Can you really rewire your mind and break the patterns that have been keeping you stuck? What if lasting change isn't about trying harder, but about changing the beliefs and stories that influence your behavior? In Part 2 of this conversation on PCOS Unfiltered: Nourish, Heal, Thrive, I'm joined once again by Matan Cohen-Citron, a hypnotherapist and coach who helps people bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it by exploring the unconscious beliefs and patterns that may be holding them back. Building on our conversation from Part 1, we dive deeper into what it takes to create meaningful change, why our minds can spend so much energy negotiating with us, and how small, intentional actions can help us begin seeing ourselves differently. Matan shares why practicing change in small, manageable ways can be more effective than attempting to overhaul everything overnight. We discuss the importance of choice, how procrastination can keep us stuck in endless thinking loops, and why developing a new habit often begins with making the next step easier. We also explore the fascinating world of hypnotherapy, self-hypnosis recordings, and sound healing, including Matan's perspective on how these practices may influence unconscious beliefs and behavior. One of the most powerful parts of our conversation centers on the meaning we attach to our experiences. Matan explains how the stories we develop about ourselves, particularly after difficult experiences, can influence our sense of identity, self-worth, and what we believe is possible. We also discuss how hypnotherapy differs from traditional talk therapy, what someone might experience during a session, and why finding a practitioner you trust is so important. For women navigating PCOS/PMOS, struggling with consistency, or feeling frustrated by patterns they can't seem to break, this conversation offers an opportunity to explore change from a different perspective. Because what if you don't need to change everything about yourself to begin creating a different future? What if transformation starts with one small choice and the realization that the stories you've carried don't have to define who you become?
Listening is a great place to start, but lasting change happens when you begin putting these ideas into practice.
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his week, I want you to practice something Matan talks about in our conversation: strengthening your ability to change by starting small.
Think about ONE area of your life where you've been feeling stuck.
Maybe it's:
❤️ Wanting to exercise regularly but struggling to get started
❤️ Putting off something important because you're overthinking it
❤️ Repeating a habit you know isn't supporting your health
❤️ Telling yourself you're not disciplined or consistent
❤️ Allowing past experiences to influence what you believe you're capable of
❤️ Waiting until you feel completely ready before taking action
❤️ Feeling like you need to change everything at once to make progress
Instead of focusing on the entire problem, ask yourself:
What's ONE small thing I could do differently today?
Maybe it's:
Then ask yourself:
What would it feel like to become someone who trusts herself to make a different choice?
You don't need to change everything overnight.
And you don't need to wait until you feel completely confident.
Start with one small action, practice it, and allow yourself to recognize the progress you're making.
Remember, you're not just practicing a new behavior. You're building evidence that change is possible.
Matan Cohen-Citron is a hypnotherapist and coach who helps people bridge the gap between knowing and doing.
With more than 25 years of experience exploring the mind-body connection, Matan's journey began with yoga and movement practices and expanded into areas including Pilates, Qigong, energy healing, hypnosis, and approaches to personal change.
Through hypnotherapy and coaching, he helps individuals explore unconscious beliefs and patterns that may be influencing their behavior and standing between them and the life they want to create.
His work includes exploring limiting beliefs, anxiety, past experiences, personal growth, and performance. He emphasizes individualized approaches that combine curiosity, compassion, and practical tools to support meaningful change.
Matan's philosophy centers on an important idea: Understanding a pattern is valuable, but creating and practicing a new way of responding is what helps move change into everyday life.
Want to learn more about Matan and his work?
🌐 Website:
http://matansmovement.com/
Please take a moment to:
❤️ Share this episode with someone who feels stuck or is ready for a fresh perspective.
⭐ Leave a review to help more women discover PCOS Unfiltered.
🎧 Subscribe so you never miss a new episode.
Remember:
Your life isn't determined by your past, your diagnosis, or your circumstances. The stories you believe shape the choices you make—and every new choice is an opportunity to create a different future.
⚠️ Podcast Disclaimer
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine.
(0:00) When people have trauma, their problem is not the trauma, usually. (0:05) The problem is the meaning that the event gave into their life. (0:11) And that meaning, all right, like our mind is a meaningful machine.(0:15) And that meaning that we have towards our lives, towards ourselves, is something that (0:21) runs us. (0:22) Welcome back to PCOS Unfiltered, where we help you understand what your body has been (0:27) trying to tell you all along. (0:29) I'm your host, Lindsay, nurse turned health coach, two-time author, and your body wisdom (0:33) guide.(0:34) Have you ever wondered why you can know exactly what you need to do to feel better, yet still (0:40) struggle to actually do it? (0:42) Today's guest, Matan Cohen-Citron, helps people bridge that gap between knowing and doing. (0:49) Through hypnotherapy and coaching, he helps individuals explore unconscious beliefs and (0:53) patterns that may be keeping them stuck. (0:56) So we're talking about the mind-body connection, why we repeat behaviors that no longer serve (1:02) us, and how small changes can help us create new patterns and lasting transformation.(1:07) And if you enjoy conversations like this, be sure to join me in my Healthy Ever After (1:12) community, where we continue exploring body wisdom, nutrition, and sustainable habits. (1:17) You'll find the link in the show notes. (1:19) As a reminder, this podcast is for educational purposes only, and is not considered medical (1:24) advice.(1:25) Please consult your health care provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, (1:29) or treatment plan. (1:31) Now go ahead, settle in wherever you are, maybe grab something to take some notes, and (1:36) let's dive in. (1:37) Here's my conversation with Matan Cohen-Citron.(1:46) You touched on this, so I want to go back to this, about when kind of people decide (1:52) to make a change. (1:54) Most people, I believe, right, don't make a change to move towards pleasure. (1:59) They make a change because they've experienced that pain point.(2:03) Is that correct? (2:05) Yeah. (2:06) Yeah. (2:06) Yeah.(2:07) And that's why, like, because even for me, it was a learning opportunity for me. (2:13) I mean, I discovered I couldn't have gluten, and I was able to give it up, you know, no (2:19) problem. (2:20) I knew I was going to feel bad.(2:21) I was in pain, you know, the whole bit. (2:24) But I've learned that a lot of people can't just do that, you know. (2:27) They keep going back to that thing because it tastes good, or they still, in some form, (2:34) think it makes them feel good, even though they know it's not going to be good for their (2:39) body.(2:40) Yeah. (2:41) The sad truth is that a lot of people will die for their beliefs and their inability to (2:47) change their behavior as a result of their belief. (2:51) So yeah, it's a tough, it's a sad one that people get cancer and they can't stop smoking (3:04) or they need to get cancer in order to stop smoking.(3:08) And part of it, you know, like talking about general hypnosis and how, you know, how we (3:14) live in this culture. (3:15) We live in a culture that doesn't empower the individual to be so strong. (3:24) Like we have to follow trends from, you know, like I see young girls, like they follow anti-aging, (3:33) they're spending hours on this thing about that idea of feeling good.(3:39) But it's not feeling good, it's just fitting in. (3:41) We want to fit in, into society where we're pretty much, we're sheep, you know, and unless (3:51) we wake up from that delusion and saying like, we're sheep, like we're, somebody's controlling (3:57) our emotions and our actions where we can't change. (4:02) And we learn this from a very young age.(4:06) And the key for in transformation is to learn to step into our own power and to have choice. (4:20) Start practicing that choice on a regular basis. (4:25) That's the key.(4:28) When you get that choice, nobody moves you. (4:33) You're able to stay steady. (4:35) Some people say to you, do you want to have a drink or do you want to have gluten or do (4:39) you want to go and party late? (4:44) And you're able to say, hmm, it doesn't serve me.(4:49) Yeah. (4:51) So, I mean, based on everything you've said, obviously people can make a change after, (4:57) you know, years of the same patterns and habits and whatever it might be. (5:02) So if somebody is truly feeling stuck, like where would you encourage them to begin? (5:09) What would be that first step? (5:10) Well, one option is to call a practitioner, you know, like to work with somebody that (5:15) that's his expertise.(5:17) B, start working on something small, you know, like, I don't know, find something really (5:27) small in your life and change. (5:30) I know the way you put the toilet paper, you know, switch that way. (5:38) My joke, I'll say it now, I say to people, start eating your boogers.(5:44) And they're looking at me and they're saying like, no way I'm going to start eating my (5:47) boogers. (5:48) You know, I'm like, all right. (5:49) So you see, you have a choice here.(5:53) So start with something very small and stupid and not so meaningful for you or something (6:03) that is a little bit, so it's not a big change because what you want to practice is you want (6:08) to practice the muscle of change and to shift the identity of you as somebody who's stuck, (6:15) that somebody can change their behavior. (6:18) So it doesn't matter what behavior it is, just change one thing. (6:23) And then again, after three weeks, after two months, like, wow, it's like I changed one (6:28) thing.I, you know, I'm whatever, whatever I'm doing different now, I got a little small (6:37) victory. Now let's find something that is a little bit more meaningful for me. (6:45) So we're using time.(6:46) It's like it's called one degree change. (6:49) So. And we have an ego that wants things to happen yesterday, part of our mind.(6:56) And we, and in reality, life is not a sprint. (6:59) Life is a marathon. (7:00) You can, you can take, take your time to make decisions.(7:06) Yeah, I actually talked about this in my book, too. (7:08) But like an example of like somebody that wants to, you know, walk every day, maybe they (7:13) start like a walking routine. (7:14) And for some people, it might be that they might just have to put their shoes out and (7:19) then first thing in the morning, put them on, you know, before they can actually get out (7:24) the door to maybe start walking or maybe put them on and walk out the door and then come (7:29) right back.You know, just something right to kind of. (7:33) Yeah, like shortening the thinking loop. (7:36) All right.Because our, I use the example of a master degree. (7:40) A lot of people don't know what to do and what to do with their life. (7:43) And they're like, I'm just going to go and get a master's degree.(7:46) And I'm like, all right, so what are you going to do after that? (7:48) So you're going to get a degree in whatever. (7:51) And then I'm going to look for a job. (7:52) So it's just like that idea of postponing, of getting time when we're, you know, like (7:57) parts of our mind are, love that thinking.(8:01) All right. I'll give you an example. (8:03) Three days ago, I went to an adventure park, the one that you climb on trees with (8:07) harnesses and all of it.(8:09) And my niece, who is very physical, she wants to say. (8:13) She wants, she wanted to do something, the hardest one, the double blue. (8:17) And I'm like, all right, I'll go in with you.(8:21) So I'm sitting with her and I'm resting because we did another. (8:26) And she is like starting talking herself, like, do I want to do it? (8:29) I don't want to do it. I want to do it, I want to do it.(8:31) And I'm like, you are wasting so much energy. (8:36) Either we're sitting here resting before we do it or we're going right now because (8:41) you're spending way too much energy with this anxiety or we're just going home. (8:47) And that's it.(8:50) And she told me like, all right, I'm going to rest for five minutes and then we're (8:53) going. And I'm like, all right, you're not allowed to talk about it if we're doing it (8:57) or not doing it. You can talk to me about something else.(9:00) So our mind, you know, the reason I'm telling that story, our minds, like all of (9:06) these negotiations, I am that person, I'm not that person. (9:09) And that technique that you described, I think it's fantastic because it's basically (9:14) it shortens the process. (9:17) Like you wake up, one line, you know, it's like you put the exercise shoes, exercise (9:22) clothes next to your bed, the shoes.(9:25) This is, you know, the direction that you're going. (9:27) You're not waking up, let's check the news, let's check my text and all of that. (9:33) Like you're creating that idea of a focus.(9:40) And in sports, they call it one good action in business, they call it in productivity, (9:47) one of the names is eat the biggest frog, biggest, ugliest frog first, that idea that (9:54) you're programming your mind to do the thing, the important. (10:04) Thing first, instead of going in all of these loops around it, and we can spend our (10:11) old days procrastinating. (10:13) Yeah.(10:14) Yeah. (10:15) But the more we practice that, it becomes a habit for us that I'm going right on. (10:22) This is important.(10:23) And now when you see kind of the, the, the culture that we live in and you ask, how (10:29) come people are having problems in front of them and they're ignoring that because this (10:38) is the reality that we live in, that most people ignore their issues and they put it (10:44) on their side and that becomes acceptable. (10:47) We get hypnotized to think that this is acceptable. (10:52) I'm curious on your thoughts because you even mentioned, you know, once you, once you (10:56) learn about the unconscious mind and how all these modalities are, you know, training (11:03) your unconscious mind, um, when you're sleeping, you're in that state, right? (11:12) And yeah, your, your unconscious mind is open when you're sleeping.(11:17) Yes. (11:17) Yeah. (11:18) So what is, what are your thoughts on like hypnosis recordings or anything like that? (11:24) Okay.(11:24) I love it. (11:25) I think it's a, you know, I think it's a no brainer and no, no expense time. (11:33) Okay.(11:33) Like for example, in movement, a lot of the time I sit on the floor. (11:41) Okay. (11:42) Um, and this is like a no brainer and no time.(11:45) It doesn't cost me anything. (11:46) I have the same meeting that I'm having with you right now. (11:48) I'm just sitting on the floor.(11:49) I don't have to buy anything or to spend 20 minutes out of my working time to sit on (11:55) the floor. (11:55) So I think it's kind of the same benefit that anywhere you go to sleep, put something (12:00) that your unconscious mind hears when you're sleeping. (12:05) And, um, and with time it becomes a, it becomes a positive change, whatever it is (12:13) that you want to change, because there are so many things that we can, uh, that we can (12:18) use what you call the, um, self-hypnosis.(12:23) Okay. (12:24) It's like those, those recordings that you can, you know, you can find them all over (12:29) the internet and that will become a, again, an identity and idea. (12:36) I'll give you an example of something that I changed with that.(12:38) I did a recording that I do what I have to do before what I want to do. (12:44) Okay. (12:44) So now it might be whatever, 11 PM at night and the kitchen is, uh, is not clean.(12:51) I will clean that kitchen before I go to bed. (12:54) Because I changed that belief that I do what I have to do before what I want to do. (13:01) So you can take it in endless amount of, uh, directions.(13:06) Yeah. (13:07) Yeah. (13:08) So sound healing could kind of go along with that then too, right? (13:12) Absolutely.(13:13) Cause sound healing and sound healing is something that help us to go into a (13:22) trance state, all right, into, into deeper relaxation. (13:26) And some people will argue that you need that relaxation in order to absorb. (13:33) I personally, in a certain situation, yes.(13:37) However, it's not necessary. (13:39) I'll give you two examples. (13:41) One for the listeners who have kids or remember having, when they were kids, how (13:47) many years does it take to teach a child to brush their teeth twice a day? (13:55) I tell you that for me, at least 12 years.(13:58) And my older, my younger one is 13 and I still have to remind her sometimes. (14:04) All right. (14:06) Versus how much time does it take to teach a child not to touch the fire once? (14:17) Yeah.(14:17) Now the question is how much relaxation or what people call it trance state there (14:24) is when they touch the fire and they get burnt and the answer is none usually. (14:33) So think about most events that people have that creates PTSD or anxiety or (14:41) things like that, they're not necessarily have a, they're not in a relaxed state. (14:48) All right.(14:48) We might use more relaxation to teach the body that it's safe. (14:53) However, in order for the unconscious to learn that behavior, that idea of full (15:00) relaxation doesn't, doesn't have to be there. (15:04) Gotcha.(15:06) Because you know, we are in life and we're exposed all the time. (15:09) We're exposed all the time. (15:11) So, uh, if you're going to take two or three hours of your day and watch the (15:16) news, you're probably going to become more anxious and, uh, and depressed.(15:22) Yeah. (15:22) Oh yeah. (15:24) So that, that's a, that's a behavior change.(15:26) Now think about it. (15:27) If you're, if this is your behavior and you're going to quit that behavior, (15:31) you're going to be so much happier. (15:37) Uh, as we kind of start wrapping up already, I feel like we could talk about (15:42) this forever.(15:43) Um, so you even kind of mentioned talk therapy. (15:47) So I hope, you know, anybody listening at this point is kind of starting to (15:50) understand the difference between like talk therapy versus, you know, what you (15:54) do. (15:55) So kind of along with that, I mean, what's, what's the difference between just (15:59) managing something and truly making that transformation? (16:04) Yeah.(16:04) So people go to talk therapy usually because they want, they want to get a (16:09) bigger understanding of the issue and thinking that this understanding will (16:13) help them to see things differently and to behave differently. (16:17) What, what, uh, the way I see hypnotherapy and transformation work is that we're, (16:25) we're here to move from point A to point B. (16:28) So in point A people think about the problem they think that they're having (16:32) and they're there and that there, there is a trigger. (16:35) Okay.(16:35) They might think about their parent or a situation and they, they're getting (16:40) triggered by the, the results that people get from hypnotherapy is that they can (16:48) think about the same thing that used to trigger them and the trigger is not there. (16:55) The other is a change in the unconscious mind that they're able to look at the (16:59) same thing that used to trigger them before and they're not getting triggered. (17:04) And they have the freedom to give, um, to choose what meaning it gives to, to (17:16) life because when people have trauma, their problem is not the trauma.(17:21) Usually the problem is that the meat is the meaning that they vent gave into their life. (17:30) That's pretty much it. (17:33) And that meaning, all right.(17:35) Like our mind is a meaningful machine and that meaning that we have towards our (17:41) lives, towards yourself is something that runs us, you know, like if we believe that (17:47) my life has no meaning, I don't know what it does. (17:52) It's different from every person. (17:54) I can take it and say, all right, if it doesn't have any meaning, I should be (17:58) depressed or if it doesn't have to have any real meaning, let's just have fun and (18:02) enjoy it, you know, cause cause our mind is a meaning machine.(18:09) Yeah. (18:09) Yeah. (18:10) Yeah.(18:11) So, so this is, this is what we do. (18:13) Like we work with the meaning. (18:15) It's not just the event.(18:16) It's like what those events say, say about you. (18:22) Oh no. (18:23) Like give you an example.(18:24) I work with somebody. (18:25) She is a therapist. (18:26) She's been in therapy by herself, her entire life.(18:29) She is in her sixties. (18:30) I just finished working with her now. (18:34) Same thing happened.(18:35) We didn't change the, the abuse, everything she experiences, the negligence, (18:41) everything she experienced as a child. (18:45) However, she does, those things don't hold the same meaning she used to. (18:52) She's not anxious.(18:53) She's not talking negative. (18:55) She's not feeling negative. (18:57) She's like feeling worthy right now with everything that happened, you know, (19:02) she see things for what they were, you know, like her parents did not treat (19:07) her the way she will deserve to be treated.(19:12) However, that doesn't mean anything about who she is right now. (19:17) Actually, that's kind of strength and what an amazing person she (19:21) is to overcome those things. (19:27) For anybody that's scared of hypnotherapy, I mean, I feel like, you know, for some (19:35) people that could, that could cause anxiety, right? (19:39) Like they just don't know what to expect, you know, can you maybe talk a little (19:44) bit about that and what, you know, maybe what the experience might be like, or yeah.(19:52) I've had, I've had, yeah, I've had that experience. (19:54) I've had RTT sessions, so I know that's different than, you know, than a full (19:58) hypnotherapy session, but still, even with that, that can be scary, right? (20:04) Yeah. (20:05) I think people are afraid of the idea of letting go of control, that somebody can (20:11) take control over your behavior or create a change that you're not interested.(20:18) And to be honest, when you say hypnotherapy is such a big world, it's not that I do (20:26) what my next door neighbor is doing, or it's kind of, it's so wide. (20:33) So I do suggest that I personally, I do a consultation with the person to see that (20:39) there is a good fit and, and most of my clients are word of mouth, so they hear (20:46) it from, from people. (20:48) However, I think it's important to find a person that you trust before you reach out (20:54) for help, find a person that, that you trust, do a consultation with that person, (21:02) see that you believe that that person can help you.(21:06) Because if your unconscious mind doesn't feel a connection with that person, it's (21:12) not going to work. (21:16) That's my belief. (21:19) And you can always starting small with trying a few things on YouTube or that.(21:26) So it depends to what kind of issue, like I wouldn't go and do trauma work on (21:33) YouTube. (21:34) I would do it one-on-one work or anxiety or, and that's also a luxury to work one (21:40) on one. (21:41) Not everybody can afford it, unfortunately.(21:45) Yes. (21:47) However, with that being said, from what I know, I, nobody ever lost consciousness (21:53) or anything like that. (21:55) It's a, it's a very, it's a very safe environment and people are in control all (22:02) the time.(22:03) And then I look at it as a gift, like as a gift to give to, to guide people through (22:09) those places and to help them, to help them go through those issues. (22:17) Are there places that are, that are held negative emotions? (22:23) Yes, there are, there are places like that. (22:26) And, you know, and I think it takes a few minutes to go through that.(22:34) However, to my opinion, it's so worth it. (22:36) Like I've seen people, yeah, they know that they have an unprocessed trauma and (22:43) they're feeling how their body is releasing it. (22:46) And it's not, you know, it's not feeling the best.(22:50) However, what comes after that, it's like, it's like, even from my perspective, and (22:57) I've done different things in the mind body world, there is nothing that is as (23:04) rewarding as that, that you see a person that drops their trauma and it's kind of (23:13) you, I look at their body languages, their physiology, and something is dropping from (23:21) there. (23:21) It's a, you know, and they're reconnecting with something inside with like their (23:27) inner child and their smile changes. (23:30) And yeah, it's a, it's a beautiful experience to my, to my opinion, to, to see that shift (23:39) and to see a person who was in that prison of that belief or that story is saying that, (23:49) wow, I can do whatever I want to do with my life.(23:53) Yeah, yeah, that's, that's powerful, right? (23:55) Yeah, that's the most powerful thing to experience our own power. (24:03) Yeah. (24:05) Ah, well, anything else you'd like to add? (24:08) That's all the questions I have for you.(24:09) But any, anything last minute that maybe we didn't touch on? (24:14) I don't know, I was so much into the conversation, my editing, my editing mind is not here. (24:24) No, that's great. (24:26) Yeah, I really appreciate you sharing, you know, your knowledge.(24:29) And yeah, it's been amazing. (24:31) I love this stuff. (24:32) So thank you.(24:34) Thank you so much for being on. (24:37) And yeah, maybe we might have to do this again. (24:40) We'll see.(24:41) Would love to. (24:42) Awesome. (24:43) Thank you.(24:45) What a fascinating conversation with Matan. (24:48) I hope today's episode reminded you that knowing what to do and actually doing it are (24:53) two very different things. (24:55) Sometimes change begins with understanding the beliefs and stories we've been carrying, (24:59) recognizing what no longer serves us and making one small choice to do something (25:04) differently.And remember, you don't have to change everything overnight. (25:09) Small, intentional steps can help you build confidence and create new patterns. (25:13) If you'd like to continue exploring body wisdom and sustainable habits, I'd love to (25:18) welcome you into my free Healthy Ever After community.(25:21) You'll find the link in the show notes along with Matan's information. (25:24) If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with (25:29) someone who might benefit from this conversation. (25:32) Because healing doesn't come from doing more.(25:34) It comes from understanding better. (25:36) I'm sending you so much love and I'll see you on the next episode of PCOS Unfiltered. (25:42) Nourish, heal, thrive.