Lifestyle changes needed for conquering disorderly eating and managing addictions are like taking a journey. First comes the decision, the commitment to the journey, followed by the planning. Next comes the unfolding of experiences. We enjoy some parts, detest others, sit in amazement as the unexpected takes on a life of it’s own. As we look with soft eyes, it is clear that each experience carries with it, the gift of knowledge.
We tend to be asleep more than awake. If we practice waking up more frequently, the number of experiences will mount. Since each experience carries the gift of knowledge, our goal is to stay awake as much as possible, working to unraveling our past experiences along with the new. Of course, looking for the gifts, for they are there in the vault of the subconscious mind.
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 t we know will benefit us. For example, you might request the 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 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 chapter 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 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.
Mind Exercise – Accessing Your Wide Screen Television
Everything that you ever experienced is recorded in your subconscious mind in an orderly fashion, but in order to review it you must utilize some sort of a containment or tool. As you become familiar with the workings of Interactive Self-Hypnotic Tools you will be able to call them forward to work in the moment, as well as in deeper trance states. The wide screen television and the VCR are containments for viewing subconscious files. In our work all subconscious files are considered video tapes that are designed for you to readily apply Interactive Awareness and Self-Hypnosis.
On your inner mind screen place an image of your wide screen television. Locate the VCR and the portable hand controls. Notice the shelves holding the tape collections. The shelves on the left are filled with old tapes, including everything you have ever experienced through any of your senses. While these experiences truly happened, they are all recorded in a particular perception. Some perceptions that are not helpful to current goals may benefit from some editing. Old tapes are also great resources for building resilience and power in all types of goals. Resilience is found in past success, as well as in past failures. Interactive self-hypnosis allows you to alter the marinade of any file, often turning it from a de-motivator into a powerful pro-motivator.
The shelves on the right are filled with future video. Some are blank tapes ready for recording. There are also tapes holding new experiences that haven’t happened as yet. Some you have already programmed through the power of expectations, while others are pre-programmed for practicing different possibilities and experiences. Some of your pre-programs may not be based on negative expectation and therefore not in your best interest. It’s very possible that some include expectations of failure in working with your addiction or eating disorder. I’ll be showing you how to locate and edit these for success.
Mind Exercise – Programming Your Inner DVD
Take a few moments and slow your brain waves. Tilt your eyes up about twenty degrees imaging your wide screen television. Even through the image slips on and off your mind screen, your subconscious mind is aware of what you are doing. Begin by choosing an old DVD, perhaps one that has to do with your disorderly eating, bingeing or addiction. Maybe it is an old eating behavior, or a scene where you are with friends and having a difficult time in making healthy choices. Once you locate the video go deeper down into your relaxed state to help enhance your focus. With your eyes tilted up begin to review the tape on your mind screen. See yourself, noticing if you are alone or with others. Listen to the sound track. Observe the happenings, noticing you can focus in on specific areas, as well as slow down the action.
You are the writer, director and producer of each of your productions. Each video in your collection is a production of yours! In Interactive Self-Hypnosis you can stop any and all productions, be they past, future or present, and change them to benefit your desired outcomes.
You may be wondering how you could possibility benefit from something that has already happened. Keep in mind that everything is recorded through perceptions, and all perceptions can be changed to benefit you. For example, every failure can be seen through new eyes, or a change in perception. Let’s say that you are reviewing the experience of a negative eating behavior. You can edit this quite simply by indicating that you were practicing behaviors that you do not want. You can then bring in new actors to demonstrate what you do want, having them work side by side. Make certain that the correct signs are hanging over each actor’s performance! You can take this a step further by making the undesired behavior a black and white boring affair. Paint the desired behavior in bright colors, moving the stage forward into clear view. You have now successfully edited an old mind program and programmed a new, corresponding behavior that is seen as your preferred choice.
It’s just as easy to work with future video programs. In the last section of this book you will have many opportunities to apply these tools in different ways, but for now choose a blank future tape, placing it in the DVD slot. Relax deeply, tilt your eyes up and locate your inner mind screen. Notice you are coming down the path, looking absolutely great. It’s quite obvious that you are healthy, energetic and relaxed. As you notice your details, turn up the sound. You are about to hear yourself speaking to yourself. Listen to all of the wonderful things that have happened since you began managing your addiction several months ago. Perhaps there are things about your health, your relationships, work and even your prosperity. Notice someone else is coming down the path. This individual is somewhat older, but certainly just as healthy and energetic. This is your self from five years in the future, also looking forward to sharing even more wonderful things that have happened since sticking to your new program and lifestyle changes. You can even future pace this further by having another future you appearing on the scene. Later on in this book you will be working more with Interactive Self-Hypnosis Future Pacing Tools.
If you have pre-programmed future outcomes and would like to edit them, follow the same system as you did for past programming. Remember, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference. Simply direct and produce the outcomes that you desire just as if you already had them in the palm of your hand because that will become your reality.
A NOTE TO NEW READERS:
This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. 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.
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.
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