Awakening

In order to stop or curtail any disorder or addiction, you need to get your ducks in a row. The disorder or addictions are the symptoms, and while they need to be understood in their own right, it is necessary to go below the surface to the cause. This holds true for all addictions and disorders. This chapter is designed to help you to accomplish this. Be sure to have your journal. 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 and time again. Patients often ask me when “all of this” will be over. This always makes me smile, as that question is not foreign to me. It is important to find the joy in the journey. Then one can stop wanting it to finish quickly. Self-work is truly never finished, and hopefully you will come to know that is a good thing.

You are already learning that it will be possible to change your lifestyle behaviors. The earlier chapters set the early stage for breaking old patterns. You are beginning to understand that patterns have many parts, all needing attention. In the past you may have thought of a pattern as being singular, such as disorderly eating, but this particular pattern can have a hundred parts or more. The more awareness you build, the more parts you will find. Then you will decide how you want to manage them. As you look at the negative parts, you will locate some huge time wasters many that tend to complicate life. Your own memories can affirm this for you. Here’s how. Think of how many times you thought about starting a program to re-order your life in some way? 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? These re-starts are not only time-wasters, but they re-etch failure, thereby making a new pattern for your collection.

You already know that these mind and body tools will also take you towards optimum performance, if you work with them in a consistent way. It’s one thing to have a tool, but quite another to know how and when to utilize it. This is just like purchasing a tool in a hardware store. You know why you bought it, but you still need to read the directions to become familiar with it. Once you are familiar, then you are ready to use it. Most tools, like the ones you are given here, are multi-purpose, and can be utilized in many areas of life. As you get to know yourself better, you will also become aware of the varied uses for the tools.

One of the basic tools of this program is called Heightened Awareness. It involves becoming very aware of specific behaviors, the emotions that color them, as well as the connected body sensations. Remember that you cannot assess or change what you cannot see, nor what you are not willing to see. This is key. Many behaviors and emotional reactions are very ingrained. You may know them as part of your personality or "just the way you are". This is perfectly fine as long as they are not interfering with the quality of your life experience and health.

Unfortunately, for many of us, our behaviors and emotions tend to do just that and more. They are infamous for robbing creativity and smashing possibilities for prosperity in all areas of life. You don't have to look far to know how true this is. It's easier to see this in others, but self-awareness and healthy self-assessment is quite another matter. When looking in the “self-disclosure mirror” it is difficult to honestly see ones self and even more difficult when one doesn't know what to look for. This is where the power of personal assessment comes to help and guide you.

GETTING READY TO SELF-EXPLORE

You already know that most of your mind programs are on automatic pilot, woven into the fabric of your life. The subconscious mind is available to help wake you, but you are going to need to know how to communicate with your subconscious mind in a very specific fashion, about what you want, as well as what you don’t want. For this you will need special data collection. This is what assessment is about; collecting data for careful examination without judgment. This opens your mind, giving you the opportunity to decide if you would like to change or mind-edit “your data” before returning it to your subconscious mind library. This is experiential interactive self-hypnosis.

Most likely, you do not know all the things you need to know to make changes in your lifestyle behaviors. Like the octopus, the head of the behavior may be above water, but the tentacles or roots of the behavior are below the surface. You may sense or experience these as blocks, resistance or procrastination. You may want to change, thinking you know what needs to change, but until you identify and own the tentacles below the surface, it will be very difficult or next to impossible. It’s not uncommon to have a physical sensation of being unable to move, just as if your feet were stuck in tar or cement. You may recognize this as anxiety or depression.

In order to move out of the tar, you will be needing additional information that may not be in your current memory bank, but waiting for you in your subconscious mind library. Some of these things will pertain to your family of origin, as well as from your own health, emotional and behavioral history starting from the time you were an infant, and up through this very moment. You will also be reclaiming memory files about your beliefs, how you got them, and whether or not they are blocking your current progress.

Beliefs are like coats, many that were placed on you when you were a child, or perhaps as an adult when you were unaware. Someone who appeared stronger than you in that moment may have forced them on you. But that was then, and now is now. Through this work you are taking back your personal power. You will be choosing only those belief coats that you want to own. This is your life and this is your performance.

You will be guiding yourself with images of what you do want. That is why we must spend time in thinking about this. It's important to review your life and notice the areas, both big and small, that do not reflect what you want, and also to notice areas that do reflect those positive aspects. They need to be divided, just as if you were cleaning and clearing your home. When you have accomplished this, you can enter any area of your Inner Library and start inner exploring. The lights will go on, and it will easier to see in the corners of your belief closet, and the past experiences that are connected to these. When your “subconscious mind librarian” spots something that may be of interest for a self-review, you will find yourself receiving the message. This is rather like having a wonderful personal assistant who is completely attuned to you.

BEGINNING INNER DETECTIVE WORK

The library of your mind is vast. You began collecting subconscious experiences and corresponding belief coats in the beginning of your life, even though you cannot consciously remember these. All coats and experiences, old or new, big or small can hold important information and keys to your success, as well as reasons for past failures. You may have a desire or tendency to rush through this kind of self-detective work. Perhaps you even recognize this as a past behavioral trait of yours. This is a good example of Heightened Awareness. You may have uncovered an unhealthy source that leads to procrastinating or self-blocking. When you spot these tendencies, pretend that they are colored child-blocks, labeled with their name. Place them in a pile over there.

While it's just fine to scan through this material to become familiar, don't fall into the trap of hurrying and not doing the detailed detective work. You will be cheating yourself, taking away from the quality of what you are capable of doing, and perhaps even taking you down past roads of failure. There is no easy road when looking to achieve high level health and optimum performance. If it were, more people would be experiencing it. This program offers you the opportunity to see, and address your short and long falls, as well as your potential. As you build your commitment to this self-development work, you will probably want to review this area more than once, so as to build on the already presented memories.

You probably know plenty of people who want to change something, but simply can’t figure out how or when to get started. Somehow it never seems to be the right time. Excuses abound that keep them engaged in procrastination. Perhaps you have had this personal experience, and are wondering right in this moment if you can do this. This is another colored child-block called "doubt". It usually accompanies "lack of self-confidence."

Do know that this time it will be different than before, because I’m going to help you get started and find your balance. In fact, you are already in the process because you are reading this book. It’s said that when a rubber band is stretched, it never returns to it’s original position, and so with reading material such as this. The actual process of reading engages your right brain, or subconscious mind and so inner motivators are already etching. Notice if you can sense them.

Throughout this inner detective work you will be activating the different areas with a light application of Interactive Self-Hypnosis. Managing health issues, addictions or getting to the heart of any problem involves the act of beginning. You must commit and step onto the merry-go-round of life. Life does not stand and still and wait for you. So reach out and grab on to the golden ring. The ring is the catalyst for moving you out of procrastination, and into the action of the merry-go-round of life. That's all you have to do.

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.

http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.bohorquez
http://www.twitter.com/elizRN

http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers

Pillow Talk

You already know that dreams are gifts from the subconscious mind & here we will work with both waking & sleeping varieties for the purpose of healing and making changes in everyday life. If you haven't read the first blog on working with dreams, it's posted right below this one. I'd like to continue from where I left off.

Following a particular dream, wait a few days, and then taking some quiet time begin this exercise. Allow the mind to empty with interactive awareness, and once you feel the inner shift to a slower brain wave state, begin to ask questions of the subconscious mind related to the particular dream state you are reviewing. There are many ways to do this interview. You can ask direct questions, or ask for further information. You could ask for the information to be provided in an additional dream or quiet time. You could speak directly to the images. For example, if in your dream a green tree was blocking your path, you might ask it, "Green tree, why were you standing in the middle of my path?" "What would you like me to know?" Be sure to have pen and paper available, so you can write the answers as they come. It is not uncommon for dreams to build upon each other, especially as the subconscious mind notices you are interested in accessing information.

We'll work more with dream programming, but first I'd like to welcome new readers..

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.

MIND EXERCISE

Take a moment to relax deeply. On your mind screen image yourSelf falling deeply asleep and waking up in the middle of your own vast subconscious mind. Anything and everything you have ever experienced is here. Help surrounds you, and unlike your awake time, you are totally immersed in the inner library with time no longer being an issue. Feel what it feels like to be completely free of time constraints.

As you roam the bookshelves and other memory holders, feel free to explore all that is yours. Connect with your inner wisdom. You have come to understand how dreams choose to communicate with you, no matter what their genre. There is nothing to fear here, just pure communication and learning. Sometimes you are given dark learning tools and other times you receive lighter versions, some even hilariously funny. It’s easy for you to find what you need here. Dreams and other suggestions come forth. Feel what it feels like to have all these resources at the bottom of your pillow. Take a few moments to return to your awake state, allowing the wisdom and dream experience to stay with you.

You can build skills to help remember dreams. First, dreams must be accepted as important. When something has value, then the mind finds ways to bring that towards you. You could begin by placing some powerful affirmations in you mind during the day, especially in conjunction with your Interactive Awareness work. Active affirmations tend to work best. For example, “My dreams are important to me. I remember them clearly because they are so very important to me.” On the mind screen, bring up images of “importance”. What does importance look like to you? How does it sound? Be emphatic when you place affirmations that have special meaning to you. This is no time to be wishy-washy.

You might go further and place an active visualization of seeing yourSelf dreaming, with the dreams literally entering your memory bank. Think for a moment how you would put that picture board together. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do this work. We are all wired differently, so each one reading this will have a completely different set of pictures, but the meanings remain the same. As you wake up, review your dream bank contents before getting involved in any other activity. Perhaps have a notebook for recording them, or a tape recorder. You might speak them out loud thereby engaging your sense of hearing that will further cement the dream memory into his bank.

MIND EXERCISE

On a piece of paper draw three steps leading up to a big building. The building will work as the symbol for the dream library. Make the steps the width of the building so you have a place to write. On each step place a goal, in this case ask to be free of your particular addiction. For example, if it is sugar you would write, “I am completely free of my addiction to sugar.” You would write this on each step and read it out loud to yourSelf in a firm, but kind voice. Now close your eyes gently, tilt them up and experience yourSelf walking up the steps and into the dream building. Coming towards you is your dream guide, carrying a stone tablet. Examine the tablet and find your words chiseled into it. The dream guide asks if the words are correct and if this is your total desire. Affirm this. You may feel some resistance, but notices that it shrinks and moves backwards out the door. Resistance has no place in the dream building.

You instinctively know to follow the dream guide further into the quiet building. Enterthe area on the right that is outside under the stars. You are directed to your sleeping stone, noticing that it is not hard at all, but indeed very comfortable. Your tablet is placed at your side and you are instructed to observe the night sky. Before long it is morning. The tablet is gone, as is the dream guide. Find your way back and out the door. As you turn and look at the steps, notice that they are clean and ready for the next dream request. Throughout the day you will become aware of the workings of your dream team.


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.facebook.com/elizabeth.bohorquez
http://www.twitter.com/elizRN

http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers

Dream Communicating

Dreams are gifts from the subconscious mind & here we will work with both waking & sleeping varieties. The dream state is a very powerful way to program your mind for change. You already have some of the tools in place for dream programming. Earlier in this book you learned how to practice interactive awareness & daily fractionation. You learned that following a period of fractionation, your mind would be at the alpha brain wave level & simply by tilting your eyes up to about 20 degrees, you could place a goal picture on your mind screen. Goals can be anything you desire & the desire to access or remember dreams is simply another type of goal that you can program during waking states & especially before going to sleep at night when your brain waves are very receptive to suggestion.

Sometimes it takes weeks for suggestions to take hold, but if this is your mission, certainly keep planting the suggestions, preferably following a period of interactive awarenss fractionation. A good idea is to put an affirmation on your desk, or in several areas of your home or workplace. A suggestion for an appropriate affirmation could be, "I remember my dreams clearly." "I wake to remember my dreams." "My dream recollections are clear to me." It only takes 1/200th of a second to flash a "desire image" on your mind screen.

Reiterating suggestions such as these several times a day, coupled with "seeing/sensing yourSelf in your mind's eye remembering dreams easily," & further energizing this affirmational picture with powerful "I Can" emotions makes it clear to the subconscious mind that you do want to remember your dream states & expect it to happen. Following this suggestion or inner command, you may find yourSelf waking in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning as a particular dream finishes. Keep a dream diary or even a simple notepad by the side of your bed for describing images or messges from the subconscious mind. These notes or clues will help to trigger further memories later on. A very powerful time to program the subconscious mind for change is just before going to sleep. This is the time when the brain waves are quite slow, meaning you are nearer to the subconscious library. This is also called the hypnogogic state.

Once again, follow the directions for interactive awareness fractionation. Within five minutes you will begin to feel a shift to a much lower brain wave level. At this point simply turn your eyes upwards about 20 degrees and see an image of your desired, completed goal on your inner movie screen. Enhance it. Energize it. See it in action. And then, place a golden frame around it. Follow with the suggestions or commands you have chosen. Some examples might be, "This is what I want." "This is what I need." "Show me the plan for achieving this end goal." Now, simply go to sleep and allow the subconscious mind to do its work.

We'll work more with dream programming, but first I'd like to welcome new readers..

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.

DREAM COMMUNICATION
You may receive answers directly in the dream state, or they may be forthcoming during the day, or days that follow. Always make certain you provide "quiet time" in your day for receiving answers from the subconscious mind. It is not uncommon for individuals to ask for guidance or information, and then not provide a time when the answers can be received. You should be building quiet time in your days through interactive awareness fractionation periods. Sometimes answers are received in the shower, or other times when you are alone and quiet. Driving without the radio or cassettes, silent walking can provide an excellent opportunity for the subconscious mind to reach you with requested information.
Sometimes we miss important information from our dream states because we do not understand the images. Keeping a dream diary allows one to work with these images, and to obtain further information from the subconscious library. Upon awakening, write down any and all recollections. This is not the time to wonder about their meanings, but to try to get as much information as possible written down.

I'll continue this subject in the next Blog..

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.facebook.com/elizabeth.bohorquez
http://www.twitter.com/elizRN

http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers

Opening Fear

Working with your own inner aspects is truly empowering. Life mySelf, many of my clients arrive at my office fearful of their eating, sugar or carbohydrate addiction. Often, it is linked to other addictions or chaotic, disorderly living, making recovery seem almost impossible. When I met up with Emma, she presented herSelf as a frightened & overwhelmed chidSelf, not the mature woman who ran her own business. This idea of herSelf positioned her in the middle of the roads going towards disease. These fears culminated in the form of a big, black cloud encompassing all of her. Sitting on my "therapeutic chair", Emma was very tentative, revealing just some of her fears & secrets, as if just telling about them would be very dangerous, perhaps punishing her for letting them out.

I'm very familiar with these types of stress-producing mind games. In the past, they were enough to send me straight to the peanut butter jar or ice cream container. It always amazed me how those two particular foods acted like drugs, relaxing me while chasing away the mind monsters. I remember experiencing the dicotomy of wanting & not wanting to recover. As much as I wanted to be healthy, it was simply too frightening. I felt safe inside my addiction where I believed the stories the addiction told me. But, I wasn't safe & will never, ever be safe inside my eating addictions & that's why I've named this book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" The answer is the same as it is for peanut butter, ice cream, chips or whatever is the presenting addiction of the day...there will never be enough to make me happy, safe, balanced or anything else. There is nothing for me inside my addiction. It's just an empty room with bars on the window, with a sound system laughing at me.

Throughout this book I share stories from my patient files, as well as some of my own truths. I never back away from telling my own stories, because I believe that is the purpose of them...to encapsulate learning experiences to help others. It took me decades to get my head on straight in relation to my eating issues & so, I have plenty to share. And, while sharing is a healthy thing to do, the most important part is "how to" change the multitude of things that need to be changed in any addiction.

Addictions are multi-faceted & each facet is actually a Mind Story unto itself. While you can learn & change from listening to my stories & those of my patients, the most powerful stories are already present in your own subconscious mind, waiting to be opened. When a story is opened & you visit inside the pages, you will be rewarded with "hidden treasure." Those treasures are the things you need for your own healing. Some of them will be directly related to your weight or eating issues, but others will be indirectly connected, perhaps even presenting themselves as not being connected, but indeed they will be, for everything is connected.

Sometimes we are afraid to go inside & to look. Have you ever seen a shy child, looking at you from behind her hands. This is the very same part of you that is fearful of what you will see inside the book, but these are the very things that hold the power of your healing. While you might want to work with a therapist, for most of us, we can move past this by disassociating from the child-state & moving into the powerful states of teacher, parent or healer.

There are many different images to utilize for this type of subconscious mind work. For me, I like to take my child-Self by the hand as I sense mySelf inside Higher or Creative/Therapeutic Self, reminding me that the reason I am here on the face of the Earth is to be healthy, to heal & then to bring healing to others. Here we are "not" the child, but the "Higher or Therapeutic Self", a separate being. This is a powerful, sensory image & I'll lend to you if you like. Notice that I'm taking my childSelf along for the learning journey. My goal is to help her to mature by releasing those negative, blocking emotions of fear, guilt & shame. I've taken off her "I can't" shirt. She now wears her " I Am" shirt. I want that strong inner part of me to transmute the maturity & self-confidence of my Higher Self to the smaller & needy childSelf. As she heals, so do my older Selves, right up to the present & into the future.

We'll work more with these images, but first I'd like to welcome new readers..

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.

EMMA'S JOURNEY

"The moment I stepped out of my childSelf, I felt a sense of true release. It became clear to me that I traveled in & out of the child part me as I traveled throughout my day. I was looking forward to uncovering the different facets of my life that were "taken over" by my Child, because knowing how to disassociate, I could then move to my Higher, Creative Self & clean up my life. This inner work was allowing me to look below the surface of my binge & disorderly eating.

BELOW THE SURFACE

I must be honest. I do feel fear at exploring the facets of these issues. I've decided not to use the image of "below the surface", but instead to walk down a beautiful pathway, filled with gardens on each side as Elizabeth suggested. Everything here is of benefit to me & I've learned to sit outside each garden before entering, filling mySelf with light & healing. My weight & disorderly issues began in early childhood & I've always been a fearful person. I'm realizing that each area I enter will need light to disperse the fear that connects to the roots. I see/think myself as a delivery system for the light, rather like a magnificent marble fountain. As I enter separate gardens/facets, I sit quietly, then weed. Next comes the delivery of light. I can sense the release...sometimes big, but often small. I accept what I'm given, knowing that these are the gifts of healing that I've been looking for. There are children in this garden & I enjoy playing with them. I ask them questions & they tell me things I've wondered about. We are uncovering & discovering. New plants in the image of "what I want" are ready to be placed in the warm soil. In the days that follow, I'm keenly aware & energized to change different aspects, knowing the gifts are showing themselves.

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.facebook.com/elizabeth.bohorquez
http://www.twitter.com/elizRN

http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers