In order to stop or curtail any disorder or addiction, you need to get all your "ducks in a row." Being over-weight or having an eating issue is only a symptom & while these need to be understood in their own right, it is necessary to go below the surface, to the cause. This holds true for all adictions & disorders. In the book I've written, there is a very big chapter that is dedicated to opening up these underlying, subconscious mind files. When I work with clients in my office, this is always ongoing work & so for my readers, this is also ongoing work. Be sure to have your journal & one that is specific for "inner work." Your subconscious mind is very sensitive & even just opening a specific journal, will invite your mind to share things more easily. Also, be prepared to put aside some real time for yourSelf. This is not "quick fix" work." In fact, you will find yourSelf coming back to this area, time & time again, because as you begin to work with the techniques in this book, your curiosity will peak. It's good to know more, for the more you know about yourSelf, the more you can heal, as well as open to a higher level of creativity & performance in other areas of your life. So, you can now know, that having an addiction or eating issue, can actually benefit you in ways that you probably never imagined.
NOTE TO NEW READERS:
This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.
UNDERNEATH THE DUCKS
While the ducks swim over the pond, what we need to do is to explore the waters underneath. You are already learning that it will be possible to change your lifestyle behaviors. The earlier chapters set the stage for breaking old patterns. You are beginning to understand that patterns have many parts, each part needing attention. In the past, you may have thought of a behavior or pattern as being singular, such as "I'm a compulsive eater", but this particular pattern can have a hundred parts or more. The more awareness you buld, the more parts you fill find & then, you will decide how you want to manage them. Do I hear groans? "This sounds like a lot of work. I just want to lose some weight & keep it off. Why do I have to do all of this? Isn't there another way, one that's not so time-consuming. How long do I have to do these things? When will all of this be over?" As a therapist, this always makes me smile, because remember, I also have disorderly eating issues, so the questions are not foreign to me. I've heard them hundreds of times, from others as well as playing in my own thought processes.
Here's the truth. The more you explore the water beneath the ducks, the easier it will be to change permanently. Yes, this does take some time, but remember, this is about your health, now & down the road. If you don't change now, when will you change? Also, if you continue along the "half-way" path, you will come to know that there is no such thing as "half-way." There are only two routes. One goes towards health & the other goes towards illness. Half-way is like "spinning" on the the pathway towards illness & the more you spin, the deeper the hole underneath your feet. So, in essence, it's important to find the joy in the journey. Then you can stop wanting it to finish quickly. Self-work is truly never finished & hopefully you will come to know that it is a good thing & you won't want to stop.
Let's talk a bit about "spinning." This is a huge time-waster that tends to complicate life. Your own memories can affirm this for you. Here's how. Think of how may times you thought about starting a program to re-order your life in some way? It doesn't have to be about losing weight or controlling compulsive eating, but it could be. Any memory will do. Now, pile those thoughts up in the theater of your mind. How high is the pile? How many minutes, hours or days does this represent? It's time to truly move forward now. Commitment is very important & I suggest that you spend some quiet time thinking about this. In fact, I'm going to suggest that you formally commit, in writing, to move out of your "spinning" position. While this may sound a bit child-like, it is not. Here's an example of what I suggest to my clients. I actually use this for my own self-development work. This is not done in a careless way, but just the opposite, in the form of a respected ritual. We clear the room, dim the lights, become meditative or inwardly still, locating that part of us that connects to our Higher Power or Self. When everything is in place, then we begin.
Statement of Intention & Commitment
I hereby state that I fully intend to work daily to develop my own self-mastery, as it applies to my issue/opportunity of ___________________ & hereby commit myself to doing the necessary learning & work involved. All of my thoughts & mind images regarding my issue/opportunity will be framed in positive, healing frames radiating full success. I commit to respecting, honoring & caring for all parts of my body at the highest level, understanding that they are a part of me & represent how I choose to see & respect myself.
I also commit myself to raising my desire in this regard, fully understanding that this desire will transmit to many other areas of my life.
Signed_________________________ Dated ____________________
Well done. Writing commitments are very powerful mind suggestions. Your own subconscious mind is now ready to work in your behalf & will not only remind you of your written words, but will find many ways for you to succeed, perhaps some you never even thought about on a conscious level. You are on your way.
KNOWING THE DUCKS
Here are some of the lifestyle behavior patterns that need to be addressed. These include, food choices, meal timing, serving sizes, snack choices, snack time, exercising, sleeping, excess habits, stress building habits & mood choosing.
There are many areas of lifestyle behaviors that are on automatic pilot. The areas above represent only some of the areas. It helps to imagine that each automatic pilot area has a separate folder in your subconsicous mind. As you work through the area of the book called "Personal Assessment", you will opening these folders & be able to research the many aspects of the automatic pilot program. Some aspects may need to be deleted, or mind-edited in some way. Other parts may appear to be fine, but it's a good idea to review these anyway. Your Therapeutic Self, aided by your now friendly, Unbalanced Self, may have some suggestions to make these even better. While automatic pilot has some benefits, it also has drawbacks. When you are not fully awake or engaged, you give up your rights ot observe, assess & manage your thought processes. Remember, thoughts are goals & whatever you play in your mind becomes your goal for that moment. Many people with eating issues, myself included, tend to eat blindly, not even realizing what's going in their mouth. This is a "spinning" behavior & one that needs to be brought to the surface & managed.
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Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author.
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.
http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers.com
