Your Brain Has an Algorithm (And You’re Training It Every Day)

Imagine your mind is a little like Netflix.

Now imagine every thought you think is a programme you’re watching. Just like Netflix, the more time you spend watching one type of content, the more of that content you’re shown.

If you are watching horror films all of the time, Netflix won’t suddenly suggest feel-good comedies. Your “For You” page fills up with more horror.

Before long, it feels like that’s all there is.

The same thing happens with our thoughts.

If we repeatedly focus on worry, fear, or worst-case scenarios, the mind serves up more of the same, not because life is suddenly more dangerous, but because that’s the channel we’ve been watching.

Your Brain Doesn’t Know What’s Real

Here’s the key part:

Your brain doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality.

Watch a scary film and notice what happens:

• Your shoulders tense

• Your heart rate increases

• Your breathing changes

Even though you’re safe, your body reacts as if the danger is real.

We do this with our thoughts all day, every day. Little horror movies playing on the screen of our mind. And scary or stressful thoughts triggers a physical response. Think about what happens. The body tightens and the breath shortens.

Then the mind reads those signals and decides: “We must be in danger.”

So the survival brain switches on and starts scanning the world for threats.

And suddenly… everything looks threatening.

Now Add Social Media

Social media works in exactly the same way.

Platforms are powered by algorithms designed for one thing: attention. And fear, outrage and comparison grab attention fast.

Pause on a negative post and the algorithm learns.

Engage with bad news and it shows you more.

Over time, your feed can become a stream of danger, even when your real, immediate world is actually safe.

Again, the brain doesn’t know the difference.

Your nervous system stays switched on.

Stress hormones stay elevated.

Creativity, clarity and calm drop away.

This is the attention economy at work.

The Good News: You Can Change the Channel

Just as you can curate your Netflix viewing and social media, you can curate your mental and emotional diet.

That might mean:

• Unfollowing accounts that spike fear or comparison

• Limiting doom-scrolling

• Choosing content that feels calming, uplifting or inspiring

But there’s a deeper layer.

When the nervous system is dysregulated, willpower doesn’t work. You can’t “think” your way out of survival mode.

This is where hypnosis and visualisation come in.

In my sessions, we work with both the mind and the body to create a felt sense of safety first. When the body knows it’s safe, the mind can relax — and a new channel becomes available.

Positive visualisation isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about teaching the nervous system a different experience.

Because both the mind and body need to feel safe before real change can happen.

And when they do, an entirely different For You page appears.

When Your Inner Algorithm Changes, So Does Your Life

When you change the channel consistently, something powerful happens.

Different thoughts begins to appear, and as a result of seeing the world in a different way your life changes.

When your thoughts change and you begin to see the world in a safer way, the nervous system is regulated and the mind isn’t stuck in survival:

• Anxiety softens

• Mood becomes more stable

• Sleep improves

• Relationships feel easier and more connected

• You make healthier choices without forcing them

You begin to respond instead of react. You can listen instead of defend.

And the best part is that you get to choose what actually supports you.

From this state, you’re no longer scanning the world for danger. You’re available for creativity, joy, problem-solving and connection. The mind becomes flexible again. The body feels safer.

This is exactly why willpower alone rarely creates lasting change. In survival mode, we can’t think clearly or choose wisely. But when both the mind and the body know they are safe, change happens naturally.

In my sessions, we use hypnosis and positive visualisation to help regulate the nervous system first, allowing the mind and body to work together to change the channel.

And when that happens, life doesn’t just feel calmer.It becomes more aligned.

More spacious. More you.

Because when your internal algorithm changes, everything you notice, and everything you choose, begins to change too.