In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss what happens ‘When It All Goes Wrong!’ After several weeks of stress and overwhelm, Vincent admitted that he needed to do something to get back on track and the whole experience inspired the subject matter for this episode. The guys discuss an idea that they have mentioned before - the fact that an event, occurrence or incident, is neutral in and of itself. It is the meaning that we attribute to it that causes the emotional response, and thus, the problem. How does this happen? Well, when something occurs, the subconscious mind searches through its ‘archives’ and locates an event that is similar and takes its guidance on what it should do now from how it handled that situation back then. Now, that is all well and good, in theory, however a problem arises when the previous incident is something that happened many years before, perhaps in childhood, and in reality bears very little resemblance to the current situation. As a result the ‘guidance’ that the subconscious receives is useless at best and detrimental, at worst, in dealing with the current situation. This is what leads to crisis and creates the situation similar to what Vincent was facing recently. A common outcome for all of us. So, how do we break this misguided automated response of the subconscious? The guys discuss a simple strategy that Alexandros recommends to his clients. He teaches them to ask a few simple questions - ‘What just happened?’, ‘Is it positive or negative?’, ‘Why is it positive or negative?’ and ‘What is the worst thing that could happen?’ The questioning process effectively jams a stick in the wheel of our initial automated emotional response, restores calm and balance and allows us to choose our response. There are two significant benefits to this approach - one, we have a more considered response to the current situation and two, we start to create a new ‘archive’ for the subconscious to refer to in the future. It's another good conversation with lots of relevant and interesting discussion and some useful tools, so listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss a topic that is challenging and controversial - The Enemy Within! We have been conditioned by society to be ‘good’ and that it is only evil people that have dark sides however, during a recent deep meditation, Alexandros was reminded that we all have both dark and light sides and that there is a constant struggle between the two. But society and religion has told us that this is not the case, that we are inherently good until we slip into darkness and this teaching causes us to deny the reality and to suppress our true nature. In doing this we keep ourselves in a programmed loop of behaviour that involves a lot of dishonesty and restrained emotions. The result is that we fail to take proper stock of ourselves and our lives and fail to realise that we have real choice about how might live, instead we stay stuck in a continuous sleepwalk of an existence. The guys discuss how the only way to counter this outcome is to confront ourselves though honest self reflection, on a regular basis, and in doing so to look for our mistakes, the behaviours that we are not proud of, the tendencies and habits that don’t support us and to lay them out along with the good stuff. Only then can we truly take stock of what we need to do to change the trajectory of our lives because being able to see our situation, warts and all, gives us the opportunity to make different choices. Its another good one, so listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss something that is fundamental to us all - Inspiration! They ask ‘What is inspiration?’ … ‘Is it important?’ … ‘Do we really need it?’ … and ‘How can we get more of it?’ Inspiration comes from the Latin word ‘inspiratus’ and means ’to breathe into’, however in the 14th century it took on an English meaning of referring to ‘a divine influence upon a person, from a divine entity.’ Whether you take it literally or not it is fair to say that we all know it as something that comes from outside us that energises our creativity and motivates us into action. The guys discuss what it means on a day to day basis and in particular how it relates to our subconscious mind.  And they ask ‘What does being inspired actually look like?’ They explore the concept from different angles as they look to debunk some myths and give the listener some practical advice on the subject. Its another good one, so listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss a question that plagues us all at one time or another, in one form or another, namely ‘Am I Ugly?’ This question and the fact that it is all pervasive throughout society, from young to old, illustrates how we are subjected daily to the degradation of our self image just because someone wants to provide us with a quick fix solution or in other words, sell us something.  The guys discuss how the human condition doesn’t need much encouragement to go to that self deprecating place and they explore what can be done to help ourselves? The conversation inevitably turns to the role of the subconscious mind, the guys’ favourite topic on this podcast. They even discuss a very well known and loved book in the self improvement space called ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ by Maxwell Maltz. Maltz was a cosmetic surgeon for many years from the 1920’s onwards and his experiences of the strange and varied reactions to the work that he did in enhancing their appearance that caused him to look into the world of psychology in order to understand the self-image. You see, it all comes down to the fundamental questions, ‘Am I good enough?’ and ‘Will I be accepted?’ because being rejected by the group is at the core of our deepest fear. So, what do we do to address these fears and concerns about our worth and our self-image? The guys talk about tools and habits that we can use on a daily basis to reshape our self image and reprogram ourselves to be more confident and trusting that we are already perfect. Its another good one, so listen up and enjoy!

New Year’s Resolutions! Episode #43 In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss a topic that is timely for this time of the year, the good old New Year’s Resolution! Why do we make resolutions and more importantly, why do many of them fall by the wayside within days of making them? ’ What do we need to do to ensure that if we make a resolution or a commitment that we actually stick to it and make it real? The conversation inevitably turns to the role of the subconscious mind, the guys’ favourite topic on this podcast. Basically, if you don’t get the subconscious mind on board with the resolution by explaining why you want it and how it will make things better for you and ‘it’, in order to get it excited, then you are not going to succeed. After that we need to take consistent action and ensuring we can do so by setting a really low bar. After all it is the little things that we do consistently every day that make the difference in the medium to long term. The other thing that we tend to do, the guys explain, is to go for things that are perhaps a big stretch for us and that can be off-putting once we come up against any kind of early obstacle. They go on to say that we should be aiming to create resolutions and manifestations on an ongoing basis, building up our skills in this area so that, rather than it being a half-hearted thing that we ‘try’ once a year, instead it is something that we are so good and practiced at that we can create what want whenever we want. And that is what is known as ‘Magick!’ So, listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss something that has afflicted us all sin one way or another in many aspects of our lives - Imposter Syndrome! They chat about what it is, where is comes from and the programming and belief system that underpins it ‘I am not good enough!’ Consequently, with societal and family messaging telling us over our lifetimes to be safe, not to take risks, that doing daring things is for other people, along with our own internal dialogue saying something similar as well as ‘I am not good enough!’ it is no wonder that we end up with Imposter Syndrome when we try anything new. Often this is just enough to stop us in our tracks and scurrying back to safely at the first sign of adversity. The conversation also looks at how this syndrome not only impacts us as individuals but also groups of people when the constant messaging and individual sense of unworthiness keeps everyone corralled and in their obedient places. So, the question is ‘How do we combat an affliction that impacts us all in this way?’ The answer, like most other similar situations, is simple in concept but not easy to apply. It requires a good dose of awareness, acceptance that you are affected, a clear picture of what you want to create or achieve, and then it’s a question of taking action. Then as you encounter the inevitable challenges you will be expecting and ready for the negative inner dialogue, which you know are just thoughts, and you press on. The guys explain that once you start to get the small wins, you celebrate and let your subconscious mind know that this is good and is pleasurable. This will then start to tear down the negative programming and make it easier to over come similar situations in the future. As we said, it is simple but not easy! So, listen up and enjoy! P.S. And before we sign off on this our last episode of 2020, we would like to wish all of our listeners who engage, encourage and support us a very happy New Year.

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss the dark or shadow side of our existence and ask  ‘Have You Ever Made A Deal With The Devil?’ It’s not meant to sound sinister but rather to shine a light on those times when we have done something that we know was not good or we were uncomfortable with because it was easier than doing the right thing. And of course we subsequently found some reasonable explanation to justify our actions. They are pretty clear that pretty much everyone has in one way or another made such a decision or ‘deal’ and in doing so we lose something of ourselves. The bigger question however is whether we have done that as a society where is seems like we have traded comfort and ease and exchanged it for weakness, loss of intuition and our survival instincts? It seems that the way that we have been caught napping and totally surprised by the virus and its multifaceted impact, this year, has been both shocking and hard to comprehend for many people. As a result, the desire to rush back to ‘normal’ and our respective comfort zones causes us to rush headlong into the first leader or solution presented to us without doing even the most basic due diligence and ask the most fundamental of questions. The guys are clear that there is much that we can do for ourselves to at least ensure that we demonstrate personal sovereignty and regain the survival faculties that have atrophied unbeknownst to us. So, listen up and enjoy!

In this the 40th episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss get a bit deeper into the human psyche and pose the question ‘What is Your Capacity for Darkness?’ This discussion touches on a range of examples including the Milgram Experiment and other examples which show that our capacity to inflict pain, suffering and death on others would suggest that the dark side of us is closer to the surface than we might want to admit. The question is ‘What flips the switch to cause that dark side to emerge?’ Is it just about the influence of authority figures or the risk of being excluded from the group that causes us to go from being decent and caring human beings to being directly involved or complicit in dark behaviours.? It’s a wide ranging chat and there are some uncomfortable truths discussed but, as always, the guys challenge our thinking of what we see as reasonable or normal. So, listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne discuss a challenging topic, represented by the title ‘In a World of Automatons, Be a Human! As we have learned in earlier episodes, we are predominantly run by our programming and, as we also learned, the way to change any aspect of that programming for better or worse, is through messaging to the subconscious mind. This includes not only the messaging that we are giving ourselves but also the messaging that we are exposing ourselves to, in the various forms of media. It might not be our intention, but the constant drone of negative, fearful and intentionally limiting messaging has a direct impact on our thoughts, our outlook and our expectations of ourselves. The danger of this should be obvious, but most seem oblivious to the fact that our minds are being influenced and manipulated.  In this conversation the guys discuss the concerns around this phenomenon and how it is impacting us as a race, making us more focussed on what we own, how much power and authority we have, our earnings, our status and how it is causing us to lose touch with our spirituality and purpose. Many of us have become soulless, unthinking, lacking in empathy not only for others but also for ourselves. We are becoming Automatons! The discussion is grim but offers hope. Especially through knowing that it is our soul that defines who we truly are and no amount of conditioning or manipulation of our mortal bodies and minds will change its capacity to bring out what it truly means to be human. It will be much easier on us if we can remember fo connect with who we are and why we are here, and the guys are here to remind you of that fact. Listen up and enjoy!

In this episode of Your Mind is Trying To Kill You Podcast, Artist/Hypnotherapist, Alexandros Megas and Business Coach, Vincent Byrne take on the hugely interesting topic of our personalities and personas in ‘Who Do You Think You Are? It’s a pretty well known idea in the personal development realm that ‘what you think about creates your reality’. However a less explored concept anywhere other than in hypnotherapy and specialist psychology is ‘who you think you are, you become’. In this conversation the guys discuss this topic in depth and include reference to the way that people change their accents, to people having a work persona and a home persona and even the likes of Beyoncé who apparently created an alter ego for herself, called Sasha Fierce, to help her get into character for her stage performances. But they ask the question, why would you only want to change these characteristics temporarily (alter ego), why not aim to bring about permanent positive change? After all, the way that you were brought up and how you adapted to your environment is how you created your current personality. In this engaging discussion the guys set out how to tackle the process of changing the aspect of you that you decide needs changing, because, lets face it, we learned things in order to survive when we were younger and some of those programs no longer serve us, so it would be good to be able to do something about them. All in all, a fascinating chat and dive into this topic. Listen up and enjoy!