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

Belief Coats

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.

HEAVY COATS DON'T WORK WELL

Your Therapeutic Self has noticed that some of the emotions that are related to disorderly eating need to change their coats. Some of their coats are very heavy because they are woven with negative-belief fibers. They are truly weighing the Unbalanced Self down, perhaps making it more difficult to stay motivated & on the path to High Level Health & Peformance. The job of the Therapeutic Self is to stay awake & aware, making necessary changes as we move down the calendar pages. The secret to losing weight in a healthy manner & keeping healthy lifestyles is first, to know what to do & second, to keep doing it. There are many things to learn; not just one. You already know that it's not just about food choices & staying away from the Junk Table. Meal & snack timings, as well as the amount of food needed to fuel the lean body mass do need to be taken into careful consideration, as well as exercise & stress management. These lessons are waiting in the Schoolhouse down the path. We'll be going there soon, but first the Therapeutic Self would like some coat changes to occur.

We all have hundreds or emotional states. Here we are working with Imaginology or Interactive Self-Hypnosis & so we'll image the emotions as children wearing tee shirts with their names on the front. Our job is to identify the specific emotions & then to pay attention to what they need in order to lighten up, if they are negative-based, or to become more powerful, if they are positive-based. Now you may be thinking that you only have negative-based emotions, but that's not so. We all house negative & positive emotions or varying degrees. However, if the negatives are too powerful, then they may appear to block the positive aspects of yourSelf. This is what coat-changing is all about.

Emotions related to disorderly eating are often very specific, especially if eating issues have been a lifetime event, as they were in my own life. I began secret & binge eating around the age of four, so my emotional patterns are very deeply engraved. My life history was one of yo-yo dieting including on-off exercise. Knowing this, you might think that it would have been an impossible task to change, but this was not the case. Once I acknowledged my Higher Self, I worked to strengthen my Therapeutic Self, then allowing me to parent or lead my emotional states to balance, where I could keep them motivated with ongoing Interactive Self-Hypnosis.

EMOTIONS & BELIEFS

On-going failure with trying to lose weight builds those heavy strands woven into the coats. Remember that the emotions have DVD programs that they play in the mind, both consciously & subconsciously. Some of the more common emotions related to eating issues include, fear of failure, sadness, guilt, shame, victim, lack of confidence, procrastination, anxiety, uncooperative, empty, defeated, stuck, uptight & others related to low self-image & esteem. Emotions are also reinforced or re-etched in the subconscious mind by messages sent by the Self, as well as by others. That's why it is so important to learn to listen to your own thoughts, as well as to language that comes to you from others, both verbal & non-verbal. These are all mind programs looking to enter your subconscious mind. In an earlier blog I iintroduced you to the issues of co-dependency. Here we meet up with those concepts again. Other people, perhaps meaning well, trying to direct your life, perhaps motivating in manipulative ways to meet their own needs. Judging, criticizing, skilled put-downs can all re-inforce beliefs about what you can & cannot achieve. When heavily etched mind-programs are hit with this type of negativity, either from others or self-inflicted, then the Unbalanced Self is fed at the expense of the Therapeutic Self.

The good news is that all of the above is correctable. It truly doesn't matter how long you have been playing with those old, sick beliefs. Remember, emotions are simply children waiting for direction & giving direction is not a difficult thing, once you have the knowledge. Now you can see how this all links together. First comes knowledge & then comes direction, followed by motivation.

Here we are working with Imaginology or Interactive Self-Hypnosis. Heightened awareness is part of this practice. Once you are aware of an emotion or a negative-based DVD thought program, you can decide to change it. You now realize that you are not your emotions, nor your thoughts. This type of awareness is called disassociation. It's rather like watching a play with you being the Writer/Director/Producer. In a moment we'll enter the Theater of the Mind & watch some of the disorderly eating emotions acting out.

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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

The Junk Table

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 is actually a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes.

JUNKING OUT

The Therapeutic Self senses that the desire to "junk out" is quite strong. Looking inside the Unbalanced Self, it's easy to see the extent of the bad habits that were formed over such a long time. In addition, the negative emotions that are connected to junk & other poor eating habits are squirming for attention, perhaps threatening by attempting to place "fear of failure" in the DVD of the Self. Since the Unbalanced Self has failed so many times in the past, it's quite easy for the negative emotions to be confident once again. But, not so fast. The past is past & now is now. Things are already different. If you have been following the blog/workshop, many powerful suggestions have already been placed in your own subconscious mind & remember, the mind wants to bring the body in the direction of health. This, in itself, weakens the negative emotional states. The Therapeutic Self also remembers that the Higher Self & Power is always in place. It's just a matter of tuning in, so let's go ahead & do that now.

PAST PATH

The Higher Self knows that fighting with emotions is useless & never takes that route, instead opting for education & strengthening of the Therapeutic Self. This is all accomplished in the theater of the mind, where we are right now & is suggesting that we head down the past Path to visit the Junk Table. Visiting the past is a very powerful exercise because it gives you & your Therapeutic Self the opportunity to learn & even re-program what has already happened. You are reminded that the Subconscious Mind works backwards & so it's possible to re-work just about anything, leaving it in a more positive form.

The path opens & the negative emotions want to run ahead. Since they are not the leaders, it's important to gather them up & instruct them to follow you. Do not ask them....tell them assertively & then move ahead. They will simply fall into place & follow you. Remember, emotions are child-states & they do prefer to follow an assertive leader. Take the first turn to the right & you will notice a side-garden that houses The Junk Table. Here lives all the junk food that you had invited into your life over your previous years. You may be stunned at the amount; in fact, it goes way beyond the table. These are the foods & beverages that you have asked your body systems to process, sometimes even in the absence of good nutrition. It's difficult enough to process junk when necessary nutrition is present, but in it's absence, it is incredibly difficult. I want you to take some time to wander around this area so you get the full extent of what you did in the past. I've asked the emotions of shame & guilt to sit over there, because they offer no value here. This is all about "waking up" to what is junk & what is nutrition & your own responsibility for managing your food & beverage intake. No one can do this but you. This has nothing to do with your family, friends, co-workers, what other's do, special occasions, holidays, advertisers, etc. etc. This is simply between you & your body & of course, your mind. The rest is about manipulation & excuse making.

When you have finished your life review in this area, go back to where your emotional states are waiting for you, along with your Therapeutic Self. Sense the energy gifted by your Higher Self & Power. You do understand this clearly now. You cannot go on treating your body systems in this way. Eating in this area leads to all the major disease processes, including the killer diseases. No one gets away free. It's time for you to truly commit to making permanent changes. This will be accomplished through careful planning & managing your emotional child-states. You are in charge. You have the power & you have an inner Therapeutic Self that will provide the education. I'd like you to sense all of this now. There is no need to explain any of this to any part of you. The emotional children will simply follow your assertive leadership & you will glean your motivation & power from your Therapeutic Self & Higher Self.

I'd like to add something else here. There is no need to discuss this with anyone else either. You are totally responsible for your own choices, decisions & level of health. You choose to go towards illness or health. You get the results that you earn. Your body & mind will either get healthy or all apart. It's all up to you. Along your way you can count on meeting up with others who will try to enter your Path & act as your leader. They may try to guide or manipulate you, perhaps in a helpful way or not. None of this matters. Earlier on I told you that you were born alone & will die alone. Your life & choices belong to you.

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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

Awake Eating vs Sleep Eating

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 is actually a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes.

LEARNING CIRCLES

The Therapeutic Self has invited the Unbalanced Self & the emotional children to form a "learning circle." While most learning is accomplished in the "schoolhouse", on occasion "learning circles" are performed on-site & this is one of these occasions. It's not uncommon to find lots of unbalanced emotional children around food or drink. There are many reasons for this, some going back to the infancy of the Self. In the future you will be invited to explore these early subconscious mind programs & will be given the opportunity to edit these with the tools of "interactive self-hypnosis", thereby changing old, disorderly patterns, into healthy behaviors. But for now, we can listen in as the Therapeutic Self speaks to the group who are eager to learn.

SLEEP EATING

"The world is filled with food choices, some healthy & some not. It will be very important for you to learn what to choose & what to avoid. If you stay asleep while making choices, or if you eat too much, or if you don't eat sufficiently, or don't discipline eating times, you may get into lots of trouble. While eating & drinking can be enjoyable, they do have a primary purpose & that is to deliver nutrition to the body systems & connected mind activities. It's important to remember that everything you put in your mouth causes a chemical reaction within your body. If you make good choices & in the proper portion sizes, then the chemical reaction will be a healthy one. If not, then the body will experience food stress that can lead to medical conditions, some very serious, even leading to death. Perhaps in the past you were "sleep eating", not even thinking about the seriousness of what you were doing, but from now on forward, that will not be the case. It's quite simple to stop. Right now, I'd like you to ask your own Therapeutic Self or subconscious mind to wake you up whenever you are in an eating environment, be it at home, at work, in a restaurant, while visiting friends, or anywhere else. Once you are awake, you can evaluate the situation, decide if eating or drinking at this time is what is needed & then make appropriate choices.

Perhaps you have found yourself experiencing high level hunger or the desire to eat compulsively, even bingeing. More than likely this has been both physiological & psychological. It's good for you to know that when you practice high level eating behaviors, your appetite will be controlled & the desire to over-eat, or even make poor choices will be diminished. This may be hard for you to believe, but this is so.

When the body is in food stress, the appetite is also stressed, or out of control. There is usually a strong desire for sugars, refined carbohydrates, often accompanied by unhealthy fats. If you were able to examine your food-stress blood levels, most likely you would find a low blood sugar & other hormone imbalances. This is known as hyperinsulinemia. That means that your pancreas is over-producing insulin & over-time, the cell borders have become resistant to it. This is the metabolic pre-cursor of adult onset diabetes, also connected to building high cholesterol, heart & circulatory issues, as well as many other serious medical conditions. You sense it as "I could eat the wallpaper off the walls hunger" & may think that you are just an emotional or compulsive eater, but in reality, you have a physiological problem that can be solved by eating correctly.

AWAKE EATING

The food & beverage choices on this buffet are designed to provide high level health to all body systems & to keep the body/mind in physiological balance. This is also called homeostasis. As you look at the healthy buffet you will notice protein foods, healthy carbohydrates & fats. The protein foods have lower fat contents & include chicken, lean meat, fish & vegetable proteins. Healthy carbohydrates include lower-sugar or glycemic choices that are vegetables. The word "glycemic" is an indicator name, explaining how quickly the food breaks down into sugar. Some choices include salad greens, string beans, zucchini, mushrooms, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. The other carbohydrates on the buffet are of a higher glycemic classification, but have a slower break-down rate in the body. These include root vegetables, legumes, whole grains & some fruits. All fruits are not the same & so it will be important for you to learn more about these later on in the schoolhouse. There are also healthy fats on the buffet, as well as some dairy choices. Healthy fats include nuts, olive & canola oils. Dairy choices have different levels of fat & sugar. Again, you will be learning more about these. The beverage on the healthy buffet is water.

Perhaps most of the foods you have enjoyed over the years aren't anywhere around here & this may have set your heart on fire. You may be asking yourself how you can survive without these, maybe even doubting your ability to get & stay healthy. As you become healthier, you will be able to integrate some of them, but certainly not every day. As you learn to stay awake & eat regularly & in a disciplined fashion at the healthy buffet, you will find yourself craving these less & less. This may be impossible to believe, but you will find it to be true. In addition, emotions that are connected to these foods, will be re-educated & motivated in the schoolhouse. Once these new mind programs are in place, your life will find a more comfortable balance, perhaps something you've never experienced before.

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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

Let's Eat

If you are new to the blog/workshop, 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 is actually a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes.

Your Unbalanced Self has introduced us to the playground, where the emotional children can be found. You now realize that you are not your emotions, but that they play out in your mind & body with the beliefs & DVD programs that they carry in their backpacks. Some are helpful, but others are not. Your Therapeutic or Balanced Self suggests that the children go to the school house where they can be disciplined with love & compassion, teaching them to carry DVD's of what you do want, so they can participate in a healthy manner. But, before heading to that area on your Goal-den Path, it's been decided to go back to the MindBody Health Garden & to eat.

As we approach the garden, you can image, imagine or think the huge buffet. There are three main picnic tables set up, as well as two snack tables. You already know that the biggest inner stressor for the mind & body is food stress. Few people consume what the body systems need & unfortunately, the body systems can't go out & get their own. This is your responsibility. Many people who are over-weight, or addicted to substances, including sugar, junk food, tobacco & alcohol think of food as the enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here's what's true. If you are to have a healthy mind & body you must consume high level nutrition, in the sufficient amounts that your body requires. If there is a secret to weight loss & maintenance, it's written in that last sentence.

Why is this so difficult for many people? I think you already know, especially if you've been following the blog/workshop based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" Yes, you've met up with the Unbalanced Self, the emotional children & have been able to look deeper into the issues of Disorderly Eating, for these are not just surface issues. They are like an octupus; many tentacles reaching out underneath the water. Now we'll reach under the water & pull up the octupus, so we can examine more of the tentacles. Awareness & knowledge are key to rehabilitating lifestyle behaviors.

The Unbalanced Self has re-entered, showing a willingness to provide more information. This happens when there is no threat to the self-image or self-esteem. Notice this part of the Self unzipping what appears to be a coat & now stepping out of it. This is the fat coat. Underneath is the lean body mass, consisting of muscles & bones. The majority of Unbalanced Selves have fat coats that are too big & lean body mass index that is too small. This doesn't always depend on the scale weight. There are individuals who have what appears to be a healthy scale weight, but the body fat percentage may still be too big. Sometimes in people who have yo-yo'd, the lean body mass has shrunk because of the malnutrition caused by excessive, unhealthy & imbalanced dieting. What's especially interesting is how small the lean body mass can be in someone who is obese. This is important to understand because the lean body mass is the "fat burning machine" & if it is too small, then the body cannot burn fat until this is corrected. This is accomplished by practicing high level nutrition & eating in a timely fashion. We'll be visiting the picnic tables in a moment & will find out more about this. Just one other comment here about people who are truly under-weight, with small body fat percentage. This is seen in those with chronic dieting or anorexia. Once again, balance needs to be returned to the body. If not, the body systems, including the mind are at risk.

Since the fat coat has been removed from the Unbalanced Self, this is a good opportunity to have a look at some of the body systems, as they are easily visible with the right glasses. Here's a pair for you to put on. Go closer & have a look at what poor nutrition has done to the various systems of this particular Unbalanced Self. Look to the circulatory & heart systems. Notice the changes. And now, scan through the body& look closely. Remember, no one gets away without paying the Piper. Perhaps you can see the beginning of chronic diseases, maybe killer diseases. Even children are developing high cholesterol, blood pressure & adult onset diabetes....all because of poor nutrition, lack of exercise & stress.

You are being asked to have a look at the picnic tables. You noticed earlier that there are three meal tables & two or three snack tables. They are beautifully appointed with linens, stemware, china & silver. This is no ordinary picnic, but one that honors the body systems. In the middle of each picnic table is a clock that gives the appointed hour for the appropriate meal; breakfast, lunch & dinner. The smaller snack tables have a similar look, but are a bit more informal. The Therapeutic Self is setting the clocks at 3.5 hour intervals. No clock goes more than 4 hours.

This Self knows the importance of making systematic deliveries to the body systems who are busy waiting for their needed nutrition. This is easy to understand because you know that you expect your systems to go about their business. Your heart is expected to keep beating, the blood to keep flowing, the liver to keep filtering, the endocrine systems to keep the hormones balanced, the immune system to keep the body safe, the muscles & bones to support & move the body, the neurological system to keep all of it's systems up & running. Imagine being one of these systems & having nutrition time roll around & then "no deliveries", or a delivery of junk food, sugar, coffee, or empty carbohydrates. What would you think?? No suppose that the deliveries never stop OR they are so gigantic that the systems cannot manage them & have to involve the fat-storing departments? Imagine that your body & mind were a corporation & you were the CEO. What kind of outcomes would you expect to find here & what would happen to the bottom line? Case in point.

Look to the path & notice that some of the child-emotions are coming towards the buffet & picnic area. Some are helpful, but others are not. More than likely, you are familiar with some of these & may even balk at their presence because they are so very negative. But, not so fast. Some of these emotions have gotten a bad rap because you have not eaten regularly at the picnic tables, nor as the food been sufficient for the needs of the body systems. When this happens, the body & mind enter food stress & this super-excites the negative emotional states who are always willing to push in the unhealthy direction. But you are here now & that is in the past. You are already in rehabilitation & understand much more than before.

In the next mini-chapter your Therapeutic Self will bring the emotions forward & present a balanced & sufficient way of eating that will make it easier for appetite control, as well as emotional management.

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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

Meeting & Disciplining the Emotional Kids

In a nutshell, "manage your emotions or they will manage you." Most of us do know that, but exactly how does one go about doing this? Well, since I'm a Clinical Hypnotherapist, we'll do this with specific designed imagery & imaginology that entertains the creative or subconscious mind. The creative mind loves to be entertained & we can provide plenty of that, certainly enough to manage the emotions & then some. In my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy", we come to understand not just our emotions, but their energy & how it can be released, then transmuted or changed to foster any goals we may have lined up.

If you are new to this blog/workshop then you might like to read the earlier mini-chapters. You can find them on FaceBook or on PublishersMarketPlace. Older postings can be found on http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/

It's time to return to the previous imagery. You have met up with many parts of you including your Therapeutic Self, your Unbalanced Self & your Higher Self. You know where to find your MindBody Health Garden & do understand about the underground root system that feeds the other Garden areas of your life including your relationship with yourSelf, your significant others, your work, spiritual life, home & future. You have come to accept that "you were born alone & will die alone" & that the time-line between those two points belongs to you & you alone. You are now much more aware of any issues with co-dependency & have unhooked many of those tendencies.

Your Unbalanced Self is grateful for your warmth & acceptance & is now ready to open some new growth areas for you. You are being invited to visit the path of this part of yourSelf & so let's go to where we're being led. After a short walk this part of you is indicating where the "playground" is located, right over there. You can see it ( or think it ) & it is much clearer now. Perhaps you can see the many children that are at play. Those are your "emotional kids". You met them briefly before, in the beginning of this workshop/blog. They basically fall into two groups; those that are helpful & those that are not helpful. You may also know them as positive & negative emotional states. Your observation tells you much more. Noticing that some are much bigger than others, you also can pick up the bullies, as well as the super-helpful ones, so you now understand that there are "degrees" of both positive & negative. Looking closer, the negative emotions tend to be a bit dirty & unkept. Their names are on their tee shirts which further helps in identifying who is who. The positive emotions tend to be cleaner & better groomed, as well as being better behaved.

Over there on the bench you can see their backpacks, one for each emotional kid. Your Unbalanced Self has permission to show us what's inside. Each backpack has a selection of DVD's. Some of these are old mind programs in the genres of negative or positive experiences. Besides the past experiences, the DVD's are filled with related thoughts & affirmations, each supporting the specific mind program. In addition to the old mind programs, you will find future-paced, or new mind programs, things that haven't happened yet. Again, some of these are in negative genres & other positive.

At this point you may wonder what these are for & why the emotional kids carry them around. It's really quite simple. You may not be aware, but you have a DVD slot in the middle of your forehead. The particular emotion that is in charge in any given moment, gets to place their specific DVD in that slot, thereby feeding your very own thought process. In this very moment, if you pay attention, you will find one or several of these programs playing for you. You didn't request them, but they are there nevertheless. And that's not all. Let me explain something about your personal DVD player. It acts like radar & is known as a servo-mechanism, attracting more of the same from your own subconscious mind library, as well as from the outside world. Now this would be fine if the DVD represented something that you want, but on most occasions it is involved in doing just the opposite.

Think about this for a moment. Your mind is busy, often super-busy, playing mind programs that are attracting experiences towards you, many of which you don't want. On the other hand, there are DVD programs that represent what you truly want & they may be sitting idle in the backpack of an emotional kid who is out of the loop.

It's now clear why your Unbalanced Self brought you here. You already know that this part of you cannot change things by itself. It needs you, the Balanced or Therapeutic Self to accomplish this. The Unbalanced Self knows that one of the reasons you are reading this book is because you have some issues with Disorderly Eating & if this is to be corrected in order to save the body systems from serious threat, then the emotional kids need to become disciplined.

But the playground isn't the best place to do this work. Your Therapeutic or Balanced Self is suggesting that we head for the schoolhouse, but before that, we're going to stop back at the MindBody Health Garden for some great nutrition.

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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 the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, as well as over 350 Interactive Self-Hypnotic mp3/CD programs in the area of health, disease prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & kids.

Meeting Your Unbalanced Self

Let me begin by saying that you are not your emotions, nor are you your unbalanced Self, but indeed, an unbalanced Self does exist in all of us. It's OK. You are not alone in this, no matter what others have told you. Here's the good news. The sooner you accept this part, the easier it will be to move towards balance. Notice that I didn't say "the sooner you will be in balance", because we are "emotionally fluid", moving back & forth between the two positions. As your awareness heightens, you will become more emotionally stable & be able to practice behaviors that will enhance your health & performance.

In my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?", we are working inside imagery, practicing original Interactive Self-Hypnosis. The written word is similar to the spoken word & so here we are practicing "talking or reading hypnosis." There is nothing special you have to do, other than to read like you would any other book, allowing your own subconscious mind to form the images it chooses, already knowing that you are looking to make some important & perhaps life-saving Lifestyle Changes. This blog/workshop is an introduction to my book & if you are a new reader, you might like to catch up by reading some of the earlier posts. While you can read some of these on FaceBook or the PublishersMarketPlace site, you will find all of them at this link. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/

The book is written as if the reader were in my office for hypnotherapy. In this instance, the focus is on Disorderly Eating, although the imagery & suggestions are applicable for all Lifestyle Change. You may wonder why this is & so let me explain. A healthy mind & body needs a balanced Self in charge. This balanced Self needs to provide high level nutrition, emotional & thought management, as well as positive-framed images to take the mind & body towards the desired goals. The body & mind know this as homeostasis. Again, this state is fluid. The balanced Self, staying in heightened awareness, observes what's going on inside the mind & body, making adjustments when needed. As the balanced Self becomes more practiced in maintaining homeostasis, the healthier the mind & body & certainly, the easier to reach the desired goals.

Being out of balance is synonymous with being "in stress." Stress can be internal or external. While it may be more difficult to manage external stress, an example being workplace or family stress, it is always possible to manage internal stress. Internal stress is how the body reacts or responds to external stress. All of this is within one's control & this is very good news because as I've already shared with you, 60-90 % of chronic diseases are caused or enhanced by internal stress.

Let's touch base with some huge internal stressors. What's interesting is that some of these stress-deliverers are actually employed as stress-releasers. These include smoking, alcohol & disorderly eating or poor delivery of nutrition. All of these are delivered by your Unbalanced Self & this is now the time to meet that part of you. In the theater of your mind, more commonly known as your thoughts or internal images, let's return to the MindBody Health Garden. You aleady have set images for this vital area. You can see or think the flower gardens that represent the many working systems of your body.

Notice that there is a path that comes from the back of the garden & now your Unbalanced Self is coming forward. Pay close attention, perhaps noticing some details about that part of you. If you like, make some written notes. I always suggest that my patients work with a journal that is specifically for Lifestyle Change & nothing else. This tells the subconscious mind that this work is very important & actually encourages the inner mind to assist with the rehabilitation. Now, as this part of yourSelf comes forward, welcome her or him. Perhaps in the past you didn't want to know this part of yourSelf, causing the Unbalanced Self to stay in hiding, guilty or ashamed of not being perfect. But that was the past & now is now. This is a part of you & a very important part. This part, like all parts, understands the problems & actually has the answers. You might wonder how this could be & if this is true, then why is the part Unbalanced. The truth is that something is missing here & that is the "leadership" of the balanced Self; the healthy Self that is in charge of taking care of your body systems. You do remember my sharing that with you when we were last in the MindBody Health Garden viewing the plants.

Let's work inside some rehabilitative imagery now. Take the Unbalanced Self gently by the arm & go over to the bench that is next to the Garden. As you do, notice that the Unbalanced Self is wearing leg braces, so that part is limping along, obviously needing your assistance. You might also notice that this part of you is child-like. It's very clear that this is not the Leadership you & so you feel compassion towards this Self. As you both sit down, go ahead & remove the leg braces. It's easy to do. You will find buckles on each brace. Just snap them open & the braces will fall away. Take a few moments & massage the legs of the Self, bringing back some healthy circulation while sharing your love for this part of yourSelf. Now help that part of you to stand up tall & to go forward with you.

There are several things that you will need from your Unbalanced Self & so this is the time to discuss these. First, you need to be aware when this part of you is present. Perhaps in the past you were on auto-pilot or sleep-walking in the unhealthy behaviors. Simply ask this Self to wake you to it's presence. Next, through the lense or frame of self-love, compassion & forgiveness, ask the Self to tell you what it needs in order to return to "balance." Find out what's missing in your Self-care. This part of you does know this & once you know, then you are in the position to swing the pedulum back to a balanced Self.

One more healing image.....notice the change in the body & mind system flowers when the Unbalaned Self transmutes or changes to the Balanced Self. If you could travel inside your body during this transformation, you would be able to observe the negative stress chemicals diminishing, while healing chemicals are being produced. This is the body returning to homeostasis.

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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 the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs for health, disease prevention, self-development & sports performance.

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

Working the MindBody Health Garden

As we explore deeper into our issues with Disorderly Eating, we can locate the chapter in my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?", where we find ourselves ready to enter the most important garden on the Goal-den or Therapeutic Path. This garden is not only important for those looking to lose weight. It's name tells the whole story... MindBody Health. It's the most important garden on the Path, for it contains flowers representing all body cells & their systems. In other words...Life.

Everything is connected. Remember my telling you that all gardens are fed by a powerful, underground root system?These roots feed your work & prosperity, your relationships including your relationship with yourSelf,your spirituality, even your future. Cheat in the MindBody Health Garden & feel the cheating in all areas of your life, not only now, but down your Future Path as well. Keep in mind that The Piper always has to be paid. No one gets away free.

If you've been following along, you know that we are working utilizing the power of specialized imagery that is so welcomed by your subconscious mind. This is a form of interactive self-hypnosis known as "speaking hypnosis." Here we are taking that one step further & practicing "reading hypnosis." Reading this blog or the book is just like reading any other book, only here the suggestions or word images are designed to evoke changes in your own Lifestyle Behaviors. You are currently on the journey to high level health & performance. So, it's not just about losing weight. It's much more than that. This journey can change the way you live & experience your Life.

It's time now. Rested & with Intention in hand, we enter the MindBody Health Garden over here. See the sign? Your name is also on the sign, because this is your garden & not anyone else's. Rememberabout self-ownership. Your garden is filled with flowers, one for each cell in your body. The array of flowers is staggering. Perhaps you didn't realize how many cells you have, each one of them needing care if they are to do their job. You are the only caregiver, for the cells cannot provide this to themselves.

The "cell flowers" are divided into sectors representing the systems of your body. You are familiar with some of these systems. Notice the signs that mark these; circulatory, neurological, endocrine, skeletal, muscular, digestive, immune, lymphatic, reproductive, respiratory, excretory & integumentary. These systems work separately, but also support each other; the stronger often supporting the weaker. The body always looks for balance or homeostasis. This is much easier to achieve when you, the caregiver, is involved with helping, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. Lots of times we simply don't pay attention. When's the last time you thought about any of your systems? When our body systems are working well we often take them for granted, but ask anyone who is having a system breakdown how they feel about this & you will hear a very different story.

As you might guess, there are many reasons for system breakdowns. A major reason is abuse & chronic ignoring by the chief caregiver. Sad, but true. 60-90% of chronic disease is linked to stress. That means that 60-90% of chronic disease could be erased by high level caregiving. Think about that for a moment. It's really quite astounding. Keep in mind that chronic diseases are built over a period of time. Look carefully at some of your systems here in the Garden. If you look closely you can see the stress on some sectors of the plants. Perhaps those wilted leaves in the heart or circulatory system are closely connected to your choice of food in the past few months. How about the digestive system? What might have caused those leaves to drop? Later on we'll be invited to visit your actual systems. From that perspective we can observe as you, the caregiver, actually deliver your level of care & formulate the body system outcomes. Then you will be able to evaluate where you might need to improve.

Since stress plays such a big part in the MindBody Health Garden, it's important to become more familiar with it. Remember, if you are going to take care of something, you need to be able to identify it & then make a plan. While stress is an over-used word, few people truly work to manage it in ways that make a difference to the body systems. In fact, they actually do just the opposite, delivering more toxins to the plants in the form of smoking, sugar, junk food, alcohol or other behaviors that encourage more stress chemicals to be produced by the body. And the stress-cycle continues to build on itself. More stress. More negative chemical interaction. The body systems begin to deteriorate, perhaps going towards the diagnoses of heart & circulatory disease, diabetes, chronic inflammatory diseases & even cancer. Remember that the mind & body are connected & so there is also immediate & long term deterioration of the mind functions. If this weren't enough, negative emotions are triggered, making daily life experiences more difficult to take. Of course, this stress-cycle also has a great impact on relationships, not only with others, but with the Self as well.

Earlier on we fell upon the explanation of the importance of being aware & bringing things to the light. This is what we are doing here. If we can't see something, we can't fix it & if we don't own it, then we tend to just put it down & ignore it. Perhaps in the past you called this by the name of "procrastination", maybe even laughed at it. If you listen, you'll hear others practicing this dangerous behavior, perhaps waiting to improve their eating & drinking behaviors for "some other time when there isn't so much stress." Should you over-hear anything like this, think about the body systems that belong to that individual. Think about what's going on in their MindBody Garden. Think about the outcomes they are building. Now, ask yourself if you have done the same. Have you laughed or made excuses in the face of your own body systems? Yes, it's time for apologizing & for seriously improving your caregiver status.

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Copyrighted 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She has written & produced +350 mp3/CD programs in the area of health, prevention, self-development & sports performance for adults & children.

Freeing Yourself from Co-Dependency

This blog/workshop presents highlights from my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, scan down through the older posts to become aligned with what we're doing here. In the post below this one, you will find a link to an mp3 download for Goal Setting. This is a good introduction to your Life Path, also called your Goal-den Path. Here we are working with self-hypnotic images, or frames for creating Lifestyle Changes.

In the last blog/workshop entry I brought you to your Life Path. You've been introduced to your Therapeutic Self, emotional-state-kids, both positive & negative. Your over-arching Higher Power is filling your Path with light. The gardens are to your right & left. The biggest garden, on the right, is your MindBody Health Garden, the major garden of your Life Path. This garden contains plants for every cell in your body & it is in this garden that you work to meet all of the needs of your body. Keep in mind that all gardens are connected to each other by the underground root system. In other words, all gardens on the left hand side of the path, including your relationship with yourself, your significant others, your work, prosperity, home, spirituality & future are fed through the root systems that come from your MindBody Health Garden. This should, hopefully, underline it's importance, for make no mistake, if you don't take care of this garden, weeds will continue to grow in all other areas. Flip the coin & know that if you perform high level care to this garden, the plants in all other gardens will be highly nurtured, bringing forth gifts to you. This is not gobble-de-gook, but the way that the mind & body work together. It is pure science..

Many people, especially those with Disorderly Eating issues are co-dependent. That means that they are connected at the hip to others, often looking for direction, as well as approval from these hip-hangers. Not the way to be on the Goal-den Path; not the way to healing disorderly eating. In the past I was connected at the hip to my wonderful husband. I looked up to him, as a child would look up to a father-figure. He suggested that I jump & of course, I jumped. I loved him & still do, but I had to disconnect him from my hip. I had to be self-resourceful, independent & totally in charge of my Goal-den Path decisions. Yes, I could ask for advice or suggestions, but that is very different from allowing him to make my decisions for me. I also had to learn to say "no". I also had to learn to say "I'll think about it & let you know." If you are co-dependent, you may think that this is not possible with your particular hip-hangers, but it is not only possible, it is necessary.

I still work with some of my original images or self-hypnotic suggestions for managing this part of my Life Path. I see or "think" my path & gardens as being self-contained. In the distance I can see the beautiful stone walls that deliniate my life area. I pick up field glasses & look over the walls. I can find my husband's personal Life Path, as well as the one's belonging to my sons & also my Mother's. She is now deceased, but her Path is still present. In the past it was closer to mine, but I've been able to move it way back, almost to the horizon. This was an important move because I had a very co-dependent relationship with her throughout my entire life & in the first years that followed her death. The placement of the Life Paths of others, helps our creative subconscious mind to remember that we were born alone & die alone. We are in charge of our time-line between these two seminal points. In this aspect, there is no room for faltering.

I've had an eating disorder since childhood. As I've mentioned before, an eating disorder is multi-faceted & also has tangents. Those are particular paths that lead off of the disorder & infect other areas of life. When I was practicing co-dependency, I looked to my husband for all guidance. My child-emotions also looked to outsmart or fool him. For example, I'd wait for him to tell me that I was too fat, too thin, too this or that. Upon hearing his authority, I'm jump into action. Without that attention or direction, I'd continue to secretly binge, almost wanting to be caught before I killed myself. My child emotions would wake me up in the middle of the night, so I could binge in front of the television while he slept in the next room. I would even creep down the hall to check-in on his level of sleep, feeling empowered once I realized that "yippee, I was about to gobble down the rest of the ice cream."

When we have an eating disorder or practice disorderly eating behaviors, we can have all sorts of co-dependent relationships, including one with our Therapeutic or parent/teacher Self. That is why it is so important to build that inner-relationship on a daily basis. That is why we go to the Life Path & sit in the glow of our over-arching Higher Power. That is why we self-discipline our emotional states, both positive & negative. All of this is inner growth work & forms the backbone of our Life Path Experience & work.

You may think that this seems like a lot of trouble & if that thought has entered your mind, know that it was placed there by one of your negative-based emotional kids. The day that I realized that I had to change or I was going to have a very miserable walk down my Path towards my death, was the day that I was both very happy & very sad. Yes, letting go of unhealthy behaviors can be sad. These are like little deaths that need to be mourned. Here, we mourn & let go under our over-arching light.

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Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be re-produced without permission of author

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, along with over 350 original, interactive self-hypnosis programs. You can review these at http://www.hypnosis-audio.com or http://www.international-medical-health-writers.com

Looking Inside Clutter

"There are days when all we can see is clutter. Do know that those are good days, for we cannot change what we cannot see."... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Related SpokenWords, Emotions & MindStates - confusion, ataxia, ballup, chaos, disarray, disorder, huddle, muddle, snarl, topsy-turviness, hash, hugger-mugger, jumble, jungle, litter, mash, mishmash, muddle, rummage, scramble, shuffle, tumble, hodgepodge, macédoine, medley, mélange; disarray, mess, muss, ruck

Even the related words for clutter tend to clutter ! Today I so wanted to write about dreams, but my own personal clutter won out. I even received several emails about clutter.........so clutter it is.

I truly shouldn't be writing this blog entry because my entire office is a mess. For the past week I've been working on a variety of projects, most of which required pulling my filing cabinets apart. As I searched for things I needed, I was struck by how disorganized my files had become. When did this happen? It seems to me that I had re-structured them not all that long ago.........or was it?

Once we begin to notice clutter it tends to turn up everywhere. I walked into my office closet & there it was........every shelf & drawer. Piles of things that I have little recollection of placing there. How is it that I can be with these piles every day, yet not see or remember anything about them?

I noticed that I was actually afraid to look around the rest of my life with my eyes of the day. What if I found this everywhere? Could I possibly be that lost in my life.......AGAIN?

My memories went back to the late 80's when I had a clutter-wake-up. We were living in the Albany, NY area & my husband was re-locating to Oklahoma & I was to stay to market the house & finish up some work projects. Our sons had just left for college & even the dog had run away. Yes....I was alone with myself, something that I preferred not to experience. During those years my bingeing issues were big & unresolved, usually waiting around any corner to take over my life.

To complicate matters, my husband suggested, quite strongly, that I clear out the house. I was stunned by this because to me, the house was just fine. It was clean. I was a good homemaker. We needed all the things that were there & I certainly wasn't about to get rid of the things I'd collected & loved.

I remember the cold & snowy night I returned from Oklahoma, feeling alone & frightened for some reason. As I waited for the house to warm up, I began thinking about what my husband had said. I decided to have a look in one cupboard in the kitchen to see if he could possibly be right. I couldn't believe what happened next. It was like I never, ever truly looked inside that cupboard, yet I was in & out of there at least a dozen times a day. I was especially stunned by the piles of margarine containers that were bent out of shape & yellowed. There must have been 50 or so.......

Why did I own these? I seemed to remember that I collected them for leftovers. Quite honestly, I don't like leftovers & certainly these were the most depressing containers I'd ever seen. I remember tearing... What had happened to me? How widespread was this pattern of disorganization & not-remembering? I opened a few kitchen drawers & realized that they contained things that I didn't even recognize. I had no idea what to do with some of the gadgets that lived there. I began to feel surrealistic, like I was a visitor in my own life. Since I was working in gerontology with Alzheimer's patients at the time, I began fantasizing about perhaps being in the early stages. Not very funny. For some reason my bingeing came to mind.........yes, it was like my entire life & home were on some sort of bender.

By this time I knew I was on to something, intuition perhaps & I had a slight twinge of awareness that this was going to be a very important something. My inner mind suggested that I make some spot visits to other rooms..........no matter where I went, the same was waiting for me. My goodness. Think further.....And if this was the case with my home, what about the other parts of my life? I thought about my work, my hobbies, my goals & my dreams....my relationships. Were they also full of clutter & detachment? What couldn't I see? What was I missing?

Of course, this idea added to my earlier uneasy feelings about being alone & being afraid of myself, but sometimes when fear mounts, it does reach it's peak & thank goodness, that is what happened for me. I reached the top of the fear- mountain & now I could sense the release. I was willing to see & so now I was free to take care of things.

How does one begin when there is so much clutter, confusion & disorganization? Here are some things I did. They may sound a bit excessive, but I needed a plan to set me free.

1. I rented a copy of Ghandi. I knew that he had gotten down to one loin cloth & his glasses. I thought he would be a good mentor for me. I watched it twice !

2. I decided to set up 3 categories to help me evaluate my possessions & those I had ownership over. These included garbage, things I didn't really need or had too much of & had to go & then, group 3....things I needed or truly loved. The last was a tricky category because the binge part of me could say this about anything. For this reason I set up a temporary area in the garage. I could place things there & after a week I could re-evaluate. There is something positive about getting things out of the house. This is the beginning of releasing......

3. I made a folder for each room & listed every area separately, including each drawer, closet, shelf, etc. When I began a room, I had to stay with it until it was finished. Of course, some rooms took me a week or so. The basement took me several weeks. What I mean by staying with it was that I didn't allow myself to do a drawer in the kitchen & then one in the bedroom. I noticed the tremendous desire to do this........it seemed far too related to my troublesome behaviors of the past & so it was disallowed.

4. I made myself actually touch or handle everything I owned. Then I decided it's category. And yes, this was very time-consuming, but as I look back, it was a very important rule. I learned much from this exercise & it translated into changed behaviors that follow me to this day. Rarely do I purchase things I don't really love or need. I used to buy more compulsively & so this was a tremendous benefit for me. I learned to appreciate what I had & of course, realized that I had far too much. I didn't need all of these things to live happily. In fact, they had gotten in my way.

5. I allowed myself one job & two hobbies. One hobbie had to be a physical activity & the other one could be whatever I wanted. The reason for this rule for me was that I had tons of hobbies. I started things, but didn't finish them. I'm a person who is interested in just about everything. I love to knit, sew, embroider, do needlepoint, do beadwork, do crafts, etc., etc. As for work, I had several jobs going, yet I wasn't truly doing what I wanted to do. I came to realize that unless I stopped this binge behavior, I would never come to do what I really wanted to do. In other words, I was pushing my subconscious mind to focus hard. My mind had gotten lazy through the years & so my goals had wandered away.

6. I rewarded myself each day with something non-tangible. I had forgotten how to do this & so for me this was another adventure in getting to know myself better.

It took me about 3 months to complete this task. It was truly a journey to find myself & to get to know myself, perhaps for the very first time in my adulthood. I did end up reviewing my relationships & actually ended a few friendships that truly weren't. I shortened my Christmas card list..... & enhanced my most important relationships.

So, how long did this last? Well, at the beginning of this blog I mentioned that I was surrounded by clutter. Obviously, this is an ongoing process, but it is very rewarding. I do the house thing every year or so........or when it speaks to me. Once you have done the big process, more frequent messages are received.

If you are motivated to do this, don't be surprised if you get some big releases & creative break-throughs ! I'm expecting one once I clear out this closet!


"The true & creative me is located under that pile of clutter. As I come out of hiding & direct my attention to my clutter, I come directly in contact with my true self." ...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Questions & Answers from Readers

WORKING WITH IMAGES - READING VS DOING

Our brains work in different ways. In fact, we have at least 7 types of intelligences. Some of us can image along with reading, while others cannot. Sometimes we sense this difficulty as "distracting" or "uncomfortable." I also have this issue, but have worked to improve this part of my intelligence. I used to notice it when reading or studying sewing patterns, or figuring out how to work the DVD, especially hooking it up & programming it. I promise you that the images I'll be presenting here will be nothing like those!!

So, how do we get past this "distraction." I suggest that you read through the image exercise first. That will put the compulsive part of you at rest. Yes, we all have compulsive parts of our personalities & they are especially present in those of us with disorderly eating or sugar addiction, the reason being both physiological & emotional/behavioral. We have lots of nasty patterns to break.Next, relax deeply in your chair. I've given instructions for that. If necessary, break those instructions into steps; read them one by one or write them down in a numbered list. That will help the mind to "organize" or settle down. Disorderly eaters often have problems with rapid thought disorder or what I call "runaway brain syndrome."

1. Sit up in the chair with your finger tips on your lower abdomen.

2. Invite or feel your breath in this area. Just think it there. The abdomen goes up & down. Remember how a dog breathes when resting. Your mind will do the rest.

3. If & when your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath.

4. Your mind may try to push you around, but you are in charge.

5. Stay with the breath.

6. Feel the chair pulling you down gently, just as if magnets were there.

7. Feel the chair pulling you back gently, just as if magnets were there.

8. Just with your imagination, draw or imagine that a golden egg shape is around you & you are inside of it. Your mind may wander & that is fine. Bring it back to the egg.

9. Feel your fingers moving on your lower abdomen.

10. Practice enjoying the sensation.That is a very simple, but very important exercise.

What you are doing is taking some control over your mind & body. You are slowing your brain waves & body functions, bringing it back to healthy balance. I suggest that you practice this at least 6 times a day, just for a few minutes. This practice is called "fractionation" & is rather like taking out the trash more frequently. We all need this.

FEAR OF RELAXING

If you are not used to relaxing deeply, then the sensation will be new to you. There is no reason to be afraid to relax deeply. Why would there be? The body & mind WANT & NEED this. If you would like to control the depth of the relaxation, pretend that you have an imaginary dial. When you turn it to the left the body relaxes more; to the right, body tension returns. Practice turning the dial in both ways.

WANTING TO GET RID OF MY WEIGHT RIGHT NOW & DON'T WANT TO DO IT THIS WAY

Oh...well unfortunately that's not the way it works. People with disorderly eating issues are usually looking for a miracle or quick fix. Eating issues are not just about food & that is why diet books or programs don't work on their own. People need to go into "recovery" to become aware of the many facets of the addiction or disorderly eating behaviors. They are different for everyone & only by working closely with the mind & body, will it be possible to climb out of the rut & stay out.

We haven't addressed emotions yet, but I did give an exercise for working inside the "rut." This is a key exercise, because only by bringing "light" to the issues or emotions, can one dilute or escape them. Look at your life as a "theatrical production." The rut is a scene....actually a very important scene that has become the focal point for disorderly eating. For some of us, it is a complicated & dark area. Mine was like that & I'm still cleaning & clearing it out. Recovery takes time & it takes work. In the beginning, emotions may try to stop or block the recovery work. Keep in mind that you are not your emotions. For now, image them as little children, wearing tee shirts with their names on the front. Some are negative & others positive. Negative ones hang out in the "rut" & don't want their environment to change. But, you are in charge now. When you came out of the "rut" I gave you my power through another image. Keep the questions coming....this is what recovering is all about.

MP3

The complimentary mp3 program that I have posted on my websites is called Affirmations for Making Changes. You can download the first track or self-hypnosis session there.

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Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. Now available in EBOOK with or without 3 mp3 programs.

Meeting Your Therapeutic Self & Inner Family

My new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" follows the therapy model I designed for myself & then integrated into both my private practice patient care, including the design production of my CD/mp3 programs.

Whether working with Disorderly Eating or any other life issue, first we must uncover the negative behavioral habits, including all of their facets & tangents. Next, we must treat them therapeutically. This is accomplished through the development of a very strong "Therapeutic Self" who will work inside a "frame" or specialized imagery for organizing particular projects.This is the part of yourSelf that is the adult/parent/teacher...a mature Self that is directly connected to your Higher Self.

LET'S MEET UP WITH YOUR THERAPEUTIC SELF

I'd like you to read through my suggestions & then go back & read them again, but this time work within the images I'm going to give you. We always begin by relaxing deeply into the moment. This is simple to do. Just take a deep cleansing breath, rather like a yawn breath. Make yourself comfortable. You may think that you are already comfortable, but once you "intend" to become very comfortable you will sense the difference. To your right is your Therapeutic Self. As I already mentioned, this is the adult/parent/teacher, mature part of you that is directly connected to your Higher Self. Notice this part of you now. You might actually design an image that you can see in the theater of your mind, or you can just "think" this Self; whatever you choose. Let's infuse this Self with some positive emotional qualities, such as patient, gentle, kind, confident & respectful of who you are, for indeed, you are one & the same.

Let's talk about who you are, as well as who you are not. This concept will help you to begin to understand how your Self is divided & how you will be working with the frame-image of the "Therapeutic Pathway". In short, you are the writer, director & producer of your life. Read that last sentence again. It's meaning is much more than a group of words. It is an Affirmation of self-ownership & self-responsibility.

What do I mean by this? First, you were born alone & will die alone. The life that occurs between those two points belongs to you. What you choose to do with it, is up to you & no one else; not your mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, children, boss....you get the idea. All of these people, no matter whether you love them or hate them, have no ownership over your life. This does not mean that you don't have responsibilities to your relationships, for indeed you do. It simply means that your life is yours & that you are responsible for your choices. This concept is extremely important because without it, you give away your power. In no shape or form, are you possessed or owned by others. When this happens it is difficult to say "no." You can get stuck in the "pleasing" scenario. You can become fearful, often allowing others to manipulate you, as if you were a puppet on a string. When you are with or in your Therapeutic Self, this is not possible. You are focused, wise, quietly attentive & assertive. You are in full ownership of your Self & what is yours.....your Therapeutic Pathway, also known as your life. Remember? The space between your birth & your death.

Yes, you own your "Therapeutic Pathway." This is where you live your life, staying inside your "Mature Therapeutic Self" as much as possible. Remember, that's your adult/parent/teacher Self that is connected to your Higher Self or the Universal Mind. You may wonder where you go when you are not with or in your "Therapeutic Self." Well, you are with or in your other Self or emotional child-Self. That part is always in process; always learning & growing. Keep in mind that we learn from both positive & negative emotional states, as well as the behaviors or habits that accompany them. Our thought processes are internal communications from all of our parts....Therapeutic Self, negative emotional child-selves & positive parts. In the future, as you learn to tune into your thoughts in new ways, you will be able to identify each part.

So now you have a family portrait of sorts. Image or think it. There you are with your Therapeutic Self & a group of emotional child-selves, some negative & others positive. I'd like you to better define them by giving them tee shirts with their names embossed on the front. For this imagery exercise, let's take the ones that are involved with eating practices & place them in their own sub-group. Have them stand over there. . In addtion, on their shirts you will recognize their particular eating facet or tangent. There are those related to food choices, shopping, bingeing, restaurant eating, etc. Notice that there are both negative & positive members of the group. You may be surprised to know this, but it is true. You actually do well in some areas & it's important to acknowledge this. As you learn to carefully identify your helpful emotions, you will be able to enhance their power, making them bigge, so they can work to assist you in other areas where you may not be as skillful. For example, if you do well in meal planning, but not so well in restaurant eating, you can bring your positive meal planning emotions into the restaurant eating arena.

There is another aspect to your "inner family." Tilt your eyes up slightly. I'd like you to image your Higher Self or Higher Power. This is not a religious exercise, but a spiritual one. No matter what your beliefs, do know that we all have a connection to something higher, be in a Higher Self or a Higher Power. Notice that this part is "over-arching" the portrait, perhaps shining light down on it. Go further into the image by sensing the light. Perhaps notice its brightness, the rays, the gentle heat or love that it provides. This completes your first healing image for working within your Self.

VISITING THE THERAPEUTIC OR GOAL-DEN PATH

It's time to design another very important mind-image, that of the Therapeutic or Goal-den Path. You will be utilizing & growing this image over & over again, so take your time as you put the ideas together. Let's begin by going back to the concept of the space between your life & death. This is your Path. You've been on it since your birth, but most likely never imaged it in this way. Just as if you had a drawing pad in front of you, draw a path & paint in golden bricks. I like to switch the images of golden & goal-den. The subconscious mind likes games such as this & we want to pleasure the mind in positive ways. Let's continue with the mind drawing. Go ahead & place a large garden on the right hand side of the path & several smaller gardens on the left. The major garden on the right is called the "mindbody health garden" & it contains plants representing all of your body parts. The smaller gardens on the left represent your relationship with yourSelf, other significant relationships such as your husband, wife, children, your work/prosperity, home, spiritual & future areas. We'll be working with all of these later on.

Remember....this is your Path & while others can be invited here, they come only as guests & only to work in your behalf. In the next blog, we'll enter the major mindbody health garden & set it up for high level nutrition & behaviors.

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Copyrighted 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be reproduced without permission of the author.

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is President & Program Designer, Sarasota Medical & Sports Hypnosis Institute & International Medical Health Writers, Ltd.

The Healing Zone

There are 4 basic steps or active images for Managing Disorderly Eating. Active means that you will be participating "inside" the images. Here we will be building a working or Healing Zone for recovery. In the future, I'll give you additional imagery to add to the basic steps. As your portfolio of imagery grows, your subconscious mind will become more "in love" with your personal recovery & you will begin to notice how it encourages you in new, positive directions.


When dealing with addiction or imbalance of any sort, the mind can benefit from having special structure & this is what these images will provide. And while they give stability, they are fluid & will change throughout your work. I've been working with my Healing Zone for over two decades & while I can easily recognize them in the theater of my mind, once I enter them I'm continually amazed at how my subconscious mind has added to them over the years. It's like having a personal inner coach who is constantly present.


Here are the 4 areas we'll be establishing. Think of them as separate buildings on a particular street. My Healing Center is in a private park, filled with mature trees & lots of flowers. There is a brick paved road & a stone walking path that leads between the buildings. For me, the stone path symbolizes stepping stones & the child part of me loves to skip over them. I share this with you so you can begin to enjoy the beauty of managing your life issues with Interactive Imagery. Keep in mind that your subconscious mind is a "creative child-mind" & becomes very impressed with this type of playful imagery, that is saturated with emotions of joy & pleasure. Then, it will do everything to make it come true for you. Let me mention here that the mind works backwards; once it senses the desired outcome, it will provide the go forward plan to bring it to fruition.


OK...let me take you inside the Healing Zone imagery:


1. Restaurant
2. Bank
3. Exercise Center
4. Film Studio


RESTAURANT


Obviously, eating the right foods, in the right amounts & at the right time are paramount to recovery from disorderly eating, as well as any addiction or body-mind imbalance. The image of a restaurant works well for me & many of my patients like this as well. Let me take you through my imagery. Then you can decide if you would like to work with something like this, or choose something else.


As we enter the building, we find ourselves in the lobby where a large painting of myself is hanging on the wall. I'm holding a child, who is also mySelf. This is very metaphoric, indicating that as I care for mySelf, I care for the child within. If I touch my hand in the painting, the image of mySelf awakens & will step down to greet me. Having a positive, loving & respectful relationship with yourSelf is paramount to recovery, as well as building self-esteem. I pay attention to the details of mySelf; of course they are all positive & glowing.


We enter the restaurant & I'm aware that this is a "restaurant of the world." It is filled with people from all over the world; people who are eating wonderful, healthy food. In other words, we are all on the same page. The world is filled with people who are practicing high level health. It is powerful for me to know this because in the life that I observe out of imagery, it is not like this. Yes, I do need a new model & this is perfect. My lonliness subsides.


Because it is a restaurant of the world, it is divided into sectors; breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks. As I walk around with my painting Self, I notice the healthy foods & amounts that are being enjoyed for all meals. I like to take my time here because in the past, my choices were often narrow & uninteresting. Now this is just the opposite.While I'm viewing these inner images, my subconscious mind is fast at work, making plans & suggestions for what I need to change. These will pop into my mind at a later time as positive suggestions, motivated by a high desire to move out of my rut.


I often stop & chat with the different "visitors" in the restaurant. I ask them direct questions & always get answers. This is another view of the subconscious mind at work. Sometimes I taste things. Involving the senses is a great way to explode your innate creativity. I'm often invited to sit down & join in the conversations. As I become more involved with the socialization & joy of participating in healthy mealtimes, my own mind is once again looking to revamp my old patterns.


I like to visit the chefs from around the world & observe them prepare wonderful recipes that are easy & delicious. In my out of imagery life, I'm often not keen on cooking, having tired of the process many years ago. This negative emotional marinade made it difficult for me to get healthy & so this type of imagery is very powerful in the area of changes that are important to me.


On another occasion I'll take you outside the restaurant to the gardens that include all the body part plants that benefit directly from the restaurant. This area serves as a very important motivator, indicating what happens to our body & mind when we don't provide what is needed.In the next installment, we'll leave the restaurant & walk over to the Bank. There we will utilize imagery for managing thoughts & emotions, thereby building our assets.

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Copyrighted 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be reproduced without permission of the author.


Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It

A Peek Inside the World of Secret Eating

In my upcoming book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?", we enter the important area of "secret eating behaviors", for in order to recover& to successfully lose weight, if that's the goal, it will be important to move outside of any secrets, coming to know them as "things" & not a description of who you are.

All disorderly eaters keep secrets. I started my secret-eating library when I just a little girl, probably around the age of five. I can remember eating cookies in my closet, far away from my critical mother, who I actually loved dearly. In fact, I loved her so much that I didn't want her to be angry with me, so I hid. That closet became the secret-activity center for reading books of my choice & knitting peacefully, without her grabbing it from my hands to correct my mistakes.

Living in the land of secrets means moving away from one's healthy, balanced path where the maintenance & building healthy self-image, esteem, confidence & even prosperity exists. Secrets live in a different sector of the mind, having special needs & often complicated care & attention. For example, secrets, both big & small, must be continually protected & have special demands. Picture an emotionally imbalanced, spoiled child & you have an fairly accurate image of a secret. As one works to protect or hide the secret, barriers to the outside or non-secret world are constructed. These barriers serve to isolate the Self, marrying it to the secret, while building tension effecting both the mind & body. Over time, these barriers or isolation chambers become stronger, giving the secret even more power. In case you haven't guessed, this is a very stressful way to live life.

I've been an expert secret-keeper, especially in my disorderly eating life, but this has also made me a better therapist, so I could say that my secrets have gifted me. Even though you're probably not a professional therapist, you are a Self-therapist & your very own secrets can gift you as well. It's good to know that it's not all that complicated to disassemble them. All it takes is a hot desire to be honest. As you identify or name the secrets, the barriers will fall, freeing you to live a healthy & creative life.

Right now you might feel a bit uneasy about what I'm suggesting, but that is normal. You want to let go, but at the same time it is frightening. This is because we're so used to being judged by others & especially by ourselves. These inner thoughts are called the VOJ, or voice of judgment. When others criticize, the inner VOJ announces, "I told you so." And so, we believe it & enhance the barrier that hides the secrets. This is the vicious cyle. Now, you are going to identify them & bring them to the light. Remember, the secrets are outside of you. Secrets are "things" that you have in your possession & you are not the secrets. You are simply you.

Let me just touch base for a moment in the area of the VOJ. Once again, the VOJ is a "thing" & is outside of you. Criticism from someone else is also a "thing." You can either accept it or not. Imagine someone handing you a box. You can accept it or not. Although this is a somewhat simplistic image, it will work, especially if the criticism isn't too toxic. If it is, you will want to utilize some self-hypnotic techniques for taking it down a few levels. We'll address this a bit later. For now, decide that all VOJ chatter is simply a bunch of boxes or things.

Let's work to identify some behaviors that may fall into the secret category. I'd like you to work on awareness or noticing these. This is the first step in letting to of them. Remember, if they are hidden away, they can't be released. In the practice of Disorderly Eating we can have many secrets, some more toxic than others, but all toxic nevertheless. Let me share some examples. You may recognize these in yourself or have seen them in others. In an earlier blog I shared my secrets regarding the cookies & car eating. Bingeing in cars while parked or driving is a familiar secret, especially when alone. Sometimes others are present, but these are usually enablers. You can tell the difference by answering the question, "Would I be comfortable eating like this in front of a stranger?" I have a friend who works the drive-through window of a fast food restaurant. She can tell from the order & number of people in the car who is about to have a car-eating binge. If you have the opportunity to look inside someone's car or especially under the seat, you will sense the secret.

Here are some other ways that disorderly eaters hide secrets. Some hide food in their homes, often making up elaborate stories to justify having particular foods in the house. Enablers don't require this explanation, so if you are wondering about a behavior of your own, ask the above question. "Would I be comfortable demonstrating this in front of a stranger?" Just a short comment about enablers. They may be supportive, but they can also be highly critical, making them difficult to understand. This incongruent behavior often leads to more secretive behaviors, as one tries to escape the painful truths.

I have a patient who keeps sugar foods under her bed "because ( she ) is hypoglycemic & may need it in the night." Middle of the night eating is often another secret. Eating in the dark or in front of late night TV is a release mechanism I know well. I would even wake up out of a deep sleep to have this "special reward" time. Another place for secret eating is in the movie theater. The next time you're there, look to the seats next to the wall. Secret eaters tend to like those away areas, because secret eating is about being invisible.

Even if you are a secret eater, you may be highly critical of those who do this. This is part of denial. We know this from studying alcoholics. It's very hard to admit the truth. The same here. We all hide behind masks of what we are willing to allow others to see & is very different from what plays inside our mind. For example, I was a highly successful medical professional, wife, mother, daughter & friend. However, my inside Self considered me to be an imposter. I remember thinking, "If anyone truly knew who I was & what kinds of things I did, they would abandon me." I was living inauthentically in this area of my life & it's very existence was having toxic effects on other areas, disallowing me to enjoy being mySelf.

In the next blog entry, I'll be giving you some specific exercises for working with the identification process.

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Copyrighted 2009 - Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. The title of her upcoming book is "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?"