Ring a Bell and I’ll Salivate
Over 100 years ago the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov made an important discovery in the basic understanding of how we all function. Pavlov of course worked initially with dogs and discovered how he was able to “condition” them to start salivating to the sound of a bell. What Pavlov essentially did was to demonstrate the relationship between environmental stimuli and behavioural responses. It was called “classical conditioning”.
The conditioning in this case was based on the dogs associating the sound of the bell with the food awaiting them. What was interesting was not that dogs salivated when they saw food; because they are hardwired to do this anyway. What was interesting was the Pavlov was able to condition the dogs to make the same salivation response when he introduced the association with the bell.
Psychologists have understood for many years how this applies to humans as well. We are all hardwired for certain responses to certain stimuli. Most commonly, that’s with our most basic needs, like eating, drinking, sex and survival needs. However, it can apply to any area of our life, depending on how we get “programmed” along the way. In a situation where our survival feels threatened in some way, then we feel fear and then, our fight or flight response kicks in, and we act (or not) accordingly.
In my line of “work”, I see this all the time with clients. Everyone has basic built-in responses, and then certain experiences along the way (whether that be current or past life) have defined people’s lives and conditioned them to respond in certain ways. Working through hypnosis/regression, it’s usually possible to lessen the effect of or even remove the conditioning completely. Think of phobias as a prime example of how people get conditioned to respond in a certain way to a certain stimulus.
On a more general note, Pavlov’s work has influenced how society works in many shapes and forms. The principles behind classical conditioning have influenced how school classrooms and workplaces (mainly those of the past like factories) operate. In some schools teachers manipulate instruction and learning environments to produce positive behaviours or decrease maladaptive behaviours etc.
Everyday life conditions people as well: our parents/peers and especially the media and social media all condition us too. A great example of this recently was the “fuel crisis” in the UK. The media (who are the bell in the Pavlov situation) broadcast a fuel crisis to the nation, and lo and behold those who are running the programme of lack (I might not have enough) rush to queue at the petrol stations and promptly create the fuel crisis. (By the way, I do acknowledge that there were some people who would have had a genuine need for fuel of course)
Unless those people who have the lack programme running decide to do something about it, then they are likely to respond to whatever the bell (the media) says to them, irrespective of whether it is true or not. The simplest way to do something about it is to start by turning off the bell.
My next-door neighbour was so upset by the media on this occasion that she promptly stopped watching the news and cancelled her life-long newspaper subscription. It’s a good start!
Turning off the bell is a good start however it is only part of the equation (though important in that particular case). The underlying reaction is still there and needs to be worked with for the conditioning to have no effect again. Again think phobia as a good example. You can stop going into situations where you might find a spider or stop flying (or stop doing whatever). However a phobia only stops having an effect when you are comfortable in the presence of the stimulus (the bell) and you can watch a spider, or fly somewhere without having a reaction.
When the client is ready, then hypnosis/regression can “cure” a lifelong fear of spiders, or flying or whatever the problem is, because it can help to remove or lessen the effect of the conditioning in the subconscious mind which is where the trigger point always is. Anything that prompts us to look “deeper inside” is normally a salvation of some description as it prompts us to do the work of the Soul, which is understanding our own true Self.
Carl Jung is supposed to have said that we spend the first half of our life being conditioned, and the second half of our life trying to unwrap the conditioning. What the “turning point” is when you realise that you are more than just your conscious/thinking mind, and discover the subconscious mind, or connect with your Soul and that’s when you start to find your real identity and purpose.
Jung also hypothesised that in the second half of life that we humans discover that it is no longer sufficient to find meaning in being successful and instead we crave a deeper source of purpose, or meaning to life. He also speculated whether if we actually solve our problems not so much by traditional psychotherapy, but by what he called an authentic religious experience (what I would call an authentic connection with the Soul.)
I come across a lot of people who wonder what their life purpose is, and it’s rarely a job or achievement (although that may be part of it). Mostly it is to recognise their true inner (Soul) nature and to let go of all the conditioning that prevents them from doing that.
Now is a time when I suspect a lot more people are waking up to the notion that it is time to start turning off their respective “bells”, and to start finding something deeper within. The Call of the Soul is there for everyone to experience in this lifetime, should they so choose, and it is the way.
In the meantime, Allow these times to transform you &
Engage on the Journey of the Soul
Love & Blessings Dougx
Ring a Bell and I’ll Salivate
