Writing for the Food & Sugar Addicted Listener

"Living in disorder or addiction is like existing in a room without air or light. It's time to change things."....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Sometimes I forget that I'm a writer because I spend a good part of my day designing & delivering self-hypnosis metaphor & suggestion "in the moment" for my patients/clients. Then it's off to recording CD's & mp3's. Over the years I must have written & recorded over 1,000 programs. So, whether it be mind-writing or typing onto the computer screen, it's quite a bit of writing.

For me, mind-writing is the most challenging. I never work with scripts in my office, the reason being that I want to communicate with the patient or client hypnotically & so I had to come to trust the process. Rarely do I know how I will word things or even what metaphor may come to mind. It may be one that I've designed before, but most of the time it is highly original & very patient/client specific. It's in moments like these, when I'm able to touch that depth of creativity, that the heart beats a bit faster. Sometimes I sense a shudder or feel like laughing as these inner images jump out, seemingly having a life of their own. It's a time of true disassociation from mySelf. I'm out of my own way & now able to be free with the process.

Some people aren't familiar with what goes on in a project such as this. Here are some things to consider. When working with the SpokenWord, the vocal delivery is as important as the image itself. The famous quote, "timing is everything", also goes along with this genre of delivery. And then there are the facets of the tonality, including the emotional marinade. So, writing & delivering the SpokenWord is a bit complex, but when one is tuned into the subconscious, everything seems to take care of itself.

MEET THE FOOD & SUGAR ADDICTED LISTENER

The writer of SpokenWords writes & delivers to a listener, so the writing needs to take this into consideration. If one were to look at my physical writing, it might appear quite different from that written for someone who is reading the work. In my case, I write for listeners who have specific issues or needs. In this blog entry I've chosen to address listeners with very specific addictions....those having to do with disorderly eating, sugar & food addiction.

Addictive listeners, no matter what their addiction, often have short attention spans. Focus & concentration levels are often lacking. Much of this has to do with body & mind physiology of addiction. That is why those harboring addiction do so well with the SpokenWord being presented in Self-Hypnosis . In the case of my work, I deliver it in a special format I've designed called "Interactive Self-Hypnosis. This is especially palatable for the food addicted individual, as they are drawn into the actual images & get to play in the playground of their own minds. What could be better? There is no judging or co-dependency. They are calm & relaxed, detached from their thoughts & emotions, with an invitation to a special event where they get to pick & choose & to participate inside the images or metaphors that they willingly accept.

Disorderly eating listeners respond to a full plate of carefully crafted images to meet their specific needs. These need to be delivered at just the right time.....not too early & not too late. Those with food or sugar addiction, or other disorderly eating patterns are usually restless & disorganized in their thought processes. Their emotions run high, forcing the stress chemicals to be produced at very high levels. This usually means lots of physical & mental tension & while that may sound like a negative, it is actually a positive for work presented in the Self-Hypnotic SpokenWord format.

The body & mind of the listener DO WANT to slow down & relax deeply. The body & mind are eager to enter a state called homeostasis or balance & all that is needed is to get the listener "out of his own way." In the practice of medical hypnosis, it's common for an emergency room patient to go into a positive, self-hypnotic trance quite easily, simply because the body & mind do want to go to that place of balance. Blood pressure normalizes; heart beat normalizes; blood flow slows. It's quite remarkable to observe the power of the SpokenWord under these critical circumstances.

Once the listener is brought to deep relaxation, the creative work can begin. When writing & recording for the general public, the writing specialist needs to turn to generalizations about the subject matter. However, while sugar or food addicted individuals have many things in common, it's important for the writer to remember that each listener is a separate individual, with different life experiences & different needs. There is also the consideration of the amount of audio time & just as in writing books, editing is an important part of the process.

When dealing with this particular group of listeners, over-worked subject matter, such as food choices, meal planning, portion sizes, meal timing, etc., tend to get glazed over in book format, but not so in Interactive Self-Hypnotic Imagery. The right side of the brain, the subconscious or child-mind, can be brought to this Interactive exercise with new excitement. Here everything is possible. One can fall in love with the process of getting all of this organized & in place. It's fun again. Yes, it is possible to have a fresh start & to walk a healthy path.... the reason being that the listener is actually doing it & accompanied by positive & affirming emotions.

There are so many different images & metaphors for working through the food aspect of sugar & food addiction. All of them are "tasty." But, this listener needs to travel to other areas & also has quite a bit of clean-up to do. While this might sound "distasteful", it is not. In fact, it is more fun & games.

MEET THE EMOTIONS

Managing emotions is key for everyone. Sugar & food addicted listeners have their fair share of negative emotional states, many of them very old indeed, perhaps going way back to early childhood. It could take decades to take care of these in regular therapy, but with the power of the Self-Hypnotic SpokenWord, the listener can begin to tackle them right in the moment. The key is bringing the individual into the "identification center" & coming to understand the concept that he/she is NOT his or her emotions.

This technique of disassociation is made so much easier "in the moment". Through the power of SpokenImagery, the listener is now empowered to manage past failure, fear of failure, guilt, shame, powerlessness, anxiety, etc. & to bring forward, or actively entertain confidence, self-respect, self-forgiveness, self-love, creativity & a whole host of others, most of whom probably haven't been around through most of the individual's life.

Thoughts are now known as real "things"....that can be managed, thereby empowering the listener. Yes, it is a new day & life experiences will play on a different stage from now on.

CLEARING THE PAST EXPERIENCES

Creative metaphor gives the listener the opportunity to clean the attic & the basement & then all the other rooms in the house. One only keeps what one wants or needs. Making this abundantly clear to the now "past-addicted listener", invites in not only a new self-power, but a freedom to grow, create & achieve. Individuals in this category often have junk piled up that goes way back & for many reasons, these things have remained stock-piled. Presenting simple, but well-defined metaphors & bringing the listener into the action, can clear things up, often quicker & with less efforting.

This area of metaphor development is a joyful writing experience. My own mind feeds me one healthy image after the other. Road blocks move to the side & the way is clear.

FUTURE PACING METAPHORS

In this particular program, the metaphors for the future are all related to specifics for high level health. The listener participates "as if" this were all happening right now. The choice of words & descriptions become very important because one wants the listener to self-design & motivate his or her own program. This is key for long-term lifestyle change & it's most important to make it as complete & enticing as possible.

OTHER ASPECTS

I believe in teaching the listener the basics of Interactive Self-Hypnosis "in the moment" & have included these techniques on this program, as well as in every program I write & record. This is the nursing me who knows that the patient or listener, must be made to be independent of the professional & so it is with this SpokenWord writing project. What does this mean? Well, it means knowing how to identify & release emotions & their thoughts in the moment & to re-program the mind for the positive images that are presented on the program OR those that their own subconscious mind has developed for them, for the creative mind now knows the direction & will want to participate as well.