the only way out is through you

Recently, I took a trip to Boston and visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for the first time.. What stayed with me long after I left was a powerful exhibit titled Waters of the Abyss by Fabiola Jean-Louis, a multidisciplinary Haitian artist and the Museum's Artist-in-Residence for 2022 and 2024.

One piece in particular captivated me—not only for its visual power but for the truth it revealed.

From the exhibit, "In Vodou, the mermaid is a lwa named La
Sirene, who can be a beautiful and joyful
enchantress or a figure of vengeance and
violent justice. La Sirene, like many lwa,
responds to the needs and purposes of the
practitioner. Jean-Louis placed a mirror in one
mermaid portal, suggesting that “the only
way to get to that other place is to look at
yourself, is to go through yourself” (“sèl fason
pou w al nan lòt plas sa a se lè w gade tèt ou,
se lè w pase atravè tèt ou”), while the other
mermaid offers a lens to the world beyond
us. Where might your own self-reflection lead
you?”

"The only way to get to that other place is to look at yourself, is to go through yourself."

That line resonated with me. We all long to be somewhere else emotionally—more peaceful, happier, freer—but the path forward isn’t out there. It’s inside us.
In my work with hypnosis, I often see people begin their healing journey focused on what they want to escape—"I don’t want to feel this way anymore," or "I hate smoking," or "I just want this pain to stop." And I joke, gently, “You don’t need to pay for hypnosis to get more of what you already don’t want.” The real shift begins when we ask a much more powerful question: 

What do I want instead? What do I want to feel, to experience, to become?
That question isn’t always easy. It requires honesty. Vulnerability. And a willingness to look inward.

It sounds simple, but for many people, it’s startlingly difficult to answer. We’re so used to defining ourselves by our problems, by what we lack, or what hurts. It's easier to live in the shadows of our circumstances than to turn toward the light of possibility. We live in a world that often pulls us into blame, negativity, or feeling stuck. It’s easy to feel like life is happening to us. But there’s a deeper truth: sometimes, the hardest thing isn’t changing our circumstances—it’s changing ourselves.

To get to that brighter, freer place, we must walk through what’s uncomfortable. Not just around it. Not above it. Through it. Through ourselves.

That means sitting with the stories we tell ourselves. Unpacking the beliefs that no longer serve us. Looking at the hurts we've buried, the habits we’ve normalized, and the thought loops we've unknowingly rehearsed for years.

Many of those loops come from early life. Criticism. Rejection. Fear. Over time, they evolve into automatic negative thoughts that guide our inner dialogue. These patterns: catastrophizing, harsh self-criticism, overgeneralizing, can create mental fog, emotional stress, and even physical tension.

When we hold onto pain, trauma, or limiting beliefs, they become part of our inner operating system. They run on autopilot, shaping how we see ourselves and the world.

Your subconscious mind is incredibly powerful—but not creative. It doesn’t invent; it simply repeats. Like a playlist on repeat, it keeps playing the same old tracks until you decide to change the music.

Negative thought patterns like catastrophizing, harsh self-talk, or assuming the worst don’t just affect how you think. They weigh on your heart. Your body. Your spirit.

But change is possible. That’s where hypnosis comes in. When we work with the subconscious mind, we can start rewriting those mental scripts.

We can plant new seeds of thought. We can water self-belief, confidence, and clarity—allowing something beautiful to grow where fear and doubt once lived.
Think of your mind as a garden. Left unattended, weeds grow. But with care, with intention, you can cultivate thoughts that uplift you. You can become your own beacon of hope. Even in difficult times. Especially in difficult times.

So, where might your own self-reflection lead you?
Maybe somewhere closer to the life you’ve always imagined.