Designing Pod Self-Disciplines

Programming your mind is an ongoing process that involves intention, focus & flow. The more you practice, the better you get & the sooner you realize your goals...
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder - Who's Killing the Kids is a book/workbook/workshop in our Parenting the Parent Series. Visit with me as I design the metaphors for this & other projects in progress.

I'm happy to share some complimentary mp3 downloads with you. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session. Current ones include...
Serious Goal Building &
Becoming Consistent



MIND EXERCISE
Take a moment to relax deeply. Remember, you want to slow your brain waves, turning off & releasing all stress chemicals. This is centering, making yourself ready for new mind programming.

Outside each Pod is a chair. I ask you to sit in the chair, inviting stillness to enter your mind and body. There are many ways to do this. A simple technique is to breathe from your lower belly, just as if it contained a balloon of any color you desire. I like to sense my body being gently pulled down by magnets. It is perfectly fine to be standing instead of sitting. The chair is simply a metaphor for centering before entering the Pod Room. I also like to enhance my centering by imaging a golden egg surrounding my entire body. As I tilt my eyes up about twenty degrees, I locate my mind screen. This is where I will communicate with my subconscious mind.

There are many different ways for me to communicate. I can choose images or place words or simply think word-thoughts or combine both. I can ask questions or ask for what I would like or need. I always communicate "as if " I already had what I wanted ", perhaps wanting to know more about it or how I obtained it.

When working with daily self-discipline Pods, I might ask my subconscious mind how to make these better or how to highly motivate them. This works especially well when looking to re-program behaviors that are highly etched, such as disorderly eating or addictions.

Think of each Pod as a separate room that is only about the specific activity of choice. Everything in that room is related. While you will be familiar with many of the things in the Pod Room, there will be other things that are new to you, some of which you may not even be able to see clearly right now. You can also enter Pod Rooms just in the theater of your mind. This is especially useful when looking to highly create or to rehabilitate in a particular area that has been problematic in the past. Simply take some time to wander about, investigating whatever interests you. Allow your intuition to play out.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

It’s time to replace old automatic pilot behaviors and patterns, many heavily etched in your subconscious mind. You will be placing new mind programs directly over these, etching them again and again. Some will be edited versions, others brand new, highly original multi-faceted patterns and behaviors. This etching action is called consistency. Perhaps you heard that word somewhere and have personally experienced how difficult it is to come by. That is only because you didn't know the four steps you are learning here. These new etchings will become your new automatic pilot programs.

In the beginning these will feel like new shoes, but after twenty days or so, they will flow quite easily. You already know about Pod Rooms and the communication chair that sits outside. You also know how to communicate with your subconscious mind.

If you visit my website you will find an example of a daily self-discipline Pod Plan in the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp. Actually it's one of mine that I'm happy to share with you. When I design my plans, I have space for thirty days. I print this out and place it in my journal. Each day I enter the date, giving myself a check mark after communicating & entering each Pod room. This is called focused re-etching. It is key to building a sound self-disciplined program.

My basic, daily self-discipline Pod Rooms are very well designed with what is needed for my high level health & performance. My subconscious mind often shows me new areas, as well as how to make things easier & better. This then connects to other areas in my life. The Pods are mentoring my other goals, building them into Automatic Pods.

It you have particular addictions, it is important to add Pod Rooms for these, for example for not smoking or not drinking. I happen to have a sugar free Pod Room. I may not put a check in it every day, but my subconscious mind knows that it is there and therefore motivates me in the right direction.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

My students and patients find it very useful when I share my own Interactive Self-Hypnotic experiences with them, so I would like to invite you inside some of my personal Pods. It might help you to know that I'm no different from anyone else. I must actively work to stay focused on what's important to my health for everything hinges on that. If I am physically healthy, my mind will work well & I'll be able to achieve my goals in all areas of my life. If I'm not healthy, then quite simply everything falls apart.

There are only 24 hours in a day. 8 of those I spend sleeping. It is very important for me to have a healthy sleep coupled with healing dream states. I know that if my Pods are properly designed, my sleep quality will be enhanced because all is connected. My Pods reflect my personal needs. Some of yours may be the same as mine while others will be different. The Pod names may be similar, but life inside the Pods will reflect who you are, where you have been, as well as where you want to go. Let me walk you through some of mine and give you their background, as well as their future plans.

I have a tendency towards gaining weight, I'm certainly fond of sugar, as well as some junk foods that I desire when stressed. I have difficulty motivating myself to exercise regularly. I have a tendency to over-work, this being another unhealthy stress-releaser.

My day begins by waking up, recognizing my exercise Pod. Since this isn’t a favorite of mine, I have to mentally sit in the chair outside the Pod to center myself. Once centered, I can access the inner motivation imagery that will place me in process. It takes a few weeks for the motivation to etch over the old mind programs, but once this happens it becomes much easier to move from the negative into the positive. Inside the Pod I visualize all aspects of the exercise routine, from enjoying my clothes, my music, the beauty of the early morning, etc. These are examples of simple motivators that will be received immediately, thereby taking care of immediate gratification. Other motivators are health related, as well as how my pants fit. There are negative motivators inside the Pod as well. I only get involved in those when absolutely necessary. I prefer not to motivate myself in negative ways, but sometimes it just has to be that way.

My meal Pods come next & while similar as far as motivators go, they do have their own personalities. In the past, when I was involved in disorderly eating, I had developed some very bad habits. Sometimes they come to visit, especially during high stress. The chairs outside these Pods are utilized quite frequently. This is where I let go of those old habit fragments, such as wanting fast food instead of eating my planned lunch, etc. I also utilize those chairs when tempted to binge or to purchase binge type foods. Again, the chair becomes the interrupter of the old behavior, allowing me to center and come back to my reality.

I have a Pod for water because I tend to forget to drink it. My old habits were very unhealthy in this regard, including having an ongoing mug of coffee or can of diet soda sitting on my desk. I need eight glasses of water each day, delivered throughout the day. Just having the Pod in place works well for me. My subconscious mind reminds me throughout the day to drink the water. It’s rather like having a personal assistant.

I’m no different from any of you reading this book. If I don’t have a discipline in place, the winds of life blow me around. That means that I’m not in charge of the direction & so I work the very same four steps you are learning here. I do need Pods for them or I’ll forget, getting lost in the demands & pressures that life delivers.

It’s not uncommon for my subconscious to wake me up, reminding me to practice interactive awareness or self-hypnosis, only to have me answer “don’t be ridiculous. I have too much to do.” My subconscious mind does not back off from my emotional child behaviors, instead points me to the chair outside the Pod. Remember, the purpose of setting up the discipline is to engage your own subconscious mind to assist you in reaching your desired goals. Your mind is not your parent, but your assistant.