INTERVIEW

Sandstad:

"I like to think of our head as holding two brains. The first is the neocortex, the “new brain.” It sits on top, especially in the front of the skull, and makes humans unique among animals. While the neocortex began expanding about six million years ago, the real breakthrough came when our prefrontal cortex sharpened roughly six hundred thousand years ago. This is the brain of words, concepts, and logic. It’s the chatterbox that won’t let you sleep at night, the one often called the seat of the conscious mind.

The second is the subcortex, the “ancient brain.” It lies deeper, connecting to the spinal cord, and it has been around for over a billion years. Shared with fish, reptiles, and mammals, this brain runs survival: heartbeat, breathing, fear, rage, and desire. It doesn’t speak English—it speaks in feelings, symbols, sensations, dreams, and intuition. This is where panic floods the chest or where we suddenly know something without words. Many call it the subconscious mind.

To understand why we have two brains trying to talk to each other, you have to look at our DNA history. Around six million years ago, after our ancestors split from chimpanzees, two ancient chromosomes fused end-to-end to form chromosome 2. That fusion is still visible in every human cell today, a marker that makes us distinctly human. Later, genes involved in language and brain wiring shifted. The famous FOXP2 gene on chromosome 7, sometimes called the “language gene,” helped shape speech and motor sequencing. Neanderthals had it too, showing it’s ancient. But then, a uniquely human twist appeared: the NOVA1 variant on chromosome 14, likely around two to three hundred thousand years ago. NOVA1 fine-tunes how our neurons splice glutamate receptors—in other words, how we process learning and adapt our brain wiring. Still later, as humans traveled and interbred with Denisovans in Asia, some Indigenous peoples, including those in the Americas, inherited genes like MUC19 on chromosome 12, related to immunity and survival in harsh environments. Our brains are built from these layers of genetic history: fusion events, language genes, synaptic regulators, and survival adaptations. They shaped the split between our rational neocortex and our emotional subcortex, giving us both the captain and the crew.

Here’s the challenge: these two brains don’t speak the same language. The neocortex reasons in logic and plans for tomorrow, while the subcortex reacts through raw emotion and imagery. That’s why you can tell yourself “I am safe” while your body still shakes with fear. The conscious brain sends out a press release, but the emotional brain hasn’t signed off. Most people don’t even realize their subconscious mind is at play, yet research shows that 90 to 95 percent of our lives run on subconscious programs. These hidden patterns quietly shape our thoughts, feelings, and choices long before the conscious mind catches up.

Different therapies tap into different parts of this system. Talk therapy reshapes thoughts and beliefs—perfect for the neocortex. But therapies like mindfulness, hypnosis, EMDR, Deep Brain Reorienting, Brainspotting, and Biofield Tuning dive into the subcortex, working directly with symbols, sensations, and emotions stored in the body. Healing often requires a bridge—letting the analytical captain and the emotional crew finally talk to each other.

Imagine your conscious mind as the captain of a cruise ship. The captain gives orders, makes plans, and points to the horizon. Down in the engine room, the crew—your subconscious—follows instructions faithfully. The crew doesn’t argue. If the captain declares, “We are unworthy, we are unsafe,” the crew throws levers, changes course, and reacts as if disaster is imminent. Even in calm waters, the ship lurches as if heading toward an iceberg. Your subconscious beliefs are working either for you or against you, and the truth is that much of your life is steered by these automatic patterns. Until you become aware of them, the subconscious often overrides conscious intention. But when the captain learns to send clear, compassionate instructions, and learns to listen to the signals the crew sends back—the racing heart, the tight stomach, the restless dreams—then the whole ship runs smoothly.

Evolution gave us two brains, not one. Our DNA carries the marks of billion-year-old instincts and six-million-year-old leaps. Chromosome 2, FOXP2, NOVA1, MUC19—these aren’t just genetic trivia, they are chapters in the story of why we think one way and feel another. The captain and the crew were never meant to be enemies. They are two sides of a single voyage, one scanning the horizon, the other steering the ship. Therapy, growth, and healing are really about helping those two ancient systems finally speak the same language."

Sandstad:
“Our subconscious mind is like a five-year-old child—it takes everything literally and doesn’t judge. For example, if you constantly tell yourself, ‘I’m a loser,’ or ‘Life is hard,’ the subconscious will say, ‘Your wish is my command,’ and make those beliefs your reality.

Another trap is organ talk—phrases like, ‘I need a break,’ ‘You’re killing me,’ or ‘You’re a pain in the neck.’ Clients who habitually use such language often find their bodies reacting to it. One client kept saying, ‘I work hard,’ and her job became a constant source of stress, leaving her exhausted every morning.

I encourage my clients to speak kindly to their bodies. Say, ‘I appreciate you,’ or ‘Day by day, you feel and look better.’ When you speak lovingly to your body, it listens, responds positively, and begins to heal.”

Sandstad:
“I see clients for everything from stopping smoking to overcoming self-esteem issues and trauma. I specialize in medical support hypnosis and often work with clients referred by psychiatrists, surgeons, and allergists for issues like chronic pain, migraines, or IBS when medical interventions have been unsuccessful.

The first step is understanding a client’s inner beliefs, such as, ‘I don’t deserve health,’ or, ‘It’s my fault.’ These beliefs often stem from childhood or past trauma. Many clients are stuck in self-punishment cycles, believing they must suffer. I help them uncover and reprogram these beliefs, replacing them with affirmations like, ‘I am good enough.’

For clients with unresolved trauma and hypervigilance, I use hypnotherapy and Brainspotting to show the subconscious that the danger is gone, allowing them to finally move forward.”

Sandstad:
“The term ‘weight loss’ implies losing something or being a loser. Instead, I focus on weight reduction or management. Our bodies listen to our language, and we must speak kindly to them.

I tell clients to treat their bodies as friends, saying things like, ‘I accept and love you the way you are.’ If a client cannot speak positively to their body, I won’t proceed with therapy. For the body to accept change and healthy behaviors, it first needs to feel loved and appreciated.”

Sandstad:
“I had a 23-year-old male client from Somerset, KY, who suffered from intense, unprovoked anger episodes lasting up to three hours. Using techniques like Brainspotting, we discovered that his anger stemmed from a middle school belief that he was stupid and a bad person, triggered whenever someone said the word ‘retarded.’

After several sessions, he learned to release the buried emotions, reprogram his beliefs, and speak positively about himself. Today, he sleeps peacefully and no longer experiences frequent rage episodes.”

Sandstad:
“Clients who come seeking help for themselves heal the fastest. Healing requires a willingness to let go of secondary gains, like attention or disability benefits, and to embrace the unknown.

Some clients are afraid of who they’ll become once healed. I often ask, ‘What do you gain by scaring yourself? When will you know you’ve suffered enough?’ These questions help clients confront their fears and take steps toward complete healing.”

Sandstad:
“Our brain consists of the neo-cortex (logic and analysis) and the sub-cortex (emotions and subconscious beliefs). The subconscious stores memories and beliefs, influencing our behaviors and results.

The subconscious can be accessed through body awareness, eye movement (gazing along x and y axes), or self-hypnosis. These techniques allow us to identify and reprogram limiting beliefs stored deep within.

Even in surgery, I remind medical staff to speak positively. The subconscious mind is always listening, even when anesthetized. Careless words can program negative beliefs into a patient’s mind, affecting their recovery.”

One of my favorite quotes about the power of the brain comes from Dr. Richard Davidson, a renowned psychologist, and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, who explains:
“The radical idea is that we can use our minds—mental training—to influence the expression of our genes. While the mechanisms are still being explored, the fact that it can occur is well-established. This opens up exciting possibilities for the future.”