🔵 HAYBS | Pattern Series, 10

Breaking a neutral pattern, part 2...

Author

Devin Ryback
June 25, 2025 • Read Time ~3 minutes

Best Self,

In the previous email, I explained how to expand a pattern into the main event and its linked events to break it more effectively. If you completed your next step, you have decided which neutral pattern to break, and you have begun the work of breaking it.

In this email, we continue the work and learn a new technique to break patterns more effectively.

Checking In

So, how goes the pattern breaking? Give yourself a moment right now to reflect on your progress...

Even if it appears that you are not making much progress with this pattern, you actually are. Simply journaling about your observations of this pattern in your life is enough to catalyze change. Bringing this pattern out of the unconscious and into the conscious mind is the most important part of this work. This is why your journaling practice is so essential!

To help even more with this process of making the unconscious conscious, here is a new technique you can apply to your pattern breaking work...

Active Imagination: Pattern Break

If you have read this post: How to Do Self-Hypnosis, then you already know a bit about active imagination. This is an all-purpose technique which can be applied to absolutely anything in your life. Now, you are going to apply it to breaking this neutral pattern. It is very simple:

  1. Set a timer for 2 minutes.

  2. Close your eyes and imagine the main event of the pattern ("seeing" it in your mind is not necessary. You can also "feel" it or simply think about it clearly).

  3. Imagine being completely aware of the pattern as it is happening—and change it by applying the new behavior.

  4. When the timer ends, immediately do something else.

Every time you actively imagine breaking a pattern, you are planting a new seed of change and watering the seeds you have already planted. These seeds are sure to sprout with continued practice.

Devin Ryback

Your Next Step

  1. Continue your daily end-of-day journaling practice.

  2. Practice using the active imagination technique on your chosen pattern one or more times every day.

  3. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

  4. Reflect on your progress so far and write about this in your journal:

    • "What progress am I noticing?"

    • "What am I struggling most with?"

    • "What is easier than I expected it would be?"

    • "What changes am I noticing in myself and my life as a result of working on breaking this pattern?"

In this next email, we continue the work of breaking this neutral pattern.

Your Hypnotherapist,
Devin Ryback

As always, I am available if you would like more guidance.

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