thoughtWARE

Inside Secret Eating

2007-07-17T08:31:00.001-07:00

No need to run & hide from disorder, no matter where it lives in your life. As you come to take care of it, just like magic, other things will fall into place".... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

As far as writing markets go, one doesn't have to look far to find an emotional or disorderly eater. All I have to do is to look in the mirror, but as I look at myself I'm not really seeing the emotional eating part of me because it is hidden. While we all live behind masks, emotional eaters are especially good at this. Even though I've met thousands of people with this problem, I'm still taken aback by someone who looks "so together" who comes to tell me their unique story.

Take yesterday for instance. A beautiful thiry-something woman, Denise, came to my office to work on "some issues." As we got to know each other, I learned that she is a very successful television producer with a long, impressive resume. I also came to learn her deepest secret, that of being a serious closet binge eater who vomits every night before taking her antidepressant & a sleeping pill, so "they will work faster & take me away from my desire to eat more & more."

Secrets such as these form a big part of the problem, as well as being able to help individuals such as Denise. I remember a publisher telling me that "no one wants to be seen with a book whose cover reveals their secret." And so, the title of your book or audio may or may not speak to the person who needs to benefit from it, but the material must. This is one good thing about mp3's. They are simply downloaded to one's own computer or ipod & no one else but the listener "needs to know." Three of my biggest sellers in mp3 are Managing Bulimia & Emotional or Compulsive Eating. Next on the list comes Skin Picking & Nail Biting, most likely for the same reason.

What about diet books? It's seems to be ok to buy one of those, but for emotional or compulsive eaters, what they need is not going to be found in those books. In fact, some of them tend to make the problem even worse because it is very difficult for the emotional eater to stay with a plan, when the underlying issues are not addressed at the same time. Also, many people with emotional eating are not over-weight & believe because they are not, then it's ok to continue down their unhealthy eating path. Unfortunately, they are very mistaken. Luckily the television producer decided to take the "risk" & to bring her issues out into the open where she could learn to take care of them.

FACETS OF THE SECRET

Emotional & compulsive eaters tend to be disorderly in their nutritional & stress management care. If you've been following my blog, you know about the desire for perfection, the rigid thinking, the excessive need for approval, low self-esteem, extremely high expectgations of self & the need to be in control. And while they may bring this to other parts of their life & may even present themselves as "being in super-control of their eating" while others are watching, there is one part of their eating life that is for their eyes only. This is where the emotional release takes place & it is private & personal.

For Julie, another one of my patients, it means getting into her car at the end of a normal stress-filled workday & stopping at her favorite binge supermarket, usually where she is confident that she won't meet up with anyone she knows. What could be worse than having a shopping basket filled with binge foods & meeting up with someone from the office or church? Once she is safely out of the market, Julie repacks the bags in the trunk of her car. On the way out to the car, she grabs a few additional plastic bags, so the stash can be divided into groups & hidden under the seats of the car. That way, her husband will not see them or question her about them. Her husband who is very health-conscious, believes Julie to be the same. According to Julie, he would be horrified & lose all respect for her.

Julie takes one bag of chips to the front of the car. These are designated for the ride home, whatever left going under the seat & out of sight. Julie's ritual includes ripping the bag open with her teeth. Her thoughts & her body sensations are already deep into the "fix". She takes a solitary chip in her mouth before starting the ignition & sucks the salt, enjoying the sensation as much as the taste. Then she shoves a small handful into her mouth, moving them around with her tongue....finally relaxing, the sensation of satisfaction & safety entering her body, as she carefully reviews her stash in her mind. Ahhhh.....feeling so good, but lingering in the back of her mind is the voice of judgment. "What is wrong with you? Why do you do this? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Julie pushes the thoughts away, answering with another handful of chips.

Everything will be just fine now.....or will it? Julie knows better. Bingeing in the car presents all sorts of problems including crumbs on her clothing, on the floor of the car & grease on the steering wheel, but this binger is no amateur. She's walked this dangerous road before & was even caught once, or at least there were "suspicions" which of course, Julie flatly denied & then quickly dodges the trouble, by hurrying inside. As she tells it, "that was a close call." Julie pulls the car to the side of the road a few blocks before arriving home. The place is her favorite because it is quite safe. Few neighbors enter her subdivision from this entrance. Making sure she is unnoticed, she steps out, brushes off her clothes, checks the floor & the seat for evidence & then wipes the steering wheel with a packaged cloth she keeps in her purse for "such occasions." Mission accomplished.....so far.

After dinner, while her husband brushes his teeth, Julie moves the stash inside, artfully carrying it past her kids who are doing their homework. Some she places inside her blouse. Her heart pounds but her defiant part laughs as she heads for her carefully chosen hideouts. "It's all worth it....every bit of it."

Julie is a night binger. After everyone in the house is sleeping, including herself, part of Julie wakes her up. She carefully gets out of bed, looking back at her sleeping husband, measuring his breaths. No change.....good. She walks to her hiding places & makes her choices. Tonight it will be salt & crunch first & then sugar. Sitting in her favorite family room chair, she carefully opens each package, still keeping her ears on alert for any footsteps on the stairs, never letting her guard down. "Somehow it's part of the game & enjoy being with this devious part of myself. It's powerful, like some of the girls I knew in high school. No one knows this part of me & I've kept it a secret for as long as I can remember. I don't know if I can ever say good-bye to her."

The attention to detail is very important to the binger. Julie has stored a toothbrush & paste in the guest bathroom to use after her eating ritual. If the binge was big, she may use the toothbrush handle to induce vomiting, but this means be extra careful. No one can hear her & she cannot leave any signs of this; another thing to clean up. "I try not to vomit because of all the complications, but sometimes I know I'll never fall asleep unless I do. I'd truly like to get rid of this part, but then again, it does help me to relax deeply."

Not all binge or emotional eaters are women, nor do all have such complicated rituals as Julie. One of my clients, Harold, is a investment broker. He sought out my services as a clinical hypnotherapist because he had a medical condition called bruxism, meaning he mashes & grinds his teeth. During his assessment, Harold asked me if I could also help him manage an annoying problem. Just about every evening, precisely around 9PM, he would start having mad cravings for soft ice cream. Both Harold & his wife had sworn off sugar years ago & everything about their lifestyle spoke of health.

So, Harold started making up stories about needing to go out for gasoline or back to the office because he forgot something, etc. A good part of his waking time was spent thinking up new ways to get to his "stash." As he was telling me of his plight, I couldn't help but notice how excited he was, rather like a young boy telling me how he goes about fooling his mother.

SIMPLE EMOTIONAL OR DISORDERLY EATING

There are many people who maintain that they have emotional or compulsive eating issues, when what they really have is something I call "disorderly eating." Some eat continually, others having more of a pattern. In order to explain this way of managing their eating life, stress or the label of emotional eating is attached to the behavior. There is no discipline whatsoever; no plans for meals or snacks. I call this living by the seat of your pants & the numbers of people who participate in disorderly eating is huge. Just look around. You don't have to look far.

While all of this is very sad for adults, it is even more so for teens & kids because they are setting lifetime patterns. Their parents are their mentors & so this is seen as "normal." I see many of these children in my practice & sell more mp3's than I'd like to count that address some of the negative outcomes of disorderly eating. These include concentration, focus, sleep issues, early alcohol addiction, early smoking & many others.

NEXT BLOG - WRITING FOR SECRET & EMOTIONAL EATERS

Working with the Therapeutic Self

2007-07-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

"We think we want to do things, but that simply isn't enough, for without emotional motivation, the thought won't go anywhere. It's like a car without gas."....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

As writers we have many, many unique opportunities to help our readers or listeners towards change, but that won't happen unless the written or spokenWord is well-marinated in hot-desire emotional images that speak directly to the therapeutic part of our audience's mature self. It's also not going to happen if we are not taking good care of ourselves, both physically & emotionally. This is especially important for those of us who write in the field of self-help & self-development, although well-written fiction has placed many a person on the road to change because the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between truth or fiction.

MEET THE THERAPEUTIC SELF

Inside each of us is something called the therapeutic self. In the practice of nursing, this is a key element in designing the nursing care plan for the patient. In writing, I find this just as important. When someone says "your writing or your audio really speaks to me," you know that you have reached the door of the therapeutic self.

The concept of the therapeutic self plays a major role in the development of a positive attitudinal approach, both for the writer & the reader/listener. What you do, what you say, as well as what you think & feel make you unique & your uniqueness is the key to deep caring. The depth of the caring will impact on the ability to bring change. To achieve positive change, each of us, writer & reader/listener must be invited & then to be motivated to look at ourselves & to examine our assets & liabilities.

Without the knowledge gained from an honest appraisal of the personal self, the therapeutic self can be in jeopardy of being ineffective as a change agent. So yes, as writers, we have our own self-work to do, if we want to bring this depth to our audience.

To be therapeutic, you must be yourself. And so, you need to recognize your personal strengths, as well as your weaknesses & to work with them, bringing them to their highest levels. In the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis, this is accomplished with the help of the subconscious mind. Here's an inner working example:

Invite yourself to relax deeply into the moment. This is as simple as finding a quiet place, utilizing a few cleansing breaths & intending to bring this experience to yourself. Once settled in, tilt your closed eyes up about twenty degrees & view the mind-screen. If you are not a visual person, just pretend that you are sitting in the second row of a movie theater & put your limitations aside. On the screen place your mature or therapeutic self, perhaps sitting on a comfortable chair. On the right are chairs for your assets & on the left sit the chairs for your liabilities. Image them as children coming in & taking their appropriate places. Notice there is no voice of judgment.

Once everyone is settled down, notice the light filtering in through a big window & entering both the assets & the liabilities. Black drops exit the fingertips, transmuting into gold dust as they touch the floor. Notice the assets are becoming bigger & stronger; the liabilities smaller & less intensive. The gold dust is now presented to your therapeutic self to bring back to the workshop of your daily world.

Here you are being genuine, honest, open & flexible. There is no voice of judgment. Nothing here speaks to errors or mistakes or any other negatives. Here, the self-esteem grows strong. In allowing yourself to just be, you share feelings, as opposed to trying to mask or cover them. Sharing is a very meaningful part of honest & open communication, but before you can have it with others, you must be able to have it with yourSelf. This is the practice of being human & is the essence of professionalism, both with yourSelf & with your audience. This is mature growth.

POWER OF POSITIVE ATTITUDES

The therapeutic self needs specific positive attitudes for living at healthy levels. This is so for both writer & audience & so when writing, we come from our own therapeutic position & speak to the mutually mature aspect of our audience. Here are some powerful additudes to entertain, as well as to deliver in your writing:

Personal Worth: This is the viewpoint your hold about yourself & others. For example, staying aware & understanding such things as cultureal & social differences, respect for humanity, tolerance & patience towards human fraility. This is especially key when writing for addiction or other self-help areas. Whether it be the spokenWord or written word, the writer should demonstrate a conviction that dignity, individuality & equality of people must be protected.

Personal Integrity: I believe strongly that we must all maintain a sense of honesty towards ourselves & with others. We communicate on so many different levels & if we are living a dishonest life, then this will come through as well....not the type of delivery we want.

Open-Mindedness: We can model a willingness & ability to change, for it sits within all of us. As we practice, this will find itself in the work we deliver to our audience.

Hopefulness: As writers, we must practice looking at our own life situations from the bright side. This will then allow us to easily convey brightness to our audience, keeping in mind that we cannot give what we do not have to give.

So writing is not just about getting the words on paper, or the sounds on the disk. It's not just about deadlines & struggling with mental blocks. Writing is also about how we care for ourselves & the attitudes we hang around with, for like it or not, they are a part of what we share, consciously or subconsciously.

Designing Metaphors for Addiction

2007-07-14T08:46:00.001-07:00

Your mind works as a servo-mechanism. That means it serves you whatever you request & those requests come from your visual & audio thoughts, as well as your automatic programs that reside in your subconscious. So....how appetizing is the platter you are being served today?....
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

TUNING IN...

The appetites or needs of those living under the darkness of addiction are very specific & so the sound-bites or written words need to be designed to meet these needs. As creative writers, we tend to work in metaphor or story telling & this is a perfect way to tempt the subconscious mind.

When writing in interactive self-hypnotic suggestion, I can cover lots of territory with a few simple images. When the listener or reader enters the image, the metaphor becomes multi-dimensional & therefore much more powerful. I'd like to introduce you to a sampling of my favorites:

THE CHILD & THE MULTIPLE COATS

While many of us have heard the term inner-child, few of us work with this concept on a daily basis. The child-self is separate from the mature-adult or higher self. This is an extremely important concept for my listener or reader. Just as he is not his thoughts, emotions or body sensations, he is also not his inner child. This technique is called disassociation.

The child-self remains with us throughout our life & right now, in this very moment, your child-self is with you. It doesn't matter what you are doing. The child is never far away & as you come to recognize it, you are then free to manage your emotions, because your child-self is wearing an emotional coat, or if you prefer because it is summer, a tee-shirt with the name of the emotion written across the front. There are all sorts of coats or tee-shirts. Some you have had for a very long time, perhaps almost from birth & others were placed on you as a young child. As you became older, more & more coats or shirts were placed on you perhaps by your parents, siblings, relatives, clergy, teachers, neighbors & even your community at large.

We all have a large variety of these. Some tend to be very controlling & rigid. Others may be woven from fearful threads or those colored with guilt or shame. When these are worn it is often difficult to think, much less dream freely about what you might like to have for yourself; what you might like to experience in life. When you are wearing one of these you might hear yourself thinking or saying out loud that "you can't do something or that might be ok for others but not for you." When these coats are worn one lives in a locked world. In this instance you curtail your inner gift of creativity, keeping yourself in the corner of life.

Those individuals harboring addiction often have a huge collection of rather dirty coats & so a shopping trip is definitely in the plans The listener is delighted to know that these coats can come off in an instant & new, colorful, light coats can be chosen instead.

When working inside this metaphor I like to spend time examining each of the new coats....admiring their qualities, the strength & durability of the fabric, the uniqueness of the design, as well as the great fit. I suggest a few very powerful new coats & perhaps a few that appear on the surface to be less important. This part of the metaphor is aiming towards balance, which of course is something that the addictive listener needs as well.

THE BALANCE BEAM

Balance is a key ingredient for healing addictive tendencies. The balance beam is a simple metaphor & most individuals have observed gymnasts performing on a balance beam & so they are familiar with what it is. The beam can be painted with the name of a particular issue & the listener can practice balancing in this area of life.

THE MATURE OR CORE SELF

The mature self is separate from the child-self & is completely free from emotional coats. Getting in touch with this powerful element of the personality is very important for the individual harboring addiction. There are many ways for the writer to introduce this part & literature is filled with examples. However, I like the listener to uncover their own mature or core self & so one way is to take them to one of the creative parts of the inner workshop where there is a block of valuable carrera marble, as well as a hammer & chisel.

As work begins, the chips fall away & the figure can be seen emerging. Then the listener notices that he is not the only worker on this project. The mature or core self is also chipping away, wanting to be free. I've found this metaphor to be extremely empowering as the relationship with maturity begins on a mutual working stage.

THOUGHTWARE OR CHOOSING WORDS

No matter how simple a word, it has intrinsic value when writing therapeutic material. Negatives are never utilized in any images, except for cleaning or clearing or manipulating in some positive way. It's important for the mature or core-self to understand that part of it's work is to clear or heal negatives, no matter how "old" they are.

All words flow towards building or suggesting strength, as well as what is the desired outcome. When an individual reads or listens the brain waves are slowed & so the door of the subconscious mind is opened, allowing even simple words that are self-affirming to perform at high levels.

COMPLIMENTARY METAPHORIC MP3

I've placed a complimentary mp3 SpokenWord program at the following link. The name of this program is The Life University.

You can make something happen today. Good things can happen to you & for you right now. As you learn to break your big plan for success into small steps, you can take the first step right away. Your success is a matter of your expectations. Once these are accepted by your own inner mind, the plans are placed on the drawing board. You are the one who stretches your horizons & then designs the roadway........Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

This program takes the listener or practitioner of self-hypnosis to the powerful Life University. The listener has the opportunity to visit skill building areas that may need more structure in his/her own life including emotional management, thought management, goal building & action classes, life balance, health, work ethics & motivation, relationship building, spiritual enhancing & opening, future pacing & planting & much more.

This program allows one to self-assess, to find areas that may benefit from change & to actually plant the mind programs to do so. This is an ideal program for those who truly want to move on & to truly make those changes that will greatly impact their lives.

Writing for the Addicted Listener

2007-07-11T05:58:00.001-07:00

"We are not our stress, our thoughts, our out of control emotions, or our addictions, but this does not mean that we are not responsible for managing them."....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

While I write SpokenWord programs utilizing Interactive Self-Hypnosis, one does not need to be a therapist to write for these market. However, when doing so, it's important to truly get a feel for what this specific listener needs. This also holds true for the written word. Working with a therapeutic consultant may give you just the insight you need to write a successful program or book.

UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION

One of the reasons I began writing in this field was that I felt the existing material often stopped short of truly helping the reader or listener, who needs to fully participate in the written or spoken word in order to effect change in their life. To my mind this is why there are so many books on weight loss, but we still have an epidemic of obesity in our nation & in other parts of the industrialized world.

I've written & produced many programs for specific addictions, both for adults & children. Being at the mercy of addiction, no matter what kind, takes away from the beauty of life. The addicted individual stands in the corner of life, knowing that sooner or later the addiction will make it's appearance. While it may appear to be welcomed or even joked about, it is never an inside joke. Consciously or subconsciously, the participant does know that the addiction is harmful & usually has a growing fear that the nightmare is just around the corner. This underlying fear or anxiety is often blocked or at least tempered in order to keep some level of balance.

There are both physiological & emotional components to addiction. As the listener comes to understand this, some of the guilt & shame can be better channeled. Those who answer to stress with addictive substances or behaviors often have a high anxiety personality & while sounding negative, there are some positive virtues. In addition, when the high anxiety is managed correctly, taking into consideration both of the aforementioned components, the individual can gain healthy ground in many different arenas of life.

Here are some areas that the addicted listener might be experiencing:

Rigid Thinking - black & white, filled with "should's, musts & can'ts." Keep in mind that all thoughts are mini-subconscious mind programs & that each thought joins up with those already planted, while encouraging more to come forward. Bringing the listener into heightened awareness & presenting metaphor or suggestion for change is truly a necessity for success.

Excessive Need for Approval - this includes low-self-esteem, fear of rejection, sensitivity to criticism, difficulty saying "no" & tendency towards co-dependency. As the writer, it's important to create images & metaphor with this in mind. As the subconscious mind does not accept negatives, such as "I have no fear of rejection", the writer must plant a positive suggestion, but keeping in mind the negative that is being addressed.

Extremely High Expectations of Self - sometimes it's difficult to recognize the low self-esteem because those with high anxiety personalities tend to hide it very well. They are often high achievers, are very creative with a ton of imagination. These facets can be turned into assets with the right words, suggestions or metaphor. It's all a matter of bringing balance to the chosen words & painted images.

Perfectionism - this follows the areas highlighted above, but deserves it's own mention. The listener with excessively high expectations, all or nothing thinking when evaluating his own actions, also has a tendency to focus on small flaws & errors, making them into mountains. Again, this is an opportunity for the writer to present suggestion or metaphor for bringing balanced thinking. Working with mind images is very useful here & as the listener enters the clearly, defined image & begins to participate with the Spoken or written words, change ensues.

Excessive Need to Be in Control - the listener or reader wants control of every life facet & since this is impossible in real life, stress builds & release is sought with substance or addictive behaviors. There is also a tendency to try to control feelings & behaviors of others. Sometimes this is overt & other times it is held inside, appearing as completely normal & more than well-balanced. Knowing what may sit underneath, the writer can design very specific imagery or use the written or SpokenWord in ways that help to diminish these tendencies.

Tendency to Ignore the Body's Physical Needs - people who utilize addiction for managing stress usually have multiple addictions, some more potent than others. There is a tendency to disconnect from the body & it's needs & may not even sense things such as fatigue or other physical symptoms. There is usually a history of very poor self-care, except they may look very well indeed on the outside. This is why the writer of either the Spoken or written word has such a unique opportunity to help this large part of our population for the writer gets to go indoors.

As a writer, it's not necessary to address each of these issues in a "to do list fashion", but just knowing your audience at deeper levels, will allow you to help them to manage their multiple issues, for indeed, every writer is a therapist of sorts.

Complimentary mp3 download SpokenWork programs are available at the following link:

SpokenWord Audio

Writing for the Food & Sugar Addicted Listener

2007-07-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

"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.

Oh no.....Let Go!

2007-07-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

This truly wasn't my subject choice for the BlogAlong Workshop today, but sometimes life simply leads in a different direction. And so, I find myself addressing "letting go" & the many areas in which we need to apply this, some of them imposed & not chosen.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN ANYWAY?

Letting go is a phrase we hear frequently. Other people tell us to do it, but when we ask how to actually "do it", no one really seems to be able to tell us. In the past I would ask directly, "give me an example of how you actually let go of something & please be very specific." The answers were usually quite vague & unfortunately not very helpful.

Letting go is all about releasing. Think for a moment about the many things you release during the day. Actually, we spend a good part of our day releasing or letting go of things. For those of you who are following the Workshop, I'd like you to write a list of things you have already let go of today. The list might be a bit amusing, but the point of this exercise is to understand the concept of truly letting go.

Now, you might say that this is not very useful, because most of the things on the list are concrete, while the difficulty of letting go is usually in intangible areas such as relationships, emotions, thoughts & behaviors. While this is certainly true, remember that we are working with the subconscious mind on our mind-screen & so we can actually benefit from something as simple as "dropping a pen" or "putting down a coffee cup."

In short, when you choose to handle a problem or improve the quality of a life or even death experience, it is a means of creating a change in your habitual long-term response to a stressful situation.

This week I had to teach releasing techniques to a young woman who is dying, to a teen who is dangerously addicted to alcohol, as well as to a child who literally becomes mute when called on in class. There was also a woman who was leaving her husband & had to release some of her fear about going forward with the details of the divorce. I also had some of my own releasing work to do, the most difficult one being working with the young woman I mentioned above. Death & dying are big personal issues of mine that go way back to my early childhood when my father was killed in an automobile accident. It's amazing how the body sensations come forward from those long ago mind files, but they do & they hurt.

SO HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Some of us find this easier than others, but we can all get better at it, even myself. Each time we're asked to address our own issues, we can re-etch or edit our mind programs that include the emotional components that lead to the way we actually feel or sense our mind & body. The more we practice, the more proficient we become. Part of our work focuses on awareness & part on deep relaxation in that very moment of awareness. Once wse perform these two vital steps, we are free to utilize our subconscious mind & then to put whatever we want in place. I was telling someone this week about the importance of grieving in a healthy way. Many of us have work to do in that department, because grieving often leads us towards our favorite addictions.

We learn best by becoming aware of our efforting or not wanting to release or let go on small issues. Large It is just like skidding. Learn to turn the wheels with the skid & not fight against it. Learn to go with the problem to regain your emotional balance. Allow yourself to relax into the problem & place the problem on your mind screen.

Diminish it visually & now ask your subconscious mind to bring forth answsers to help you with this issue. You may receive them in the moment or later, but you will receive them. Whenever asking your subconscious mind for answers, be certain to spend quiet time that day, so you can receive the answers. Your subconscious mind cannot connect with you when you are in a highly emotional or run-away brain state.

Practice mental judo. The practice of judo teaches the student how to counter physical force directed against the person by a maneuver that at firs seems like yielding, but which is actually a disarming protective device. Mental judo leaves you steady & balanced in the face of confrontation. I suggest you practice exercises for focus & flexibility to implant these skills in your subconscious library. There are many different ways to do this & I'll be happy to help you choose the best way for you. Just send me an email.

Learn to let go of emotional intensity. You can use the pie technique here. If you are super frightened or angry, take your relaxing breath, go to your mind screen & show your mind the pie. You will change your body physiology almost immediately. When we do this, the mind clears.

The most important part of our work is to be in emotional control. We are no longer forced to respond automatically to someone pushing our anger button, or any other button. Having release, or being able to let go, allows us to be able to wait out the situation instead of letting it get you down. This is not a matter of surrendering to the other person, but instead you have placed yourself in your very own focused power-state of mind where you are in control & this is a very good place to be.

In order to help with the amount of information that is a part of the BlogAlong Workshop for High Level Health & Performance, I've set up a separate blog to house it in an orderly fashion. Here's the LINK.

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter includes active discussions, mp3 downloads from my available library, as well as some designed specifically for this workshop. To participate in the discussions you will need to join one of my email yahoogroups. There are ten of them, located on my website or you can email me for an invitation. I suggest you work with a three ring binder &/or a journal. This will reinfoce your subconscious mind programs.

Enter Food Stress

2007-07-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

In order to help with the amount of information that is a part of the BlogAlong Workshop for High Level Health & Performance, I've set up a separate blog to house it in an orderly fashion. Here's the LINK.

This workshop is reviewing several of my books & CD/mp3 programs. The focus of my work has always been high level health & performance. This goes back decades into those years when I was the director of staff development in a large hospital setting. My "theme" was & still remains that no one gets away free. This includes hospital patients, as well as staff.

If you are working with my books or programs, you do know that no matter what you are choosing to accomplish, I'll always be taking you to the major area or garden on your goal-den path, called the mindbody health garden. This is where your body parts live. Sometimes, especially very left-brained people, find this type of wording or description "bothersome" or "child-like." However, in the practice of self-hypnosis we work with active imagery & affirmations. These are programs that speak directly to the subconscious mind which is the "child-mind" & so we need to get over this hurdle.

Back to the mindbody health garden now.......& to the body parts. If we take the time to think about it, even if we tend to be a very serious, left-brained person, it is quite obvious that if we don't take care of the body machine, it will not work correctly. How is it that we can understand about computers, cars, DVD's, cell phones, etc., but we have such difficulty in applying our intelligence & creativity to our body? Why are we so complacent? Why do we think that we can do whatever we want with our body & get away with it? Why is it so difficult to understand that wear & tear applies to body parts, as well as to cars & other machines?

The most horrendous stress to the body & to the mind is food stress. When the body & mind are under this kind of stress, the effect of other stressors, both inner & outer are greatly enhanced, sometimes leading to complete break-down of one or several systems. We see this in a body reaction called reactive hypoglycemia or hyperinsulinemia. People can die from these reactions, as well as be responsible for deaths of others if they are driving or operating equipment.

While many of us understand that what we eat & drink can harm our body, few of us care in the moment that we are indulging in whatever it is. The common thread is "I'll change tomorrow, or better still, "I really have to stop doing this." There is no thought to the internal damage that accumulates, almost as if the body had no true response in any shape or form to eating the donut, skipping breakfast, sipping sugared caffeine during the day, eating fast food or those two gigantic glasses of wine on the way home from work. Add the ice cream while watcing tv, just to relax before hitting the pillow. I was telling a patient today that if the body had a calculator that could be easily read, I wonder if we would act differently. Probably not....... we are simply children at heart who are interested in the world of "right now."

If this weren't enought, there is usually little thought or care to the effect of all of this on the mind, not in the present nor in the future. There have been some interesting studies on the effect of food stress related to depression, anxiety, panic, cognitive functioning & even creativity. Unfortunately, these studies rarely, if ever, reach the public. I wonder if you can guess why this is? Feel free to write to me if you think you know or send an email to your discussion group that is following this workshop.

OH WHAT TO DO ....

Yes, it is difficult to change things that we don't want to change & that is why we need motivators, both positive & negative. Some motivators come to us personally delivered, like the doctor saying that one has cancer of the lung, or that one is a heart attack waiting to happen. I had a patient like that this week. He was the most motivated person I ever met. Yes, he could & would move mountains if I told him to do so. However, my very next patient, a woman who was more than 200 pounds over-weight continued to argue about her night eating habits & diet soda consumption. She was unable to even consider that she could change.

We tend to see ourselves as victims or weaklings. Big, serious motivators allow us to jump through the hoops, but without one of those, we are artisans of excuses, dilly-dallying or even liking living the victim life. We can't see or feel our personal power, almost as if we didn't want to. It's like no one ever showed it to us & perhaps that is true, especially if we were brought up with parents who simply didn't know better or who were abusive. However, we all have oodles of personal power. We were born with it. That is called our authentic self. In this workshop we will get back in touch with that part through the mind screen. If you are working with my mp3 or CD called the Authentic Self, you are already well on your way.

Now a question for you. Suppose I had met the man with the potential for the heart attack before he visited his physician & heard the magic words. Do you think his motivation would have been different? Based on my experience, I tend to think it would have been. So, do we need to hear the worst case scenario before we can change? For some of us, perhaps. But, there are other ways to effect change.

Here are some points of awareness for the mind screen. Right now we're talking about food stress. This also includes beverages, so alcohol, soda & coffee drinkers .... pay attention here. Locate your mind screen & place the following....

If it enters my mouth, it will have an effect on my body & my mind. The effect will either help or hinder me, now & in the future.( Feel that now)

I have to become educated about foods & beverages & know what they do inside my body, not just in general, but to specific parts as well. In other words, I must remove my head from the sand. I do not have special permission to get past the gate-keeper that guards my mind & body. I will pay the piper.( Feel that now.)

I have to become honest with to myself. If not, I will pay the consequences. ( feel that now.)

You need to change through the development of self-discipline. Some of us were never taught these skills & so we know nothing about it. Others of us were brought up in rigid environments & so we've become rebellious. Both need awareness & change.( Feel that now.)

I am capable of much more than I think. It is not too late, or any other excuse my child-mind would like to share with me in this moment. It's all rubbish & dangerous rubbish at that. (Feel that now.)

I believe that I deserve the best that life has to offer, no matter what anyone else has told me. This includes my health, prosperity in my work, relationships & my level of creativity. Only I can deliver this to myself & so the choices from here on forward are up to me. I get to build your own life bank account. Any moments I choose to lose, could have been gains. ( Feel that now.)

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter includes active discussions, mp3 downloads from my available library, as well as some designed specifically for this workshop. To participate in the discussions you will need to join one of my email yahoogroups. There are ten of them, located on my website or you can email me for an invitation. I suggest you work with a three ring binder &/or a journal. This will reinfoce your subconscious mind programs.

Extracting Negative Stressers

2007-07-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

We are fairly well immersed in the BlogAlong Workshop. Hopefully most of you have found your mind screen & understand the importance of it, for without it, we tend to stay where we are, or are pushed by the winds of the moment. We are interested in achieving our chosen goals & as quickly as possible. There is no time to be blown here & there.

ABOUT STRESS

Questions always arise about stress. After all, we don't live in a vacuum, nor in a controlled environment. However, if we don't have a plan for managing stressors & especially for being aware of them, we are lost as far as goal achievement is concerned, because there will always be stress in our lives. We will always have too much to do. There will always be interruptions & the tendency towards chaos. It's simply the way things work. It is interesting to observe people who achieve at high levels, including multiple projects. There are some that fall apart & end up in some sort of rehab, but there are many who don't. How do they do this & still remain at such a high level of performance. Of course, many have professional help, but even that doesn't stop addiction issues.

In my experience working with professional athletes, performers & highly pressured people from all walks of life, I've found that education is the first step. The more one understands, the easier it becomes to self-manage.

Here's some things that my clients/patients have found important to know. Stress accelerates when thoughts & emotions are not well tended. The same holds true whether you are a professional, a parent, or a child. In addition, when nutrition is out of balance, food-stress accelerates. We need to embrace the knowledge that stress chemical production is not simple, nor is it temporary. When stress occurs, be it from emotions, thoughts, real happenings, or food, chemical remnants are dispensed to all the organs of the body, leading to many chronic & serious diseases.

Throughout the BlogAlong Workshop you are learning how to clean & clear the chemical storage. In addition, you are learning how to manage your thoughts, your emotions at higher levels, while placing new mind programs into your subconscious mind.

TOOL BELT

Interactive Awareness is the overarching umbrella for the many wake-up tools you are learning. If you are working in my books, or with any of my CD/mp3 programs, you have worked with mental biofeedback, also known as body scanning. Now that you have experience with cell manager communication, you are ready for your next tool, that of emotional & thought management. You will also meet up with the emotional crayons that color your experiences. If you are not working with my book or programs, go to the Boot Camp on my websites & there you will find information about doing so.

The tools on your belt allow you to manage disorderly eating, addictions, emotions, thoughts & positive desires, right in the moment, as well as in every other nook & cranny of your life. As you become more skilled, so will others who surround you, including your employees, colleagues, friends & family. Remember, you are a life-mentor & they are observing & learning from everything you present, whether it be directed to them or simply applied to your own life.

Remind yourself that your problems are not singular entities. They have many facets, all needing management. Learning to work interactive awareness will move right you out of automatic pilot, into the moment where new choices are always available in your subconscious filing system.

There are many benefits to working with mind tools. For example, the skill of interactive awareness allows you to practice the art of detachment from the presenting moment. You have already learned this by relaxing deeply, entering the egg shape & locating the mind screen. In detachment you are no longer participating in the moment, but you are coming to it as an observer. As an observer, you are able to look very closely at what is unfolding, just as if you were the producer/director of this very moment in time. You are no longer the actor who is participating in the momentary event.

It is key to understand that your subconscious mind responds very differently to this mental/physiological shift. For a start, stress chemicals are turned down as the physiology waits for emotional direction. From the position of producer/director, it is much easier to take off your self-judging eyeglasses. You can choose to see this moment in time through clearer, more beneficial lenses. The producer/director’s job is to see all the details, so changes can be made and the production will be successful.

And just like the producer/director, you cannot change things you cannot see. As you observe closely without judging, your own subconscious mind will send up the necessary details. Once you learn to work with interactive self-hypnosis, you will find that these very details hold powerful creative ideas for taking you towards your goals. Learning to live in the moment is very beneficial, and just like anything else the more your practice, the higher your level of mind and body functioning.

MIND EXERCISE

Adults tend to learn mind management tools best with small spoonfuls. Begin by choosing a chair for your interactive awareness work. You might like to try out a few chairs. Be certain that it is comfortable & located in a place where you can have quiet and privacy. As you sit in each chair, close your eyes gently, taking in a big yawn breath, allowing your body to sink into the surface of the chair. How does it feel to you? Your subconscious mind will let you know if it’s a good choice.

You might think about having one chair at home & another at work. You may even choose somewhere outside of your home & workplace. Some people have a particular park bench, or even their car. I know one man who parks his car in a beautiful spot, then gets in the back seat. So open your mind & look around for what suits you best.

The actual physical practice of interactive awareness is very simple, but the inner happenings are very complex. You are actually changing your internal body chemistry, thereby altering your heart function, blood pressure, hormonal & neurological system balance, immune system function, not to mention the memory storage of your own subconscious mind.

In the actual moments of practicing, you are etching new mind programs, teaching your mind and body how to work together in new ways. Some of these new ways will be placed in an automatic pilot program, keeping your body in balance or homeostasis. There is no right or wrong way to do the practice. Each time you practice, the experience will be different because you are involved in a living process.

I’m going to ask you to read through this material in small chunks, then close your eyes, doing the small exercise right now. Later on you can re-read this as you work to build your skills. Just as you did when practicing mental biofeedback, make yourself comfortable in your chair, sitting up straight, head nicely positioned on your neck, feet flat on the floor. You might like to take in a big yawn breath, letting it out slowly as you learned earlier. This is always a good beginning for interactive awareness practice. You are centering, or settling in.

Now it’s time to slow the brain waves a bit more. Remember that the faster the brain waves, the faster the thoughts, the more stress chemicals produced. There are many great ways to slow the brain waves. I call these deepening tools. I’ll give you some here, and as you continue through the book you will obtain more of them. You already learned a few in the earlier chapter.

Calling in the numbers is one of these. In fact, practice that again now. With your eyes closed, tilt them up about twenty-degrees, just as if you were sitting in the second row of a movie theater, focusing your attention on your mind screen. Start with the number four, having it come in slowly towards you, remembering that imaging is different than seeing with your eyes opened. Follow the arrival of the four with the three coming in gently, working with the numbers that follow.

I like to use other senses as well for deepening. Take a moment, locating the sound of silence. It has a particular resonance. Even if there is noise all around you, silence is there in-between the noises. This is a particularly powerful tool for mothers with young children, as well as for those working in a noisy environment. Once you have located the silence, stay with it for a few minutes. Your mind will wander, so gently bring it back to the silence. Think of silence as an object. Each time you bring your wandering attention back, allow your body to go deeper into the chair where you are sitting.

You can also deepen by doing a body scan. Start at the top of your head, working your way down, noticing what body parts have something to say. As you go downwards, invite your body to go deeper into the chair, as if magnets were pulling you down.

Remember you are not looking to become unconscious. Your goal is to quiet your mind and body. Then you will move to position of observer of thoughts, emotions and connected body sensations.

NEW TO THE WORKSHOP?

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter

Putting on your Action Boots

2007-07-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is a BlogAlong Workshop. This means that you are invited to work with specialized tools of Active Awareness & Interactive Self-Hypnosis to reach your goals, while cleaning up those life patterns that may have been blocking you for decades & possibly your whole life. As you follow along, your own subconscious mind will become your Workshop Mentor. I'll step to the side & guide you, as you continue to work at this high level of creative thought. You will be able to spot your emotions as they peak around the corners of your life experiences, asking for your permission to join in or not. This is a very different state of affairs from their old "automatic pilot" appearances, often causing creative chaos instead of whatever it is you want to build or achieve.

There is much material to cover in this workshop & next week I'll provide you with some sort of a syllabus that will follow my books & CD/mp3's. I also have complimentary mp3's posted for you, the links located below. I also hope to have a live online class a bit later on.

ABOUT DESIRED GOALS & BECOMING ACTIVE

This workshop is taking you on a step by step adventure from choosing a goal to high level end goal results. If you have been working with the series you are already seeing changes happening all around you. Some have to do with the goals at hand, but other changes are subconscious mind spin-offs. This is how the mind works. Once we begin the wheels rolling, activity can be seen in all areas of our life.

I hope you are working with pen & journal, as well as goal folders. The better your inner & outer organization, the faster your goals will mature!

Look for ways to keep your goal new. Boredom can really dampen a new behavior. For example, if you are changing your dietary habits & you keep bringing the same boring salad for lunch, it won't be long before your old habits start knocking at the door.

Make a conscious effort to stay "new." Look at one of your goals right now & notice if it is stale. If so, right now in the theater of your mind, see the ways to freshen it up. Now schedule one thing to do today. This is an example of utilizing self-hypnotic exploration with action steps. While it sounds simplistic on the surface, make no mistake. Your subconscious librarian has made inner notes on this new change.

Watch for emotions that interfere with focus. In order to succeed, you need to keep a high level of focus on the goal. Certain emotions such as anxiety, fear, depression & other negative states literally grab your flashlight & turn it off. For example, when you are under stress, your goal loses clarity. Awareness meditation allows you to notice shifts in focus & interactive-self hypnosis allows you to get back on track & even enhance your goal in that moment.

Look at your goal from a new perspective. Sometimes we need to stop & have a look at how we are living our new challenge. It is not uncommon to find we have lost enthusiasm for the original project. We may be viewing it as a "drag" instead of something great we are working to achieve. Simply staying in awareness can be a turning point to re-energize the goal.

Notice what distracts you from your focus. Often distractions are very subtle. You may find yourself lost in thoughts of old behaviors that we enjoyed, even if they weren't healthy. Bingers miss bingeing, smokers miss lighting up & compulsive shoppers sign as they drive by shopping malls less frequented. Staying aware of this subtle inner programming keeps us in "choice."

Enjoy practicing persistence. Developing & practicing staying on focus can be very enjoyable. It can actually place the mind & body in a flow experience, that is not only healthy, but also fruitful for all future goals. Again awareness is KEY. Celebrate your ability to achieve even small steps. This builds self-esteem & enhances your self-image.

Continue to work with your goal on a personal level. A good imaginology exercise for this type of work is the "Board of Directors Table." Choose six board members to assist you. These can be people you know & admire, or even people you don't know, but admire. In your mind's eye, call your goal to the table & ask the members to interview the goal & then present advice for making it better & better. Your goal can also have input. The goal image may have some very good ideas that were out of your conscious awareness.

Practice "eating the crust" first. If there are difficult parts to keeping your goal in progress, do these things FIRST. For instance, if you like dusting, but hate cleaning the bathrooms, do these FIRST. If you dislike exercising, plan to do it the FIRST thing in the morning. You will find your levels of motivation change. If there is a part of you BLOCKING, do learn the tools of awareness meditation to move through these blocks & expand your goal progress.

Stay flexible. Although we want to stay passionate about our goal, it is just as important to be able to bend somewhat. We are not perfect all of the time & perfectionism is NOT a healthy goal. Learn to relax & enjoy the journey.

See your goal as an exciting journey. Most of us are very task orientated & the goal often becomes just another drudge in a long line of things to do. Think instead of a wonderful journey into areas you have not previously visited. Become aware & notice new things. Some things may have negative connotations, but they are also important. Those are rocks that once transmuted will become your beautiful rock garden; a place where new exotic plants will take hold. Never back away or down from the negative corners on the journey. This is where ordinary people turn to become champions.

Anticipate interruptions & roadblocks. Once again, planning is our best friend. Figure out in advance how you are going to handle perceived problem areas. For instance, if your vacation is coming & your goal is to avoid over-spending, do some long range planning in YOUR MIND'S EYE. If you have become a non-smoker & you are going to be with friends who smoke, do plan & practice this event in YOUR MIND'S EYE. This is the work of CHAMPIONS.

Experiential Self-Development

1.List three things you learned from this article that will help you personally or in your work.

2.Pick one of your goals & practice interviewing it. What is the first question you would ask? And now the second question? Make certain to relax before working in this way.

3.What emotional states are famous for getting in your way? Do they hang out in all goal gardens, or only some? Take them to the interview room or have your Board of Directors interview them & make suggestions for change.

4.Look for the "crust" on one of your goals. Plan to act on this part first. Do this right now & write an action step related to the "crust" in your daytimer & do it.

5.Take one goal & image yourself on the goal journey. Notice what you pass & what roadblocks you over-come as you go forward. Enjoy your successes in all parts of the journey. Write about your experience in your journal & then ask the goal for further suggestions.

COMPLIMENTARY MP3

Few of us understand the supreme importance of self-care. Without giving to ourselves in this way, we cannot give to others. This is an ideal program for those who have suffered abuse or who are in abusive relationships, either with others or with themselves.
The Crystal Mountain Mind Spa

Planting Affirmations

2007-07-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

If you are new to the BlogAlong Workshop, please scroll to the new member information. Then when you read the previous posts they will make more sense to you.

DEBRIS & DISORDER

Most of us have too much to do, or at least we think so. It's hard to convince someone who believes that they are extremely busy, stressed & over-worked that they are not or that there is something that they can do about it. It's almost as if one wants to keep this mind & body state & will even fight to do so. Listen in on the conversation of others as they commisserate with each other. Think about this for a minute.......what would happen if one of them said that they feel absolutely energetic, happy, content & successful. No doubt that person would be rediculed or even banned from the negative mind club. Yes......it's difficult to change & to stay changed in a world where negativity rules.

It's actually rare to find someone who doesn't think & live through a veil of negativity, & I'm no different from the aformentioned group. However, when I wake up to this belief, I need to relax deeply & open my mind screen because I know that I'm wearing an emotional overcoat that is taking me towards addiction, as well as blocking my creativity.... two areas that need cleaning, clearing & better definition. I know all to well from life experience, that if I don't tend to these matters, I'll continue to tread water in relation to my goals, while my stressors try to pull me down into the deep where I will drown from stress-related disease. Strange as it may seem, one place I tend to find positive-minded people is in the gym at six in the morning. That's one of the reasons I like to go there at that time.

MIND SCREEN TIME MANAGING

We know how to locate the mind screen & enter. We know that we can simply observe quietly or we can become more pro-active & enter the action. There are many other ways we will utilize the mind-screen, but for now, let's practice what we already know & become proficient at it. Remember, the more we practice, the easier it is to break a negative pattern in the workshop of the world & program for change.

As we observe the mind-screen, let's place some negative-based images of too much to do. Each of us will have a different scenario, because obviously we are all living different lives, even though they may have many things in common such as working outside the home, being a wife, husband, mother, father, son, daughter, friend, colleage, being a stay at home parent, job responsibilities & expectations of others, travel to & from, daily tasks, community obligations, self-care, etc. Some of the tasks have formed rituals & others have not. Some are interrupters & others come forth & push as they grab our wrist watch or clock. Besides all of the above we have our thoughts to contend with,including plenty of fantasy.....much tending to lean towards worry & other negative emotions.

It's easy to see from the partial list above, why it is often difficult to get up in the morning, face the world & stay free of addiction. Why then do we look down on the individual who is having a good day, who is happy, creative & successful? This is a very important question to ask yourself, even if you are the happy & creative person. BTW, for some reason happy people are often the subject of gossip.......what's that all about?

Nevertheless, this is our goal & wrist watch watching is the subject for today. I would like to challenge you to keep your awareness at a heightened level & listen for other's who are chatting in a negative fashion, as well as your very own thoughts, entertained emotions & mind images. When you locate them, please place a mind-X on each occurance & then clear the mind screen. Some of you may need to spray it with lysol. I'd also like you to notice the time spent on this activity on your watch or clock. It's very important to pay attention to the amount of time we waste on these activities, for it is this time that will be attached to new creative endeavors, be they solving our own issues, or exploring goals that perhaps we haven't even thought about in our mind's eye. I'm sure that most of you have heard that we only utilize about 10% of our creative mind, but actually it's much less than that, nearer to 2%.

Tonight, just before going to sleep, visit your mind screen clock & notice how much time you harvested today. The time before falling to sleep is very valuable, because we are in what is called the hypnogogic state. This means that the brain waves are slowed, we can clear debris & disorder with a few suggestions to the subconscious librarian & we can program dreams for exploring or problem solving.

Here are some ideas for you....

SUGAR ADDICTION, DISORDERLY EATING & ADDICTION MANAGEMENT - Using the affirmation, "I AM & I CAN", imagine yourself going through your day following your mind-mentor who knows all the answers to what you need to bring forth into your "workshop of the world." He or she will take you into the different facets of your eating issue & clean it up for you, then adding the positive things that you need from that shelf over there.

SELF-HYPNOSIS, BOOT CAMP & ACCELERATED LEARNING PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, "I AM USING MY TIME EFFECTIVELY & EFFICIENTLY, notice your mind-clock minutes are being presented to you. You can now enter the department store over there & purchase whatever you choose that will benefit your highest desires. Notice that you wish that you had more spendable minutes & your mind-mentor is assuring you that tomorrow night you will have more than tonight.

MEDICAL & PAIN MANAGEMENT PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, "I'M RELEASING STRESS & OPENING MY BODY FOR HEALING", notice that your mind-mentor is taking your minutes & applying them to the areas of your body that need healing or management. As they touch, those areas open & you can observe or sense the healing taking place. How good this feels. You are doing this for you. You are in charge. You have given up your hopeless/helpless coat & it is being removed from my life area. Tomorrow night you will have more opportunities to do even more for yourself. How good you feel about this.

PREGNANCY & BIRTHING PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, MY CHILD IS GROWING WITHIN ME EVERY MOMENT & I CARE FOR THESE MOMENTS AS THEY MELD WITH MY CHILD, notice that you are being presented with your clock moments & you are now placing them directly on your growing child. Notice how the child changes as you do so. Each moment you have the power to enhance the health of your growing fetus. Sense the power that you have. Affirmation - I stay focused, in good balanced emotional energy & feed my child.

NAIL BITING, SKIN PICKING & DISTRUCTIVE HABIT PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, ALL PARTS OF ME ARE LIVING. I LOVE MYSELF. Notice that your time moments are being applied to your finger nails, hair follicles, skin areas & they are not only healing, but they are better than ever before. Truly sense them & honor yourself for the care that you have collected throughout the day. See & sense these beautiful parts of you, noticing that they are actively communicating with you, either through sound, speech or a message of love in return for what you have done for them.

PHOBIA & ANXIETY/PANIC PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, I AM FREE TO BE THE ME I CHOOSE TO BE, notice that your collected moments are snowing on you, forming a protective shell that glimmers. How calm it is inside here. How safe I feel. I am free to grow & experience my life in the way I choose. Your mentor is opening new opportunity doors for you, places that you have not been before & as you float nearer to them, you can feel the safety & security of your own Self.

SPORTS PARTICIPANTS - Using the affirmation, I FLOAT FREELY DURING MY SPORT PERFORMANCE, SEEING WHAT I WANT BEFORE IT HAPPENS, notice that your time moments are lighting up your own affirmation & placing it up on the skyline for you to admire. Observe yourself participating in your sport underneath the glow of your affirmation that you powered through your own daily work.

If you enjoy working with affirmations & guided images in your issue management or creative mind, you might enjoy reviewing some of my programs designed specifically for this purpose. They are located on my websites.

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter includes active discussions, mp3 downloads from my available library, as well as some designed specifically for this workshop. To participate in the discussions you will need to join one of my email yahoogroups. There are ten of them, located on my website or you can email me for an invitation. I suggest you work with a three ring binder &/or a journal. This will reinfoce your subconscious mind programs.

Deepening Trance States

2007-06-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Attending the BlogAlong Workshop is just like being in one of my real workshops, only better. You have the opportunity to read & review the material presented, practice the exercises & then discuss both within the yahoogroup you have joined. If you haven't joined up for that part of the workshop, please contact me & I'll walk you through it. As I've mentioned before, those who truly participate gain the most. It is possible to be a lurker, but lurkers are like window shoppers who never seem to enter the store & actually get involved with what's going on. Some people lurk for years, even decades. I just received an email from a woman who has been lurking since childhood. Now she is sixty & still experiencing the same issues.

DEEPENING HYPNOTIC TRANCE & DEEP RELAX

I've had some questions about deepening trance & the difficulty in working with the mind screen from that level. Yes, it is difficult to do so, but there are several things you can do IF you enjoy working at deeper levels. Start by relaxing deeply into the moment & then work with your journal utilizing automatic writing. If you would like to practice with this technique, I do have a CD or mp3 designed for this purpose. Once you are deeply relaxed, simply pick up your pen & communicate with your mind screen. Paint or display your images in words, just as if you were writing a letter to that part of you.

Let's use the example of having a sugar addiction or a disorderly eating pattern. Perhaps you want to have a look at some patterns or facets you have identified & would like to gather more information about their origin or maybe you would like to disengage some emotions or motivators that aren't working for you. Think of the particular pattern as a real "thing", something you can truly look at & study. How about that famous negative pattern of secret eating. We all know about that one! So describe what you notice about your involvement with it in your journal. Locate the emotions that are involved. See or think about them as little children wearing tee shirts that identify them. Dismiss the ones that don't work in your behalf & then call in some of the strong, powerful & positive parts of yourself. Write all of this down, as if you were describing your activity to someone. Now make the scene exactly as you would like it to be. In fact, make it better. Take your time. This time is well invested because we are working with your health & your life from now on forward. You will either get better or not. It's up to you & the work you choose to put into this journey.

Now, you are ready to deepen. There are many different ways to do this. I like feeling magnets pulling me down into my chair & seeing or noticing decending numbers fading out. Or, you can do this in a natural hyponogogic state, right before going to sleep. Once you are deeply down, enter the images that you designed, just as if you climbed up a ladder & entered the screen. Walk around & notice who is where. Go up to yourself & congratulate yourself on a job well done. Go over all parts of your image design. You might want to make it better at this point. Your subconscious mind might make some suggestions to you, because the work you have done is an inner indicator that you are ready for change & your mind will be willing to help you, even without asking. Keep in mind that your mind works backwards. It sees or senses the end goal of what you want & then takes you towards it.

If you need help deepening, I have several CD or mp3 programs for you. One is called Deepening & the other is a deep relaxation program called Mental Biofeedback or Body Scanning. It works directly with your body sensations, teaching you to open or release them, thereby slowing your brain waves.

FACETS ALL OVER THE PLACE

Not everyone in the workshop has eating issues, but most of us do. We may not see them, but they are there. It goes without saying that our restaurants, supermarkets, etc. reflect the way we live & unfortunately this is not a healthy way. We tend to manage stress with food, caffeine, drugs, smoking, alcohol, etc. All of these take away from the power of your mind & your inherent creativity. To me, this is the biggest sin or loss. It's so sad to think about what could be if we only corrected 50%. Think about it. What would you choose to have if you were given such an opportunity. Would you write a book, become competitive in sports, develop a new product, invent something, find a cure for a disease, study something different, get a degree or become an entrepreneur?

I'm encouraging you today to look for those facets that are tripping you up. They are all over the place. In fact, I'm involved in one right now, despite the fact that I know better. I've been working non-stop all day, trying to catch up from my time off in the Galapagos. I tend to be a workaholic & so right now, I'm going to finish up & meditate for a bit. I think I'll go to my mind screen & program these workaholic facets to diminish, so that I'll have less tendencies to do this. I know what's for dinner & it is healthy. Part of me is asking for a glass of wine, but that will not happen tonight. This request is from that part of me that wants that kind of reward for over-working. Obviously, that makes no sense. I don't reward negative behavior any longer. Am I a saint? No, not at all, but I do want to ahcieve my goals, but in a healthy fashion.

As you get to noticie your thought & emotional facets, you will begin to make real progress. As you clean & clear you will have space for new programs. Without the cleaning out, there simply isn't space, nor energy for prosperity.

Think about it....... what are you going to do with your facets today?

If you are new to the BlogAlong Workshop, here's some information for you...

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter includes active discussions, mp3 downloads from my available library, as well as some designed specifically for this workshop. To participate in the discussions you will need to join one of my email yahoogroups. There are ten of them, located on my website or you can email me for an invitation. I suggest you work with a three ring binder &/or a journal. This will reinfoce your subconscious mind programs.

Into the Mind Screen

2007-06-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

We are involved in the BlogAlong Workshop that is based on my work of the past thirty years in nursing education & clinical hypnotherapeutic practice, as well as in research. Many of you who are following this workshop have known me for awhile & are working with my books, CD's & mp3 programs.

Others of you are new to me & also to this type of work, a combination of Active Awareness, Emotional & Thought Management & Original Interactive Self-Hypnosis. For further introductory information, please read the bottom paragraphs of this blog entry. This keeps me from having to repeat it for those who are in process.

Today we return to the mind screen located in your special "egg" or in the theater of your mind. I hope you have been practicing the deep relaxation ritual that allows you to enter at this slow brain, or alpha level. This is where subconscious mind programs are best planted. They are also easier to etch here. It's also where we work on removing or mind editing old programs or facets of programs that arent' working for us.

There have been some interesting conversations in the yahoogroups that are following this workshop. Yesterday we were discussing the observation of negative programs on the mind screen & what to do with them. I suggested that you just leave them alone for now. The fact that you are awake & aware to them is excellent in itself.

At this stage of our work, my goal is to have you relax & find your mind screen...or find a way to image it for yourself. Remember Harlan who simply views it as the screen in his local movie theater. Whatever you notice popping up on it for now is simply a bonus. It really doesn't matter if it's negative or positive, for we are going to benefit from everything we think or sense in some way. Here's the crux. The more we awaken, the more progress we can make by clearing our clutter & the more creative programs we can design & plant.

Here's a comment from TARA, one of my office patients. Right now my mind screen doesn't have much to offer. As you suggested, I watched a movie about my usual day. The frame was dark & dirty. The pictures were sort of blurred & uninteresting. I could image myself, but found it unpleasant. I seemed tired, bored, unattractive & unkept. This is not how I see myself when I look in a real mirror, although I must confess that I don't have a very high opinion of myself.

ELIZ - Tara is observing some of her inner beliefs, many of which are more than likely more honest than her conscious mirror look. Most of us live behind a mask in order to protect ourselves. I've known Tara for awhile & find this true about her. She is a very talented writer, but doesn't produce very much, spending much time procrastinating & finding other things that she allows to pull her away from what she really wants to accomplish. She's filled with excuses & as she continues to work with her mind screen, she will be able to change her inner dialog, as well as to clean & clear the areas that are dampening her self-esteem & self-image.

JOANNE - What are some of the things we'll do with the mind screen image? I'm a member of two groups.... self-hypnosis & phobias. Can I work with both areas at the same time?

ELIZ- Yes, of course. Watching the mind-screen is like being an observer of your own life. Of course, we only observe it part of the time, either when we are practicing, or we remember, or we have a special desire & decide to visit & work with it. Other times we are in the workshop of the world, wandering about with everyone else. Keep in mind that the world is like a big school. When we practice Heightened Awareness we are able to see & examine more than when we are sleep-walking on automatic pilot.

In the future you will be able to see the many facets of your phobias or fears. You will actually be able to utilize the mind screen to see the scenes that play out BEFORE the phobias present themselves. You'll begin to notice the prodromals, the causative factors, the connecting emotions & you will be able to intercede at any juncture, thereby stalling or completely dismissing the phobia completely. After all, it doesn't benefit you life, does it? Is it something that you want to keep? I doubt it. It simply takes up time that you could utilize for your true creative talents that would love to emerge on that clear & bright mind screen of yours.

Here are some of the areas we will be addressing on the mind-screen. I don't think I have space for all of them, so I'll continue in the next BlogAlong entry.

ADDICTIONS & EATING DISORDERS - Motivators, patterns of bingeing, emotions, compulsions, history, medical issues, new behaviors, other life goals, etc.

ACCELERATED LEARNING/CREATIVITY - Opening creative channels, deep mind excavating, utilizing other learning modes, emotional clutter, beliefs, etc.

PHOBIAS & DISTRUCTIVE HABITS - Opening patterns, exploring needs for habits such as nail biting, skin picking, family & personal medical history, re-programming facets, seeing oneself complete & in charge of body functions, etc.

PREGNANCY, BIRTHING, PARENTING - Relaxing, giving birth through the mind screen, releasing discomfort, balancing hormones, releasing stress, building energy, managing sleep loss or interruption, etc.

SELF-HYPNOSIS - Deepening, accessing the inner library, regressing, editing mind programs, designing metaphors for change, building & moving goals, choosing attitudes & attributes, future pacing, etc.

DISEASE MANAGEMENT - Locating the authentic self, managing body sensations, pain points, relaxing, releasing stress, building meaningful life experiences, etc.

HEATH MANAGEMENT - Building & motivating healthy lifestyle behaviors, exercise, high level nutrition, emotional management, thought management, etc.

SPORTS - Building skill, managing the mind game, building confidence, correcting in the moment, etc.

MP3'S AVAILABLE - Complimentary programs at my website.

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION

Welcome back to the BlogAlong Self-Development Workshop. This online workshop follows my books/programs including Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, Beyond Disorderly Eating, the Mind & Body Fitness Boot Camp, Stop Nail Biting Now: 4 Steps to Success, as well as many of my CD/mp3 programs. If you are new to the Workshop, please read the early entries because this is like any other workshop you might attend. If you are late, there are things you have missed that will interfere with your understanding of the process for the attainment of high level health & performance.

The BlogAlong workshop is both didactic & interactive. The latter includes active discussions, mp3 downloads from my available library, as well as some designed specifically for this workshop. To participate in the discussions you will need to join one of my email yahoogroups. There are ten of them, located on my website or you can email me for an invitation. I suggest you work with a three ring binder &/or a journal. This will reinfoce your subconscious mind programs.

Full Foot All the Way Down

2007-01-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Foot to the Pedal Now...

This series is taking you on a step by step adventure from choosing a goal to high level end goal results. If you have been working with the series you are already seeing changes happening all around you. Some have to do with the goals at hand, but other changes are subconscious mind spin-offs. This is how the mind works. Once we begin the wheels rolling, activity can be seen in all areas of our life.

I hope you are working with pen & journal, as well as goal folders. The better your inner & outer organization, the faster your goals will mature!
Planning, planning, planning. If you have not been a planner in the past, you may balk at this practice, but the more you plan, the more successes you will have & the more you will love planning. Do make certain you have a good pocket calendar & a journal for this work.

Develop a plan of organization. Work to bring organization to as many parts of your life as possible. All organization & planning carry over to your goal or goals. Have a place for everything & keep all things in their place. Avoid having "to do" notes in many places. This is what the pocket calendar is for.

Simplify your life. Most of us live a life of both inner & outer clutter. Make this the year to empty both. Get rid of things you don't use & need. Stay aware of how little you actually need to live comfortably. Also stay aware of what really makes you happy & at peace. The more you begin to know yourself, the more powerful you will become.

Be aware of what causes you stress & work to diminish it. All stress reaction is inner, meaning all stress is our personal reaction to what we perceive or see as OUR TRUTH. Change your perception & change your stress levels. When the body is free, the mind is free. You will go effortlessly towards your goal. If you are not practicing Awareness Meditative work, please consider doing so. This is the basic work of optimum performance & high achievement.

Learn to make quick decisions when appropriate. In actuality most decisions can be made quickly. Some of those include "what's for dinner", " or what should I wear." Our days have hundreds of these types of decisions. Begin to notice how many times you have to decide something. Begin to speed these up. You will save lots of time & also decrease your stress levels immeasurably. Once this practice is in place, other decisions will also speed up automatically. Your subconscious mind has a new benchmark in the area of decision making.

Be aware of ruminating. Staying lost in the past, or in unskillful future thoughts based on the past, are not only time-wasters in the general sense, but steal time away from positive programming. For most of us it is an automatic-pilot behavior & we must learn to wake up to it's arrival.

Schedule problem solving time. Just as you have learned to put aside planning time each day, also set aside separate time for problem solving. Begin to see this activity as a challenge & not a chore. This change of perspective will excite the subconscious mind into providing bonus solutions. You might also like to utilize your Board of Directors in this activity.
Learn to live in current reality. Develop skills to keep you in the moment, instead of the past & future. Awareness in the moment will give you the opportunity to assess, release & make choices.

Watch your attitude. Become the Director & CEO of your own life. See yourself in this position in your mind's eye. Take a good look at yourself & admire the person who is you. You are a unique being. There is no one else like you, nor will there ever be. As your CEO, choose attitudes to benefit your goals. Be aware of automatic pilot behaviors & look to change them if needed. You are in charge. Celebrate this.

Hang around with positive goal achievers. Emotional states are contagious. As you begin to become more aware about who you are, you will become more aware of those around you.

Experiential Self-Development

1.List three things you learned from this article that will help you personally or in your work.

2.Visit the planning link in the first paragraph of this article & organize your folders. Which area needs the most planning. Notice if you placed it on top of the pile or last. Remember to eat the crust FIRST. Organize your folders with the least pleasant on top!

3. Notice the time of day or activity that brings you to auto-pilot. Which is second? Relax deeply & bring forth your Board of Directors. Present the problem & request "wake-up" calls during auto-pilot times.

4.Take one of your goals & mentally place it on the table in front of you. Relax deeply & now look at the attitudes surrounding it. If there are unskillful attitudes remove them. Notice you have a bag filled with helpful attitudes right next to you. Take one or two of them & place them on the table with your goal. Notice if the goal has any comments.

5. In your mind's eye scan your family, colleagues & friends. Notice the emotional states that surround them. Now notice your emotional states in response to theirs. Check out the stress status in these relationships. Be sure to practice Awareness Meditation to keep your relationship moments at low-stress & high productivity.

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here is a very special program called "The Spa"

This audio takes the practitioner of self-hypnosis to the Inner Crystal Mountain Spa where ultimate self-care & healing takes place. These metaphors are transferred to lifestyle behaviors on a conscious level & there is an enhancement of desire & action towards self-care. Love of Self, as well as self-forgiveness & self-compassion are enhanced, allowing for positive growth in all areas of life including relationships with Self & others, prosperity, work goals, home, spirituality & future mind programming.

Few of us understand the supreme importance of self-care. Without giving to ourselves in this way, we cannot give to others. This is an ideal program for those who have suffered abuse or who are in abusive relationships, either with others or with themselves.
The Crystal Mountain Mind Spa

The Art of Progressing

2006-11-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

BOOK CLIP

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE...101 "Inner Mind" Programs for Healthy Weight Loss & Management

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

Progress begins one step at a time, each step being motivated by the step before it & then motivating the step behind it… Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

When learning to manage weight, either for loss or maintenance, the very first step is spend sufficient time in fully understanding & believing in the specific eating discipline you have decided to follow. This means going beyond just reading a book or following someone else's lead. Keep in mind that everyone is different & comes to their current moment of awakening from a different family & personal medical history & from different life experiences.

Along the way we have developed both talents & negative programs. We all have specific strengths & weaknesses, as well as beliefs about ourselves. And so, we live in a completely different world from our office mates & even from our family members. While it may appear that we are much the same, this is only a surface view & a far cry from what is our true nature & reality. Of course we can listen & learn from others, but it is important to learn to trust one's own intuition & inner guidance system.

It's simply not enough to know that you must lose weight or even to want to lose weight. You must truly believe this in the core of your being. It's important to know that one's convictions & hot desire to achieve is the primary inner motivator that takes one through any & all obstacles go hand in hand. Without deep belief & hot desire in place, the self is easily persuaded to wander off track & to look elsewhere.....window shopping in the world of weight loss & management, like roaming the mall of life.

This is twirling behavior & it is easily observed in our culture. Twirling is a compulsive behavior & is actually part of disordered eating. Twirlers move from one program to another, looking for the problems to be solved easily & outwardly. There is usually lack of total engagement, often right from the beginning & excuses are easy to come by. The time spent in the new program closely follows those of the past. Some twirlers simply purchase the program & never engage at all, as if the program was going to do something all by itself to bring forth the needed change.

I find twirlers in my private hypnosis practice. They present themselves by resisting to take part in the process. They believe that all they have to do is to close their eyes & go to sleep. All changes will be in place as they open their eyes. Wow ! Now while that might sound good, it truly isn't good at all for all disordered eaters have underlying issues that are best brought forward & self-managed. This is the self-esteem connection & the actual eating issues become catalysts for major change in all areas. Think about what would be missed if I were a hypnotic magician?

Once you have planted your beliefs & convictions, it's time to get on with the specifics of your eating discipline program. I suggest that you read & underline all pertinent information in whatever material you are utilizing & then work it into a very specific plan before beginning to weave it into the fabric of your life.

Be simplistic here. Write it down. Know exactly what you will be eating & when you will be eating it. Also be clear about what you will not be doing. This is the time to get very specific, but do stick to the bigger problematic issues. If night eating is big for you, be sure to address it, but if it only happens occasionally, let it go for now. Even if you fall into that hole, you'll still be right with the major parts of your program.

Now you are ready to begin some etching. It's quite easy to do this. Take some time for yourself, making certain you will not be interrupted.

Have your writing work on your lap. Relax deeply & enjoy just be still, both inside & out. Now close your eyes gently & tilt them up about twenty degrees. Right in front of you is your programming mind screen. Just as if you were playing a movie, take yourself slowly through your day as you observe yourself implement the changes that you have outlined.

The programming mind screen enables you to see, hear & feel the scenes as they play out. Practice noticing what it's like as you wake up in the morning & review your day with the new changes. Keep an eye out for any resistance or inner child negative thought remarks. Don't turn your back on these! These are gifts from your subconscious mind who is showing you clear obstructions that need to be tamed & re-programmed.

Take your time as you explore your new changes in different scenes....... the more you review, the better your mind programs will be etched.

Image yourself as the writer, director, producer of this "day in your life" program. Design it as you want it to be & energize it with hot desire. Truly see it & sense it. A good way to do this is to pretend that you are telling someone about this great moment in time. Tell your story with great enthusiasm & excitement. This is true inner motivation & very powerful. As you become better at defining your inner thoughts & pictures, you will be able to greatly enhance the levels of your beliefs & plug into high energy..

Next, write down exactly what you have to do to activate your new plan & when you will do these. Confirm a date for the launching. You are now ready to plant both the program & the detailed planning very deeply into the subconscious mind. The goal is to etch it very deeply into the inner library, so it will play on cue like a powerful inner CD.

As before, take quiet time for yourself & have your written work on your lap. Breathe deeply & allow your body to sink into the chair where you are resting & bring the mind screen into place behind your closed & slightly tilted eyelids. Actively image yourself experiencing the plans AS IF they had been in place for a good period of time.

In other words, they are not imaged as being awkwardly new, with rough spots . Instead, they are an already formed, smooth pattern. This is not to say that you will not notice resistance, because you might. Once again, these are gifts & so go ahead as the writer, director & producer & work out the kinks here.

Take yourself through the variety of plans even if they involve activities that occur on different days such as shopping, picking up the kids, bridge games, etc. These are all part of the major plan for long term success.

It's not uncommon for many people to miss these first steps & by doing so to set themselves up for failure either right in the beginning or somewhere down the road. When you know what needs to be done & you can examine it subconsciously, the answers will present themselves to you. There is little, if any struggle.

Remember that even when following one of the popular weight loss programs, it's simply not enough to read the book. Books are filled with details that need to be implemented over a long period of time. These details need to be introduced & then organized into the current "programmed" lifestyle. Old habits & behaviors may need to be revised or even deleted.

Keep in mind that some of the changes will effect other family members, some in ways that aren't even clear because they are harbored down in the subconscious mind. So it truly helpful to work out some of these snags before they occur. This will allow for smoother transitions & hopefully avoid triggering other snags. Good etching provides the gateway to long term success.

The reasons for this are many. For a start, human beings tend to gravitate towards immediate gratification, and of course in weight loss this is not only unrealistic, but is an unhealthy goal to be planting. Remember, we are planting goals in our subconscious mind continuously. Each thought constitutes an inner goal program.

As we learn to look at these thought goals more frequently in our practice of Awareness Meditation and Thought Management, we can see how we actually work against ourselves in so many moments. An interesting exercise is to observe your free-flowing thoughts for five minutes or so. For each thought that is helpful or skillful to your weight management program, tap your right knee. For each thought that is unhelpful or unskillful, tap your left knee. This simple awareness practice wakes us up to how we are utilizing the power of our mind in relation to this particular goal area.

We know from our earlier work in this book that everything is useful to us. This holds true with each and every thought that scurries through the mind vault. Our job is to observe or catch the thoughts. Once caught, just like a fish, they are ours to prepare in whatever way we choose.

In active, or awake Interactive Self-Hypnosis we have many options. Unskillful, or negative thoughts can be particularly useful. They hold lots of information that can help us on our journey. It is all there for the asking. I like to work with mine just as soon as I spot them if at all possible. If not, I like to make a note in my daytimer

Into the Mind's Eye

2006-11-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

BOOK CLIP

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

Book Clip - The Art of Goal Choosing

No doubt about it.... the world is filled with choices & limitless possibilities for goal achievement in all areas of life. Most of us, however, live in the land of self-limitation & lack. Because we spend our day on auto-pilot, we rarely do more than mentally window shop & simply wish we could have this or that. In addition, the combination of stress chemical production & poor inner organization keeps us treading water, instead of swimming forward.

ThoughtWare will help you move in the direction of high level goal performance. Along the path you will be placing original inner mind programs that will keep you moving up the creative ladder.

Achieving goals is not an accident or a matter of luck. It is a matter of knowing what to do & then doing it. This first chapter will help you dissect & examine goal choices. This powerful tool will set the stage for your journey of high level achievement. You can apply these techniques to all areas of your life including your work, as well as your own self-development & self-care.

Mindful Stepping Stones...

Choose Well ! You have many choices & opportunities in all areas of your life. Engage in limitless wishing. Pretend you have a genie in a bottle who is willing to give you whatever you want. Spend some time thinking about what you really do want. Take time with this exercise. Most of us tend to be "goal-less" & spin our wheels unproductively for most of our hours. It is time to break this habit. In addition, many of us choose things we don't really want & so we set the scene for failure even before beginning.

Choose one, or at the most two goals in each area ! Most goals at the top our lists are old goals. Some have been difficult for us in the past & often have "failure-codes" assigned to them . Set yourself up for success by not over-burdening yourself with too many goals in each area. Certainly don't back away from these previous goals, but keep in mind that your work will include diminishing those "failure-codes" & replacing them with new success images. This is time consuming work, but as you practice more & more assistance will be given by the subconscious mind. Do make certain, however, to have goals in each area of your life. Goals keep us on track & moving forward. Each area will energize the other areas.

Try the goal on for size ! When choosing goals it is a good idea to work subconsciously. This is quite easy & most of us are pretty good at doing this already. In the beginning it is best to do this work alone & with quiet. Turn off the phones, radio, TV & ask not to be disturbed for a bit. Once you gain experience with these skills, you can utilize them any time and at any place. Once you've secured your quiet, allow your body to become deeply relaxed & heavy in the chair. Now tilt your eyes up about twenty degrees just as if you were sitting in the second row of a movie theater. On the screen place one of your possible goals. See yourself AS IF it were already in your possession. Observe it for a bit from all angles & make certain this is what you really want.
Evaluate other choices ! Try on some of the other goal possibilities. Sometimes we find that we want one of these more than the other that came up first. Allow yourself to explore the goal details. See yourself in all possible scenarios, acting AS IF the goal were already in hand.

Time for some questions. What does the goal offer you? What does the goal take away? How do the parts of you feel about this? All of this is very important information offered by your subconscious mind. You will be utilizing it later in your goal work. Go ahead and take a goal that IS NOT ON YOUR LIST. Try this on for size. What does it feel like to have this goal? This powerful exercise allows you to set up a goal continuum, experiencing both ends.

Do it for you ! Remember, this is your goal. This is something you are doing for yourself, even though others may benefit from it. This is especially important when designing work related or relationship- related goals. Back to the theater in your mind. Observe the goal playing out with this current theme. How would you rate it on the "for you scale?" If the scale comes up with low numbers, call over the subconscious librarian & ask for suggestions about enhancing it "for you." Those suggestions will either come in the moment, or a bit later. When they come, be certain to try them on, noticing if they enhance the goal value for you. The subconscious mind works in what may be considered "strange ways", but do know that every suggestion has value.

Gain cooperation of others beforehand ! If your goal will affect the lives of others, check if changes need to be made, or their cooperation gleaned in some way. For instance, if you want to join a health club & the money needs to be taken from other family activities, discuss this ahead of time with those involved. You might take a visit to the theater of the mind beforehand & see the cooperation that you want AS IF you already had it. You might notice that you are "handing out refreshments' to the others. The subconscious librarian will assist you in locating these "refreshments." As you share with others you will find they will often share with you in return. Working with positive imagery is a very valuable tool & helps us to move past roadblocks with less effort than before.

Image the goal in doable steps ! In hypnosis we always see the goal AS IF we already have it, but this does not mean that we don't observe the steps leading to the goal. As we see these steps, we can utilize the subconscious mind in a variety of ways to help us move along with less effort.

I like to work with the theater as well as with a journal exercise for this. Go back to the theater and see your goal as completed. Open your eyes & spend some time detailing the goal on paper. Be as specific as you can, as if you were describing it to someone else. Now, back to the theater, notice the steps leading up to the achieved goal & the time-frames attached. Open your eyes & draw the steps on your paper, of course including the times or deadlines for achieving each one. If you do not know, make an educated guess. You can always perfect this later on. Remember all of our goal work is work in progress. Your levels of success will be enhanced as you work with the theater & the pen.

Do a self-check ! Once again, back to the theater. It is time to meet with all parts of yourself. If there is any inner-self opposition to your goal choice, it is best to clarify it early on in the planning stages & work to diminish any large negativity. Even small ones can be enough to take away from effortless success, so awareness is key. For example, if you really want to quit smoking for your health, make certain the part of you that enjoys smoking socially is willing to support the project. If not, you can learn techniques to bring this into a better self-balance, thereby enhancing your chances of success.

Experiential Self - Development

1.Divide your life into separate areas. With this list in hand which areas could benefit from some goal revision?

2.Choose any goal to work the steps above. How did you go about choosing this goal?

3.What is another goal that competed with this one? What criteria did you utilize to differentiate the winning goal?

4.How do you motivate yourself to achieve goals? What could you enhance?

5.How do you view failure in yourself? How about in others? What would you change in your own self-development to make this area work better for you & your outcomes?

Positive Goal Lighting

2006-11-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

Book Clip - Positive Goal Lighting

This is all inner mind or self-hypnotic work. We will continue right along in our work of goal definition. Most of us have only minimal ideas of what our perceived goals look like & unfortunately the subconscious mind needs these definitions to bring in the ideal goal state.

The mind works backwards. Once it sees the ideal completed image, it will go ahead & lay the ground-work. You will notice a big difference as you begin to apply these tools. The steps to your goals will seem to appear by themselves, as if the goal has taken on it's own life & in a way it has done so.

No matter what area of your life you are working on, the steps remain the same. I find it beneficial to work with both pen & inner theater. If you have not read the first part of this series, you might want to do so. This series of articles will help you move in the direction of high level goal performance. Achieving goals is not an accident or a matter of luck. It is a matter of knowing what to do & then doing it.

See the goal completed in your mind's eye ! Return to the inner theater & observe the goal on the stage just as if you were watching the performance. This is called detachment & allows us to move past old obstacles that have been disallowing us to see our goal in all it's glory. You might even choose to go up on the theater stage & look closer.

I like to image myself as the writer/director/producer of the goal performance. I may even place myself right into the image of the person playing me in the goal. This allows me to really experience what this is all about. More about that later. For now, let's focus on getting all the details in the mind's eye & then on paper. I suggest you work daily on your goal description, just as if you were a painter going back & enhancing your work. Never mind the excuse that you don't have time for all of this. The best time managers are those that spend good planning time. There is nothing more time-efficient than good sound planning!

List the benefits in achieving your goal ! While this seems quite simple, most people shy away from this important part of goal setting & while they may pull up one or perhaps two benefits, these are usually very general & not goal specific. The subconscious mind has difficulty working with non-specific images.

For instance the goal to "be happy" is far too general. What does "be happy" look like? "Happy in relation to what?" I'm sure you get the point. The same holds true for financial goals. "Financially sound or prosperous" means little to the subconscious mind. See yourself with the benefits in hand. Place them on the stage of the theater & get involved with them first hand. Get in that new car, or try on that new silk suit. Feel how comfortable it is on your new, slim body. Feel that bonus check in your hands & observe how your boss' hand feels as he/she shakes yours.

Litmus test the positives ! Make sure you are imaging "your positives" & not those of someone else. In order to stay motivated for change, we must have enough self-positives or reasons for wanting to succeed. For most of us, we just haven't taken the time to do this part of the work. Our thought processes often block us from self-examination. We tend to have run-away-brain-syndrome with the thoughts streaming through at record speed. It is important to work on slowing the thoughts & this is achieved with specific meditative tools such as focus, flexibility, emotional management & other forms of awareness meditation. For now, simply go back to the inner theater & ask the subconscious librarian to SHOW YOU the benefits for you in relation to this goal. You might also pull out that pen of yours & start listing these. Later you can go back & fill in the details.

See the big picture completed ! Write a paragraph or two about how it will be to have achieved your goal. See the change or goal as a journey, not just an event. See how it touches other parts of your life. This is the big picture. Now walk down your future path & observe how the past goal has impacted these times of your life. For example, notice how you have stopped smoking & now go down the future path observing the impact of this lifestyle change. You might want to try just the opposite. See yourself continuing to smoke & now make that journey. Big difference! Be sure to stop in at other areas of your life as well in relation to both sides of this coin. The big picture will change in all areas ! No doubt about it !

See or inwardly "know"the little steps as exciting ! Learn to enhance these powerful emotional states. For example, if one of your goals is to improve your nutrition, each time you visit the supermarket, see yourself as doing something very important in relation to your goal & enhance your enthusiasm for each & every forward movement.

Many of us save "exciting" as if we were going to run out of this powerful emotion. The more you utilize it, the more you will have. Your subconscious mind is a servo-mechanism, much like radar. Whatever you play out in your mind & body, the more you get. Positive excitement over small accomplishments is a very powerful motivator & will speed you along your path to success.

Connect the goal to other positive changes ! Notice how the goal is interconnected with other benefits. For example, as your body burns fat, your concentration increases. This is a fact. Your ability to think in this way will add to your inner motivation, making the goal easier to achieve. Suppose your goal is to develop a new work project. See the positive outcomes connected to your relationships, your home & even your self-image. It is a great idea to ask your subconscious mind to show you more of this. To do so, simply go to the theater your mind & make your requests. You will begin to see the connected goals presenting themselves.

Practice positive Imagery ! Spend some time in positive visualization each day, seeing your goals & changes coming to life. Your imagination is a valuable tool & gets better with use. It only takes a moment to get to the inner theater or workshop. You can travel there on the back of any thought process that you find in your mind. Simply catch it & relax deeply. Tilt your eyes up just about twenty degrees & there you are. This is called "interactive self-hypnosis" & was designed by the author of this article.

Start a positive imagery journal ! Whenever you add more senses to your goal development & goal definition the better. A good project is to collect pictures from magazines, etc. & make a positive goal collage. Allow this to be a growing project. Notice how more & more images come to your attention as you work in this way. This is an example of your subconscious mind bringing goal related things to your attention. Your subconscious librarian is working as your personal assistant, taking you closer to your goal in each moment.

Begin to see the goal as a "living thing" ! Develop a personal relationship with the goal & allow it to help move you past roadblocks. Ask it's advice. This is best done in the theater of the mind. Hold meetings with the goal & utilize your pen & paper in this exercise. This type of writing & working is right brain work. This is the way we communicate with the subconscious mind & get its help at very high levels.

Experiential Self - Development

1.What are some of the things you learned from the above article that will help you in your personal life goals?

2. What are some things you learned that will help you in the development of your work-related goals?

3. Have you noticed any changes in other areas of your life as you apply these tools to your current goals?

4. What positive changes would like to achieve that are not a part of your current goal work? How would you connect the current goal benefits to these changes?

5. Find a magazine that you don't usually read. As you look through it, notice where your attention goes. Now connect these "sightings" to your current goals. If possible, cut out phrases, or pictures that you noticed & place them in your collage. These are subconscious mind gifts & will benefit you in many different ways.

Becoming Unstuck

2006-11-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Becoming Un-stuck...

We are now ready to begin to implement the actual goals. While we continually work in the planning laboratory of the mind, there is the moment when we step out & begin to take the ideas forward. Many people tend to stay in the laboratory, being locked up by fear of failure & also fear of success. What will happen if this all falls apart? What will people think? What will happen if I succeed? What will people think?

When we practice Awareness Meditation & Interactive Self-Hypnosis we are better able to see the emotions in action. I call these emotional states the Outer Children. It is our job to practice self-discipline & mental strengthening, passing on these lessons to our Outer Children. In other words, helping ourselves to mature.

No matter what area of your life you are working on, the goal steps remain the same. I find it beneficial to work with both pen & inner theater. This series of articles will help you move in the direction of high level goal performance. Achieving goals is not an accident or a matter of luck. It is a matter of knowing what to do & then doing it. So lets get into the action!

Do your planning in writing. It is easier to achieve a goal committed to paper. What you write on the paper is very important. Just the name of the goal such as "weight loss" will not do it. Be very specific about the details of the goal & always describe it as completed. As you continue to work on this written description, the resolution will become clearer & clearer. What happens if you can't describe the goal or if you can't see it clearly? This is a rather common happening & it is just a matter of brain-blocking or a form of performance pressure. Should this happen it is very important not to back away from the project at hand.

First take some time to relax deeply in a quiet spot. Have your journal & pen on the table in front of you. Have your work area free of clutter. Once your body & mind have relaxed, open your journal & draw a rectangle. This represents the "picture" of your completed goal. Now, just as if you could see the picture, go ahead & begin describing it. If you get stuck again, simply make it up.

Decide how you will achieve this goal. Once again, commit this to writing. If you find this difficult & cannot think clearly, take some time as before & relax deeply. In the theater of your mind see yourself doing this task easily & completely. Suppose you don't know how you will achieve this goal? This is an opportunity to go deeper into the workshop or theater of the mind & call forth your inner librarian or assistants.

Take a moment to notice how your assistants look, how they are dressed, etc. Next, have them sit with you with the picture of your goal in front of them. Ask them how they will help you to achieve the goal. What will they do? This kind of imagery moves us past mind-blocking. This type of blocking is similar to writers block or any other type of performance anxiety. The combination of deep relaxation & specially designed imagery will not only move you through the block, but will open the door to the subconscious creativity center.

Set action steps. Once the mind knows the basic over-view of how you will achieve the goal, more information is required. This work must be broken down into smaller action steps. The mind will help you do this. I like to do all this work in active self-hypnosis with my inner librarian or assistants. When holding this sort of "inner meeting" request that the steps be simple & small.

Think what you will do first, second, third & so on. Make the list as long as necessary. Do not back away from long lists. Think in details. Most stalling in relation to lists happens because the details are not clearly expressed. Remember this is a working list & for your eyes only. Action is the key to starting the engine of procrastination. & action must be defined in very small incremental steps.

Set dates on your action steps. While we utilize hypnosis for change, we do need other tools. I suggest a daily planner or calendar, as well as a goal folder with a grass-catcher list. Take all the written action steps & place them in your calendar or grass-catcher list. Number them. Remember to be honest to yourself & realistic. Look at the goal as a work project, even if it isn't related to work. We all know how to plan & set deadlines. Place a deadline date next to each & every action step. This part of the work is somewhat time consuming, however you will get all of this time back & more once you start the engine of the goal.

Make your goal action steps a priority. Low priority activities do not get done, nor do they build self-esteem. Label your goal in your mind's eye as absolutely high-priority business. It is indeed possible to work on many goals at the same time when you are organized both inner & outer. To succeed you must commit to the planning & to the prioritization of the action steps with their deadlines. You must get serious about succeeding. In the past you may have fell prey to procrastination & mind wandering. This is a lack of self-discipline, thought & emotional management. This type of outcome destroys self-esteem. You do not have to take that route.

Work on your goals every day. Do something in relation to your goal projects each & every day, even if it is to write it on your daily calendar. An example might be, "Today I am burning fat." These daily small actions help to program the subconscious mind for permanent change. I like to utilize the folder system mentioned earlier. Each goal has it's own folder with the goal description, action plan, action steps with deadlines & a grass-catcher list. At the beginning of each day I like to review each goal area & place action steps in my daily planner. I put aside an hour each morning for this work. Some people prefer to do it at the end of the previous day. Try both & see which your inner librarian prefers.

Make a list of any materials you may need. Often goals need materials. Focus on gathering these instead of the task. For example, if your goal is to get organized, you may need file folders, boxes, etc. Make this a very detailed list & also not where you will purchase or obtain these things & when. Write this on your calendar. If your goal needs materials at different stages, make note of these & place them in your action steps so you won't be derailed by not having what you need.

If in the past you had difficulty with this area of planning, go to the theater or workshop in your mind, see the project as completed, & notice all the materials you utilized sitting on the table before you. You might review the goal & table with your inner librarian or assistant. If we have a past experience that is not positive, it is important to illustrate to the subconscious mind that we do not want that same thing to happen again. The subconscious mind can not judge & doesn't know the difference between what we want & don't want, unless we make ourselves very clear.

Set the scene. Changes we choose to make need all sorts of planning. For example, if your goal is to stop smoking, make a list of things that must be done to get ready for this, such as throwing away all ashtrays, deodorizing the care, rugs, etc. Make written lists & set deadlines on your calendar. It is so important to emphasize that the power is in the planning, not only because of organization, but because of how the subconscious mind sees the project.

We have the ability to utilize the mind at much higher levels than we do, but in order to take advantage of this marvelous asset, we must know how to do it. Most people think of hypnosis as some sort of deep trance state, & while it can be utilized like that, there are many other ways for us to practice self-hypnosis & gain the benefits.
Plan rewards for yourself. While grand rewards are great, be certain to reward yourself daily for making important small changes. These can be as simple & as important as taking quiet time for yourself or packing a special lunch.

Always look for ways to treat yourself well. It is amazing how few people think in this way. If we treated our friends as we treat ourselves, we probably would be quite friendless. Take some time to think about yourself as a human being. What do you need? What do you like? What did you enjoy when you were little? Would you enjoy that now? Each day practice tuning into yourself & in that very moment see what you might need to make your life a little more pleasant. Perhaps it is as simple as standing up & moving around!

Review & update your plans frequently. As you focus more & more on your goals, new ideas & information will become known to you. Keep your plans fluid. I like to bring my goals to the inner librarian & assistants at least each week. We often meet in the library of my mind. That is where all my experiences are stored. There are lots of assets in those books that can be applied to the goals at hand. It is quite easy to do this work.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/

Working Through Old Failures & Other Mind Blocks

2006-11-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Working Through Old Failures & Other Roadblocks...

Learn to benefit from past failures. If you have failed at this particular goal before, you already know how to do that. You also have lots of information in your subconscious library that can be utilized for your success. It is important to make certain your inner librarian knows that you are not on the same failure track, so it is best to do this work in self-hypnosis.

You already know how easy it is to go into a trance state & contact your inner assistants. Ask the librarian for the past file relating to this goal. Now go ahead & review the file, making editing changes throughout. When you have completed this work give the edited file back to the inner librarian. Whenever you edit old files, the new version is placed in your subconscious mind. It is good to keep in mind those areas that didn't work so you don't have to repeat those again!

Your subconscious mind holds valuable information. If you have not practiced self-hypnosis, this would be a good time to learn this valuable mindbody tool. Hypnosis is deep relaxation in combination with imagery. As you look at past roadblocks with a quiet mindstate, ask yourself what is the "crux" of the matter. Notice you inner librarian is with you & ready to bring you the answers from your inner library shelves. Everything is there for your use. It has always been there, but many of the books are rather dusty from non-use! When you ask questions & work with your inner guides or librarian, information that was not available consciously will often be released, allowing you to move forward with less effort.

Notice to what categories the roadblocks belong. Most of us are "repeat performers." We each have certain thought patterns & emotional states that interfere with our going forward. Some familiar ones are fear of failure & fear of success. Go back into a light hypnotic state & take the road towards the goal you are working with. Notice your librarian or assistants are with you. Observe as they point out the roadblocks. You may be able to tell what they are about right in the moment, but not to worry if you don't. The actual interpretation of the block will become clear to you a bit later on. Be sure to give yourself some quiet time so the messages can come through.

Take full responsibility for past failures. In order to succeed we must be totally responsible for all past outcomes, whether they are positive or negative. This acknowledgement frees us to stay in self-responsibility where our power is actually enhanced. Go into a light trance & meet up with your inner guides & librarian. Go to the inner library & take some time to go through some of the books from different times in your life. Look especially for outcomes.

Notice if you don't want to see any outcome. At that moment you will notice one of your emotional states is present. All emotions are seen as children, about eight years old. Some are taller than others, but they are still children. Try to see what emotion has presented. Sometimes it is shame, guilt or fear. Calm the emotion & let it know that everyone makes mistakes, & that through looking at them with "gentle eyes" you will learn & be able to go forward. This is a good time to practice forgiveness, gratitude, as well as compassion for yourself & towards others.

Have a look at past excuses. What are the reasons you presented to yourself about past failures regarding your goals? They usually fall into specific categories. See if you can name some of these categories. A common one is "bad luck" or it was the fault of someone else, or even "life." It is not uncommon to label ourselves in some derogatory fashion. It is very important to become aware of these mechanisms, for they must change. No buts about it!

Ask the subconscious librarian to nudge you whenever the word "but" comes on your tongue, or some lame excuse is about to be uttered. These are seeds of failure, & certainly not fruitful. Instead, move into your self-responsible adult mode. This is where the prizes are located. Each time you take responsibility, you gain power. You also gain self-respect & self-esteem. Your self-image is elevated & the subconscious mind will supply you with new, helpful information.

Have a look at your motivation levels. Do you find it difficult to stay motivated? Are you a person who has lots of ideas, but falls prey to procrastination very early on? Remember, the more you become self-aware, the stronger your chances for success. Take some time to return to self-hypnosis & meet up with your inner librarian & guides. Go to the library & make a search of very early motivators. You will find them as far back as your baby crib. Notice how you motivated yourself in these early years. Now move up a few years & search those files. You will begin to find some very useful motivators before long.

Make some inner notes, or better still, have your librarian keep them for you. You will be handed the list before you leave. When working on your current goal, stay tuned to your motivation levels. When they begin to falter, bring up your inner list & simply review. The subconscious mind will extract from these & apply them to your current situation.

Become familiar with your most common low-level negative emotions. We mentioned these a bit earlier, but lets add to our knowledge in this area. Get to know these emotional states well because these are the ones who build barriers to your success. They tend to hang out in groups & play negative mind-talk games in your inner VCR. For example, suppose you are trying to lose weight. This negative group will happily show you pictures of all your past failures, letting you know you have never succeeded, so why should you be able to do so now? When you learn to work with these negative mind-state children, you will be able to discipline them, as well as educate them with new positive-mind books.

Become familiar with your most common low-level positive emotions. We all have positive mind-states. Unfortunately, we tend to go towards the negative or hard-liners. It is important to build awareness skills & to purposefully bring in your positive mind-states. This is not only important for goal enhancement, but also for your health. Negative mind-states produce killer stress chemicals. Positive mind-states produce healing chemicals. Since 60-90% of disease is stress-related, it certainly should be clear which emotions you want hanging around. We all have high level & low level emotional states. It is much easier to move from a low-level negative to a low-level positive. Take some time to practice this.

Keep an ear out for your inner mind-talk. We continually program ourselves through mind-talk all day long. Unfortunately most of the mind-talk is negative & programs for what we don't want. As you learn to stay more aware, you will find yourself moving effortlessly towards your goals instead of away from them. It is important to learn to observe your mind-talk, as well as the body communications that are connected to these inner messages. Make it a point to get better at this. The most successful people program this subconsciously.

Do a belief system check. Is your goal in keeping with your belief system? Sometimes we are functioning on old belief systems that no longer work for us. If you have earlier inner programs that are counter-productive, begin to notice their appearance & learn to diminish them. I suggested an audio program below that will assist you in locating these early programs. It is important to eradicate them from the early gardens. However, there many be some early programs that are useful, but need some nourishment. See if you can find these subconsciously. Ask your inner librarian to help you in this matter.

Experiential Self-Development Journaling

1. List three things you learned from this article that will help you personally or in your work.
2. What areas of your life are affected adversely by negative emotional visitors? How will you go about noticing them at lower levels?
3. What are some of your powerful positive emotional visitors? How will you remind yourself to bring them forward into more areas of your life?
4.What are some early belief systems that get in your way personally or at work?
5. What are some early belief systems that you would like to enhance in each area?

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Managing Disorderly Eating

Locating & Retrieving Deep Down Resources

2006-11-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Building Resources Hypnotically...

This series is taking you on a step by step adventure from choosing a goal to high level end goal results. If you have been working with the series you are already seeing changes happening all around you. Some have to do with the goals at hand, but other changes are subconscious mind spin-offs. This is how the mind works. Once we begin the wheels rolling, activity can be seen in all areas of our life.

I hope you are working with pen & journal, as well as goal folders. The better your inner & outer organization, the faster your goals will mature!

Your mind is your most powerful inner resource. It is important to learn to re-program your mind for what in you want & do make these programs in very great detail. Whatever you play in your mind becomes your goal. We tend to build negative programming in great detail & often share this with others that compounds it in the subconscious library. It is time to give that up & spend your energy in programming what you want. All details may not come forth at one time & often times we must cajole the subconscious librarian to send up the details. You can learn how to do this by listening to the Interactive Self-Hypnosis Workshop Audio Programs that are offered on my websites.

Your thoughts are valuable assets. Your thoughts seek more of the same. they are like radar or "servo-mechanisms." Take advantage of your positive goal-orientated thoughts, and they will bring you more information designed to guide you effortlessly towards your goal. For example, if you have decided to lose weight & see yourself as having been successful in your thought patterns, you will be more aware of ways to help you achieve this, such as great ideas for lower-fat or low-sugar recipes.

Your emotional states are valuable assets. All emotional states are highly charged & this energy can be harbored, as well as focused on the achievement of your goal. This is done through awareness meditative exercises & by imaging success pictures right in the moment. This is called Interactive Self-Hypnosis © & will speed you along you way towards your goals. You can benefit from all emotional states. In fact, your negative-based states are generally very "hot" & therefore, once transmuted can be applied to any goal with the same "heat."

Your stress levels are valuable assets. As you come to be aware of lower levels of stress & how to release it, you can transfer this available energy to your goal. If you focus on your goal during the actual releasing of a negative emotion, you will be attaching that energy to the goal, just as if the goal had a coat-hook & the released energy was a powerful coat.

Look to your past achievements, as well as failures to build resources. Simply relax & go back over your time-line, especially visiting any difficult periods You have power in your inner-bank account for each & every time you were successful in over-coming any obstacle or achieving any success. Your subconscious library is filled to the brim with powerful resources for you. Once located, they can be attached to any goal coat-hook.

Be aware of who supports you and who doesn't. Change can be threatening to others & even those who love us may not be as supportive as we expect. Keep your motivation high & be self-responsible for the choice of your goal. Your inner resolution & desire will make it occur. The higher the desire, the quicker the achievement. Keep your goal images hot!

Join a new support group. It is often helpful to be a part of a group with the same focus, but always make certain the group is positive & forward thinking. Some groups tend to stay in the problem & enjoy the re-hashing process. let your intuition be your guide & always remember, you are in charge of your own decisions & behaviors. becoming self-responsible is a valuable goal unto itself.

Learn to future pace. Just as a person can go back on the time-line & other resources, one can also go forward & place power in the future. This is called future-pacing. Simply relax deeply & see yourself at some time in the future already having your goal completed. See yourself relaxed, healthy & happy. Remember, the mind works backwards & this type of imagery engages the subconscious mind in helping you formulate an action plan to reach your goal.

Learn to be quiet about your goal. There is power in silence. For some reason, talkers have a higher percentage of failure when it comes to goal achievement. Simply set up your mind practice discipline & get on with your life as if you had already achieved all your goals. This is the secret to high level achievement.

Ask your goal for new ideas to build resources. All the information you will ever need is already present in your subconscious mind. Few of us access more than 2% of this. By utilizing original imagery you can glean very powerful information. Simply relax deeply & pretend you are having a conversation with your goal. Ask it to assist you in making it a success. Insist that it send you actual action plans to make this come true for you. Ask for the plans to very detailed & orderly. Do not be afraid to demand the cooperation of the goal & your subconscious mind. Remember that it ONLY acts in the face of high power emotion.

Experiential Self-Development

1. List three things you learned from this article that will help you personally or in your work.

2. What areas of your life are affected adversely by past thoughts? How will you go about noticing them at lower levels?

3. What are some of your powerful positive thoughts? How will you remind yourself to bring them forward into more areas of your life?

4. What are some failures that get in your way personally or at work?

5. What are some early achievements that you would like to apply to new areas?

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Managing Disorderly Eating

Servicing Your Goal

2006-11-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Goal Servicing....not unlike caring for your car...

This series is taking you on a step by step adventure from choosing a goal to high level end goal results. If you have been working with the series you are already seeing changes happening all around you. Some have to do with the goals at hand, but other changes are subconscious mind spin-offs. This is how the mind works. Once we begin the wheels rolling, activity can be seen in all areas of our life.

I hope you are working with pen & journal, as well as goal folders. The better your inner & outer organization, the faster your goals will mature!
Spend time with your goal, especially in the early days. Just like any other new endeavor, your goal needs your attention. It's a good idea to actually set a time in your daily planner to sit down with your journal, or other planning tools & review your progress. Interview the goal, asking feelings, emotions & advices to take you to completion with less efforting. If the goal has a "past failure file," spend some time reviewing it & editing it for success. Remember, you are the writer/producer/director of this goal & have full editing rights!

Learn what your goal needs on a daily basis. Obviously goals need different things. If you are changing your nutritional behaviours, you will need to plan your menus & make certain you have the needed foods available each & every day. If you are cutting back on alcohol & your work colleagues stop at the bar on the way home, you will need to work on how you will manage this, as well as putting these plans into your subconscious files with self-hypnosis.

Learn how to manage comments from others. Change always brings attention from others & not necessarily always positive. It is best to move past comments as quickly as possible. Try not to engage in long conversations about what you are doing & why you are doing it. Negativity is usually lurking around. Develop a mindset of a person who has had this new behavior for many years & it is old hat.

Keep your focus on yourself & your goals. Do not fall into the deadly trap of trying to change others, even if in your opinion they need changing. Once again, be quiet & mind your own business, even if you are cajoled & your ego is eager for the attention. Practice awareness meditation regularly. This will keep you in high level awareness & in position to change goal picture outcomes.

Spend time with your thought processes daily. Negative self-talk is destructive & will knock you off your goal path with one swift kick. Awareness meditative tools, interlaced with self-hypnosis will help you program your subconscious mind to wake you when your thoughts are not productive or self-full.

Practice self-discipline daily. No matter what your goal, the development of self-discipline is at the top of the list for all high achievers. It is also important to note, that when you become self-disciplined in other areas, this will enhance your abilities to stay on goal in any other area. When you are working with multiple goals, all will benefit from each other.

Practice stress management techniques daily. No matter what your goal, it is vitally important to have a good stress management program in place. Stress is responsible for 60-90% of disease processes, keeps the mind in a negative programming mode & away from goal success.

Practice high-level nutrition. No matter what your goal, the food & beverage you place in your body with either help or hinder you. All food & beverage act like drugs in the mindbody & it is important to stay in heightened awareness of how your body & mind respond to your intake.

Develop a balance in your life. Nothing is more important than living a balanced life. It is also an important factor in the management of stress. Listen to your body carefully & it will always indicate when you have fallen off the balance beam.

Keep a good sense of humor. This valuable asset is always available, ready to assist you in attaining your goal, as well as your health. You may also find you attract others of the same kind & that will benefit your environment.

Experiential Self-Development

1.List three things you learned from this article that will help you personally or in your work.

2.What areas of your life are affected adversely by past behaviors? How will you go about noticing them at lower levels?

3. What are some of your powerful positive behaviors? How will you remind yourself to bring them forward into more areas of your life?

4.What are some negative behaviors that get in your way personally or at work?

5.What are some positive behaviors that you would like to apply to new areas?

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Managing Disorderly Eating

Bulls-Eye

2006-10-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION CLUSTER

I concentrate all my energies on a limited set of targets. I fully understand that concentration and focus are the magic keys that open the door to accomplishment. When my physical and mental resources are focused and ready, my power to solve problems multiplies... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

WHAT'S THIS ABOUT...

At the present time I'm working on a thoughtWARE book that addresses the planting of affirmations, alone & in clusters utilizing original programs of Interactive Self-Hypnosis. Affirmations are mini-mind programs that can pack a lot of power in one or a few sentences. When they are attached to emotionalized, active imagery or metaphor, they become even more powerful.

The affirmation cluster for today is all about inner organization, making choices, focus and aim. These are key issues for just about everyone. I don't know anyone who doesn't have too much on their platter, but having a full platter doesn't necessarily mean burn-out. Just this week I met 22 patients with full platters, and most not managing them well, if at all. I'd like to introduce you to two women, different ages, experiencing totally different problems, but both needing the same affirmation cluster.

Jennie has anorexia and other disorderly eating issues. She's a college sophmore, with lots to do and every day she raises her hand, volunteering for more. Becoming over-committed is a part of her compulsive behavior. Unfortunately, she tends to forget to eat, despite the fact she knows that if she doesn't control her weight, she will be asked to leave school.

Andy is newly divorced, and while finally ready to expand her horizons, she can't keep a focus on what she wants to accomplish. Her runaway thoughts are keeping her highly stressed and anxious, in addition interfering with sleep. According to Andy, she felt better when she was in her numb and disconnected state with her ex-husband.

Below I'll work with both Jennie and Andy. We'll plant the affirmation cluster, connecting it up with hot emotional imagery.

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

If you're following my blog/workshop and haven't downloaded the above programs, you might want to do so. I'll be changing them over the weekend.

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

Let's go ahead and plant the cluster. We always begin by reading it out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

I concentrate all my energies on a limited set of targets. I fully understand that concentration and focus are the magic keys that open the door to accomplishment. When my physical and mental resources are focused and ready, my power to solve problems multiplies...

Let's begin by relaxing into the moment and welcoming the mind-state of positive intention. We all have chemically-based memory for mind-states, and positive intention is a powerful state unto itself. Locate a time in the past when you really wanted to do something, and no matter what blocks appeared, you remained determined to do this particular thing. Once you locate that memory, tune into the feelings that accompany the memory or images. That is positive intention. Now I'd like you to simply sense it, bringing it into our affirmational planting exercise.

Deepen your trance state just a bit. No need to go beyond the alpha or slow-brain-wave state. It's easy to do this. I like to do a quick body scan, noticing body areas and then bringing my focus back to my breath. I also like to sense magnets pulling me down and back into the chair where I'm resting.

We're ready now. Locate the mind-screen. While you can do this with your eyes opened, I prefer them to be closed and so finish reading the exercise and then proceed to close your eyes. As you know, the mind-screen is right behind your gently closed lids. This is where you program what you want.

Today I'd like you to climb up into the mind screen. You'll find yourself in a field that is filled with archery targets......I'm sure you're familiar with the bulls-eye image. There is a target for each thing you want to achieve. Obviously there are too many targets. I'd like you to choose no more than four targets. Move the other ones way over to the side. You're not getting rid of them, just moving them. I think it's a good idea to make sure that one target represents your health and wellness. This is very important for both of my clients above. I honestly don't know anyone who wouldn't need this particular target to be permanently present.

Notice that the four targets appear bigger and clearer now. It's going to be easier to hit them with your arrows. Your archery coach is bringing your bow and arrows. Listen carefully........the fewer targets, the more powerful your arrows. As you learn this, you might even consider removing one target. Think about it....

The coach is explaining that each target is filled with answers to questions, solutions, gifts, insights and serendipities related to the specific target.

Even if you've never practiced archery, you will find yourself very talented in hypnotic trance. Choose your first target. Place the arrow on the bow .....locate the area where you want the arrow to hit the target...study it....steady now.....aim carefully.....sensing the focus....pull back now....re-focus....sensing.....shoot.

Observe as the arrow goes directly into the center of the bulls-eye, opening it and sending out the answers to questions, solutions, gifts, insights and serendipities related to the specific target. Go ahead, take this basket and pick them up. You can arrange them on the table over there.

When you have finished, if you like, go ahead with the second target, although it's not really necessary. Your subconscious mind already knows about the other targets and will allow you access to the inner gifts.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Crisis Thinking

2006-10-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION CLUSTER

I accept that sooner or later I'll encounter a crisis. I stay determined to meet any crisis well. I look at crisis as an opportunity to advance or stay where I am. I choose to advance...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?

At the present time I'm working on a thoughtWARE book that addresses the planting of affirmations, alone & in clusters utilizing original programs of Interactive Self-Hypnosis.
Affirmations are mini-mind programs that can pack a lot of power in one or a few sentences. When they are attached to emotionalized, active imagery or metaphor, they become even more powerful.

Today I decided to cluster affirmations that address working or managing crises "in advance." In a way, this genre of mind-programming is like a "disaster plan" held by all corporations, and even families.

As far as disasters go, one hopes never to have one, but in real life, crises do occur, not only in reality, but in the mind. In fact, it's a good idea to review one's definition of what is a crisis, because it isn't smart to trigger the mind and body connection over something that simply isn't crisis material. Each time the panic button is pushed, both the body and mind go into hormonal over-drive, often blurring connection with the subconscious mind. However, if your plan is in place, your mind will assist you in getting through it.

Part of the issue here is the fear of crises. I tend to think this is why the word is over-used. It's like being a skiier who is fearful of ice, continually scanning the snow with an already tense body. I don't have to tell you that this is a recipe for an accident. Now what would happen if the same skiier simply expected ice to be somewhere around and then relaxed into the moment, knowing that he can certainly ski successfully over it. Obviously the outcome will be very different, ice or no ice.

It's the same with any or all crises. Here we come to accept that sooner of later a crises will occur. This simple affirmation keeps one from over-searching. Remember, you get what you think about all day long. If one is in crisis-looking mode, then the mind interprets this "as if" one wants to find one and it will oblige.

If you are new to hypnosis, do know that anyone can work hypnotically. In actual fact, we tend to be in self-imposed hypnosis all day long. In therapeutic hypnosis, we work to de-hypnotize ourselves and then transcend into the mind-state and image of what we want, instead of what we don't want. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

A few of my patients are working with this cluster. Let me introduce them.... ( patients names have been changed, as well as some personal details ) Sam is very fearful of turning forty-four. This is the age his father died, and Sam has a premonition about dying at this very same age. His mind images include his wife and children "in crisis", not being able to manage even the simplist details. He also has crisis images of having a heart attack and being out of work.

Maryann has crisis thoughts about not having enough money as she ages. She becomes very uncomfortable when spending any money at all, afraid that she won't be able to stop if she starts. This sensation of doom mixed with high anxiety accompanies her from the supermarket to the mall, truly impacting on her joy of living.

Let's go ahead and plant the cluster. We always begin by reading it out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

I accept that sooner or later I'll encounter a crisis. I stay determined to meet any crisis well. I look at crisis as an opportunity to advance or stay where I am. I choose to advance...

Relax into the moment in whatever way you choose. There is no need to be in a deep trance state, simply physically relaxed and attentive to the project at hand...... wanting to plant the affirmations. Notice that you feel no pressure or rush. Enhance this feeling, either by requesting it to become bigger, or use an imaginary dial, turning it slowly to the right.

Locate the mind-screen, noticing that you are already present there, working in your fully-appointed crisis center. Pay attention to your person. You are relaxed and focused. The body is clear of excess tension. You are fully confident and in charge of whatever is going on. Notice that your negative emotional-child mind states are not present. You look out the window, noticing that they are in the playground, lightening up.

Your positive emotions are present however, eager to assist you. You do know who is here. They have helped you for years. Keep in mind that you weren't born yesterday. You have lots of experience and resilience. Take a moment and look at the shelf holding your resilience models. Notice how many things you know how to do. Your confidence and creativity are by your side. Sense how good this feels.

All parts of you are working creatively. Sense your pride in how the work is going forward. New ideas, new suggestions are presented on the mind-screen. These come directly from your subconscious mind and intuition center. You can sense the way to go forward.

Sam has learned to place an X over any death-related thoughts. He is becoming successful in diminishing this part of his problem. He actively works in his crisis center, noticing that there are many things he can do to prevent a heart attack. He also realizes that having a heart attack doesn't necessarily mean that he will die. He notices that even if such a medical event were to happen, he could manage in many different ways. His resilience has taught him this. Sam has also come to view the resilience of his wife and children, now seeing them as capable and inventive. There is much more mutual respect.

Maryann has also learned to X fear thoughts, understanding that they are fantasy, and in this case, negative fantasy. As she reviews her achievements, resilience and power, she has begun to respect her capabilities. She actively works on a budget and builds in enjoyment for herself.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Gerbil Hypnosis

2006-10-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION CLUSTER

The seeds to my success are in my imagination in this very moment. I actively visualize all the things I want in my life in all areas. I actively make my mental blueprint and begin to build... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Today I was working with a client of mine, I'll call Crystal. She, like so many others, has been frustrated by her search for what she wants to achieve in different areas of her life. She's changed jobs, houses, locations and even husbands in her quest for what she calls "perfection."

Now I always feel like running for cover when I hear that word, for most of us know that it simply doesn't exist, but for Crystal, it is a true destination. She reminded me of a gerbil on a treadmill, exhaused from her trek to nowhere.

Crystal is so busy looking outward, that she's lost her inner vision. Forget her resources. As far as she's concerned, she is a victim of life with nothing to show for it. How very sad....... She's only 32 years old.

I designed some active imagery for her based on the affirmation cluster for today. Interactive self-hypnosis gives us the opportunity to take an over-view of issues and then to develop a working metaphor in the theater of the mind. I needed to break Crystal's negative hypnotic mind states, of which there were many. Not only did she have a myraid of physical issues, but her thought patterns and sense of reality were quite distorted.

First off the bat, I needed the gerbil's attention. She talked incessantly, going over the same ground, truly stuck in the hypnosis of the turning wheel. To break this type of self-imposed negative hypnosis, we need to sweep the castle clean and then to begin re-furbishing. This was accomplished with a simple command of "shhhh....!!!! STOP.....listen." It never ceases to amaze me that a simple command given with kind authority can have such an effect. It was almost as if she were relieved that I stopped her. She was now in a submissive state and ready to receive positive hypnotic suggestion.

Affirmations are mini-mind programs that can pack a lot of power in a few sentences. When they are attached to active imagery or metaphor, they become even more powerful.

Anyone can work hypnotically. If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

Let's work along with Crystal...

We always begin by reading the affirmational cluster out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

The seeds to my success are in my imagination in this very moment. I actively visualize all the things I want in my life in all areas. I actively make my mental blueprint and begin to build...

Gerbils are already in hypnosis from the movement of the wheel and so was Crystal. Once she stopped her motion, all that was necessary was some deep relaxation techniques. I utilized the colored circles around her body parts, starting at the head and ending at the bottom of her feet. I asked her to allow the cells that were in each part to slowly move apart from each other. Since she held lots of tension in her head, neck and shoulders, I placed additional inner circles in those areas. It wasn't more than a few moments when a good level of very deep relaxation was present.

I brought Crystal's attention to her mind screen and since she is very visual, I had her paint the gardens and the goal-den path. Then I appeared on it and put my hands out towards her. Like a lovely butterfly, she came towards me and gave me her disorderly backpack. I brought her attention to her lightness of being and how relaxed she felt as she walked along with my guidance.

I began to show her the gardens that contained all of her resources that she's collected over the many years of her life. Some were quite old, coming from childhood. Others were newer, and the newest ones were being planted as we walked along in this moment.

We then entered her workshop. This is where her resources were being utilized to build her successes. First we visited the planners who were working with blueprints. Next, we entered the construction area where many different projects were in process. Some were health-related, others having to do with work issues, prosperity and then relationships. I pointed out that everything she needed was already present. This was internal working.

The finishing area was over there. She could pick up and admire many of these projects, some of which she had indicated to me during our pre-hypnotic session, despite the fact that she reported not having been much of a success at anything.

Crystal has quite a bit of cleaning up to do in her pattern department, as well as in her thought and emotion areas. It was decided to remove the gerbil wheel and instead to spend active time relaxing and examining blueprints. While Crystal has much work to do, this was a good beginning.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Planting & Parading Priorities

2006-10-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION CLUSTER

My successful living lies in my ability to put first things first. I do not place second things first. My priorities are numbered in my mind's eye and present themselves as such.... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

I've been working with affirmation clusters for my ThoughtWARE book and CD. These mini-mind programs can be planted and then etched in the moment. Even though the programs are small, they deal with big, everyday issues.

Today I've been thinking about different aspects of time management including keeping priorities in the the forefront and keeping them moving. I've always been interested in priorities and why some of us set them, and others don't bother. In my private practice, I've noticed that priorities tend to be vague, lacking definition and therefore motivation. Clients describe them as lurkers or background noise, almost bothersome. It's like they carry guilt, because people find it difficult to stay with for any length of time. In fact, when I work to set priorities with my clients before placing them hypnotically, they often balk.

Time management and priority setting is crucial, not only for success, but for health. When there is a lack of internal order, stress levels rise. Daily pressures are responsible for 60-90% of disease-states. Relationships, both with significant others, including children, are often marred by negative stress. Even the dog suffers. Actually, there is nothing good to be said for it.

Here are some frequent questions.... Even if we could stick with our priorities, what about the rest of our life tasks...the things that aren't really priorities, like cleaning closets. After all, life is a busy place where we're continually chased by our to-do lists. And what about creativity? When is this supposed to happen? Is there truly any way to win without being killed by life itself?

Affirmation clusters can help here. Mind programs are like having an internal coach or assistant who is always present, keeping you on course, making suggestions for going towards programmed goals. Priorities work best as programmed goals. As I design and record my CD's, mp3's and books, I like to plant active affirmations such as these. Readers and listeners are often surprised as to how easy it is to change their mind programs. Interactive self-hypnosis is much more like play than work.

If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

We always begin by reading the affirmational cluster out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

My successful living lies in my ability to put first things first. I do not place second things first. My priorities are numbered in my mind's eye and present themselves as such....

Remember, before planting affirmations, it is important to decide what it is that you want. Today it's about your priorities. These may change day by day, so keep that it mind. If you don't know what your priorities are, or if you not used to thinking this way, then this is a good time to start.

We always begin by relaxing deeply into the moment and quieting the thoughts. Take a deep yawn breath in from the bottom of your feet, holding it in your mouth for the count of four. When four arrives, allow the breath to exit the valves located on the end of your fingers. Sense your body sinking into the chair where you are resting. After you read this, then close your eyes gently, tilting them up about twenty degrees. Your mind screen is located behind your closed lids. This is where you will be programming your mind for what you want. Not to worry if you have difficulty visualizing. Simply think clearly and your subconscious mind will activate the programs for you.

I'm going to give you a general metaphor for the affirmation cluster. If your mind would like to utilize a different one, that is absolutely fine. When I'm prioritizing I like the image of a parade. This image lends itself to organization and order. The subconscious mind is now programmed for this. Next, if you have decided on your priorities, see/think them as groups of marchers and line them up in the order of importance. If this is not clear to you, ask your subconscious mind to help you. Sometimes we cannot commit to a priority because there are mind-blocks.

For example, I was working with a new client who obviously was over-weight. However, weight loss was not a priority for her, the reason being that she doesn't want to give up eating junk and prefers not to exercise because it's boring. When her subconscious mind was asked to order her parade groups, much to her chagrin, the need to lose weight group came right to the front!

Once the priorities are in parade formation, the drum major will blow the whistle and forward march. All parts of each priority are organized, motivated and going forward with positive energy. You might even hear the music playing in the background. The mind program is now in place.

As you go through your day, the parade will be present in the back of your mind, leading your thoughts and actions. You now know what you are about, as well as what comes first and what comes second.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order any of the affirmation or imagery programs that focus on innr organization or time management.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

School Lessons

2006-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION CLUSTER

I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We all know that how we choose to see things will change our outcomes & while that is so, it is more often said than done. Why is this? As I explore this within my own life, it's clear to me that I get so caught up in my automatic-pilot thinking and patterns, that I can simply forget to do it. And so, part of my own self-discipline is to trigger this new thought behavior in my daily life. I use a very simple non-scientific method consisting of a sticky note on my desk and one in my car. The car happens to be an excellent place for changing mind-sets and since driving is a hypnotic activity, the new programs slip easily into my subconscious mind.

The above affirmational cluster is a favorite of mine. The idea that life is a school is so simple, yet profound. I've enjoyed developing this metaphor for years and have planted in many of my CD & mp3 programs because it works so well. I've come to understand and life as proved this out, that we are born with two books. One is what we've come to learn, the other what we've come to teach. We are teachers and students at the same time. I've found this to be so in every individual I've met during my life travels, no matter who they are or where they've been. Keeping this in mind has helped to keep me balanced in some very difficult situations, and so I thank this metaphor for that. How often I've had to drop my own mask, and yield to the image.

As I design and record my CD's, mp3's and books, I like to plant active affirmations such as these. Readers and listeners are often surprised as to how easy it is to change their mind programs. Interactive self-hypnosis is much more like play than work.

If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

We always begin by reading the affirmational cluster out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away...

Relax deeply into the moment. Utilize some deepening images that we've reviewed earlier on. If you are new to this workshop/blog, review some of the earlier archives or send me an email if you need assistance. Everyone can learn to relax deeply into the moment. This is key for high level health and performance, so do practice this whenever you can. You won't be disappointed!

Go to the first image of the affirmation cluster. I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. Locate your mind-screen and as you repeat the affirmation, look to the image that appears for you. If nothing appears, just wait a moment. Relax.... repeat the affirmation slowly. Intend or expect the image to appear, either on the screen or in a passing thought. It will come. Notice what this means to you. See/sense yourself there. How do you look? What are you wearing? Are you alone or with others? What are you doing? These self-questions will help to etch the image details, making it more effective.

Ready now...I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away...

Find the steps and enter the mind-screen school image. Locate the student-you. Listen as this part of you repeats the second and third part of the cluster. Perhaps you are being shown the book about what you've come to learn. Notice that it is a positive book..... an exciting book. Look through it, sensing excitement about what will be coming to you.

Let me give you an active image here. Notice that black drops are falling off the ends of your finger-tips. This is your FALSE self-image or EGO & connected arrogance. You are cleaning and clearing these negative, blocking states. As the black drops exit and fall to the path, they change or transmute into golden dust that melds with the path. This is a release image that allows you to take off your mask and to be authentic.

How wonderful it is not to need to know everything, nor to pretend. You can be you. Pay attention to your body sensations as you work within this active image. Once you contact those images, enhance them. Make them bigger.........just as if you had an imaginary dial. Turn it to the right and sense the physical sensations. This is a powerful planting.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order any of the affirmation or hypnosis workshop CD's or mp3's. I'd suggest The Mountain or Making Miracles.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Focus & Energy

2006-10-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Think....My success is the result of my well-focused and pin-point directed energy. I actively gather in my resources. I actively marshal all my energy, while working to build more. I am single-minded and drive for the things I 've decided upon... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

The above cluster of affirmations is perfect choice for for Friday. When I leave my office for the weekend and head out into my more unstructured time, I like my subconscious mind to mull over some powerful suggestions. A break in structured routine is the perfect medium for creativity. This is why we often get eureka or break-through ideas when on vacation.

While I'm out my usual work structure, my creative mind is available for organization and the reinforcement of my already planted goals. Weekends are perfect times for seeing and sensing the facets of my life more clearly. Since the above suggestions have already been planted, my subconscious mind can show me new order and opportunities.

I mentioned bundling affirmations in an earlier post. I do this quite often because the intensify and clarify my message to my subconscious mind librarian. In other words, this is what I want and this is what I need. Here we are going to direct the subconscious mind and body physiology out of stress and disorder and into high level focus and energy.

As I design and record my CD's, mp3's and books, I like to plant active affirmations. Readers are often surprised as to how easy it is to change the mind programs in this way. In a way, it's much more like play than work.

If you haven't experienced this before, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

We always begin by reading the affirmational cluster out loud or slowly to ourselves. There are at least five solid suggestions in the following cluster, so be sure to pay attention to all of them. This is not the time to speed read. Truly listen to what you are saying to yourself.

My success is the result of my well-focused and pin-point directed energy. I actively gather in my resources. I actively marshall all my energy, while working to build more. I am singe-minded and drive for the things I 've decided upon...

Relax deeply and perform the exercises to bring you into a light trance. If you don't know how to do this, check out the archives at the bottom of this entry. If you have been practicing, you are finding it much easier to relax deeply, even if there are distractions around you. I always suggest that my clients or readers learn to work with distractions.

It's indeed possible to practice self-hypnosis while fully awake and even in the presence of others who might be talking to you. This is a common practice in sports hypnosis. In this instance the athlete might be performing his sport in competition, while at the same moment directing his subconscious mind towards what he wants, as if he has already achieved it.

When you are ready, locate your mind-screen. Place the following words there. My success is the result of my well-focused and pin-point directed energy. I'd like you to ask your subconscious mind to develop an image representing the first affirmation in the cluster. Now enter the image. Go right into the mind-screen and participate directly with the image. Take the words and put them in order on the side of the image. And when you are ready, step out of the mind-screen.

Breathe deeply and clear the mind screen. Place the following affirmation, I actively gather in my resources. Once again, ask your subconscious mind to deliver an image representing the gathering of your resources. Pay close attention to what is presented to you. If you have difficulty with visualization, simply listen to your ideas or thoughts. These are gifts from your own creative mind. If this process is difficult for you, just be patient. Relax deeply again. Your mind will not disappoint you. While you may not get the images or suggestions in this very moment, they will come.

Relax deeply and bring forth the mind screen. Notice that the first two parts of the affirmational bundle are present in the scene. Now, call forth your subconscious mind librarian and hand him/her the following suggestion, I actively marshall all my energy, while working to build more. Notice that new, active images are already in place, even before the words are out of your mouth. Enter the mind-screen, walk around and closely admire what you have already planted. Participate with what is presented to you.

Notice your librarian is asking you what you have in your pocket. Take this out. I am singe-minded and drive for the things I 've decided upon... You are now being lead over to the images representing this suggestion/desire. Allow desire to flow into your body, feeling a sense of gratitude for the power you have been given.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order any of the affirmation or hypnosis workshop CD's or mp3's.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Transmuting Crisis & Negativity

2006-10-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I give positive meaning to whatever comes my way. I transform crisis moments into value moments. I make my world....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

I'm not a Pollyanna person and while I believe in positive thinking, I simply don't believe it is enough to voice positive statements without planting or etching them deeply into the subconscious mind. Of course, I'm not knocking the power of positive thinking.... as long as the inner work is part of the process.

Most of us don't like the idea of negative thoughts, but yet we all have more than we need. The good news is that not only are they valuable, but if you come to know how to utilize them and if you're willing to experiment with them, they can become very powerful catalysts for change, especially if they are "highly charged." Working with heightened awareness and containment are key, for as you learn to become aware of even the smallest variety and then contain them, you are in the perfect mind-state or position to release them. As the release takes place, you are in the right physiological/emotional place to reprogram your subconscious mind for what you want, right on the back of the release. What happens is that the powerful released energy, fires off the new positive program with a huge bang!

When I work with affirmations I like to bundle them, giving my subconscious mind a set of clear directions as to what I want and need. Here we are going to direct the subconscious mind and body physiology out of crisis and into release. Then we can program it for something we want.

If you have been working with my books, CD's or mp3's, you know about designing "hot active imagery" and programming your own subconscious mind. You also know that affirmations can be direct or metaphorically implied. Both work well in directing the subconscious mind towards specific goal-orientated action.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

Begin by repeating the affirmation bundle below. If you like say them out loud, so the resonance of your voice can help with the etching process.

I give positive meaning to whatever comes my way. I transform crisis moments into value moments. I make my world....

An important part of working with Interactive Self-Hypnosis is waking up to moments, noticing them as "things" or a unit of a whole. Each one of them is flavored or textured with emotions, rather like a marinade. The first part of this affirmation bundle presents the belief that there is positive meaning in whatever comes your way, or at least the potential for it. No matter how dark the emotional marinade, it can be brought to benefit you.....not later, but in the "now." Catching moments and changing their emotional/chemical coding is part of our inner work-out.

Here we learn the process and power of releasing or letting go. This is key to transforming or changing the marinade. Capture a moment that is either negative in nature, or at the very least neutral. Most of us don't have to look far for one. I just checked and located quite a few. Next.......label it. Name it whatever you like. Labeling or naming aids in the capture. Now take a deep yawn breath and locate yourself under the moment, just as if it were a balloon filled with helium, floating over your head.

Next, bring in a past memory of pleasure or locate something pleasurable around you. Make it simple. For example, I'm finding pleasure in my favorite pen. I love the way it feels in my hand. I'm focused and paying attention to my pleasure chemical sensations. Now let go of the balloon, observing it floating away from you.........way distant now. Check in with your body and then with your mind. Was this enough, or do you need to repeat the exercise? Once you become used to releasing and changing chemistry or marinade in this way, it will become second nature and your success will mount.

I'm now ready to re-program my mind-screen. I see or sense a gift box with a picture of a balloon, on it. My mind connects the balloon picture with the one that I just released. Inside the box is a beautiful gift. Perhaps I can make out what it is, or it may not be clear in this very moment. My subconscious mind does know that I released and now I've been gifted. Usually the clarity of the gift comes within the next few hours or when I get to relax deeply, perhaps during my ride home or in the bath or even in a dream state.

We work with crisis in the same way. Here we have lots of moments that have banded together in a negative form. We call it crisis. I always suggest that we be careful of how life experiences are labeled, because remember, what you think about is what you get. So watch your language. Sometimes we get into our victim mode and make things worse than they are. I just finished a session with a woman who utilized the "crisis" label at least ten times. No wonder she is so stressed !

When we are in true crisis, or a perceived one, we begin to capture moments, then going through our process of release. Working with individual moments is just as powerful, if not moreso, than trying to release a big crisis-chunk. Just like eating a pie. Smaller pieces work best.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order any of the resilience or emotional management CD's or mp3's.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Inside Goals

2006-10-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

As my goals clarify, I stop chasing dreams & begin digging for gold. I actively work to detail & clarify my goals. I enhance my goal images with positive "hot" imagery... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

I like to bundle affirmations, giving my subconscious mind a set of clear directions as to what I want and need. It's amazing how few people have a clear picture of their goal, much less an action plan to achieve it. Many even balk at the word. Just yesterday, a client told me that the "goal-word" frightens her to the point that she can't think clearly. It's amazing that a simple four letter word can have such a physiological and psychological effect on someone.

Sometimes we need to move beyond the word, especially if it has ramifications as described above. Obviously, the problem isn't the word, but the associations. In this instance, I decided to take my client on a journey into her new business project that we would future-pace one year. The plan was to meet up with her future-Self, who would show us around the business, detailing different areas. Everything would be just the way she would like it and preferably better. Positive emotions would be helping, especially in the areas that were frightening or mind-blocking. These emotions would be motivated by past experiences, located in my client's resilience center. The future-Self was also available for questions.

Goal affirmations are absolutely necessary for high level performance and success. What we think is what we get. Knowing this, it is vital to continually feed the subconscious mind, not only with positive thoughts, but encouraging the creative centers of the mind to be giving.

If you have been working with my books, CD's or mp3's, you know about designing "hot active imagery" and programming your own subconscious mind. You also know that affirmations can be direct or metaphorically implied. Both work well in directing the subconscious mind towards specific goal-orientated action.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

Start by quieting your body and then your mind. Make certain you will not be interrupted for the next fifteen minutes or so, the time it will take to plant these affirmations. Once they're planted, you can work with them at will, without going into a relaxed trance. Remember that well-etched or planted images affirmations and connected images provide the best outcomes.

As my goals clarify, I stop chasing dreams & begin digging for gold. I actively work to detail & clarify my goals. I enhance my goal images with positive "hot" imagery...

Let's work with the first four words.........as my goals clarify. I'd like a separate image for this. On my mind screen I'm going to place an image of a jumble or mess. Now as I repeat the four words, the jumble is going to organize itself.

The mess can be just about anything. I have a pile of laundry on my mind screen. As I repeat the short affirmation, the laundy goes into organized piles of neatly folded clothes. Obviously, I'm suggesting to my subconscious mind that I want my specific goals to be put in order. I can also make this into a "hot image", by sensing a feeling of happiness or satisfaction or even heightened pleasure in my body. Keep in mind that we have an internal pharmacy waiting for direction to produce chemicals that match particular emotions that will fire-off images.

Let's take the first affirmation in it's complete form. As my goals clarify, I stop chasing dreams & begin digging for gold.
Relax the body again, slowing the mind. Bring forth the mind screen for programming. See or sense the affirmation. Notice what your own mind plays out for you. On my mind screen I see/sense myself calm and collected, poised with my shovel and happily digging, then locating a vein of gold. I not only see/sense the gold, but I reach down and pick up nougets, placing them in my pail. I look out to my old Self behaviors, noticing how I run aimlessly from one area to another, hardly breathing, using so much effort. Since this is what I don't want, I'm going to diminish that image and the connected emotions, sending the tiny particles away from me. Now, I'm going to program over that by bringing my positive, relaxed digging onto my mind screen. I'm following with another suggestions/command. "This is what I want." And then....."Thank You."

Enhancing goal images with "hot imagery" is key to super-etching or planting. When we desire something, the subconscious mind is motivated, not only to find it for us, but to find anything that might be similar. As you learn to plant affirmations or suggestions in this way, you may find yourself changing your approach to getting what you want, perhaps having more serendipity or eureka experiences. You may very well sense the plan in action, even though you don't remember figuring this out yourself. The is creativity in action.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order any of the goal achievement programs or mp3 and work the full program. The Enhancing Creativity is also a good program for this level of self-development.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Authentic Self

2006-10-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

I work to know who I am. I work to know who I'm not. Through my work I experience a solid sense of Self...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

These are a powerful group of affirmations that work together. As you continually etch them, you will be invited to become deep friends with your authentic self. From this authentic or real position, you will be able to enhance your ability to see and evaluate your inner belief systems. As they play out you will know which ones to keep, discarding the others. It's another form of cleaning and clearing.

Your belief systems represent the original programming of your subconscious mind, the guiding force to how you see and think about yourself. You know this as your self-image and self-esteem. As you clean and clear with your authentic self by your side, you will be actively enhancing these major mind programs with their corresponding mindset.

Many people assisted in placing these original programs into your subconscious mind, most without your permission. For most of us, this didn't happen just in our early childhood years. Unless you are a super-extraordinary being, more than likely it's still happening to you. Hopefully, your self image and esteem are strong, thereby allowing you to quickly see what's going on, so you can release mind programs that are negative in value.

It's important to remember that not all negative mind programs come from outsiders. We are also guilty of delivering these to ourselves & perhaps this is the best place to begin our heightened awareness work; checking thoughts and emotions before allowing planting.

This group of affirmations, like thousands of others, play an important part in my audio/CD design. All my programs have active affirmations that are linked to specific imagery that the listener actually self-designs through inner coaching. Affirmations can be direct or implied. Both work well in directing the subconscious mind towards specific goal-orientated action.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

I work to know who I am. I work to know who I'm not. Through my work I experience a solid sense of Self...

If you are working along with me in this workshop/blog, you already know what to do with the above affirmational set. I'll just cue you along. First take yourself into the mind-state of "full & purposeful intention." This will require being on your own and preferably in a quiet place where you will prepare to not be interrupted for the next fifteen minutes or so. If part of you argues with this, send that part to the playground of the mind. That happens to be a child-emotion who wants to rule your life and right off the bat, let's be clear that child-emotions do not run our lives. This is the responsibility of our mature-adult self and no other.

Relax your body and now deepen the relaxed state. I've shared different ways for you to do this. After awhile you'll find your favorite way. Mine happens to be a quick body scan, drawing colored circles around my head, neck, shoulders right and left, arms, chest, lower abdomen, legs and then upper, middle and lower back. Then I'll turn on the magnets. Eyes closed and tilted slightly upwards, identifying the mind-screen. If you need help with this, either go to the http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/">archives or feel free to contact me.

It's time to build a containment for this set of affirmations. I like to use a garden path that regresses, or goes back in time. I place a separate garden for my different age groups and have a representative child in each garden. Each child has a coat rack that holds a selection of coats. Some are obviously dirty, others looking fine. Some are favorites of the child and others are just the opposite. It's interesting to note that in relation to my child, some of the favorites are also dirty. This is because she enjoys playing the victim. Perhaps you'll be able to identify some of your child's favorites.

The coats were given as gifts by others. Others could include parents, siblings, relatives, friends, teachers, clergy, school-mates and even people who simply passed through the life of the child. For one reason or another, they left a coat for the child to wear.

When we play the "authentic game", the adult-self goes to the different gardens for the purpose of cleaning and clearing. The child does not decide. You decide as the mature, adult-self. What is best for the child? Remember, the child was born a pure being and coat-less. There is no reason, whatsoever, to keep coats that do not reflect the best in all arenas. In the active imagery practice, simply remove the coats. There is no discussion. You choose. Personally, I like to throw the coats in a bottomless garbage can. I'm not into recycling negative-coats, even in the theater of my mind.

Perhaps you would like to weave a coat for the child, one that represents all that you want for her. Weaving doesn't take long in the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis. Think it done and it is done.

Each time you come back to re-etch this affirmational group and to visit the garden imagery, or whatever you may choose, the authentic child will become stronger and more balanced. You will sense this as your life experiences play out. You'll also become much more aware of individuals who attempt to deliver negative-threaded coats to any of your gardens. You will sense yourself standing tall, being the mature, honest and actively preserving your self image and esteem, always remembering that to err is human. You demonstrate self-forgiveness and self-compassion to each and every child on your path.

If you enjoy working in this particular area, you might like to order the Authentic Self CD or mp3 and work the full program.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

Workshop of the Mind - 2

2006-10-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

My mind is a mental workshop. I can build anything I want in my mind. I actively communicate with it...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

In the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis we work with containments. These are simply images that surround or hold things that we choose to put in them. The above affirmation is a series of three, the primary being a containment called the mental workshop or workshop of the mind. Whenever we choose to place something in this area, the subconscious mind knows exactly what it is expected to do. The second & third affirmations in this series do just that, thereby inviting focus and time management. Further, the more we etch or repeat this specific containment, the more the subconscious mind will want to bring it forward and then to act on it.

This affirmation, like thousands of others, play an important part in my audio/CD design. All programs have active affirmations that are linked to specific imagery that the listener actually self-designs through inner coaching. Affirmations can be direct or implied. Both work well in directing the subconscious mind towards specific goal-orientated action.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

WORKING THE AFFIRMATION

My mind is a mental workshop. I can build anything I want in my mind. I actively communicate with it...

This is a favorite containment of mine that I utilize on a daily basis. If you continue to visit this workshop/blog, you will find it coming up in relation to other affirmations I'll present to you. There is just something powerful and creative about the image of a workshop. Think about it for a moment. What comes to mind when you think about or image a workshop? For me, it is a place to make things, as well as to solve things. I love getting to the bottom of issues, problems and my goals. I've learned over the years that when a goal is visited and then activated at it's foundation, the building goes smoother, in addition to the outcome often being better than originally planned.

If you've been following along, you already know how to relax deeply into the moment. There are many ways to deeply relax. Yesterday I addressed the importance of intention. Actively practicing intention can be very valuable to the formation of goals in all areas of your life and of course, that includes your health, as well as your performance. Now you might think that this is logical, and while it should be, it simply isn't what most people do. Practice this for a bit and you may be surprised to find out that you, yourself have plenty of growing space in this area.

It's so easy to critique or call foul on seemingly simple things and then to just skip over them. My experience in this field tells me over and over that champions are made by those who pay attention to the simple details, do them in order over and over, and then go back and do them again. If you listen to champions in sports or any other field, you will hear this subject addressed, so don't make that mistake in your own life. You may not be in contention for an Olympic medal, but the things you would like to achieve are no less important.

Now that's off my chest, so go ahead and deepen your focus. Use the decreasing number method or the magnets. No need to go into a very deep trance state to plant an affirmation. Also, when working by yourself, you will need to stay in a focused-awake state to get this accomplished. When your body feels a bit mellow and the thoughts have slowed somewhat, go to the written affirmation and repeat it slowly, out loud if possible. Speaking out loud is a very powerful tool because you are not only voicing something you want, as if you already had it, but you are also hearing yourself present these beliefs. Yes.........affirmations are beliefs that you are planting "as if" they were already in full action. You are convincing your subconscious mind of this and you already know that whatever you believe, your subconscious mind will believe as well. That's why positive affirmations are so important and that is also why it's so important to recognize negative affirmations or beliefs and to discharge them.

Utilize your mind-screen. See or sense your workshop in great detail. It's easy to do this when the brain waves are slowed. See the building, noticing how it is positioned on the land. Where is this? Look at the surroundings. Is it by the beach, in the mountains, by a stream or in the middle of a city? What city? Pay attention to what you see or sense. Notice the shape of the building, the color, position of the windows, doors, shrubs, etc.

Now notice you are in the mind-screen, right in front of your workshop. Feel the key in your pocket. Take it out and look at it. Your name is engraved on it. This is your private place and no one can come without your permission, and then only to work in your behalf. Place the key in the lock, turn it........hear the tumblers fall. Now push the door open and go ahead in.

Take some time looking around. You've already furnished it and have brought lots of your things here. Pay attention to the details of things. Walk around and touch some of them. Go over to the window and look out. Once again.........details.

Notice there are different areas in your workshop. Some invite deep relaxation. Others are about building and engineering projects or change. There is a library filled with books, tapes, CD's, magazines, etc. There is a tool bench. There is an idea center with a paging system for calling in "mind-assistants." As you walk around, becoming familiar with your "workshop", repeat the affirmation...

My mind is a mental workshop. I can build anything I want in my mind. I actively communicate with it...

Now notice you are observing yourself doing just that. Spend a few moments here or as long as you like. This is a very important containment and you will be working here very frequently.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Life Circumstances

2006-10-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

I look for the circumstances I want. I ask my subconscious mind to light these up on my mind screen...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

It's interesting to look at life circumstances through different lenses. In other words, paying attention to what's going on in your life, and while we can certainly make "more circumstances", often as not, we already have an abundance. The above affirmation helps us to wake up to these through the direct suggestion to the subconscious mind.

Affirmations play an important part in my audio/CD design. All programs have active affirmations that are linked to specific imagery that the listener actually self-designs. Affirmations can be direct or implied. Both work well in directing the subconscious mind towards specific goal-orientated action.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Making Changes - Affirmations & Imagery
Blending Work & Personal Goals

PLANTING THE AFFIRMATION

I look for the circumstances I want. I ask my subconscious mind to light these up on my mind screen...

If you've been working with my programs or actively reading this workshop/blog, you already know how to prepare your mind-set for planting new affirmations. Remember, once they are planted, you can further etch them in any moment you choose. The more etching, the deeper the affirmation program, thereby determining the level and speed of change.

Let's plant this one together. The first thing we want to do is to develop a "planting mind-set." Some of the things I may tell you seem very obvious, but don't turn your back on these. One of the reasons people tend to fail is because they either skip the simple instructions or choose to hurry. Here we want to practice something called "intention." In other words, you are going to "fully intend" or want to or have hot desire to plant this particular affirmation. Sit quietly for a few moments and bring forth an inner feeling of truly wanting to do this seemingly simple thing. By the way, practicing intention is a very important exercise and doing so can change your life in big ways.

When you are ready, go ahead and deepen your relaxation. You are going to enhance your focus by releasing stressors or interrupters including random thoughts, emotions or body sensations. You can utilize your body scanning skills, or simply count backwards from five to one. I also like to incorporate the image of magnets pulling me down gently into the area where I'm resting.

Let's go ahead and dissect the affirmation. The subconscious mind is now ready, not only to accept it, but to work within it, following your directional cues. I'd like to achieve this by appearing in the mind-screen and observing myself there. This is called disassociation. It reminds me of being the writer, director, producer of a play. Right now I'm sitting in the back row of the theater and observing myself on the stage or mind-screen. Now I need some images for circumstances. My mind is suggesting that these will be represented by different players who have dark shirts and light shirts. The dark shirted players are circumstances with negative tones and the light-shirted players are happier and more positive. Some of the shirts have words written on them and others host images. Some are clear and some aren't. However, it's obvious from observing the stage/mind-screen, that all are welcome.

I notice the subconscious mind librarian has a light that she is shining on different circumstances, one by one. There is no hurrying, but there is action. The individual playing me is sitting there, paying close attention. As the light hits the circumstance, that particular individual opens a door on the stage, inviting my actor-self to enter and explore all the possibilities offered by this particular circumstance. I'm happy to notice that my actor-self seems comfortable in doing so. It's clear that no negative emotions are around blocking this activity and this is certainly a change. Besides noticing what's present, I notice what's not present, especially the negatives. So here we have an additional opportunity to plant additional suggestions.

In closing, I've come to understand through this affirmational visit, that I have many more resources than I ever imagined. This understanding helps to break my hopeless-helpless cycle, especially on those days when I feel locked or depressed about what life has delivered.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Seeds of Success

2006-10-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

The seeds of my success are in my imagination in this very moment. I choose to access them right now... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We tend to think of success as something external that we are either going towards or away from. This affirmation suggests to look at success in a completely different way, asking you to acknowledge that seeds of success, no matter what arena, are already present, simply waiting to be activated. This is a very powerful & creative thought with no limitations, moving one from many negative mind-sets including, limited, hopelessness, helplessness, etc.

Below I'll address this particular affirmation directly, while designing some working images. All of my audio programs have active affirmations that are linked to specific imagery that the listener actually self-designs. The subconscious mind works so quickly in this regard. All it needs is a good leading direction.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dreamscaping

PLANTING THE AFFIRMATION

Take some quiet time & read the affirmation, either aloud or quietly to yourself. As before, dissect it. If your mind is in a wandering mode, work on releasing first. Simply relax deeply into the chair where you are sitting, sensing magnets pulling you down gently. You can either count backwards from 5 to 1, or circle different areas of your body, coloring them in with a hue of soft blue. If you have worked with other deepening exercises, or meditation, these will work very well for you in allowing your mind to clear.

AFFIRM - The seeds of my success are in my imagination in this very moment. I choose to access them right now...

In a relaxed mind-set, locate your mind-screen. As you know, this is where you program your subconscious mind. In this instance you are planting or etching an active affirmation. If you are visual, certainly imagine the successful seeds on the mind screen. If I were working with this affirmation, I would like to have seed boxes or containers for different areas of my life, some general & some specific. For example, I'd want a container for success in relation to my health, relationships, work, future, etc. Specifically, I'd like a container for my weight management program, the book I'm writing, a relationship with a difficult person in my life & perhaps one for a book I'm considering writing in the future. I'm sure you get the idea.

I'm working with this image as I'm writing this blog entry. I sense myself walking amongst the containers that are holding my seeds and I'm reading the labels. This is further affirming that I know these seeds are present. I'm placing my hand inside one of the containers and feeling the seeds.

Now I'm taking a handful and walking towards one of my inner gardens. The land is obviously fertile. I can see it, as well as smell it. Now I'm sowing the seeds into the fertile ground.... noticing that as I do so, little plants are popping up "right in the moment." This is an example of mind-expanding an affirmation. In a way, it's not very different from writing an article or a book. It's rather like the affirmation grows itself with the help of the subconscious mind. Remember, the subconscious mind works backwards. Here the plant is growing and so the plans for this particular seed's growth are already in process and are currently being executed by the subconscious. I can expect to have some break-through ideas or even find myself doing things differently. These things could be subtle or quite obvious. I'll just have to stay in positive expectation .... wait & see.

I can either choose to retrieve and plant other seeds, or I can further fertilize these little plants or perhaps even harvest a few, especially if I need them in my current moment.

I'm going to do something a bit different. I'm going to sow the same seeds into different arenas or gardens in my life. I happen to have health seeds in my hand. I'm headed over to my relationship with myself garden where I'll place these, noticing how they are co-joining other small plants that are not obviously health-related. What I'm suggesting to my subconscious mind is to show me an original outcome from this cross-seeding experiment. This is simply an opportunity to work in a creative way and I have no idea of the outcome.....but one thing I know for sure and that is there will be an outcome.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

Changing Momentary Mindsets

2006-10-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION
My obstacles will always look large or small to me, depending on my mindset in that moment. I have the power to change momentary mindsets... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We are surrounded by affirmations or mini-mind programs. Some arrive by request, but most do not. The truth is that we can all benefit from more positive ones, especially if we work to plant them instead of just having them move through. All of my audio programs have active affirmations that are linked to specific imagery that the listener actually self-designs. The subconscious mind works so quickly in this regard. All it needs is a good leading direction.

To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dreamscaping

INWARD FOCUS

Today I've chosen a powerful affirmation that is designed to work with obstacles, as well as awareness of mindsets. Here it is again...

My obstacles will always look large or small to me, depending on my mindset in that moment. I have the power to change momentary mindsets...

It is one thing to read an affirmation and another thing to dissect it and then plant it. Most of us tend to live on fast-forward, perhaps reading something, but not really being there for it. Think about other reading experiences. Do you ever find that having read a paragraph, or even a page in a book that you simply don't recall what it was about? This is a living example of lack of focus and automatic pilot. The mind is off doing it's own thing and the words of the page have had no impact. In our work with affirmations, we want to stay aware of our tendency to rush on through, so here we will dissect and then plant hypnotically.

DISSECTION

<My obstacles will always look large or small to me

What does this mean to you? To me, I'm reminded that first, I do have obstacles and they can look either large or small. As I dissect I like to play the images on my mind screen. You can do this with your eyes open or closed. I like practicing with my eyes open, because I like to train myself to work on my mind-screen even when I'm actively involved with others. This is key for sports, but also is tremendously beneficial in other life arenas. So, I'm looking at images now that resemble obstacles. Some are big and others are small. Now I'm ready to move on.

depending on my mindset in that moment

What does this say to you? For me, first this means that I have something called a mindset and second, it is changeable in any moment. In other words, my mindset is fluid. Back to my mind-screen and designing a mind-set image. I'm seeing/sensing this as a hat on my head. I also placed shelf where many mind-set hats are sitting. They are labeled according to their positivity or negativity. It is truly helpful for me to have this organization or hypnotic containment.

I have the power to change momentary mindsets...

Now I'm ready to join the obstacles with the mind-sets. I'm noticing that large obstacles have negative hats and small ones have the less-toxic or small positive ones. Since an obstacle is something that blocks my path, I do want to remove or disassemble them and so I'm going to need a large, positive mind-set hat. These are available on my shelf. I simply go and get one, placing it on top of the obstacle.

INSIDE THE AFFIRMATION

There are many things I can do with this affirmation to actually program my subconscious mind in this very moment.

I can label the path that is taking me towards a specific goal. Now I have the full attention of my subconscious mind.

I can label the obstacle or obstacles if I know what they are. If not, I can just leave the label without a name. This tells my subconscious mind that I do want to know what's blocking me and if I do know what the blockage is, that I'm not afraid to face it straight on.

Next, I can choose to change the mind-sets right in this moment. I might even bring in a very powerful memory with it's positive emotion and have it disassemble the obstacle before my eyes.

I can enjoy walking on the cleared path and sense the freedom this affords me.

This simple imagery just takes a few moments, but the changes can be profound. In addition to the obvious, the subconscious mind will continue to work on this, bringing it to your consciousness for other obstructed paths or even working behind the scenes or subconsciously.

Beginning Affirmational Planting

2006-10-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION
It's really quite simple. What you think is what you get....
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Planting affirmations is very exciting. Think about it for a moment. Just by suggesting a few actively motivated words to yourself, you can change your life direction & spur your inner creativity. Sounds like a bargain to me. To help you along, here are few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dreamscaping

READY TO FOCUS

You now have a good working knowledge of the individual tools. Now you can weave them in new ways throughout your daily life. Thought-talk is very powerful. What you think is what you get. Earlier on you learned that every thought is a goal waiting to happen. You also know that your thoughts are actual goals, ignited by your emotions and their crayons. In your earlier interactive awareness work you practiced editing and changing emotional states, but there are many other ways to enhance your goals and mind programs. The more tools you have, the better for you.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK
Change is always a matter of choice. Awareness or knowledge is usually not enough to motivate change. As you walk through the workshop of the world you will hear people who have identified their problems, but not the tentacles under the surface, having no motivational or action programs to propel them into the actual desire to change. Sometimes they will begin, but if the programs for persistence and consistency are missing from their tools belts, they will end up quitting at the first road-block opportunity.

You might even notice that they appear “happy” to see the road-block, as they have been looking for some excuse along the path to assist in their rationalization of not pushing forward. You will hear it in their language and see it in their expressions, both big and small. If you look closely you might see a secondary emotion underneath the presenting one. For example, in the heat of rationalization look for a glimmer in the eye, or a small “almost smile” sitting on the lips. You may have even felt this in one of your moments!

The higher your awareness, the easier it is to keep the path clear and to stay open to choice. Keep in mind that both conscious and subconscious thought can lead you down the path of unimaginable incredible success if you so choose.

Affirmations, or self-talk help to keep the path clear and aid in the heightening of awareness. These mini-mind programs that can be utilized independently, right in the moment. For instance, if you want to build motivation in a particular garden, you might work with affirmations designed for that particular goal. There are thousands of affirmations already written and ready to be planted. Your local bookstore is filled with choices for you. But, once again, it is not enough to simply read or have knowledge. It’s like holding a packet of seeds in your hand. No matter how long you hold it, the flowers will never grow there. They have to be planted and nurtured.

Why do affirmations work for some people and not for others? What can you do to get great results from your affirmation planting?

As with everything else, it’s best to start at the beginning. If you have worked with affirmations in the past, review in your mind why you decided to do so, as well as how you went about it. Also check out your attitude and energy. There are some very common mistakes that people make in working with affirmations. It is certainly not sufficient to just say something to yourself over and over. If you were your subconscious mind, how impressed would you be with that delivery?

It is absolutely vital to literally sell the affirmation to the inner mind, conveying belief in what you say and what you want. Without this kind of energy backing the planting, you could go along mumbling affirmations to yourself forever without ever seeing any change at all. If you’ve given up on affirmations, have another look for they are a great investment in your time.

MIND EXERCISE

In our work here, you will be sending Affirmation Plants to your Inner Librarian and firing them with hot imagery. There are lots of choices below, as well as in later chapters. Always choose those that are meaningful to you. You might also like to write them out on individual cards to be placed within your view throughout the day. Once the accompanying imagery is planted, all you need is a cue card to remind you to play the mini-program.

I will design the imagery to fit the goals of this book, but you can apply the affirmations to other areas of your life as well. Also, your own subconscious mind may prefer to build your own imagery, so go along with it as long as it is positive. Never, ever plant a negative affirmation!

Approach each affirmation as if it were a gift sitting on the table, waiting for you to open. it. I suggest you work in the level of deep relax. Each time you sit down to work in this section, simply place your fingertips on your lower abdomen and allow it to fill with a deep yawn breath. Quietly observe as your fingers ride up and down on your lower abdomen. Now allow your body to become heavy in the chair where you are resting. After reading this paragraph close your eyes gently and tilt them up about 20 degrees, just as if you were sitting in the second row of a movie theater. You will begin feeling the internal changes in your body. This is relaxation.

Your brain waves will have slowed, stress chemicals will have diminished and you will be at the door of your subconscious mind. Stay here for a few moments and enjoy how easy it is for you to go even deeper down, allowing your body to become even heavier than before. You can then open your eyes and choose to feel alert, focused and ready to begin subconscious exploration.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Take your time and don't rush the process. Sell these to your subconscious mind as if you life depended on it. Whatever your mind comes away believing you will achieve! Make certain it is what you truly want!

I AM ADAPTABLE.

Ask yourself what it means to you to be adaptable. Think about your work in managing addictions or eating disorders. If you're working with another issue, bring your focus to that arena. Image the word adaptable next to the subject of your work. Verbalize this to yourself internally and also speak out loud.

With your eyes tilted up slightly, go back in time and find a memory link where you adapted easily to some situation. Now mind-write the word adaptable over this memory picture. Bring the picture forward and make it brighter. Perhaps see it as a memory-movie. Allow yourself to feel the emotion of self-power as you view this.

Repeat the affirmation with animation and emotion connected. Now future pace. See yourself sometime in the future or in a particular area of your life being adaptable and feeling the emotion of the memory. Image your work with managing sugar addiction or whatever other arena you are working in, connecting the feeling memory file with these images. You have now placed a future mind program into your subconscious mind that is energy and emotion driven.

Each day we'll be working with different affirmations. If you would like to suggest one, or have a specific arena in your life that may benefit from affirmational plants, please let me know.

Workshop of the Mind - 1

2006-10-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

ACTIVE AFFIRMATION
I design my world & bring it to action... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We are all creative beings, but in order to experience this inner force, you must awaken & then feed it. If you've not experienced this type of mind-work, I invite you to do so. Here are a few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Each are filled with active imagery & affirmations.
Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dream Scaping

WORKING WITH THOUGHTWARE AFFIRMATIONS

I've been working in our book Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & now I'd like to switch gears & include some thoughtWARE Affirmation programs that can be applied in everyday life to enhance health & performance. Each day I'll be posting a living affirmation along with interactive self-hypnosis suggestions for planting into the subconscious mind. These are part of our thoughtWARE - Daily Affirmation books & CD programs.

But first...

In the last chapter you set up gardens on your goal-den path. You met up with your Master Gardener, your Higher Self, learned something about weeds, your early belief systems, along with ways to change past self-image and esteem programming. Now you are going to locate old subconscious mind files, filled with all kinds of gifts to help you manage your addiction issues and your life balance. You are also going to design future mind programs to plant in your gardens.

Interactive Awareness and Self-Hypnosis can be utilized in hundreds of creative ways. Throughout this book you have been working with many of these. Now you will experience some of the more creative ones. Keep in mind that each and every moment holds opportunities for practice, including re-programming your subconscious mind. As you begin to truly wake up to this extraordinary power that you have in place, you can become overwhelmed. Therefore it’s a good idea to set some goals for building skill levels, for programming awareness, also for etching new subconscious mind programs.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

You already know the power of awareness and how key it is to change. There are all levels of awareness, each carrying gifts. Some are small and some are big. Awareness requests are set-up subconsciously. We literally request the mind to make us aware of something that we know will benefit us. For example, you might request your subconscious librarian to make you aware of low-level emotions, thoughts or behaviors that connect to your addiction or disorderly eating. Your subconscious mind will consciously "key" you into these, where you will be able to diminish them right in the moment, then move to re-program your inner files related to these behaviors. You are learning to stop something before it gets out of control for you. Pre-behaviors or prodromals are very important in changing habits, behaviors, as well as automatic pilot programs.

If you have any particular triggers, you might want to request changing your inner files in reference to these. For instance, if your reactions to certain people's behaviors tend to make you tense, you might want to be more aware of these, then work with diminishing and/or re-programming. One does not need to be in a deep trance state to do this work. You can do all of it "right in the moment" if you like.

Knowledge Hook - Induction

Induction is nothing more than slowing the brain waves in increments by using a particular deepening system, such as counting backwards, or choosing images that do the same. There are many levels of trance or deep relaxation, each having their own ease of execution and benefits. In early postings of this blog/workshop I included deepening exercises that can also be utilized in beginning a hypnosis session.

In short, induction is the route you take to get out of your own way, side-stepping all emotions and judgment, stepping into a place where suggestions are readily accepted by the subconscious mind. If you work with a hypnotist or hypnotherapist, you may be taken even deeper into trance where the therapist is able to access the needed information, but in self-hypnosis you are determining the level where you can affect your own work. If you work with audio it is a bit easier to go deeper down, because even if you fall asleep, your subconscious mind will pick up the suggestions from the recorded program.

You might like to review the blog/workshop entries on mental biofeedback and practice inducing self-hypnosis with body communication skills. This is particularly effective as a stress-releaser, preparing the mind for the acceptance of suggestion. Whatever the route you choose, do know you are on your way to the tools below.

Knowledge Hook

After inducing a self-hypnotic state, you are ready to begin planting subconscious mind programs, also called suggestions. The above affirmation is a mind program waiting to be placed. In future blog postings I'll be giving you an affirmation and then some active suggestions for planting it.

The subconscious mind enjoys organization and so it works to your benefit, assisting you in building special containment metaphors for planting inner programs, as well as editing past and future ones.These containments are useful as well for managing emotional states, locating hidden resources and building resilience. All containments are “user-friendly”. As you welcome them into your consciousness, don’t be surprised if you find them appearing automatically to help manage your life needs.

Exploring the Interactive Self-Hypnosis Workshop

You might like to review this powerful containment at the alpha state. You already know how to reach this slow brain wave state. In the last chapter you began the design of your goal-den path. As you walk down your path and past the gardens, you will see a signpost for your inner workshop. Follow the route and soon you will come upon it. The workshop is a place in your mind where you go to work on yourself. It is a private place and while others are welcome, they only come by your invitation and to work in your behalf. This is especially important for those with addiction who are so used to putting everyone else’s needs first.

Right now see the image of your workshop in your mind’s eye. Build it exactly as you like it. There might be a building or a place in the past that you would like to utilize for this purpose, and that is fine. Sometimes we have a safe place from childhood. For me it is an old barn that sat on the property of my best friend where I could escape the outside world to adventure in my dreams. It was here that I calmed myself while designing my future fantasies. If you don’t have such a place in your memory bank, simply go and build one for yourself right now. You can place it wherever you like, be it at the ocean, high in the mountains, or even in the middle of a city. Whatever meets your fancy is just fine. Choose the structure, color, windows, roof pitch, landscaping, etc. Details, details!

Feel the entrance key in your pocket and open the front door. Look around, noticing the furnishings, floor coverings, windows, collectibles, perhaps plants, books and even toys. Time to lighten up! Walk through the workshop, noticing the details of the different rooms and how comfortable you feel here. In my Workshop I have a big room, a kitchen, a spa bath, several libraries and a board meeting room. You’ll read about these in detail later on.

Look out the window and admire the view. Pay attention to the wild life, the plants, the sky and how the weather is in this moment. Your weather is a great metaphor for your current emotional crayons. Bring in some additional senses. You might tap on the window pane, hearing the tapping sound resonating in your ears. Sit down in one of the chairs, feel the texture of the fabric, how your body positions into the chair and relax deeply. This is a time set aside for you and your work. Enjoy this idea. It’s helpful to bring in some powerful emotional states, especially positive expectancy, wisdom and inner peace. Emotions appear automatically, as well as by request. In this case scenario, do request those that will be skillful in designing inner programming. In the paragraphs below I will be directing you to other parts of your workshop.

Hide & Seek

2006-10-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

The route to awareness is different for each of us. Some of us like others pointing the way, but for others this simply doesn't work. In fact, it can lead to further defending & hiding. Decide to locate your own preferences & work diligently with those, because until you are willing to wake up & see, little can be accomplished...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We are all creative beings, but in order to experience this inner force, you must awaken & then feed it. If you've not experienced this type of mind-work, I invite you to do so. Here are a few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Current ones include...

Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dream Scaping

I'll be changing these soon, so be sure to take advantage of their presence.

HIDE & SEEK

Yes, it is difficult to acknowledge one's short-comings & the idea of going out to search for them can be very frightening. That's why it's common to play the mind-game of defend & hide. Sometimes the name of the game is "hide" & then when found out, to "defend." Powerful emotions are involved in both games, the most toxic being fear, shame & guilt....some having been programmed in the past by others, or self-delivered. I ask you to look for these patterns in yourself, because you will want to disassemble them. They were never helpful & certainly they are not helpful now.

I bring this subject up today because several of my new patients & online group members brought their "game boards" into their discussions with me. I'm always taken with the desire to be honest & I must admit, that sometimes I'm surprised by this, because no one truly needs to do so. I tend to think this happens because there comes a time when "enough is enough." People seem to know if they truly want to be helped, they must begin to reveal themselves. But, this revelation is just the beginning & in itself, it's not enough.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE GAME BOARDS

If I'm working with individuals, it's my job to interview the "game board." If you are working alone with your game board, you can follow the same techniques. Just as if the "game board" was a living entity, there are things I want to know. First, I'm interested to know how old they are. The ones brought in this week originated over 30 years ago, one as old as fifty years. Those are pretty old games & a close look at the boards & pieces can tell us alot about the development of the individual's addiction & eating disorder.

Astrid has been hiding many aspects of her eating disorder & addictions for her entire adult life. She began her eating disorder behaviors & formulating her patterns early in childhood. Significant others in her life "had noticed" her need to over-eat & continually brought this to her attention, sometimes in very critical & demeaning ways. This infuriated Astrid, but at the same time made her feel guilty & filled her with shame. As Astrid tells it, there was a part of her that enjoyed "living on the edge" while "hiding her behaviors." She was only five years old when she became a closet eater & a manipulator of the food in her family's cupboards & fridge. As she puts it, she could re-arrange a box of cookies or even a bowl of jello, as to make it difficult to know that much of it was gone. As she grew older, she would buy a new box or cookies or make a new bowl of jello & make it look "exactly" like the box or bowl that had originated in the cupboard or fridge.

She became an expert at building "imposters" & each time she got away with it, which was almost always, her inner-self sang out praises of her successful deceiving behaviors. Of course, this was most enjoyable & rewarding to her inner self. Astrid continues to do so today, only now she is much more skillful than she was as a child. Part of her doesn't want to give up this seemingly successful part of her "inner self-value." Unfortunately, these behaviors support Astrid's eating disorder & if she truly wants to get well & stay well, she will have to give this up. Those of us who have been there can be sympathetic to her inner conflict & can understand why this part of her is in hiding.

Judith also has an eating disorder & while she is in hiding with different facets of her disorder, her situation is completely different. However, the techniques for dealing with her "game board", remain the same. Judith must be willing to come out & stand in the sunshine with the elements of her board held straight out for all to see.

Judith doesn't remember when her eating disorder began. Part of the reason for that is that she doesn't want to see the depths of her problems. That area of her life is extremely painful & it is impossible for her to separate those issues right now. I truly feel that she will be able to do so in the future, but for now it is hard enough for her to show us part of her "game board" & to acknowledge when & where she's hiding.

Judith is a professional woman who holds a highly visible executive position in a leading industry. She appears competent & in control as she manages a large staff. She is meticulously dressed & well manicured in every aspect, but once she goes home & changes her clothes, she becomes a full-blown food addict that includes bingeing & purging. She has special places to buy her "supplies" & "drugs of choice", for indeed, that is what they are. Parts of Judith love this "second-self", while other parts simply deplore her & wish she were dead. As Judith explains it, "that part doesn't come forth until after I've completed the shopping, eating, bingeing & purging." The part that partakes in the active patterns is so excited to get going. The release is tremendous & quite honestly, I don't want to give it up. That part of me says, "why should I? I deserve to release & be free. This is my true self & to deny it would be wrong. Actually my professional self is my sick self."

TRUTH IN THE PUDDING

Yes, there are many truths in what Astrid & Judith share. They both do need to release & relax deeply & they certainly deserve the freedom of doing so, only this type of freedom isn't "truly free" & comes with an enormous price including damage to the body, mind & spirit. There are many aspects of their Selves that need to be addressed & although their patterns are different, the tools remain the same.

Awareness & coming out of hiding is key. Hiding behaviors speak for themselves. They are simply not healthy for self-image & esteem. We need to be able to hold out our truths in front of us & to feel free of the need to defend them. We need to be willing to be self-responsible for caring for all parts of ourselves without judgement or any other kind of put-down, seeing all aspects of our behaviors for what they are..... a need to release. Then we are ready to self-evaluate & decide to change what doesn't work & here's the key..........to replace each facet or aspect of the behavior with something better & more effective.

Judith & Astrid are presently working on this utilizing Interactive Self-Hypnosis & will be bringing their suggestions in the next blog/workshop entry.

Building Mind Models

2006-10-08T12:21:00.001-07:00

It's easy to talk about change, but when it comes to the doing, it's often a different matter. If we utilized as much creativity in the design & implementation of our goals as we do in making excuses, we'd have no problem with procrastination. Interactive Self-Hypnosis gives us the opportunity, not only to utilize our creativity, but to reap the benefits of having a profound Inner Coach....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

The Inner Coach is a part of us that is already present, but needs to be activated. This is easily accomplished through my CD's & mp3 downloads....all in Interactive Self-Hypnosis. If you've not experienced this type of mind-work, I invite you to do so. Here are a few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Current ones include...

Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dream Scaping

CREATING DETAILED SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGE

In an earlier post I listed some things to incorporate in your "relationship with yourSelf" mind garden. Mind gardens are containments...containers of sorts. Places to put things. The subconscious mind is an organized mind & when you place suggestions, they are there for the taking. The best suggestions are detailed & so I'd like to take the same list & make these into more powerful suggestions. This is where your imagination, thought design & emotional dexterity come into play.

It's time to work on paying attention to your words or phases, especially those that are directly related to yourSelf. Positive words or phrases, like those below, are waiting to be firmly etched into your subconscious mind. Each time you think about yourSelf with positive vision, the subconscious mind accepts this as "your reality." However, in the same vein, if you are using negative-self-talk, your subconscious mind is etching these, busily forming new belief patterns.

Let's work with the positive words or phrases in the list. When doing mind-work such as this, be willing to spend some time. Look at it as an investment in yourSelf, for indeed it is. Relax into the moment & now begin with Forward Thinking. Stay with that phrase for a moment. Focus & hold on to it. Ask yourSelf some "opening questions." What does it mean to be a "forward thinker?" Bring in a mind-model for "forward thinking." Perhaps you know someone who could fill in here, but if not, design a model in your mind's eye. Listen....to how this "forward thinker" speaks. Pay careful attention to detail & now........notice how this individual looks. Notice posture, level of relaxation, level of focus & anything else that your subconscious mind brings to your attention. Perhaps you would like to observe this model "in action" with others or in scenarios you have experienced in the past, or may experience in the future. When you have completed studying this model, invite him into your Relationship with YourSelf Garden." You have now saved this asset for yourSelf. In the future, you can call on this model & simply step inside for your own personal experience of "forward thinking."

"Forward Acting" is closely related to "forward thinking", with just a shade of difference. This is an assertive Self model. Personally, I like the two of them to work in unison. I like a model who can think through things effectively & efficiently & then switch into action, bypassing fear & other emotions tied to procrastination. Spend some time designing this model for your self-garden. Repeat the process above, being sure to relax deeply before beginning the process. This will allow for deeper etching & the development of more details.

"Taking Charge" is a powerful model, of course connected to healthy, not blind leadership. Leaders know where they are going & so the two earlier models can be invited to form a "trio" with this aspect of your development. Take a moment to relax deeply & begin to assess this model, once again, paying attention to details. Spend some time & open the corral. Your subconscious mind will know what you mean by this "metaphor." Be sure to sense/see the horse as educated, balanced & wise. This is not a wild horse. It's one that is relaxed, focused & with sound purpose. Sense what it feels like to be such a horse .... a horse that is now free to take his creativity & explore the horizons fully.

Once the above are carefully detailed & emotionalized, the subconscious mind will play them out in this format. You can always go back & edit them. It's common to be mind-frugal in relation to goal design because most of us tend to exist under clouds of lower expectations & so the mind plays to this. If you find this is so for you, touch base with your horse.... open the gate & invite him to be free.

KEEPING GOALS FLUID

As before, goal drawings, inner imagery & mind video are always fluid or open to change. While it is important to draw on your values for stability, you may find your subconscious mind sending you insights or new ideas that literally bounce off of already placed mind work. If, in the past, your relationship with your subconscious mind has been somewhat stilted, it might be a good idea to send self-hypnotic suggestions to your subconscious, encouraging the breaking of that pattern, allowing you to explore a higher level of productivity & creativity.

Building Mind Models

2006-10-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Inner Self-Development

2006-10-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Truth be known, it's your party & your life, so where do you stand in line? Unfortunately, most of us stand at the back & that is most certainly not where you want to be. You must take charge & lead your own live. Without doing so, it is next to impossible to give to others because you tend to end up having nothing to give. Interactive Self-Hypnosis gives us the opportunity to do so in "dream scapes"... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

An important part of my practice is the development & production of CD's & mp3 downloads....all in Interactive Self-Hypnosis. If you've not experienced this type of listening, I would like to invite you to do so. Here are a few complimentary mp3 downloads. Each is a full interactive self-hypnosis session & part of a complete 2-3 track series. Current ones include...

Self-Image Affirmations
Enhancing Creativity
Dream Scaping

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR "SELF"

This is your most important relationship garden on the path & often the most neglected. When we begin to think about setting our over-arching goals in this area, it's not uncommon to come up with a blank. Few of us seem to truly know what we want for ourselves & if we do have some ideas, they usually sit way out in the future, as if this were the only time & place when it could be possible for one to work on their own dreams. This is not only untrue, but a very unhealthy approach to self-care.

Begin by designing your subconscious mind living image & then writing your overarching goal umbrella letter to your Self. I like to place a path to the past, as well as one to the future in the landscape here. That way it is easy to gather resources from the past, plant them in the moment & also future-pace or plant them in the future. You will learn more about that later. For now, draw your images & then write your over-arching goal statement AS IF you already had what you want in the palm of your hand. Here is an example:

Let's follow the earlier format & set up the over-arching umbrella for your relationship with yourself garden:

Dear Self,

I'm loving building & planting new, bright & airy mind programs in my relationship with my Self garden. I now understand that I was born alone & will die alone & that the time I spend in-between is comprised of my choices. I have re-introduced my Self to myself & truly enjoy my own company. I have my own ideas & I respect them. I able able to forgive myself for anything & everything, accepting that I did the best I could in those moments & never intentionally wanted to injure anyone. I employ compassion for my Self "ongoing" & enjoy working to become the best I can be for me. I understand that others may or may not like this & I can accept that.

Each morning I re-affirm my relationship with "me" & "we" set out on our daily adventure in the workshop of the world. Every experience is a learning experience & one to apply correction or lessons of some sort. I am no longer afraid or shameful of my past. Guilt has finished !! I think about my daily experiences in relation to my future & what I truly want to happen, knowing that I will wake up in those experiences, just as I woke up today. Each day I balance my activities & my emotions & go forward on positive paths."

Here are some things to incorporate in this powerful garden:

Forward Thinking
Celebrating You
Forward Acting
Taking Charge
Self-Forgiving
Self-Compassion
Self-energizing
Mindful
Inner Power
Building Resilience
Self-love
In Command
Inner Power
Future Pacing
Past Path Healing
Self-Empowering
Exploring Creativity
I AM
I WILL
I CAN
I DID

Once we have completed the over-arching goal, then we can begin the design of specific goals. Remember that the gardens are fluid & always changing. We tend to our gardens daily & ask our subconscious mind to alert us to special needs, as well as small & big weeds. Here are some examples of specific goals so you can get the general idea for building your own.

KEEPING GOALS FLUID

Goal drawings, inner imagery & mind video are always fluid or open to change. While it is important to draw on your values for stability, you may find your subconscious mind sending you insights or new ideas that literally bounce off of already placed mind work. If, in the past, you relationship with your subconscious mind has been somewhat stilted, it might be a good idea to send self-hypnotic suggestions to your subconscious, thereby encouraging a higher level of productivity & creativity.

As I design this area, I'd like you to work along with me. In the meanwhile, download the mp3's so the quality of your work will be reflective of those specific programs.

Speaking of the Dark Side

2006-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Interactive Self-Hypnosis invites us to look deeply into our goal gardens & to fully explore, not only the facets of our goals & the activities that reside there, but also the emotions that play out in each area, some actively bringing positive results while others can be seen interfering or building barriers to success....
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Self-hypnosis Audio Programs help to you to program your own mind quickly & effectively. They also give you the opportunity to work with your positive, as well as negative emotions & connecting patterns. 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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

MIND-BODY HEALTH GARDEN CONTINUED...

In the last workshop/blog sector we worked on defining the over-arching umbrella to this powerful garden, as well as outlining some of the easier to identify interior goals & the action steps that accompany them. We also had a look at some of my positive emotions that work continually "under the surface", taking me towards what I want & not towards what I don't want.

I invite you to have a look at some of my negative emotional patterns. I'm no different from anyone else. Each day I wake up & find myself playing the game of life. The better I understand my game or patterns, the better my chances of scoring more points in my behalf.

NEGATIVITY & DARKNESS

It is tremendously beneficial to get to know your dark side & the emotions you tend to go towards. Remember that you can only change what you can see. If negative emotions are playing & you are unaware or just ignoring them, you are programming your mind for what you don't want & taking away from your health & performance in both body & mind. Here are some of my negative emotions & patterns.

Low-awareness

Boredom

Over-whelmed

Procrastination

Peer pressure

Despair

Anger

Irritation

Impatience

Intolerance

Annoyance

Tired

Your work...................

BELIEFS & AFFIRMATIONS

Where there are emotions, there are also old negative beliefs that do step on my toes.

Most of us tend to plant negative affirmations or beliefs all day long. It is so important to begin to recognize those that sit in particular gardens. Remember that you cannot change what you do not see. Negative mind programs in the mind & body garden can be responsible for serious illness. Here are just a few of mine...

I've bad genes & so what's the point.

I've made so many mistakes & so it's too late.

I don't deserve any better than this.

It's impossible to do all of this together.

I'll burn out & get sick.

I've failed before & so I'll fail again.

Your work...................

THE POWER OF GRASS CATCHING

When working in a goal garden, ideas often pop into the mind. You need a place to store these. Grass catcher lists are a form of "to-do" list, but not necessarily "to-day". Here you simply park ideas, freeing the mind for the business of today. Here are some items that live on my grass catcher list in this particular garden.

Make dental appointments for the year

Open a new food idea & simple recipe journal & keep in on my desk

Buy new container to make green-ice tea

Buy new lunch containers

Buy new socks for exercising & a new pedometer

Buy gold stars for my day-timer to celebrate great days & staying on the path

Your work...................

What you ask is what you get...

2006-10-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

We learn best by our willingness to look deeply into the subject at hand & then asking questions about one facet or another. As an answer comes forward, be willing to entertain it, once again looking deeply into it's core, for that is where the magic is located. And then, be open to questioning the answer...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Self-hypnosis Audio Programs help to you to program your own mind quickly & effectively. They also give you the opportunity to work with inner-questioning of your own subconscious mind. 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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

DESIGNING & WORKING INSIDE THE MINDBODY HEALTH GARDEN

The health of trees depends on the quality of the roots. These are fed & cared for over a period of years, often decades & even centuries. This is a good metaphor for our own mind & body & so the next area we will enter is the Mind & Body Health Goal Garden. This is the biggest garden on the path & rightly so. Health & proper care & consideration for each body department is connected to high level health, performance & goal achievement in all other areas in life. In other words, your health is everything.

What's fascinating to me is how little people know or even think about the many different body departments, unless there is one that is screaming out for some reason. Most people sit back & take the different departments for granted & never considering that a part of the body may be suffering in some way & perhaps getting ready for a break-down. Keep in mind, that break-downs can be very serious, taking one down the path towards becoming a "statistic."

There are only two directions to travel in this life. One goes towards illness & death & the other towards wellness & health. Keep in mind that even when one has a chronic or life-threatening disease, one can go towards the highest level of wellness while still managing that disease. It is your self-responsibility to perform the highest level of care to each body department & in so doing, you will be assisting those departments that are fighting any disease. As long as you are alive & willing to be an active participant in your own life, there is possibility for healing.

Over-arching Goal Umbrella

You already know that it is important to design an over-arching goal for each separate garden on your goal-den path. Keep in mind that the mind & body health garden is the most important garden. It contains plants representing each separate body part, as well as departments or system groups. For example, the stomach is a part of the digestive system. It needs to be cared for as a singular organ BUT it interplays continually with it's SYSTEM buddies including the small & large intestines, the esophagus, gallbladder, etc. The pancreas is a separate part BUT interplays with the gastrointestinal system & it's own endocrine SYSTEM.

It helps to impress on yourself that all body part & system plants are connected by an underground root system. This is a self-hypnotic suggestion & each time you think in this way, a matching thought or image will appear & then etch on your mind screen. Simple images such as this can be very effective in motivating change. Another powerful subconscious mind suggestion is that the stronger support the weaker, so if there is a break-down in any part or system, it is very important to pay extra-ordinary attention & care to ALL parts.

Think logically for a moment. Suppose you are in a weakened condition & NEED help from stronger allies. Would you, or would you not make certain that your allies had everything they needed so they would be able to tend to your needs? The body is no different.

The body parts/systems need high level nutrition that is specifically designed to meet your specific mind & body needs. This includes understanding your family & personal medical history, knowing the size of your lean body mass, while taking into careful consideration your exercise, activity & emotional/physical stress levels. Besides the nutritional component, your body parts & departments also need a powerful stress management program that turns off the production of stress chemicals while producing healing chemicals. You will also benefit from resetting your "normal stress level" & your internal system that announces the arrival of stress that places the body & mind at risk. Truth be known, most of us don't pay attention to body signals alerting us to trouble & so we need to correct that. You will learn to do this with interactive self-hypnosis.

SETTING OVER-ARCHING GOALS

Setting over-arching goals is not difficult once you get the hang of it. I like to pretend that I'm writing a short, but detailed letter to my-SELF, describing how things are going. I may point to some specific goals, but not all of them. The umbrella is like an over-all "flavor." It is always positive & affirming. No negatives or weeds are ever found in this area.

Here's an example of my over-arching goal umbrella goal for my mind & body health garden. I start by labeling the garden & drawing or thinking an active image or mind-video that represents this area. This focus tool or containment helps my subconscious mind to center & to work along with me. I then write a letter to my Self, describing my ideal mind & body state, just as if I already had everything I could possible want. The subconscious mind works backwards. As these word-images are etched deeper & deeper into the mind, the ways for achieving these will be forthcoming. As I re-read my letter to my-SELF each day, the suggestions will further etch & my inner mind will bring forth new suggestions & actions automatically. These will point me in the direction that I have outlined. I will begin to receive, as well as find things in my daily experiences that MATCH or support my goal images. My subconscious mind will also scan my inner files & present supporting files from the past that will also assist me.

Dear Self,

I'm happy to report how well I'm doing with managing my body & also my mind. I now understand how everything is connected. I'm eating correctly for the needs of my body. The little mistakes I had been making have been corrected & now I understand how connected these were to my physical & emotional well-being. You can see from my photo that I am at my ideal body fat percentage & have lots of energy. I have fun each day doing the things I need to do to stay at this high level of health & performance. I'm happy & in charge of my life & outcomes. I love being in charge!! I am the writer, director & producer of my life. I uncover new ways to make things even better. I love being free of medication & having positive thoughts & conversations with myself. My creativity is showing itself more frequently. Everything has come together for me.

Looking underneath the umbrella - Once the umbrella has been designed, it is time to set individual goals. You will also want to, identify emotions & old patterns that may be interfering with what you want. You also have emotions & old patterns that can be helpful. It's rather like cleaning the attic. While you have these things available, you may not be aware, especially of the helpful ones. In fact, you might be seeing everything through a negative lens. If this is so, you will be programming your mind for what you don't want. It's much easier to understand now how heightened awareness & label-pinpointing are KEY to your positive mind programming.

SELF-DISCUSSION & JOURNALING WORK

Here are some of my goals in this garden. I suggest that you follow my outline below & utilizing your journal for setting up your individual goals in this very important area.

A. Individual Goals

Improve daily nutritional intake & choices to counter-act boredom.

Remove caffeine completely.

Drink 8+ glasses of water.

Introduce green tea & research it's benefits.

Hypnotically "contain" favorite food choices - once per week.

Remove alcohol completely.

Add more green vegetables to dinner.

Teeth - cleaning every 3 months.

Floss after meals.

Exercise 4 times per week - mornings.

Meditate each morning & "bank meditation" during day.

Practice emotional management daily.

Place new affirmations in this area by way of my journal.

Reward myself daily in some small, but meaningful way.

Remember, I'm the writer, director & producer of my life.

Your work...................

B. Positive Emotions & Patterns to Enhance:
These are some positive emotions that I already have in mind-storage that will add great fertilizer to this area.

Hot desire

Confidence

Wisdom

Knowledge

Peace

Forgiveness

Compassion

Release & letting go

Gratitude

Your work...................

C. Beliefs to Enhance
Here are a few beliefs to plant here. These are affirmations that I already have in mind-storage. When planting affirmations, relax deeply into the moment, tilt your eyes up gently, see & sense an emotionalized image that matches the words.

I'm the writer, director & producer of my life.

Moments count & add up !

I'm in charge.

I am.

Your work...................

In the next blog/workshop I'll be addressing negative emotions & patterns that need diminishing in this particular area of my life. It is tremendously beneficial to get to know your dark side & the emotions you tend to go towards. Remember that you can only change what you can see.

Planting Additional Gardens

2006-10-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Your subconscious mind is a fertile place. Plant what you want or you'll be sure to get whatever the wind blows in...
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Self-hypnosis Audio Programs help to you to program your own mind quickly & effectively. 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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

You have just completed a subconscious mind program for caring for your body at high levels, as well as addressing the management of sugar addiction or other disorderly eating behaviors. It's important to know that the subconscious mind is very effective & efficient at developing goal action plans from simple active imagery.

Remember, whatever you place on your mind screen is seen as your goal of choice. Develop the habit of placing "end goal images". By this I mean image whatever you want "as if" you already had it. Fill it with emotion. This makes for a chemical connect that enhances the goal image.

At any time during the day, deepen slightly with your dial, tilt your eyes up, sensing yourself applying solution to the Master Garden. The subconscious mind knows what the solution is & so the more you etch, the deeper the program, the higher your rate of success.

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF

The gardens on the opposite side of the path represent other areas of your life. One of the most important areas is your relationship with yourself. I see this garden as second only to the Master Garden. I suggest you image, or draw this a bit bigger than the other gardens, especially the other relationship gardens. This delivers an important message to your subconscious mind. It says that you are very important, and indeed you are.

Most people with addiction put others before themselves, even to the point of being totally co-dependent. As you begin to recover, it is important to bring balance to this area of your gardens. As you work with the Inner Coach part of this program, you will be making many changes in this area, so design it well.

This garden also houses the path to your past, right back to the day you were born, as well as your future path, right up to your last living moment. These are areas of high value for your recovery. I suggest that you design your gardens to your own specifications. Allow your creativity to flow. Think about describing a movie scene of your particular garden, paying attention to details, just as if you were decorating a room that was only for you in your current home. Later on we will be working with your past & future in the time-line chapter of this book. This will give you the opportunity to edit subconscious files from the past, as well as to plant new goals or ideas in your future.

GARDEN POSITIONING

You can decide on the positioning of your gardens. On my path I placed my relationship with my husband garden next to my relationship with myself. In this relationship, I have an internal area that is separate, but contained. This is because I work with my husband on projects, such as this one. I want my mind to understand this very clearly.

It’s a good idea to have separate gardens for each major relationship. Some of them may touch the goal-den path, and others may be further back. This is a good opportunity to place problematic relationships out towards the horizon. This is a detachment mind program that allows for the planting of forgiveness, as well as compassion without as much inner turmoil.

The gardens continue down the path.

Let’s have a look at the work garden image. Most work is multi-faceted. I designed my garden to represent this to my subconscious mind.

( image coming )

Just as in addiction or disorderly eating, there are many separate parts. The reason many of us feel over-whelmed is because we look at work as being a singular event. We tend to speak about it in the same way. We complain about it as a whole. This becomes a negative mind program, possibly leading to burnout. You already know how dangerous that can be, so be sure to take the facets into consideration when you write the details of your garden. Remember, you are writing positive details “as if” these were already happening. You are writing mind programs, instructing your subconscious mind to give you what you want.

Remember, the mind works backwards. Once it sees or senses what you want, it will provide the plans to make all facets come forward for you.

Planting Subconscious Mind Programs

2006-10-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Life is often overwhelming, especially for those who live a disorderly life. The reason for this is not life events, but the way we react to them. It is within everyone's grasp to learn healthy ways to respond, instead of reacting on auto-pilot. The life experiences that follow can & will be very different indeed.... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

Every day I meet individuals who want to achieve something special. They usually arrive in my office or mail box with a load of clutter & disorganization. Most of them don't even know what they're carrying, much less how to choose what to dispose of or what needs changing. All they know is how they feel..... worthless, depressed & despondent. These are the "window-shoppers" of life. They long for what they don't have, but for some reason they don't go into the store to find out the price. Why is this?

Follow along as I help some of my favorite people. You might wonder why they are favorite. It's quite simple. They have stepped forward. They are willing to look & change.

LIFE CONTAINMENT

We talked about containments earlier on. Now we need an over-arching umbrella image that will encompass all areas of your life. This is called a major containment. Images help us to focus, giving the subconscious mind a place to put things that we deliver, as well as those things that are located by the inner mind that are deemed appropriate for this particular image or inner suggestion.

I like to utilize an image of a goal-den path, with separate gardens for each major life area. I’ve presented an image below that represents my inner over-arching image. I teach this image to my patients & students. You will also find it on the mp3 provided for this work, as well as on other programs. The more it is etched, the more valuable it becomes & it works very well indeed.

Once this major containment is in place, the next step is to fill in the details “as if” you already had all of these present in your life. This is called future-pacing and is a major subconscious mind program. The more specific you can be, the better your outcomes will be for the mind will have more to work with. Remember, this is a work in progress. You will continually be adding to it.

Here is a drawing of my goal-den path. You can see the positioning of the separate goal gardens. Notice how the major garden sits on it’s own. This is not just important when managing addictions. It is crucial for high level health and optimum performance in any area of life.

The bricks are twenty-four carat gold, sparkling their value. Beautiful gardens emerge on each side of the path, each having a signpost. The gardens extend back to the horizon, filled with flowers of every conceivable variety and color. The plants are healthy, the colors vibrant. These plants represent my achievements, my resilience, as well as my new desired goals.

I image my feet standing on the path, sensing them tingle from the sparkling gold. I look up at the sky, noticing a few clouds moving slowly, feeling the heat of the sun touching my face gently, coupled with the coolness of a slight breeze. I enjoy allowing my body to fill with feelings of happiness, expectation of good things to come, including the total management of any specific addictions or disorderly behaviors I may have in my life.

I then sit quietly, allowing all of this to settle inside of me. Each time I repeat this in the theater of my mind, my subconscious mind programs the changes. It doesn’t matter what my current reality is. The mind will prefer the newly designed images and will work to bring those into my life. That’s why positive details are so very important, even if they sound ridiculous.

Remember, mind imagery or sensing is different from actual experiences, but your subconscious mind will follow what you present “as being true.” Be as detailed as you can, knowing that each time you do, these very programs will be etched further into your subconscious mind. Do not worry if you feel awkward or feel like nothing is happening. Be patient with the process and you will receive the benefits.

I like to use my journal for this purpose. Writing the details down, further etch them into the subconscious mind.

MIND CONTAINMENTS

It’s time to design the separate gardens. Place an image at the top of your journal page & follow with your detailed explanation. No need to be an artist. When I began inner organizing my life in this way I simply drew an empty rectangle to cue in my subconscious mind. If you like to think in action video, design a movie.

The master garden is called the Mind & Body Health Garden. This garden houses all of the body part “plants”. Without good care in this garden, the other life-area gardens will have difficulty flourishing.

You can read the names of the plants on the little signs. To the side of the garden is a table with a big watering can. This holds your "solution." The ingredients are listed on a piece of paper next to the watering can. Read them. They include high level nutrition, self-disciplined eating, body communication, emotional management & goal setting. Go ahead and water some of your plants.

Now turn and look at the gardens to your left. Each time you care for your Master Garden, the plants and flowers in all other gardens flourish as well, and so whenever you come to the goal-den path you will always stop by and water your Master Garden.

You have just completed a subconscious mind program for caring for your body at high levels & managing disorderly eating. The subconscious mind is very effective & efficient, developing goal action plans from simple active imagery. At any time during the day, deepen slightly with your dial, tilt your eyes up, sensing yourself applying solution to the Master Garden. The more you etch, the deeper the program, the higher your rate of success.

The gardens on the opposite side of the path represent other areas of your life. One of the most important areas is that of your relationship with yourself. We'll meet up in that garden a bit later in this workshop/blog.

Beginning Footsteps

2006-10-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

When you are disordered on the outside, you are disordered on the inside... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder - Who's Killing the Kids is a book/workbook/workshop, following the format of our other books & CD/mp3 programs. This blog/workshop is a place where I design & edit written & recorded work, while working with client-specific needs.

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 &
Inner Organization

CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER

When I begin work with a new patient, the first thing that happens is an assessment. Earlier in this workshop blog you were introduced to parts of that assessment. As part of this process I always ask a patient to walk me through their day, just as if I were with them every step of the way from their first waking moment, to their last.

If I'm working with a patient in the office, it's easy to notice their distress as we proceed through their "truth." If I'm working with a patient online & through their written word, it's common for me to hear how depressed or anxious they've become as they face their own "truth" unfolding. It's often difficult for these patients to push the "send" button. Little do they know that they are speaking to "that part of me" that's already been there & done that. In the realm of life disorder, addictions & disorderly eating, there's little new for me to hear, just different flavors of the same.

Reading a patient's assessment is often difficult for me as it takes me back to my life experiences before beginning my fresh start. That is a dark place, filled with thought & emotional confusion. It's an anxious place that resonates with despair. I can still feel those emotions & sense myself wondering if I can truly help this person. I remind myself that I no longer reside in the dark & that I know where the lighted path is, inviting myself to go towards it now. Walking forward, sensing the return of my confidence, realizing that I've shared this thousands of times & will do so again.......right now for this individual.

OPENING THE DOOR FOR THE PATIENT

You began your life walk with your very own unique first step. While this may have been your first walking step, every experience in your entire life had a first step as well & you have many more first steps to experience. This is one of those times.

Listen as I share some things with you. Tune into the world & you will hear lots of moaning & groaning about having to begin all over again. If you take a moment to dissect these complaints, you will find the errors in these thought patterns, for every experiential moment on the path of life begins in a different place. A failure experience is simply a step in a different direction.

Later as we explore the subject of failure, you will come to find that it really isn’t a bad thing, but instead a good one. We are surrounded with a multitude of teachers on these subjects. Take toddlers for example. We can learn quite a bit from them. Observe what happens when they fall down. They may cry or not, but then they get up, center themselves, look around at their immediate environment, then move towards where they want to go. Please get up now & take off your "victim coat."

THE BREATH AS TEACHER

After you bring me your disorder in the form of a journal entry or conversation, we'll be ready to begin. Put your disorder down. For now, it's served it's purpose & thereis no need to do anything more with that. This may surprise you....because you have been so used to carrying it around & talking about it. So, just put it down over there.

The first thing I ask you to do may sound simple on the surface, but it is not. I want you to take a deep breath in & hold it in your mouth for the count of four & when four arrives, allow the breath to exit your body completely, just as if you were a balloon at the end of a party? Your own breath is your teacher in residence. As you learn to observe it, you will begin to find that each inhalation & exhalation is different from the one before. Therefore we do know how to live with ongoing change. This realization can help you to shift out of the fear surrounding change, right into action.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK - DEEPENING

You already have the tools of mental biofeedback under your belt, as well as the beginning of Heightened Awareness. I'd like you to continue working with the mp3 downloads for these, as it takes about 30 days to re-program the mind for this level of release. Remember, these tools are multi-faceted. Just by there sheer presence, they work to reduce your stress chemical production.

The slowing of your brain waves is called deepening trance. You already know how to reach the alpha brain wave state right in the moment, even when others are around. When the brain waves are slowed, the body becomes balanced. This is called homeostasis. Your blood pressure normalizes, as does your heart & hormone production. This act of mental shifting begins changes within every cell, delivering you to the door of your subconscious mind that is located at the alpha brain wave level.

You can slow the brain waves even more, going to a deeper level of trance. Many people have the idea that it is necessary to be at much lower levels in order to practice effective hypnosis. Some believe they must be asleep in order for suggestions to be planted. Nothing could be further than the truth.

We tend to be in self-hypnotic states all day long, but unfortunately most of these are negative mind programs, going towards negative goals instead of positive ones. You are well aware that you have a tendency to do this & this is what your disorder is all about. In purposeful self-hypnosis, you will be waking from these pieces of disorder, releasing them & then programming your mind for what you want.

However, there may be times when you might like to go to a deeper level, perhaps during a dental appointment or medical procedure. Deepening is also beneficial for releasing high stress levels, either in the moment or in time put aside for this purpose. There are many ways to experience deepening. While all of these can be applied in the moment, it is best to practice them in a solitary environment, without time pressure.

MIND EXERCISE – MAGNETS

Later on I'll give you an mp3 for deepening, but for now here are some simple exercises, the first being the utilization of mind magnets.

Most of us are familiar with the sensation of magnetic pull. For example, if you have flown in a plane you do know the feeling of being pulled down and back into the seat.

Start this exercise with a deep yawn breath, holding it in your mouth for the count of four, letting it out slowly. Settle into the chair, tilting your eyes up slightly. When practicing you might like to close your eyes, but you can practice this with them opened or closed. Allow your buttocks to be pulled gently down, sensing your spine sinking into the back of the chair. You can work with an imaginary dial. Notice that as you turn it to the right, the magnetic sensation enhances. A turn to the left allows you to experience a decrease in magnetic sensation. This imagery gives you full control of your depth of trance or level of relaxation.

This exercise is very easily adaptable to any situation in the real world. For example, if you find yourself becoming anxious in the moment, simply turn your dial to the right. You will be turning off your stress chemical production, slowing your brain waves, and going right to the door of your subconscious mind where you can request information or plant suggestions. As you tilt your eyes up just slightly, your programming screen will be available for subconscious mind communication. You can also release emotional cravings in the same way. Of course, physiological cravings need to be managed with the food connection.

MIND EXERCISE – MAGIC NUMBERS

This exercise appears a bit more cumbersome, but each part of it can be utilized as a separate mind program in the moment. Sit upright, allowing your body to sink into the chair. Take in a very deep yawn breath, holding it in your mouth for the count of four, allow it to exit slowly as if you were a balloon at the end of a party. After reading this exercise, close your eyes, tilting them up about twenty degrees, just as if you were sitting in the second row of a movie theater. Notice the placement of the mind screen & the number four slowly coming in from the distance. Remember imaging is different than seeing with normal sight. It’s more of a felt sense. Allow the number to touch &enter your forehead. Being to feel it absorbing down throughout your body.

Bring your eyes back to the screen, noticing the number three is coming in & now entering the center of your chest, finding the door to your heart & now pumping throughout your body taking it further down. The number two is coming towards you now, entering your belly button door, disseminating down into your lower abdomen & both legs. Allow yourself time to feel the joining of the numbers, as they take you deeper. The number one is coming forward in the form of a paint brush coated in white sparkling paint, outlining your entire body. Notice you can take the outline off & place it back on. Each time you do so you go deeper down. You can utilize this portable outline at any moment, as it is now programmed. Once you are inside your outline, you are separated or disassociated from the action of the moment and in the powerful position of the observer

Practicing Visualization & Imagery

2006-09-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

It seems like we are always in a hurry & the idea of studying something like this may seem time-indulgent.... but to think this way is a big mistake. In order to go faster, to succeed at high levels, it is necessary to slow down & to focus deeply. This is only possible through the practice of deep relaxation & mind programming... 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 including Lifestyle Change Made Easy & Changing Your Mind - An Introduction to Interactive Self-Hypnosis.

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

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

A frequent question is “what is the difference between meditation and visualization?” Meditation is a process of deep relaxation that helps to clear & concentrates the mind. Visualization or imagery is also a process of deep relaxation, focusing on slowing the brain waves & then placing specific images or metaphors into the subconscious mind. Both are great change agents, complementing each other.

Visualization or imaginology refers to our inner movies or VCR tapes. These are at the heart of our mind bio-computer. The human brain programs & self-programs through its images. All skills & all achievements are acquired through this image-making process....whether you choose to be in charge of it or not. Obviously, it's good wisdom to choose to be in charge! Interactive Awareness & Interactive Self-Hypnosis are high-level consciousness tools that allow you to do just this. With these you can release stress, manage emotions, re-edit your subconscious mind programs & program your mind right in the moment.

Working with these tools & building skills can assist you at all levels of training & performance whether it be managing sugar addiction or winning at tennis. Everything is about learning technique & then practicing. As we go forward here, you might feel like you are making up the images, rather than seeing or visualizing them. Do know that this is perfectly fine. The mind accepts what is presented to it as truth, whether it be made up or not, so as long as the images are healthy & positive, go with your own creative thoughts. However, if a thought or idea emerges that is not healthy, simply diminish it, just as you learned to do earlier on.

MIND EXERCISE

Even if you aren't a visual thinker, you can improve your ability to visualize or image. Here is another skill builder that will enhance your toolbox.

Take any simple object, a pen, pencil, cup or similar item will do. Look directly at it until you feel you are quite familiar with it. Close your eyes & imagine you are still looking at it. Open your eyes, lookingat the object again, comparingit with your mind image. Now close your eyes & do the same. Next, move the object out from where you are observing it, scanning it with your eyes as if it were an external image. Often people expect the inner image to be exactly like the outer image, perhaps judging themselves as being a "poor imager." This is just the ego getting in the way & the emotional visitors coloring the visualization experience for you. Release them & go back to your practice, knowing that however you image or visualize is absolutely correct. There is no right or wrong. The more you practice, the more understanding you will have of the whole experience & the more real your images will become.

MIND EXERCISE

Don’t rush through this work. It’s fine to read through, but make sure you go back & take the time to truly work with these exercises. While they appear simple on the surface, they are truly involved in rather complex activities.

Take the same simple object, or choose a different one. Set it by itself, with no other objects around it to distract you. Take several relaxing breaths & now look directly at the object until you feel familiar with it. Close your eyes gently, imagining that the object is about two feet in front of you. See it in your mind’s eye & begin to scan the object for details such as the shape, shadings of color, irregularities, etc. Now open your eyes & compare the inner image with the outer image, noticing any aspects you were not aware of during your visualization practice. Close your eyes, repeating the exercise. Now practice with a different object.

MIND EXERCISE

Close your eyes & transport yourself back to your childhood bedroom. Take several relaxing breaths, making yourself comfortable. Look in front of you & see what you see. Notice the furnishings, what is on the wall. Look down at your feet, noticing what covers the floor. Now look at the wall to your left, & then to the wall on your right, noticing what you are aware of. Take some time and notice other things about the room such as windows, doors, closets, colors, textures, etc.

Here we are learning to move around & locate ourselves within a visualized space. Practice this exercise with other places, especially those from your childhood or teen years.

MIND EXERCISE

This time we are going to practice moving outside a large object such as your house. Image yourself in front of your house, noticing the position of the door, windows, plants, lights, etc. Notice the construction materials, colors. Now go ahead & actually touch the outside walls. Experience touching other things, comparing differences in sensations. Open your eyes. Take a few relaxing breaths, and go back again, or to a different site.

MIND EXERCISE

Take a few relaxing breaths, comfortably closing your eyes. Image a chair, perhaps one you are familiar with from home or your office. Stand in front of the chair, noticing the shape, color, textures, etc. Touch it. Now, move to the side of the chair, noticing what you see, and then feel. Go around to the back, repeating the process, then to the other side. Now, image yourself above the chair, looking down at it; then from under the chair looking up. Open your eyes slowly, following with some relaxing, refocusing breaths.

MIND EXERCISE

Relax deeply & close your eyes. Return to the room of your childhood, re-orientating yourself. Find the light switch on the wall & turn it on & then off. Pick up any object such as a book or a pencil, studying it from all angles. Feel it. Now watch as it floats up in front of you, hovering around the ceiling. Notice that you begin to lift up as well, gently & easily. How does this feel? Study your sensations & your spatial awareness. Maneuver yourself so as to grab the pencil. Now turn towards the open window, gently sailing through, looking down at the areas below, noticing how easy it is to go up & down at will. This very powerful visualization practice allows us to have very different relationships with our world, enabling us to control in a relaxed format.

MIND EXERCISE

Relax deeply, gently closing your eyes. Bring before you an image of someone you know. Have that person stand a few feet in front of you. Look at his/her face. Scan the face, paying attention to the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, etc. Notice the person’s clothes & how they are standing. Image the person talking to someone else, watching the facial expressions, how the body changes during the conversation. Hear the voice & its inflections. Walk around the person, observing from the back & sides. Open your eyes slowly, acclimating yourself back to the room.

As you continue exploring this book you will have many opportunities to practice this form of mind development. Please don’t rush. If you don’t have time in the moment, go to the monthly planning sheet, making a written commitment to return to the work brought to your attention by your subconscious mind. Notice if you "sense interest" in something you are reading or exploring. This is your subconscious librarian waving a mind flag.

Relationship with yourSelf...

2006-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Self-Hypnotic Tools

2006-09-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Your mind is like a DVD player. But this is no ordinary piece of equipment. Think of it as radar or a servo-mechanism, bringing towards you whatever you're playing. And because each disk is charged emotionally, it will either take you towards success or failure. 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 including Lifestyle Change Made Easy & Changing Your Mind - An Introduction to Interactive Self-Hypnosis.

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

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Your subconscious mind is a like a vast library with an infinite number of selections stored. It has an instant retrieval system and an endlessly cross-referenced subject catalog. You might like to image it as your personal DVD, knowing whatever disks you place there, become your goal & your subconscious mind librarian will go to find any & all cross-references to assist you in achieving this goal. This is great if you are playing a positive goal image, but what about if you are playing a negative goal image? You’ve already had some practice with identifying these in the earlier parts of this book or workshop that focused on Interactive Awareness & Emotional Management exercises, but now it is time to get even better at subconscious mind programming.

Visualizing negative outcomes or memories can stir up anxiety or depression. Besides the images or visualization, it is not uncommon to speak internally to yourself in quite critical ways. During the “practice” of putting yourself down, you are essentially in a light trance state, preoccupied & internally focused. What am I driving at? You guessed it! A negative self-hypnotic program is busy being etched right into your subconscious mind & is busy becoming a goal.

It's so easy to get caught up in negative mind programming, but once you learn to work in a healthy partnership with your subconscious mind, you can ask for all sorts of help. All of this is accomplished on your mind screen.

For example, during the programming of your subconscious mind for success, you can request your inner librarian to bring awareness to any unproductive emotional states or corresponding behaviors that may have set up barriers to your chosen success goal. This allows you to dismantle them right in the moment & avoid interference or stalling. When awareness exercises are joined with specific images for inner management, change can occur spontaneously. In real life, it's like being on a bus going towards your goal when all of a sudden you realize that you are on the wrong bus. Of course you are going to want to change right then & there & not an hour or a day later!

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

In hypnosis we alter our internal world. By utilizing our imagination in special ways we stir feelings while altering behavior & attitudes. When you change how you think, visualize & imagine things to be, your feelings & behaviors begin to change. You not only see what is possible, but the subconscious mind will send up other suggestions for your approval, perhaps things you never even considered that will take you even closer to your goal, or enhance it in some way.

The mind works backwards. When it sees the ideal goal picture clearly in great definition, it makes the action plan. Changes just seem to occur, as if the goal took on it’s own life. Things that were difficult in the past often become simple & you might be left wondering what the commotion was all about.

Our subconscious mind stores all memories, anything & everything we have experienced through our entire life. This includes memories of each & very sense, including taste, touch, sight, hearing & emotion. It’s all there filed in an orderly fashion. This means that you have a wealth of resources on which to draw as you focus on your future. Most of us never utilize these assets, often continuing to see everything as a struggle. If one continues to see things in this way, everything will be a struggle for one always gets what one asks for in the mind’s eye.

As you learn to relax, to let go, asking for appropriate resources from the inner bank vault, you can change with a new level of comfort. However it's a totally different experience when you are tense, for whatever reason. In this physical state, the subconscious mind cannot get your attention & so you cannot share the bounty. As you learn to relax during actual stress, the stressors will work as catalysts, opening the door of the subconscious mind, freeing you to work with this powerful part of yourself.

MIND EXERCISE

Although I'm going to address the subject of this book/workshop here, these exercises can be applied to any situation. Working with subconscious mind programs will make your management of disorderly eating & addictions much easier. You already know about containments & since you are more skilled than you were earlier on in this book or workshop, this is a good moment to build a few.

Simply relax deeply, tilt your eyes up about twenty degrees. Place a mind movie, perhaps seeing yourself in your containment area, placing an appropriate label on a facet of your disorderly eating. Your inner librarian will take care of the rest. Take an extra moment to study the contents. What does your disorder or addiction look like? Notice some of the DVD programs that you play in relation to this issue. Are they worn out from over-playing? Have you already made some corrections and celebrated them? Always be sure to celebrate both big & small accomplishments. Remember small ones tend to pile up and become very big ones!!

Have a look at your emotional children, noticing the crayons that they are applying to this special containment. Remember, your subconscious mind does not judge. What you play is what you get. This will be subconsciously enhanced for you. When working with your subconscious mind in this way, you can make changes right in the moment if you choose. If there are any emotional visitors or crayons you would like to remove from this containment, please go ahead and do so. Just image yourself completing the action. Your librarian will take care of the rest.

You may wonder what you are actually doing. The right brain is very creative and sees this as a re-programming. Whenever the subconscious mind finds your actions in real life being incongruent with subconscious mind programming, the inner programming will win out. You will instantaneously be pulled into heightened awareness, finding yourself going towards behaviors connected to the inner program.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

The art of working with mind images is often called imagery or visualization. My word for this is imaginology. I define this as the study of your own imagination or mind creativity. This speaks to the special work you are doing here.

In the practice of imaginology, you see with your mind’s eye. This is very different than seeing with normal sight. Sometimes people report that they can’t see images, becoming discouraged in working hypnotically. This is simply a matter of communication, understanding of how the tools work & what to expect. Each & every person reading my words is working with imagery.

Whenever you notice an idea or a thought flowing through your mind, this is imagery. Whenever you hear someone telling a story & you form pictures in your mind about it, this is imagery. The reason one has less problems with those examples is that there is little to no efforting. When someone tells you a story they don’t say, “now I want you to see images in your mind as I tell you what happened to me on the way to work.” Images just naturally come to mind. Your job here is to take the efforting out of the process of imagery & imaginology, allowing free flow.

It helps to practice & so in this chapter you will be presented with some skill building exercises. There is no right or wrong way to do this work. It is simply the doing that is important. Your work is to get out of your own way, allowing your subconscious mind to simply take the ball and run with it.

MIND EXERCISE

Let’s practice. As your eyes read these words, if you choose, you can easily see your bedroom in your mind. You don’t have to elicit the relaxation response to do that, do you? The image just came forward. Now notice you can see yourself going to that bed, turning back the covers. You can also “mind experience” this, sensing your body walking towards your bed & feeling the covers as you turn them back. In another instant you can be in your car, driving down any street. Go ahead and practice seeing yourself driving, now sensing yourself actually driving. Feel the steering wheel, the seat beneath you, and touch the rear view mirror.

You can then transfer to your office, looking for some files, or seeing/sensing yourself doing that. Those are two different kinds of imaginology. Next, be in the supermarket choosing all your favorite foods. Feel them as you take them off the shelves. Notice they all feel differently. Now practice seeing yourself participating in an entire supermarket excursion in a few seconds. Don’t you wish it could be like that in real life?

Mind Etching Tools

2006-09-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Your subconscious mind programs are valuable assets that can be edited thereby increasing their value. With desire & the right tools, each moment can be opened & worked to your benefit... 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

KNOWLEDGE HOOKS

As your perceptions change, so will your outcomes. As you follow this workshop blog, you are learning to observe your inner mind programming, noticing what is helpful, as well as what is not. These are extremely important observations as they give you the opportunity to evaluate & then change course if necessary. You are also learning to choose to make changes in small moment fragments, even those these appear small on the surface, understanding that they are also taking you towards or away from your goals. Every moment, every thought, every emotion, every expectation is like buying a bus ticket to go there.

Heightened awareness is on your tool belt. You are getting better at observing the facets of your larger patterns. You are now seeing the auto-pilot responses you play without thinking, as well as how they are connected to your particular emotions, or those of others in your relationships.

If you are following along, you now have your Personal Assessment Plan in your pocket telling you where you are, where you want to go & what you need to get there. If you look at your tool belt, you will notice that you have room for more. You can see the nutritional tools, perhaps surprised at how many there are, but feeling confident that you truly understand the directions that accompanied them. You might have noticed changes already in place, as if someone else was holding the reins. This is the power of interactive self-hypnosis. You can also see your tools for mental biofeedback, emotional management & crayon awareness.

In this section of the book you will receive many advanced mind management tools to help open your subconscious mind, as well as place even more detailed programs into your inner file cabinet. Like all tools, these are meant to be utilized, not to be left on the shelf to get rusty. You already know it's not enough to read about things, simply expecting them to happen. You must take appropriate action, while managing your mind & body connection in order to etch new programs into place. The more skilled you become, the better your outcomes.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Mind tools have been utilized in the practice of medicine for thousands of years & continue to be utilized in top Universities of the world. There is even a special area of medicine called psycho-neuro-immunology, PNI for short, that encompasses research in the area of mind & body medicine.

MEET AMY

I have been working with noticing my emotions and especially those that appear during my emotional craving times for sugar. I have improved my food & so the body cravings are much improved. However, I notice when I get bored or overwhelmed with work I think about eating junk. This is also a problem for me in the evenings when I’m finally finished with cleaning up & the children are in bed. I find it amazing how the same emotions come to find me at the same time every day. Will this ever change?

Amy is now awake & aware of her emotional connects to specific happenings in her day. This is extremely useful, because now she will be able to program her mind for change & then etch those new programs in place, motivating them with both inner & outer motivational systems.

MIND EXERCISE

Interactive awareness allows us to see tremendous detail in the moment. The more you stay in the position of producer/director, the more you will see. You can even ask for the scene to be replayed in slow motion. Relax deeply before doing this, so your focus will enhance at a lower brain wave speed. Bring your attention to your mind screen & choose the scene you would like to micro-study. Take your time. If you feel a block or your thoughts are wandering, don’t allow your compulsive desires to push you around in this important moment. The deeper you go into your observation mode, the more powerful the change program will be once you place it. Be patient. Everything you need to know is coming to you, but in small spoonfuls. This is the way to the knowledge hooks. When you notice something that invites change, act as if you were the director of this scene, for indeed you are. Simply stop the action & tell the actors in the scene, including the actor playing you, to follow your new direction. Now.... observe as this takes place.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Imagery, or the thoughts you play in your mind are everything. They are the crux of how you experience your body, your environment, your relationship to yourself , your relationship to others, as well as your spiritual life. You image continually like a VCR that is never turned off. Unfortunately, the most common imagery consists of negative, non-trusting, insecure, failure-orientated, worrisome, highly judgmental inner radio & visuals. These images are often followed by behaviors that match the program blueprints, thereby reinforcing the negative mind programs. You are now in the processes of exploring change & transforming your own existing images into ones that form the basis for managing your disorderly eating, your addiction, or any other problems that are taking you away from optimum health and performance.

MIND EXERCISE

Take a mini-mind break, allowing your body to sink into the chair where you are resting, perhaps yawning deeply, allowing a blue mist to encircle you, encouraging all stress & the need to rush through this material to exit the ends of your fingers. See yourself on your mind screen taking in small spoonfuls on powerful information designed to change your life in so many ways. Observe the words you have just read sinking into the library of your mind, like rain being absorbed into a road surface on a hot summer day. Allow your body to enjoy the blue mist for another moment and then continue with the next hook.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Until recently hypnosis has been viewed by the general public as a mysterious technique performed by people with strange skills & special powers. The truth of the matter is that there is nothing mystical or magical about hypnosis. It is simply a state of very deep relaxation & quiet focus. Emotions are put to sleep & awareness is heightened. It is a state of consciousness that we enter naturally, commonly known as automatic-pilot or daydreaming.

Hypnosis is not something someone does to you. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. In this book you have already practiced various levels of deepening or trance for specific purposes or mind exercises. You have been programming your mind for change from the first page forward.

Interactive self-hypnosis is a health tool, perfect for changing lifestyle behaviors, managing addiction, disorderly eating, bringing any & all performance to the highest levels. It allows the healing of both mind & body from the stresses of life while inviting acceleration of learning & goal achievement beyond usual expectation.

The next workshop blog entries will introduce you to more advanced interactive self-hypnotic tools & exercises. Be sure to sign up for the RSS feed so you won't miss out on these Knowledge Hooks & new mp3 downloads.

Designing Pod Self-Disciplines

2006-09-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

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.

Planting Additional Gardens

2006-09-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Your subconscious mind is a fertile place. Plant what you want or you'll be sure to get whatever the wind blows in...
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Self-hypnosis Audio Programs help to you to program your own mind quickly & effectively. 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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

You have just completed a subconscious mind program for caring for your body at high levels, as well as addressing the management of sugar addiction or other disorderly eating behaviors. It's important to know that the subconscious mind is very effective & efficient at developing goal action plans from simple active imagery.

Remember, whatever you place on your mind screen is seen as your goal of choice. Develop the habit of placing "end goal images". By this I mean image whatever you want "as if" you already had it. Fill it with emotion. This makes for a chemical connect that enhances the goal image.

At any time during the day, deepen slightly with your dial, tilt your eyes up, sensing yourself applying solution to the Master Garden. The subconscious mind knows what the solution is & so the more you etch, the deeper the program, the higher your rate of success.

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF

The gardens on the opposite side of the path represent other areas of your life. One of the most important areas is your relationship with yourself. I see this garden as second only to the Master Garden. I suggest you image, or draw this a bit bigger than the other gardens, especially the other relationship gardens. This delivers an important message to your subconscious mind. It says that you are very important, and indeed you are.

Most people with addiction put others before themselves, even to the point of being totally co-dependent. As you begin to recover, it is important to bring balance to this area of your gardens. As you work with the Inner Coach part of this program, you will be making many changes in this area, so design it well.

This garden also houses the path to your past, right back to the day you were born, as well as your future path, right up to your last living moment. These are areas of high value for your recovery. I suggest that you design your gardens to your own specifications. Allow your creativity to flow. Think about describing a movie scene of your particular garden, paying attention to details, just as if you were decorating a room that was only for you in your current home. Later on we will be working with your past & future in the time-line chapter of this book. This will give you the opportunity to edit subconscious files from the past, as well as to plant new goals or ideas in your future.

GARDEN POSITIONING

You can decide on the positioning of your gardens. On my path I placed my relationship with my husband garden next to my relationship with myself. In this relationship, I have an internal area that is separate, but contained. This is because I work with my husband on projects, such as this one. I want my mind to understand this very clearly.

Just as in addiction or disorderly eating, there are many separate parts. The reason many of us feel over-whelmed is because we look at work as being a singular event. We tend to speak about it in the same way. We complain about it as a whole. This becomes a negative mind program, possibly leading to burnout. You already know how dangerous that can be, so be sure to take the facets into consideration when you write the details of your garden. Remember, you are writing positive details “as if” these were already happening. You are writing mind programs, instructing your subconscious mind to give you what you want.

Remember, the mind works backwards. Once it sees or senses what you want, it will provide the plans to make all facets come forward for you.

Detailing Self-Discipline

2006-09-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

The more detailed your self-discipline, the higher your level of success. Learn to love this process & you'll never regret it....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

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Each morning you wake up to your daily life. Most of your activities will be on automatic pilot. You might not even remember doing some things, such as brushing your teeth, drinking your coffee or driving to work. Automatic pilot is a trance state that can be very useful for what is considered the habitual activities of life. After all, it would be exhausting to be aware of each & every moment that transpires.

As one goes through life many new activities are placed on automatic pilot as their level of proficiency is raised. Learning to drive a car is a good example. In the beginning the student driver is hyper-aware of all aspects of driving. Once experience sets in, the driver may not be aware of driving from point A to point B. Of course, the subconscious mind is programmed to awaken the individual if danger is noted, or if the journey becomes rough for some reason. Perhaps new information or direction is needed.

Sometimes we forget to review habits, leaving them in their original automatic pilot mind file. It is a good idea to review these files, even before wake-up calls. This is a form of prevention, keeping free of many complications. Not paying attention to automatic pilot files can get you into trouble, especially if new information is needed or if the direction is off-course. Keep in mind that habits are re-etched in the subconscious mind each & every time they are performed. Some are very deeply ingrained, perhaps originating in early childhood.

Some habits are triggered by emotional crayons, often as stress releasers, even if they are unhealthy. Smoking, sugar, food addiction, bingeing and alcohol fall into this habit category. If you think about how others manage stress, you will find things such as compulsive gambling and shopping to name a few.

It is especially important to review habits, especially those that are related to health outcomes. Once you begin to look in a focused way, many will come to your attention. Some may appear innocent, even silly, but that is an illusion. Take flossing your teeth for example. If a person does not pay attention to consistently flossing well, not only can teeth be lost, but the ongoing, often sub-clinical infections can lead to serious and even life-threatening diseases.

There is an additional benefit to paying attention to already formulated automatic pilot programs. These programs or habits have self-discipline already ingrained through the continuous etching or repeating of the habit. Ingrained self-discipline is like gold waiting to be discovered, asking to be utilized in a creative way.

You are now ready to capture this gold through the use of mind-Pods. Pods are very special interactive self-hypnotic images that encourage the subconscious mind to participate in your life self-discipline.

Pods are like rooms that hold the particular discipline or activity. These can be automatic pilot activities or those that are especially important for initiating a lifestyle change, or for enhancing health & performance. They are particularly important for the management of disorderly eating & addictions.

Health & performance Pods can include breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, teeth care, exercise, water, meditation. When you set & work with a Pod, the subconscious mind sees this as a very important focus & will work in a creative manner within the Pod, including helping the mind to change, as well as bringing forth details that might have slipped through the cracks. The subconscious will also make creative suggestions, some of which can be very serendipitous.

When Pods are properly set up for daily discipline, other areas of life will become disciplined as well, just as if the Pods were acting as role-models or active mentors for these other areas. Other activities seem to jump in between the daily discipline Pods, appearing to organize themselves in the same way as the neighboring Pods.

It is important to understand that the day is only "so long." The number of hours dedicated to awake activity are also limited. Most people build high levels of stress because they have too much scheduled, their "to-do list" is not properly constructed or both. It's not uncommon for someone to sit down with the daily to-do list & then to begin major procrastination.

Some people read their list with an unfocused mind. Their eyes do the seeing, but the mind is simply not in residence at the same time. Goals that are not clearly defined or actively motivated seem to stay on shelves forever, leaving many wonderful & prosperous opportunities sitting lost in the shelf-dust. However, once the daily self-discipline Pods get going, they can dust off those lost gifts, working to bring them forward in new ways.

While everyone's Pods will be different, I highly suggest that you place your most important lifestyle needs in place on the time-line. Some of those suggestions are listed above. In the next blog workshop, I'll walk you through the process because once the Pods are in place, it's important to know how to work with them in order to creatively activate the subconscious mind. But for now, let's begin to work with the Pods...

MIND EXERCISE

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

Image a few Pods on your time line. Outside each one is a chair. I ask you to sit in the chair, inviting stillness to enter your mind & 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 want 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 & patterns, many heavily etched in your subconscious mind. These are located in specific mind-Pods. Now you will be re-decorating; placing new mind programs directly over these, etching them again & 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. I've given you a complimentary mp3 for consistency to make this work even easier for you.

In the beginning these changes will feel like new shoes, but after twenty days or so, they will flow quite easily. Now you have several new tools on your belt. Your assets are building.

Planting on the Goal-den Path

2006-09-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Life is often overwhelming, especially for those who live a disorderly life. The reason for this is not life events, but the way we react to them. It is within everyone's grasp to learn healthy ways to respond, instead of reacting on auto-pilot. The life experiences that follow can & will be very different indeed... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

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 &
Inner Organization
Goal Achieving with Affirmations

Every day I meet individuals who want to achieve something special. They usually arrive in my office or mail box with a load of clutter & disorganization. Most of them don't even know what they're carrying, much less how to choose what to dispose of or what needs changing. All they know is how they feel..... worthless, depressed & despondent. These are the "window-shoppers" of life. They long for what they don't have, but for some reason they don't go into the store to find out the price. Why is this?

Follow along as I help some of my favorite people. You might wonder why they are favorite. It's quite simple. They have stepped forward. They are willing to look & change.

LIFE CONTAINMENT

We talked about containments earlier on. Now we need an over-arching umbrella image that will encompass all areas of your life. This is called a major containment. Images help us to focus, giving the subconscious mind a place to put things that we deliver, as well as those things that are located by the inner mind that are deemed appropriate for this particular image or inner suggestion.

I like to utilize an image of a goal-den path, with separate gardens for each major life area. I’ve presented an image below that represents my inner over-arching image. I teach this image to my patients & students. You will also find it on the mp3 provided for this work, as well as on other programs. The more it is etched, the more valuable it becomes & it works very well indeed.

Once this major containment is in place, the next step is to fill in the details “as if” you already had all of these present in your life. This is called future-pacing and is a major subconscious mind program. The more specific you can be, the better your outcomes will be for the mind will have more to work with. Remember, this is a work in progress. You will continually be adding to it.

Here is a drawing of my goal-den path. You can see the positioning of the separate goal gardens. Notice how the major garden sits on it’s own. This is not just important when managing addictions. It is crucial for high level health and optimum performance in any area of life.

The bricks are twenty-four carat gold, sparkling their value. Beautiful gardens emerge on each side of the path, each having a signpost. The gardens extend back to the horizon, filled with flowers of every conceivable variety and color. The plants are healthy, the colors vibrant. These plants represent my achievements, my resilience, as well as my new desired goals.

I image my feet standing on the path, sensing them tingle from the sparkling gold. I look up at the sky, noticing a few clouds moving slowly, feeling the heat of the sun touching my face gently, coupled with the coolness of a slight breeze. I enjoy allowing my body to fill with feelings of happiness, expectation of good things to come, including the total management of any specific addictions or disorderly behaviors I may have in my life.

I then sit quietly, allowing all of this to settle inside of me. Each time I repeat this in the theater of my mind, my subconscious mind programs the changes. It doesn’t matter what my current reality is. The mind will prefer the newly designed images and will work to bring those into my life. That’s why positive details are so very important, even if they sound ridiculous.

Remember, mind imagery or sensing is different from actual experiences, but your subconscious mind will follow what you present “as being true.” Be as detailed as you can, knowing that each time you do, these very programs will be etched further into your subconscious mind. Do not worry if you feel awkward or feel like nothing is happening. Be patient with the process and you will receive the benefits.

I like to use my journal for this purpose. Writing the details down, further etch them into the subconscious mind.

MIND CONTAINMENTS

It’s time to design the separate gardens. Place an image at the top of your journal page & follow with your detailed explanation. No need to be an artist. When I began inner organizing my life in this way I simply drew an empty rectangle to cue in my subconscious mind. If you like to think in action video, design a movie.

The master garden is called the Mind & Body Health Garden. This garden houses all of the body part “plants”. Without good care in this garden, the other life-area gardens will have difficulty flourishing.

You can read the names of the plants on the little signs. To the side of the garden is a table with a big watering can. This holds your "solution." The ingredients are listed on a piece of paper next to the watering can. Read them. They include high level nutrition, self-disciplined eating, body communication, emotional management & goal setting. Go ahead and water some of your plants.

Now turn and look at the gardens to your left. Each time you care for your Master Garden, the plants and flowers in all other gardens flourish as well, and so whenever you come to the goal-den path you will always stop by and water your Master Garden.

You have just completed a subconscious mind program for caring for your body at high levels & managing disorderly eating. The subconscious mind is very effective & efficient, developing goal action plans from simple active imagery. At any time during the day, deepen slightly with your dial, tilt your eyes up, sensing yourself applying solution to the Master Garden. The more you etch, the deeper the program, the higher your rate of success.

The gardens on the opposite side of the path represent other areas of your life. One of the most important areas is that of your relationship with yourself. We'll meet up in that garden a bit later in this workshop/blog.

Inner Housekeeping

2006-09-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Inner organization is key to high level health & performance, so it's probably time for some housekeeping.... 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.

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

It’s a good idea to build a mind containment for each problematic area, especially the bigger ones. This technique is simple & easy to follow. Relax deeply, placing a movie of your daily life up on the mind screen. Play it in slow motion, noticing the areas that are more difficult for you to manage. Notice if you have fear around these. There may be a desire to procrastinate or difficulty focusing. These are simply blocks that need to be dismantled. Be sure to focus on your sugar addiction or disorderly eating. I suggest that you write down your difficult areas. This is another way to begin dismantling blocks.

Now return to the emotion list, locating the problematic emotions that attach themselves to these activities. They may be the same in each area or they may be different. Some people report resentment in restaurant images or fear in the supermarket. Middle of the night eating is often colored in secretive & inner satisfaction colors. Once again, being aware of the problem emotions places you in a position to manage them.

All self- management is accomplished through the position of writer/producer/director. You already know how to do this, as well as how to edit a small production on the mind screen. If you choose, you can practice an emotional switching exercise here. Decide which emotion would benefit you in this moment. Relax deeply, contact the desired emotion, bringing it forward into your moment.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

When there is a tendency towards addiction or disorderly eating, it's common to experience some level of compulsion. This is part of every addictive cycle & tools are needed to awake us to the presence of compulsive emotions, as well as those that pre-empt compulsive activities. Like any other emotion, they have crayons with all the usual levels of coloring available to them.

Just about any emotion can trigger emotional or compulsive eating. In some people it is more about boredom, while in others it is more about rage. Positive state emotions are also known to be responsible & sometimes there are an entire array that play out in different areas of life.

MIND EXERCISE

As you practice interactive awareness, you will begin to notice your emotions that connect themselves to emotional or compulsive eating. While you may have known about them before, seeing them from the position of writer/producer/director is very different indeed.

You have removed your self-judge. You are now open to learning much more about them. The more you to know your emotions, the easier it will be to change their behaviors. In this part of our work it is enough to see or sense them. They are always in more places than you aware of, so lets go ahead and place a subconscious mind request to be shown even more of them. You may wonder why you would want to do this, but remember that you can only change what you can see.

You have some ritual files in your subconscious mind for emotional & compulsive eating. Perhaps some of them have been playing out for years. Holidays bring up lots of these.

Relax deeply & pull out a holiday file. In the file you will find audio & video beliefs about this particular holiday. Play them & observe carefully. Now think seriously about making an addition to the holiday file, one about cutting back on sugar, alcohol, smoking, or food in general. Listen to the mind chatter. These are the emotions attempting to protect the ritual as it is.

The emotions have little to no interest in your managing your addiction or disorderly eating & so they present arguments that range from making sense, to making no sense. They will crayon these arguments as long as you continue to try to put the new addition into the holiday file. But, you have new tools now & you have choices.

These emotions come out in other times as well. Sometimes it’s in the supermarket, arguing about what you should or shouldn’t buy. Keep an eye out for compulsive activities, as well as the thoughts that pre-empt or trigger. Other times it’s at a buffet, or in a restaurant while looking at the menu, or when you are in front of the refrigerator. Some are involved in secret eating. If you have any of those, go ahead & observe them from the position of writer/producer/director. Take your time to observe the details. Listen and look just as if your life depended on it, because it just might. If shame or guilt try to block, simply notice, directing them to step aside as you go forward.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Emotions are usually on automatic pilot, but they can be purposefully chosen. Those on automatic pilot, may begin coloring before you know it, but as you become more skilled in the practice of interactive awareness, you will be able to release early, make corrections, including changing some of the automatic pilot programs.

You can actually edit-in new automatic responses from healthier emotions. I suggest you take time in observing both the shirts & crayons of your most frequent emotions. The better the identification, the quicker & easier it is to identify them in the moment, as well as to work with them, including bringing them to health & balance.

MEET LAUREN

I’ve been addicted to food & especially sugar for decades. Both of my parents are alcoholics & my grandparents both died from diabetes & heart disease. My mood swings have improved, but for the most part I’m not very joyful. I’ve actually lost friends because of this! Now I have the food in order. How do I get the joy back without feeling like I’m making it up?

It’s helps to use imagery to explain a concept such as this. I see Lauren as being hard on her emotional visitors. She’s done a wonderful job of recovery & needs to celebrate in every moment that she works with new changes, as well as those already achieved. The emotional self is child-like & not about to display joyfulness if it is not rewarded. The joy will come from within, as the inner child is celebrated for a job well done.

Many children of alcoholics look outward for approval. Now you are working with inward self-approval that will shine outward. You might look for new ways to enjoy your life, noticing that others will see you as genuine, because that is who you are.

Also consider locating your other positive state emotions, especially the lower-level ones that haven’t been around for awhile. These are inner assets playing “hide and go seek”. As you begin to work with interactive self-hypnosis you will want to call them forward to help with the management of your addiction &disorderly eating, as well as in many other areas of your goal work.

Remember the “moment fragments” you have been working to identify? Remember that you can only change what you can see?

Well now, let’s pull these ideas together. You may come to realize that once you catch your moment, check the emotional states and their crayons, you will soon be able to enter a state of interactive self-hypnosis “right in the fragment”, changing both the emotions and their crayons!

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

You have many emotional visitors that are specific only to you. We all have negative, as well as positive ones. We all have “parts of ourselves” that we prefer to hide. Emotions that stay in the dark are headed for trouble in the future. It is important to become self-aware, to disassociate from the child-emotion, as well as to provide re-education to this part of your self.

There is no room for guilt or shame. Some of these emotions were given to you when you were very young, others being composites that developed to aid you in some way during your life journey to this point in time. Learning to know the shades of your self in this way is very powerful. They are key to high level health & performance in all areas of life.

Here you are learning to disassemble emotional mind states. It is much easier to manage emotions through the practice of interactive awareness & self-hypnosis. Observe the crayons as well as naming or isolating the emotion. The crayoning represents your mindset. These can be imaged as hats that you agree to place on your head. You know that you do have the freedom to remove any hat that doesn’t benefit you. If in real life you noticed you were wearing an inappropriate hat, or one that was too tight, too big or even un-becoming, I'm sure that you would not hesitate to take it off. You can do the same with any emotional mindset-hat. I'll show you how in the next part of this blog workshop...

Inner Theater Activity

2006-09-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

The more you practice, the better you get & the better you get, the healthier you become..... now & in the future.... 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.

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

The more emotions you can spot, the better for you. Make it a life-game. Look for them in yourself, as well as in others. See them in a detached way, as children wearing tee shirts. Some work well for you, while others do not. Remember, they come in different strengths, so stay awake. Playing with images in this way will not only empower you, but will help you in your relationships with others.

When you actively practice disassociation, you separate the emotions in other individuals as well. Then you can program your mind to see the higher parts of that person, as well as the separated negative emotions, making it easier to handle conflicts and negotiations.

In your interactive awareness practice, move into the mind position as writer/ producer/director of your own life. You can begin to listen to the inner chatter of your emotional visitors, just as if they were on a radio station. Truly pay attention to what’s being said in as much detail as possible. Do this during banking & fractionation, as well as when you are out in the workshop of the world. Don’t be concerned if you can’t name the emotions involved. They will become clearer as you proceed with this work. Remember your writer/producer/director self does not judge, but is simply a keen observer & a good one at that.

MIND PROGRAM

You might like to place an additional mind program here. It’s not necessary to go deeply into trance to place this mini program. You can do so in any momentary fragment. Slow your brain waves a bit with a yawn breath, sitting deeply into your chair. As you tilt your eyes up, locate the mind screen, placing an image of a judge on the screen. Now place a big X over the judge, noticing as you do, the judge gently diminishes. You have now indicated to your subconscious mind that this is not a “judging experience.” In the future all you need is to be aware that your judge is present. You are free to decide if this emotion benefits you or not. If not,simply notice the image diminishing.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

There is much to learn from self-observation of inner chatter. You already know that these are your thought processes, but they are much more than that. Each thought moment fragment is an actual subconscious mind goal program. Your subconscious mind sees & hears everything as if it were true & goal material. If you allow the thought processes to play out as they do on automatic pilot, they will be seen by the subconscious mind as your chosen goals & that is not the end of it.

Your subconscious mind is like a radar or servo-mechanism. It will serve you in a special way by actually finding other programs in your subconscious mind library that will support this, then will go outwards into the world, bringing back more information to support your thought moment fragment. This is great, as long as you are playing thought programs about things you want, but if you are not, you are going to get exactly what you don’t want & you are about to get a lot of it!

As you practice spotting thoughts also try to spot the body sensations that play simultaneously with the thought fragments. Notice where you feel them in your body. Where does anger sit? How about annoyance? And happiness? This is a very important Interactive Awareness skill to develop. Think about it for a moment. If you know what emotions cause your body stress & non-stress reactions, you can work to diminish or enhance them, but you can also do more than that.

Once you learn Creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis you will be able to spot the mind programs BEFORE they begin. Your subconscious mind works with the speed of lightening, enhancing your intuition.

MIND EXERCISE

You already know where your mind screen is located. After reading through this exercise, close your eyes & tilt them up about twenty degrees .... wait for the show to begin. Today you had many experiences. These are now memories and are stored in your subconscious mind library just like movie films. They even have frames. These are the moment fragments. Your mind screen plays these all day long. You know them as your thoughts. Some movies you play over & over. Remember that your subconscious mind is like radar, working to bring your goals towards you.

On the inner mind screen bring up a memory that happened today. Any one will do. Now position yourself as the producer/director and look carefully at the scenes as they play out. Notice the emotional visitors that are hanging around the scene. See which ones are standing close to you, observing the crayons that are coloring the experience. Are they helpful or hindering? If there is someone else in the scene with you, have a look at their emotional visitors and crayons. What’s going on between your emotions and theirs? Listen to the sound track.
Now let’s practice exchanging emotions. I’d like you to call in one of your more positive powerful emotions, asking your lesser one to leave for now. In the future you will learn how to heal that particular emotion, but for now just observe that one leaving. Now observe how things change.

Go ahead & clear the mind screen, bringing up an experience you had lately concerning your disorderly eating or addictions. Position yourself as writer/producer/director, allowing yourself to sink deeply into the detachment. Allow yourself to feel really great about your new position. Focus on the scene and observe it playing out. Pay attention to the emotions that are present and how they are coloring the experience. Listen to the sound track. Does it sound familiar? Is it one that you play frequently? Is anyone with you or are you alone?

Now halt the action and edit the scene. Decide which emotions you will ask to leave & which ones you will invite in. Once you have everything just the way you want it, allow the scene to continue playing out. You have just successfully edited a subconscious mind program. It’s a good idea to play these newly edited versions several times, especially before you to go sleep when the brain waves are very slow & the subconscious mind is like a sponge.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Emotions tend to barge in on our mind & body functioning, looking to take charge. We have emotional states that hang out regularly in different parts of our lives. In a later chapter you will be setting up your mind containments for these areas.. This will help you to spot the emotions in the different areas. You are learning that it is important to keep a watchful eye on emotions, making certain they are assisting in a healthy way.

If you are working with addiction or disorderly eating, you already know that you have an entire busload of emotions that travel to the supermarket, restaurants, parties, even showing up in the middle of the night with their crayons. As you get better at practicing awareness & interactive self-hypnosis, you will stay in the driver’s seat.

Emotional Crayons

2006-09-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

No matter what you want to do in life, it is imperative to have good emotional management skills. While these don't come easy, it is more than worth the time to develop this aspect of your self-care. I'm often asked how long it takes to change. My answer is this.....no time at all. You can change right now in this moment.... 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.

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Modeling High Level Achievement

WORKING WITH IMAGINOLOGY

Let me suggest some simple, but powerful images for managing emotions. This is the third step of this program. Here we are working with imaginology or active imagery, picturing emotional states as little children wearing tee shirts with their names on the front.

Each child-emotion has their own personalized box of crayons for coloring moment- to- moment experiences. This type of active imagery invites you to disassociate from your emotional state, be it positive or negative. As you separate from the child-emotion, you become your adult-self....the leader. From this position of self-leadership, you are able to image, as well as physically sense what is going on in any given moment, in your thoughts, as well as in your body communication system & how these connect to the child-emotion. Now, instead of an automatic pilot program with its attached emotions dictating your actions, you are taking your rightful leadership position as the writer-director-producer of your own life, deciding what you want, as well as what you don't want.

From this self-leadership position, you are in the perfect position or mind-state to edit old subconscious mind programs, including the re-education of your emotional mind states. We'll practice this in a moment. This is all key in bringing order to your life, managing addictions & disorderly eating patterns. In the past, before you began paying attention & disassociating from your child-emotion, you simply lit a cigarette, poured a cup of coffee, or put a piece of candy in your mouth in answer to stored or momentary stress.

The art of disassociation also makes it clear that you are not your emotions. They are outside or separate from you. For most of us this is a tremendous relief. This view allows us to forgive ourselves, as well as to have some self-compassion. Emotions are simply a part of us that needs management, even if they are acting out in a positive way. You'll come to understand more about this later on.

Remember, emotions color experiences all day long. Sometimes the colors work well & other times not so well. On occasion the crayon colors may be too heavy, other times too light. And if the child-emotion holds the crayon too tight, or presses too hard, the crayon can break. You might experience this as a complete loss of control of your emotional self.

MEET ELAINE

I’m Italian & from the time I was a baby, everyone around me was highly emotional. My base-line emotions tend to be quite high. When my food is out of order & sugar intake is up, I can feel the intensity of the usual base-line emotions go much higher. I’ve been improving my food intake, but still find that I get into trouble with my emotions. Is it possible to change my reactions?

It’s important to understand that we are not our emotions. Emotions are like visitors who knock at the door. You can choose who enters, as well as the decorum you expect or need in any moment. Remember that each moment is separate unto itself, just like each breath is different from the one before.

MIND EXERCISE

If you were to catch a moment & look at it under a magnifying glass, here's what you would see. There would be a goal fragment, something you want & it would be colored by your emotions. Look closely at these. Some may be positive & goal-supportive, while others may be negative & goal-distracting. The emotional crayons or goal-coloring is interpreted by your subconscious mindas as something you want, even if it is not what you want or working against you.

Go back to the same moment again. Begin to assess. What does your goal look like? See how the fragment fits into the entire goal. It's rather like a puzzle part. Now consider what emotions and/or crayons are best in this moment? You might have to give up some automatic pilot programming if you want the goal. This is maturity & the desire to see your outcomes very clearly.

MIND EXERCISE

Just imagine how much power you have given UP to your emotions over the years & still tend to give!

Think about today.

Can you locate any moment or group of moments forming a remembered experience when your emotional children were in charge & not your mature self? Sit back and view this happening on your mind screen? How would you rate this production? The library of your mind is filled with these experiences.

The good news is that you now know how to release these programs. When you climb up to step four, you will be able to re-edit these, programming your mind for what you want instead.

SUPER PUNCH EMOTIONS

"Super-Punch" Negative Emotional Crayons Include.... Fear - Anger - Sad - Guilt - Shame -Victim

These familiar emotions can be destructive, as well as dangerous to the body & mind. They change body chemistry leading to stress-induced disease states. They also present themselves in disguise, so beware... Keep in mind that they are contagious, infecting your life and those around you.

"Super-Punch" Positive Emotional Crayons Include.... Gratitude - Love - Forgiveness - Compassion - Peace

These are familiar, but often strangers in the middle of our daily stress-collecting experiences. Be sure to hunt them out, actively inviting them into your life. Not only do they feel good, but they also produce healing hormones. You will also find that these are contagious as well, only this is a positive source of infection.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Most of us are not in touch with our emotions, especially the subtle ones. Emotions can present themselves in a clear fashion, making them easier to identify or name, or they can be muted.. Some trigger big physical sensations, while others tend to play under the surface, but they are there if you look.

Some are regulars and play on automatic pilot. Others are new to a particular experience, often surprising you with their outbursts & connected thought patterns.

You can invite emotions through simple conversation, so it is important to watch your patterns. As you begin to notice the emotions you entertain, you may be surprised.

Victim is one of those that is so common place, it reminds me of the flu season. Pay attention to how people tend to moan and groan, even about simple things. Ask the next person you know “how they are doing” Don’t be surprised if you meet up with the victim emotion. Listen to the tonality. It can be quite dramatic.