overthinking”, only to end up doing it anyway?

That’s because logic belongs to your conscious mind — the small 5% that handles reasoning, language, and planning. The other 95% runs on emotional memory and automatic patterning.

You can’t talk a pattern out of existence; you have to retrain it.

Hypnotherapy does this by gently guiding the body and mind into a natural state of focused relaxation. In that state, your unconscious becomes more receptive to suggestion and can begin rewriting old associations that no longer serve you.

From survival mode to re-programming

When you’re anxious or stressed, your brain activates survival mode — fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
In this state, your unconscious mind believes it’s protecting you, even if the “danger” is just an upcoming meeting or a difficult conversation.

Over time, this creates unhelpful loops:

• Avoiding situations that trigger worry
• Reaching for food, alcohol, or distractions for relief
• Feeling stuck, even when you know you want to change

Hypnotherapy helps the body switch off that threat response and installs calmer, more empowering patterns.

It’s like updating old software that’s been running your life on autopilot — except this time, you’re the one holding the controls.

The unconscious and everyday life

Your unconscious mind influences:

• How you react to criticism or praise
• Whether you believe you can succeed
• The kind of relationships you attract
• How easily you relax or sleep
• Your motivation and consistency with habits

When those patterns are aligned with what you consciously want, life feels lighter.
But when they’re misaligned, it can feel as though something invisible keeps pulling you back.

That’s why people often say after hypnotherapy, “It’s like something just clicked — I don’t have to force it anymore.”

Changing the 95%

Imagine your mind as an iceberg.
The conscious mind — your thoughts, analysis, and awareness — is the small visible tip above the surface.
The unconscious mind is the vast structure below the waterline, quietly shaping the movement of the whole.

When you work with that deeper level, change happens naturally.

Through hypnotherapy, your unconscious can:

• Recode old beliefs that fuel anxiety or self-doubt
• Rebuild confidence and calm at a body level
• Release emotional weight that’s been held for years
• Reconnect you with a sense of safety and control

And because these changes are made where habits are formed — in the 95% — they last.

From insight to integration

Awareness alone is helpful, but transformation happens through integration.
In hypnotherapy, we pair awareness with suggestion, imagery, and physical calm — so your nervous system learns a new normal.

Clients often describe it like this:

“I used to react without thinking. Now I respond with calm. I still have the same life — but it feels completely different.”

That’s the power of working with the unconscious mind — you’re not fighting against yourself anymore.
You’re teaching your mind that it’s safe to move forward.

Reclaim control of your mind’s programming

If you’ve ever felt stuck repeating patterns — anxious thoughts, overthinking, people-pleasing, or unhealthy habits — it’s not because you lack discipline.
It’s because the old programme hasn’t yet been updated.

And that’s where hypnotherapy can help.

At Phoenix Hypnotherapy in Cheltenham, sessions are designed to work with your unconscious mind — gently and effectively — to help you change what’s been running automatically beneath the surface.

You can begin with a free no-obligation consultation where we’ll explore what’s happening beneath the 5% and how to create lasting change from the inside out.

Book your FREE no obligation appointment here. 

Lesley Ford

Multi-Award Winning Hypnotherapist.