Self-sabotage: how do you stop sabotaging yourself?

Recognize that? Once your life is actually (or finally) going pretty well, you keep getting it together to do something that makes it not go well at all again. This is called self-sabotage. It causes you to fail to achieve life goals or have difficult relationships, especially with yourself. Are you a self-saboteur and how do you stop it?

Self-sabotage: how do you stop?

You are, so to speak, sabotaging a good outcome of what you are doing. Often this behavior happens unconsciously. You can also choose to perpetuate your sabotaging behavior. Perhaps you make up excuses that keep you from applying for that dream job: you consciously keep yourself small for a while. You may sense that the time is not yet ripe. Prepare yourself for the moment when you dare to take on that new challenge with confidence. Then it is not called sabotaging but anticipating!

Excellent self-sabotage

At work, while studying or in your relationship - in places where things are expected of you - you can sabotage yourself well. Note that this behavior is easy to cover up. For example, someone who is extremely committed to their career but finds it difficult or impossible to reach their end goals often displays procrastination or blames perfectionism. These are disguised but excellent examples of self-sabotage.

The scammer syndrome

People who suffer from imposter syndrome (or: imposter syndrome) sabotage themselves by thinking they do not deserve the social or professional position they have. They point to external factors for their personal success or feel as though they will fall through at any moment. If the last two thoughts seem familiar to you, we welcome you to the club. Small consolation: you are definitely not the only one who suffers from this feeling; even the most successful people walk around with a hidden sense of insecurity. Even Harry Potter actress Emma Watson came out in an interview about the self-sabotage she unleashed on herself for years. Her answer: listen to your inner critical voice and kindly say goodbye to it!

Back to the root

Are you sabotaging yourself but don't know why? Hypnosis can help you figure out why you keep applying self-sabotage in your life. Socratic conversation and regression are two techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy that can also be performed under hypnosis. During a session, socratic why questions are repeated until the client gets to the core of their beliefs. In regression, you go back to the root; the moment when you decided you did not deserve your goals or desired life. Often the root is somewhere in your childhood or family system where most of the beliefs form. For example, a parent who is not very successful may cause you to find it difficult to move past this level of success.

Step into the person you want to be right now

Very surprising results can come from such a regression: in a short time it gives you a lot of insight into old thinking and survival mechanisms. You can now start to consciously change that "child role" and turn it into a role that suits the adult person you now want to be.

Want to learn more about mental techniques to accept yourself instead of sabotaging yourself? Then come to a seminar and check out Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' trainings.