Saturday, November 07, 2009

Stress Meets Disorderly Eating



We always begin to change from where we are, but we always seem to be in so many places at the same time that it feels overwhelming, often making it difficult to push through and to begin. We get caught up in our health, relationships, work and home to name just a few, not knowing what to do first. They all seem to flow into each other, but this is an illusion because they are all separate. In order to see their separateness, we have to slow the mind down, be in positive expectation and willing to look closely. The tools you are learning here allow you to slow down so you can look at specific areas, while working inside them. Here you are learning how to separate the areas of your life, set goals in each, manage the emotions both helpful and non-helpful in each area, while programming for success.

Disorderly eating behaviors, in fact disorderly patterns in general, are the result of unresolved or unreleased stressors. You already know that some of these patterns go back to infancy, perhaps even genetically inherited. In this area we are going to explore your history of unhealthy "dieting." You will come to understand that any manipulation of food or beverage intake will be considered "dieting." But first, we'll open the mind to the prodromal stressors, many of which you will find to be related to "dieting" behaviors, both big & small.

OPENING STRESSORS - MIND EXERCISE



This "awareness box" will help you to locate and label your stressors. The images that come to mind as you spend time with the box will be yours and yours alone. No one's stressors are the same as anyone else's and that's important to remember. No matter how well you know someone, even a family member, the stressors will be different. Even the idea of walking in their shoes will not give you this liberty. Think about that for a moment....hopefully it will bring you to a higher level of compassion, not only for others, but for yourSelf as well.

Let's get started. Take a few moments to relax deeply in your chair. Invite your belly breath to rise and fall in your lower abdomen. Go ahead and ride it. Now, image your thoughts slowing down as if you were approaching a cross road where your attention is needed, for indeed it is.

In order to get started it helps to know how you view your current stress levels. What areas of your life are most stressful for you? Do you have any insights as to why this is so? Even if you don't know, those stressor images may demonstrate to you now. Remember, when you ask a question from the position of "deep relax", the subconscious mind will answer. Let's turn the coin now and notice what areas are the least stressful and look to your insights as to why. As you work with these observations, be sure to take advantage of your personal journal. Your subconscious mind will assist you in opening those areas that are important for you to know and manage.

WEIGHT & DIET HISTORY

I suggest you relax deeply as you enter each area of exploration. Practice separating all areas with quiet moments. You may be over-weight or not. You may even be under-weight. Sugar addiction and disorderly eating problems run the gamut and your focus is to enter the honesty center and know where you are. Only when you are in full awareness, can you work to change. Change is all about seeing the small facets. Often times they hold the key to the bigger changes. Just like in the study of physics, one has to get the ball to roll. So the question up for review is this. Have you ever been on a diet or purposefully altered your food intake?

CLAIRE" "I’ve always dieted whether I was fat or skinny. It was all my friends and I ever talked about. In fact, I think I’m addicted to dieting and wonder how I’ll get along without it? When I think like this my self-esteem goes right out the window."

Claire brings up some very good points that need addressing. How many times have you done this and at what time in your life? Look back to your early childhood and see if you can see the beginnings of this, and then zoom up to the teen years. Who were your teachers in this subject matter? We are such a food-body focused society and very young children are falling under the media spell as well. These are indeed dangerous times. Notice if these behaviors are tied to having children, sex, marriage, jobs or something someone told you.

How did you do this? What types of diets did you experiment with? Be sure to regress back to early childhood here as well. Sometimes we followed our peers, or older siblings. In teen years it was often friends or the current craze. Remember your body had to adjust to these eating changes and what you may be experiencing now is the culmination of all those attempts at weight loss. It truly helps us to own this information. We can then let it go and move on to healthier ways of managing our body.

What were the results, both long term and short term? What did you actually experience from these experiments? Did you feel successful or did you see yourself as a failure? What did you learn here. These are all subconscious mind programs and it is very important to examine them and the beliefs that are held in those files.

How did you feel body-wise? Describe how you saw yourself in your mind's eye. Do you take yourself apart and judge in this way? Do you frequently think about how other's see you and do you make changes based on these thoughts? Are there parts that you like more than others? Mind words are very important, for they are subconscious mind programs and are linked to many other areas and show up as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-image and a host of others. They work to measure our abilities to take on new challenges and to build relationships. Spend time here uncovering and unlocking. If you feel uncomfortable about writing these things, notice that and make certain that your work is kept in a place that is held confidential.

How did you feel emotionally? Go back to visit these times. If your emotions were coats, hold them up so you can see them clearly. If you have difficulty seeming emotions clearly and putting a name to them, you might want to open to the area of the book called "emotional crayons". As you work through this book you will not only find spotting emotions to be much easier, but they will no longer overwhelm you. So for now, work to examine your emotional self. Sometimes we get teary when doing this work. This is just a form of releasing by the subconscious mind. Give yourself a moment to center and then return to the work at hand. Sometimes we fear our unknown emotional self and this keeps us literally locked up in our own private jail. This work is about uncovering the jailers and leaving the prison permanently.

Did you develop any new behaviors during these experiments? Sometimes we leave experiments, but still carry some behaviors with us. For example, an individual may stop bingeing, but become very rigid in food matters by sticking to such a strict discipline that doesn't allow for spontaneity. A good way to find these behaviors is to regress back and keep a current window open on the mind screen. Ask the subconscious mind to place any old behaviors that you carried forward into the current window. This will keep you from blocking memories as they rise to help you.

Why did you stop each experiment? What happened? Be as specific as possible. All memories hold resilience or power. You are learning how to open stored memories and retrieve important information that can heal the past and pace the future. Take time with this work. These questions will also show you areas of motivation, or tendencies to lead or follow. While you are working with sugar addiction, do know that behaviors carry over to other areas of life. Getting to know yourself at this level is invaluable.
It’s important for you to know that it is possible to free yourself from all of this mind clutter and to truly be healthy once and for all.

CLAIRE: "Is it enough to change eating behaviors or must I exercise as well. In the past exercise seemed to make me even hungrier and wanting more sugar. Is it possible to stop this crazy cycle?"

What Claire has experienced is not uncommon. Think about yourself as if you were a car engine. You need fuel and the amount is determined by how far you are going. The body works the same way, but if you have a tendency towards sugar addiction, you body needs very specific fuel to meet your exercise needs.
You may enjoy exercise or not. You may exercise even if you don't enjoy it or not. Finding patterns is helpful to making change. Some people start and stop quickly before achieving their goals. They tend to fizzle out. This is a mind program. Remember that you cannot change what you don't see. You have already been practicing regression or going back in time to visit memories. As you practice regression and open files about exercising from the time of childhood, you will locate problem areas as well as powerful resources. All of this information will be useful as you work through the program.

When regressing, take some time to interview your early selves. Just as if they were sitting in front of you, find out what they like about their exercise. What do they feel when they do it? Is there anything they would like to change about it? Simply listen.

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

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Addiction Two Step



Research shows us that individuals born into anxiety-prone families of origin, continue to have the same experiences and seem to have genetic links to certain addictions. It's interesting to note that addictions appear to be connected, with the physiological reaction to sugar and sensitivity to refined carbohydrates being the underlying addiction. It is common for individuals to migrate between different addictive substances and behaviors, especially when stress becomes unbearable.

Going towards and participating in excess or addiction is how the individual releases the stress. Therefore it is very important to understand the self- addictive mechanism and how it works before one can work to disassemble it. It's also good to know that one can become fully addiction-free, if they are willing to partake in the disassembling and the building and execution of new stress-reduction systems. Each person will need their own tools and systems of support to stay free over the long haul.

The desire to consume sugar and junk foods is a multi-faceted problem that needs addressing in each and every one of these. The actual desire can be so strong that the individual experiencing it may experience a total lack of control or compulsion to act. Some report this as an "out of body experience" and may even joke about it, but there is nothing funny about a body physiology that is out of hormonal balance. In fact, this imbalance closely resembles an impaired drunken-state.

Patients of mine have described this condition as the big unsolvable mystery of their lives. They question how it is possible to manage work, home, family, but not the compulsion for a candy bar? The answers to this mystery are hidden in these areas:

• Family medical history
• Personal medical history including addictions
• Food preferences and patterns
• Beverage preferences and patterns
• Times of eating, disorderly eating or not eating
• Certain medications including anti-depressants, hormones, cortisone and others.
• Stress-managing behavioral choices and patterns

Knowledge is key in placing your body and mind back in balance. Once the reasons for an imbalanced physiology are uncovered the path is clearer and intervention is possible. Often times, once all nutritional areas are improved, medication dosage can be changed or even withdrawn, but certainly do not make any changes in your medications without discussing this first with your physician.

Many need to be withdrawn slowly and should only be done under medical supervision. It's also a good idea to have a full medical examination and blood work before changing eating habits, especially if you have certain medical conditions or a family medical history that is prone to diabetes and heart disease. Good blood studies also provide a benchmark for your health progress.

Caffeine Addiction

Caffeine is an addictive substance. Even a small amount stimulates the production of insulin and other stress hormones including cortisol. It is so important to understand the concept that what you put in your mouth causes a chemical response inside your body and that these responses also effect the working of your mind. Some responses work for you and others work against you. Some are noisy and others are silent, but they all count, just as if you deposited them in a bank account.

Your skin is a good indicator for certain toxins including caffeine and tobacco. Pay attention to the internal and external messages sent by your skin and other organs as you work to place healthy choices in your body. Saying good-bye to caffeine is important. You may question if you are addicted. Your initial response to the first sentence in this paragraph is a good indicator.

• What was your inner level of resistance?
• What sort of thoughts can up?
• How about the emotions that were triggered?

If your goal is high level health and performance and at the very least you should be looking for ways to decrease your caffeine intake. It's a good idea to keep a daily caffeine log for a week or so. You may be shocked at what you place in your body. Also pay attention to the foods and beverages you are ingesting that have caffeine. Coffee, tea, soda, chocolate are common ones, but be sure to read labels and look for those hidden ingredients.

You already know that we tend to live mindlessly and carelessly. It's time to pay very good attention and to be self-responsible. Start to consider what changes might truly benefit you. Do this even if you sense resistance or blocking, for these are the areas where you need change the most.

Mind Exercise

Decide to take some quiet time for yourself right now or make an appointment with yourself to relax deeply into this exercise. Most of us rush from one thing to another and do not allow ourselves to experience deep stillness or purposeful stress-release. Relaxing in front of the television does not release stress, but actually builds it. Make certain that you will not be disturbed for the next 10 minutes or so. You will decide what is truly sufficient for you in this moment, remembering that all moments are different. When you are ready, tilt your eyes up about 20 degrees and locate your mind screen.

Ask your addictive tendencies to come forward and present themselves. Notice they each have a backpack filled with stressors that were experienced today, as well as old pattern books. Ask one of your tendencies to step forward and to share these stressors with you. Notice how easy it is to pay good attention to what is being presented, as you are now truly detached and willing to see clearly. Notice how many stressors or negative mind-states were self-imposed and therefore, could have been better managed. Let your addictive tendencies know that you are in the process of making changes and their backpacks will be lessened from now on. Continue to be still in this knowing until you are ready.

This mind exercise is one of "intention." It is setting the stage for high expectation and future change. This is a very valuable part of self-hypnotic suggestion, as it builds motivation based on understanding and desire while engaging the subconscious mind in active planning. Your subconscious mind already knows what to do and just needs you to have intention and to relax deeply. Help is on the way.

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

Monday, November 02, 2009

Family Album



Most of us are familiar with the horrors of abuse that can occur in childhood and can understand how such experiences could inflict serious damage in adult life. Hopefully you were fortunate not to have experienced such horrific experiences, but every life story has ups and downs that effect current goals and so it is still very important to review how you were parented. The box at the top contains some family of origin "flavors." If we were to generalize, most parenting styles are mixed bags. I know this is the way things happened in my childhood home. During happy times, life was joyful. When stressful experiences entered our home, it was like the lights went out. There was enormous tension and as a child, I thought if "I tried hard enough", I could keep the environment stress-free & happy. Of course, this was an illusion, but one that cemented itself to me, feeding my need to stay addicted to whatever was the drug of choice of the moment....candy, cookies, chocolate pudding and as I became older...caffeine, amphetamines, downers, alcohol and shopping to name just a few. Keeping my secrets became an important facet of my addictions, making it all the more difficult to become healthy. And, when one's own parent's skills are imbalanced, the child does not learn how to manage her own emotions in a healthy way. So, in order to recover and stay well, one must learn to self-parent those unhealthy behaviors and emotional imbalances.

We now understand that there are two sides to the coin. Unhealthy parenting styles, along with genetic tendencies are closely related to the development of addictions. You already know that certain disease states run in families and are connected to the over-production of insulin that is the physiological under-pinning of physical addiction. It's the old chicken and egg question, but whatever it is, do know that it is possible to become addiction free if you know what to do, have hot desire and willingness to work through the moments, both easy and difficult. We must always be willing to pay the price for optimum health and high level performance. And, nothing happens over-night. We wake up, become aware of what is, own our reality, devise a multi-faceted plan and go forward. On occasion we fall off the bicycle, but each fall wakes us up even further, helping us to become more cognizant of where we have been and what we've collected along the route. Then we can decide to either let things go or keep them. We are now in charge of our own lives.

CLAIRE'S QUESTION

"Just about everyone in my family of origin, as well as my extended family had unhealthy behaviors. Everyone was addicted to something. Since this was all I learned during my growing up years, is it possible for me to change now at the age of 36?"

While Claire had many unhealthy mentors, she certainly can change how she parents herSelf. It will take some new learning and a dedication to the process. Claire needs to understand that if she doesn't choose to change, things will not stay the same. The body and mind are always progressing, either towards health or illness.



MIND EXERCISE


Relax deeply and go inward easily as before. Take time to look closely into the many childhood chapters and notice the health issues of family members, yourself, as well as the emotional clothing worn by others and your child-self as you travel the time line. You might see the name of the emotion on the clothing label. Remember, awareness is key. Once you see something, you get to choose to keep it OR release.

• Were there family members with diseases related to addictions?
• Was there any fear either physical or emotional?
• Look at the labels in your emotional coats and make some notes about them. They
will be useful later on in your work with your Therapeutic Self.
• What sort of emotional coats were worn by those responsible for your care?
• Now look to the emotions/behaviors of your parents. Was there alcoholism, abuse,
cruel or unusual punishment, emotional neglect or psychological abuse?
• Were you nurtured on your time-line?
• Did anyone teach you how to manage your emotions and stress?

Observe if the parenting style included anxiety, criticism, rigidity, over-protectiveness, reversal of parent/child roles, performance related approval, denial of feelings or perhaps family secrets. These are all important keys to the unfolding of your present and future life and you may want to do some hypnotic editing in these areas, either with the help of a psychotherapist or by yourself if you feel you comfortable.

• Just as if you were reading a book about you, notice how you managed when things
were not going your way or when you were fearful?
• Were there any compulsive behaviors or addictions that were utilized?
• What was the response of your caregivers to your stress management tools?
• Allow your pen to flow the subconscious messages onto your paper.

This is a good moment to make some notes about your thoughts. Your subconscious mind is very involved in what you are learning and is busy bringing your attention to things that are especially important to you. Pay attention to your thoughts as you read through this material.

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