“Writer’s block’ is an emotional or logical incoherence in a future work slowly working its way through our unconscious.” – Alain De Botton

From Tolstoy to J.K Rowling, many successful writers once experienced writer’s block when working on one of their most famous creations. Clearly, writer’s block can happen to any beginner or seasoned writer. Also, it is a widely known and accepted phenomenon that affects the majority of the writers out there.  

There are a variety of opinions about writer’s block. Some writers think it’s a hoax, others believe that it can even ruin a writer’s career. So, what is writer’s block?

What is writer’s block?

Some people don’t even believe that it’s real but for some, it is a serious problem that can extend publication for over 10 years. Writer’s block happens when the writer runs out of ideas, feels like words don’t come out, or faces serious procrastination when it comes to writing.  

Writer’s block can appear in a number of ways. Some writers trouble to find where to start, some struggle with capturing the beginning, some don’t like the topic, some worry about writing the wrong thing, some worry about their sentence structure, or some are simply blocked by stress.

The writers who don’t believe in the writer’s block generally think that it’s all in the mind. Therefore, in their opinion, it’s a matter of overcoming your fears, worries or practicing enough to get comfortable with that feeling. In other words, it is more so about the mind over matter.

Blogger and writer Aubrey Hirsch talks about her opinion on writer’s block in one of her articles. She shares the advice that she received from one of her early teachers. Her teacher Maureen McHugh tells her that “Writers’ block is not the feeling that you have nothing to write. It is the feeling that everything you write will be complete and utter shit. You have to give yourself permission to write some shit.”

From the advice of McHugh and all the other reported symptoms of the writer’s blog, we can conclude that there are clearly many powerful negative emotions contributing to the writer’s block such as confidence issues, fear, lack of self-esteem, or even negative self-image.

How can hypnosis help with writer’s block?

Hypnosis is the ultimate tool to release subconscious blocks and increase motivation. Especially around the writer’s block phenomenon, there are lots of emotions involved. These emotions may block the writer from tapping into the person’s creative abilities.

Another problem arises when the writer feels disappointed due to not being able to finish up the work or not being able to continue writing like they used to. This becomes a chain effect. The more writer cannot write, the more he will feel disappointed or upset and the more he feels disappointed or upset the less he can write.

Hypnotherapy can help to break this chain by connecting the person to his inner resources. A writer’s talent is not diminished because he didn’t complete a project or stopped writing for a while. His talent is always there, hidden in the subconscious mind, waiting to come out.

During hypnotherapy, the negative clouds that were created in the mind due to powerful negative emotions are released so the person can have more clarity. Imagine driving on a very foggy highway, wouldn’t that be very hard? This is usually what blocks the writers from connecting to their unique abilities. Some even call it “brain fog”. Hypnosis helps with clearing the fog, so the writer knows and rediscovers his inspiration. 

Additionally, during hypnosis, imagination and senses are heightened. By practicing and imagining a successful ending of a story or book, stimulating the mind towards inspirational scenes can bring back the creativity that is needed.

Sometimes all the writer needs are to listen to himself, his mind, and have clarity. Hypnotherapy allows this by giving rest to all the other senses so the person can really focus on the mind.

Can self-hypnosis help with writer’s block?

Self-hypnosis is a self-improvement tool that is very similar to meditation and hypnosis. It is a great way to practice hypnosis at your own pace yet it is just as powerful as hetero hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis requires discipline and for the person to be persistent. During self-hypnosis, you may feel deeply relaxed, calm, light, or heavy. This means you are slowly releasing the physical distractions out of the body. In this state, you can give yourself affirmations, focus on positive images or words, and take your creative zone back.  

In other words, self-hypnosis can help with taking you into a state in which the fog is clear, the mind is stimulated and the creativity can flourish.

Final words

Whether the writer’s block is real or not is still a big discussion in the world of writing. However, any negative emotions, fear, or worry a person may be feeling is one of the most real experiences anyone can have in life. The mind is the control room of our actions. If you cannot write in the way that you wish, it may be a good time to visit the control room!