Act 2 Scene 1 Compulsive Crazies - Office Candy Jar

Welcome back to the ongoing blog/workshop, based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, 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.

COMPULSIVE CRAZIES IN THE WORKPLACE

This is a good time to move into some of those "Compulsive Crazies." While these can be found in many different areas of life, I'd like to get into those that live in the workplace. These tend to come up when I'm working with my patients or students & certainly they are personal favorites of mine. As I've mentioned before, I've been in "disorderly eating recovery" for several decades now & know the importance of having lots of tools at my fingertips. So, even if you don't personally experience the exact scenes we're going to practice, the tools for management that I'm presenting can be applied to other areas of your life experience. What's interesting about working hypnotically with the subconscious mind is that the inner mind will go to connect similar "mind files", especially if your is clear, focused & emotionally energized. Working subconsciously is like having an "inner coach" spot checking you, bringing powerful suggestions that may have never entered your mind, into your view, with an action plan already in process. On another note, the more you work with your subconscious mind, the more it will work with you & with easier access.

Now, about those "Compulsive Crazies." I would like to entertain that candy jar in the office. If you work in an office, more than likely there is at least one candy jar & certainly a kitchen or snack area. In addition, looking at your office-mates, there may be the donut & cake people, the popcorners, the "let's order pizza for lunch bunch" & the "you have to try this from my kitchen or you are not my friend" groupies. If you are in the minority & work alone....good for you. Your life is bound to be much easier in this arena.

A little side-step here. When we have weight or disorderly eating issues, we tend to think of the problem as singular. That is why it appears to be so difficult to manage. In reality, we are dealing a multi-faceted problem that needs to be managed with a multi-faceted approach. While this might sound overwhelming, it truly isn't & the good news is that once we get one area under good self-management, the other areas tend to follow, just like children, along the new path. So, here we're going to address the "workplace candy jar" & the undisciplined, disorderly emotions that hang out in the workplace.

ACT 2 SCENE 1

THE OFFICE CANDY JAR & OTHER JUNK

As before, please enter "The Theater of the Mind." You already know the way to your seat. If you've been following along, your subconscious mind is already primed for the experiential work of today. Remember, just reading suggestion in a relaxed state is sufficient for programming your mind. The goal is to disassociate from the automatic pilot programs, observe them carefully without judging them, gathering information that may be seen or not seen consciously & then re-writing & re-directing the scene so that it benefits your goals. In this book or blog/workshop, the goal is to introduce & maintain healthy eating behaviors. Of course, these tools can be utilized in other areas of your life "drama."

What's interesting about "office crazies" is that we don't only have to manage our own compulsive issues, but those of others. This means some additional skill building. For me, these are tremendous fun & once you get familiar with them, I'm sure you'll enjoy them as well. Nothing beats being totally in sync with your Therapeutic or healthy, balanced Self. You'll sense the soaring of self-image & self-esteem, as well as gaining self-respect & the respect of others, even though it may not seem so in the moment. As you develop & build your own self-discipline, thereby taking a leadership position, others will begin to follow you. Don't be surprised is this carries over to other work-related areas, opening your career-track. I've seen it happen many times, so why shouldn't it happen for you? This is an example of non-verbal or subconscious communication, having very powerful consequences.

While I'm going to utilize images for the candy jar, feel free to change this image for any others that I've identified, or that you have in your work experience.

READY....ACTION

Focus in front of you now. The curtain opens & you can visualize your workplace. Perhaps you are in your space OR in the space where the candy jar lives. Yes, the candy jar "does live." Inanimate things "live." It helps to think in this way, because as I've mentioned before, the subconscious mind loves being entertained with active-creative imagery. The candy jar speaks out, calling to your actorSelf or others who pass-by or even think about it as they sit at their desks. Yes, you do know that this happens because you've heard it calling you, have you not? No more questions about it being "alive." Your Therapeutic Self is standing by the side of the candy jar & making it very clear about what occurs inside your body & mind, even from one sampling, especially without eating protective protein at the same time. Remember, you already know that there are "safer ways" to eat junk.

Your body systems have decided to enter & to speak to you directly about their concerns. You are reminded of how much junk you have already consumed in your life to it's current moment. The junk pile image is clear. What's not clear is how much "negotiating" room you have before a major disease announces itself. Reminding yourself that killer diseases mount one moment at a time & your clock has been ticking for a long while now. Once a disease announces itself, there may be no turning back to it's non-disease position. In other words, once one enters the door of diabetes, it may be very difficult, if not impossible to return to the state of pre-diabetes again. In this position, one has the opportunity to practice prevention & turn back the clock. So, this is not just ONCE PIECE OF CANDY. It's a life choice decision & not just for you, but for all the "future you's" that follow your "today you." Another thought here...."one piece of candy is never, ever enough." Your emotional states will make certain of that & you can see them all gathered around the candy dish....motivating your hand to come forward & reach in. Of course, your emotions are just kids who only care about this moment & not the moments that follow. They are immature & silly....knowing nothing of diabetes or other serious consequences.

I'd like you to tune into the behaviors of your work colleagues. Perhaps notice how they urge you on, rather like your emotional kids. These people are "unbalanced" in this moment in time. They are acting out on the whims of their own emotional children. They are unaware of what they are doing or even saying. They want you to play their game, which unfortunately is a game of Russian roulette. Each of these people walks the path towards the door of killer disease. No one gets away free...the Piper must always be paid. It's just a matter of time.

I'd like you to go ahead & stop the scene now. Go ahead & re-write the script. Perhaps change the set. Edit the emotions. Dismiss the trouble makers & invite in some powerful, postive, focused emotions. When you are satisfied with what you want to happen, go ahead & re-play the Scene. Your subconscious mind is paying close attention to all details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

Act 1 Scene 3 - Dinner & Dining Out

Welcome to the ongoing blog/workshop, based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, 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/

Here 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.

HEIGHTENED AWARENESS

One of the big benefits of working hypnotically is the ability to call up a "frame" for enhanced focus & clarity. This is accomplished through relaxation, as well as the desire, intention & willingness to look at things even if they are unpleasant. In the theater of the mind we are practicing "disassociation." You & your actorSelf are separate. You are boosted by your Higher Self/Power & are working with your intermediary...your Therapeutic Self. Your relationship with your Unbalanced Self is much improved to the point that this part of you has now become helpful, instead of hiding in the shadow of negative emotions. You are now able to identify many of these child-emotional states, even the bigger ones who incidently are still child-emotions even though they believe that they are in charge. I often ask my patients or students, if they would give their car keys or turn over their financial affairs to a child. Of course not & so we do not turn our lives over to our emotional children.

Just like the scene of any movie or play is different from the next scene, the same goes for the unfolding of your life. Every scene or frame is different. Here we are working with scenes related to eating venues. You have come to know that breakfast is different from lunch & snack. Now you will see that dinner is different from all other meals & depending on the venue, the frame or scene will change. The actorSelf will be harboring beliefs related to the frame. Many of these will be on what's called "auto-pilot." That means that the scene has played out before & so the thoughts & corresponding emotions just know their cues, appearing & acting out, as if the actorSelf were simply asleep or a silent observer.

There are many areas to observe. As you learn more about Heightened Awareness, you will be able to key in to what is present or happening, as well as to what is NOT present or happening. All of this gives you, the writer, director & producer a very wide-scope for change & programming what you want. For example, start to pay attention to the time of day, including what happened in the previous scene. This is especially interesting if the dinner meal comes at the end of a work-day. The emotions & thoughts can be very different than those played out on a non-work day. This is an example of what's present one day & not on another day. There are also things that are never present, so you might practice asking your Therapeutic Self that question. "What are other options for this scene?" Obviously, you are only looking for the positive options! There are tools for working with negative options, but that discussion is for another time.

The other actors who are present in the scene also have an impact on the action of your actorSelf. Many actors are triggers for particular auto-pilot behaviors or emotional reactions. Practicing heightened awareness gives you the "ah-ha" or eureka moments that are key to deep understanding, the precursor of true change. You will be learning different tools for interpretation of the behavior & communication with others, but again, that is for another time. Just know it is "waiting in the wings."

As the writer,director & producer of your life, you have the opportunity to interact with these parts of yourSelf. You are coming to understand that there are reasons for certain behaviors & the presence of emotions. Some of these are valid & others not, but no matter what the reason, you can decide to change the behavior because you are not the same person you were yesterday, the day before or last year. You can choose to let go & to program your mind & body for what you want. This is your leadership role & all the assistance you need is now available to you.

ACT 1 SCENE 3
DINNER & DINING OUT

Since this is a blog & not the book, space is an issue for me, so let's go ahead & set the scene for dinner at home & then move into a dining out venue. Keep in mind that each venue is a different scene with it's own auto-pilot programs. While this may seem a bit over-whelming, once you get used to working with your mind in this way, it will become easier & actually entertaining.

READY - ACTION

You are in position as the writer, director & producer. The curtain opens & you recognize the home dinner scene. Notice your actorSelf & details of the environment. It's important to pull into as many details as possible. This enhances the focus & clarity, so take time & look around the room. Notice who is preparing the meal & the energy that is present. Separate negatives from positives. Your Therapeutic Self is present, but is just observing, along with your Unbalanced Self. The Theater of the Mind is an educational tool for change & you already know that your Therapeutic Self is your positive transition Self. Now focus on the emotions that are present. Clarify which are helpful & those that are not. Remember not to dismiss any of them too soon. They have valuable information for you & you will want to glean that while they are still relaxed in their activity. You lead from a position of quiet assertiveness & balance, never threatening or punishing. Since this scene is about food choices & behaviors that surround those, have a look at what's present, as well as consider what's missing. You can now hear the thoughts playing in the mind of your actorSelf.

When you are ready, go ahead & stop the action. Now go ahead & direct the changes.Make the scene exactly as you would like it. Take your time. Take care of all aspects. If emotions need to exit, simply ask them to do so. No need to shout. That's not leadership. And now, go ahead & have the scene re-tell itself. I'd like you to practice this exercise with eating dinner at home, as well as dining out. Remember, you may have many different venues, so in the future, plan to review each of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

Theater of the Mind - Act 1 Scene 2

Welcome to the ongoing blog/workshop, based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, 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/

Here 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.

In our last session, we worked directly in the Theater of the Mind. You found yourSelf in the highly regarded position of "writer, producer & director" of a scene depicting you having breakfast. Your actorSelf was present, along with some of your "breakfast-appearing emotional states." This was your first opportunity to work inside the "mind theater" & to personally direct those parts of you that either help or hinder. Uncovering or identifying emotions is key to high level health & achievement. I hope that you noticed how you are respected from this position. Neither emotions nor actorSelves argue with the "writer, director, producer." You are totally responsible & in charge & that is how it should be. You are now learning the mind-editing skills involved with original Interactive Self-Hypnosis & will build on these as we go forward. You are learning that you have the respect & power to change just about anything into what you want. Your opportunities are limitless.

Before we enter Act 1 Scene 2, I'd like to suggest some other mind-editing & mind-expansion tools for you to utilize, not only here, but in other areas of your life. Here you are practicing "reading self-hypnosis". As I write this, I'm practicing "writing self-hypnosis" because I'm writing this from the "theater of my own mind." You are coming to learn that there is no need to be deep in trance while programming changes, but just to be well-focused & directed as I am doing here with you. Your actorSelf, Therapeutic Self, Unbalanced Self & all emotions have important information they can share with you. Even your inanimate objects, such as your refrigerator & even the food or beverage you consume, has messages for you. All you have to do is ask for the information. In the next practice, I'll invite you to do just this.

ACT 1 SCENE 2 - LUNCH & SNACKS

Enter the theater as before & take your same seat. It's always a good idea to take the same seat because your subconscious or creative mind will respond in a positive way to this. The mind already knows that you are writing, directing & producing from this seat & so it will go directly into this mode. Your microphone is already present, as is your mind-notebook. You can feel the seat underneath you actually enhancing your trance-power.Each time you sit here you will be further enhanced & therefore more powerful, efficient & effective.

READY - ACTION

The curtain opens. Your actorSelf is on stage. To the side you can see your Therapeutic Self & Unbalanced Self. They are not participating, but just observing your automatic pilot programs. The scene is set for lunch. Perhaps you eat lunch in more than one place, so you will be able to practice with the variety of places, but one at a time. You might notice that your emotional states will change with the venue. This may be because of peers being present, or just the venue invites different automatic pilot behaviors. Let's have a look as your actorSelf plays out lunch in your first venue. As before, pay attention to the action, the choices, the emotions, the thought's that flow through the mind of your actorSelf & the messages delivered by the particular emotions. Notice which ones are helpful & others that are not. You did all of this before in your "breakfast scene."

Now, before asking for changes, I'd like you to interview your actorSelf. Feel free to ask whatever comes to your mind. Don't hesitate. You are the writer, director & producer & so you will always be respected & the truth is yours to know. That's simply the way it is. When you have finished with this interview you might like to interview a few of the emotions. Find out why they are there & what is their purpose. You may be surprised to find out that even negative emotions are trying to be helpful. I like to ask the emotions "what they need". You might be surprised at these answers as well. Now, ask your Therapeutic Self to tell the emotions what is needed to help you improve your health & move towards your goal. Then, ask for their cooperation & commitment. If you like, have a chat with directly with the food or beverage. Be creative & don't hold back. Now, as writer, director & producer, decide what you want to change here. Go ahead & make that happen. Call in the stage hands, the script writers, etc. Observe all of this being accomplished at your direction. When you have finished, go ahead & review the scene, start to finish. Please do this for all lunch venues & then you can move to formal snacks. Later on we'll deal with walk-by, undisciplined snacking or bingeing. When you are satisfied with the outcomes of your work in Act 1 Scene 2, go ahead & close the curtain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

Acting Out in the Theater of the Mind

Welcome to the ongoing blog/workshop, based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, 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/

Here 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.

The Therapeutic Self has asked me to introduce a very popular IMAGINOLOGY TOOL that I've designed called "The Theater of the Mind." We'll be utilizing this throughout our work here in the Blog/Workshop, as well as throughout my book. We'll be sitting in the audience, near to the back where we can see all of the action very well. Our position here will be as Writer, Director & Producer. You, the reader, will work directly alongside of your Therapeutic Self, of course guided by your Higher Self who is always present, although sometimes not noticed or called upon, but today that will be different.

Although you will see yourself on the stage, that will be the "actor-you". Remember, you are the Writer, Director & Producer & so you are detached from that part of you. You will also be able to recognize the particular emotional-child-states that are looking to direct your choices, as well as your actions. You will be able to hear all of the commentaries, as well as what's playing your own thoughts. You have been handed a program that contains various scenes that will be presented. I've listed some as example, but you are invited to add others. Some of my own personal scenes include "Passing the Pizza Place", "Inside the Bakery", as well as "The Ice Cream Freezer."

As the scenes begin, you notice that you have a notepad, as well as a microphone. It is from this position that you will be making changes in what you observe. While this may sound like childs-play, it is not, but instead, these are self-hypnotic tools for high level awareness & changing mind-programs. You will come to learn that most of your subconscious programs or behaviors are on auto-pilot, making them more difficult to catch & edit. Each time you participate in a negative-based mind program, or entertain an emotion that is disorderly, that particular act, behavior or habit becomes etched. When mind programs are etched over & over again, they not only become deeply ingrained, but even more importantly, the subconscious mind believes that this is what you truly want. Unfortunately, the subconscious mind cannot judge & so the mind believes that this is what you want....your goal of choice. And, this being so, will actually work hard to make it come to fruition for you.

ACT 1 - SCENE 1 - BREAKFAST

READY - ACTION

The curtain opens & the scene is set in your kitchen or wherever else you have your breakfast. Pay close attention to the details. Notice if the table is set in anticipation of this important meal. What exactly is happening. Notice yourself walking around, making preparations, perhaps cooking or opening the refrigerator. How are you dressed? What is your mood? How about your level of energy? Are you relaxed or tense? The more details you can bring forth, the better. Pay attention to any emotions that are present. Remember, they appear like children wearing teeshirts with their names on the front. Keep in mind that there are two general classifications of emotions....helpful & not helpful. In other words, positive & negative. You are now getting a better handle of your breakfast scene. Now notice that you can hear your thoughts & actually feel your energy. You can also identify any stressors being played out in your body. These come from the emotions that are present with you. Remember the DVD's? They're playing out in your thought processes & passing the embedded hormones directly into your body systems. Just sit back & listen as the scene plays out. You can make mind-notes if you like. In a moment, you will be using your microphone to re-direct, but it's a good idea to watch a good segment of the scene before interrupting. The subconscious mind loves to present freely, so give it the opportunity to literally spill the beans.

OK....when you are ready, decide what you would like to change. Remember, your goal is to build a very healthy lifestyle, one that will support weight loss, if that is on the agenda, as well as weight maintenance. Earlier on you learned that in order to practice high level health, many areas need to be in balance & this is exactly how you get to do this....right here in the "Theater of the Mind." Your microphone is on & go ahead with your directing....producing exactly what you want. Perhaps you need the stage hands to make healthier foods availaable or even clear out the cupboards & fridge, especially if disorder reigns in an eating area. Now bring your attention to the emotions that are present. Who do you want to leave & who to do you want to bring in? Go ahead & direct that. If you noticed that you need more time, change the clocks....have them run slower. Remember, this is self-hypnosis & that is possible. Attention now to the script. What sort of thoughts have been playing out in the "actor-you"? Are these helpful? Not helpful? Go ahead & re-write this right now & direct the "actor-you" to present those changes so you can review them. Take your time & make this scene "exactly as you like it." Anything & everything is possible here. When you have finished, observe the scene in it's entirety & at the end, the curtain will close. You have now re-edited a very important program in your subconscious mind.

In the next Blog/Workshop we'll work with lunch, snacks & dinner, as well as with some of the other scenes including The Restaurant, The Shopping Cart, The Party, Out With Friends, Binge Foods, Peer Pressure & The Office.

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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