They Might Be Storms to Us, but They Have No Actual Existence...
As I write this, I'm gazing out the window of our small cabin, watching the sky shift over Bob Lake. It reminds me of Newfoundland, a place that shares something in common with this corner of the Haliburton Highlands.
Weather forecasts are meaningless in both places.
I remember standing in Rose Blanche, Newfoundland, on our haunted lighthouse tour about a decade ago, watching an impenetrable layer of fog roll up the street like something from a horror film.
And yet, when I turned in the opposite direction, I was greeted by bright sunlight.
In Newfoundland, it's the proximity to the ocean that creates this ever-changing, unpredictable weather—a strange, constant ebb and flow.
Haliburton is much the same, though for different reasons.
Here, it’s the presence of over 500 lakes and the rolling hills that form countless microclimates, constantly interacting, competing, and shifting to determine the day’s weather.
As I write, dark swaths of nimbus clouds have swept across the lake, and now we’re in the middle of a full downpour beneath a gloomy sky—my favorite kind of weather.
The summer crowds have vanished, with kids back in school, leaving the place mostly deserted. It brings to mind those suspenseful moments in classic films:
*The fog's rolling in...*
*The road’s washed out...*
*The storm has taken out the power grid...*
*Nobody can get in or out for days...*
*They still haven’t found those escaped convicts...*
And, of course, the most chilling line of all:
*The police said the calls are coming from inside the house...*
Storms fascinate me.
There’s nothing I enjoy more than being tucked away in our cozy 600-square-foot cabin with my wife and our cat, Gwaihir, as the rain, wind, and thunder shake the walls.
But it’s generally safe up here, though we’ve had the occasional tornado. A couple of years ago, three of us watched a funnel cloud forming just across the lake.
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Still, the storms that cause the most trouble for people aren't the ones outside. They’re the ones inside.
I'm talking about the storms of human emotions: fear, resentment, irritation, even rage.
So, what’s the connection?
Emotions are fascinating because they are, quite literally, electrochemical storms inside our brains and bodies.
Think about it.
You can’t experience an emotion without feeling it somewhere in your body. When I feel anger, I can tell you exactly where it sits in me. And it’s the same for all emotions—after all, we call them "feelings" for a reason.
That’s what emotions are. Feelings. And yet, so many people give them authority over their lives, rather than recognizing them for what they are: just storms that will pass.
“This too shall pass,” said Abraham Lincoln, and he was mostly right.
But there’s more to it. The real problem often lies in what triggers these storms of emotion. A certain look from someone that sets us off. A relative dredging up an old, dead argument, reigniting tension.
The truth is, all emotions—even the good ones—are just chemical storms created by coordinated brain activity, and they’re often based on misunderstandings or false information.
Emotional storms don’t come from reality itself; they come from our perception of reality. If we can learn to deal with these negative storms as they arise, our lives will immediately improve.
Enter hypnosis.
Hypnotic trance is incredibly effective in treating negative thoughts, memories, and even PTSD. In fact, it should be a first line of treatment.
In trance, we can reframe events, neutralizing their negative emotional charge and dispelling the internal storms they cause. Hypnosis allows us to undo the emotional impact of the past, release present pain, and create a more compelling future.
And the best part? Even short self-hypnosis sessions can make a huge difference in the quality of your life.
It’s something worth exploring
Chris has knocked 62% off the price of our Easy Self Hypnosis course for a few days. MMHA members do not buy this. It's already included in your membership.
- Mike Mandel
