BluePrints & Road Maps

INNER MOTIVATION

You may or may not notice that you are building a new structure for your lifestyle behaviors. Your map is like a blueprint. When architects work with blueprints, they also have drawings of what the building will look like when it is completed. I'd like you to put together some inner pictures of what you will look like, as well as how you will feel physically when you are at 100% completion.

Perhaps you've been there before and so you know what images to bring forward. If you haven't any idea, simply make something up, just as if you had a photograph sitting in front of you, and you could sense the body communication. Look at the photograph through a mind-magnifying glass. While this may sound like a silly game, it is not. It is serious mind programming. You get what you think about. Later on you will find out more about the power of your thoughts, but right now go ahead and do this part of the work. Now hang those photographs on your new knowledge hooks.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Managing sugar addiction means working continually to correct insulin resistance. This work could be called disease prevention. You must eat correctly every day. No day is an exception. Remember the bank account. Each and every day you must work to manage your emotional states and stress levels. It will take hot desire, motivation, persistence and self-discipline to achieve correction. Most of us have little or no experience in self-manufacturing inner chemical states, but this is what is needed to make a permanent lifestyle change.

Do know you are not a beginner. You weren’t born yesterday. Throughout life you have been building resilience that has been stored in your subconscious mind, and you can retrieve it. You have all kinds of resilience, big and small. Resilience means that somewhere along the road of life you have survived through something. The longer the survival process, the more resilience you will find in the memory. People who have stopped drinking, smoking or lived through a life-threatening experience, challenged disease or a disability usually have good resilience. However, if you feel you are short in this department, you can also build role models for resilience and actually transfer from them hypnotically. Let's practice.

INNER MOTIVATION

Let’s practice on the mind screen. Tilt your eyes up and locate it. Now take out your blueprint or map, placing a calendar of last month in the upper right hand corner. Tear off that calendar and place the calendar page for this month on the blueprint. Pick up the corner of this month's calendar and notice there is one under that for next month and one under that for the month after. In fact notice that there are unending calendars waiting to come to the top.

This is a mind program for understanding that the work you are doing is ongoing. It does not have a beginning or an end. Where did we ever get the idea that if we eat well this month, then next month we can eat whatever we want? It should be clear by now. The cell managers remain the same and need the same foods to stay healthy. That doesn't mean that you can't have certain treats, etc. and must live a rigid life. It does mean that you must be self-responsible and stay aware of what your body needs in order to function. Remember, you don't know how to be a cell yourself, so it is in your best interest that you stay in focus.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

It’s not uncommon for women to have gynecological or hormonal issues related to sugar addiction or disorderly eating. While there are other reasons for irregular periods, pre and post-menopausal symptoms, sugar or imbalanced eating can be the culprit. Be sure to check things out with your gynecologist. Then, correct your nutritional intake. You might be pleasantly surprised at how many symptoms are connected to not providing your body with what it needs.

KIDS AND SUGAR ISSUES

The sugar culprit begins its destructive work early in life. Even small infants are treated to this substance by doting parents who often have no idea that they are setting up a life long addiction in their precious offspring. In fact, most parents would deny that they do this at all. Many would insist that they only provide the very best nutrition for their children. I hear this over and over in my office. Then the truth is uncovered as we discuss what truly goes into the mouth of the youngster over a twenty-four hour period. This is why knowledge, coupled with heightened awareness is so very important.

I’d like to share a patient history here with you. Sarah was only five when she came to my office. As she was fair skinned and blonde, I had to look closely to notice that she had no eyebrows or eyelashes. In fact, a good portion of the hair on her head was also missing. Her Mother had cleverly combed it so it wasn't so noticeable. Sarah suffers from trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling. Although there have been no epidemiological studies to identify the actual number of people with this condition yet, it is estimated that in the United States alone, there are probably between 6 to 8 million sufferers of trichotillomania.

According to Dr. Doris Rapp, the author of Is This Your Child, children with tricotillomania respond well to dietary change including reduced sugar intake. Sarah's mother maintained that her nutrition was healthy, but my assessment didn't agree. Over 85% of Sarah's intake was in the form of very high-glycemic or refined sugars. The first order of business to help Sarah was to redesign her eating plan and eliminate a good number of the sugar foods. While it's a true challenge to clean up a child's diet, it is possible. It helps to allow the child to participate in the planning and shopping. Self-hypnosis etches new mind programs and helps the child manage the left over stress, once the food stress is in control.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Learning to listen to your body is one of our most important holistic tools. The cell managers communicate with you through body sensations. The process of body listening is known by many names including mental biofeedback. We choose to take messages through the practice of body scanning. This technique is taught in the top stress reduction clinics of the world and is a way of re-training the body to release stress chemicals. The body and mind often have much to say about the food connection.

You will be learning more about working with body sensations later on in this program. For now let us focus on the food connection to body sensations. If you are not eating a balanced or sufficient diet, your body will produce stress hormones that will communicate with you through body sensations. These stress chemicals include insulin, adrenaline, nor-epinephrine and cortisol. Some corresponding body sensations could include headache, muscle spasms, weakness, lightheadedness, poor vision, nervousness, exhaustion, fatigue, mood swings, as well as a variety of tension related symptoms.

Most of us tend to eat on automatic pilot, without any concern for the resulting mind and body chemistry. As we travel through our day, we might have a tendency to pick up small snacks, cookies, candy, pretzels, coffee, soda or juice. Perhaps a coffee mug lives on your desk. Each time you eat or drink, your body must perform its chemical balancing act, making special effort to keep the body in balance. If you continue along in this way, day after day, the body often develops food stress, or the inability to manage, especially if the rest of the nutritional intake is poor or inadequate.

INNER MOTIVATION

Take a moment to elicit your relaxation response. Tilt your eyes up slightly, placing one of your cells up on your mind screen. It doesn't matter where it comes from. Each and every time you eat something, the food rings the doorbell of the cell and the cell manager cannot say no to the delivery. If the delivery is healthy and timely, the manager is delighted, but if it is unhealthy and untimely, the manager is in trouble. Feel how good it is to know that you do know this now and that you have powers beyond what you thought before you had this knowledge. We are motivated towards and away from. This imagery exercise is a good example of both. Be sure to place it in a place of honor on your road map.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Boosting the immune system is another important focus of living holistically. The immune system is the defense system of the mind and body against microorganisms. One of the most negative results of excessive levels of stress, or poor body management is the effect on the immune response. This is often seen is someone who has frequent colds and other infections. There is much research in progress regarding how stress affects the immune system, and especially regarding autoimmune diseases including allergies and cancer. There is also the psychological aspect of seeing oneself as a frequently ill person. This can be potentially damaging to the self-image and self-esteem, thereby directing outcomes not in keeping with high level functioning.

How you choose to eat directly affects your immune system. There is little discussion about this fact of life. The problem is that we tend to be asleep to the needs of the body in the now, but more so in the needs of the body in the future. What you eat today has an outcome down the road as well. Imagery and self-hypnosis will help you to wake up and also to place permanent wellness programs into your subconscious mind. The work you are doing here is not difficult, but it is awake-work and this is where the difficulty lies for most people.

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Toe Stubbing

Here we are continuing from the last blog entry.

INNER MOTIVATION

As in all motivational work, read through the exercise and then close your eyes, reviewing what you just read as if a movie were playing on the movie screen right behind your closed eyes. Make certain you will not be disturbed as you read and work with these tools.

Waking up to your life path is good news. However some people do not see it this way. Usually this is because they do not have knowledge hooks or motivational containments. They awaken into a highly stressed time of life with no tools. This can be overwhelming and frightening. No one is born with life-management tools. Few notice they don't have them until a life path wake-up is experienced. People tend to dream-walk until they stub their toe or completely fall down. By reading this book you are awakening and hopefully you haven't stubbed too many toes.

Knowledge and understanding are keys to success. You will come to understand why you binge or have your other problems. You will be able to put down your fear in a containment. As you bring your problems to the light, you will see them clearly. The fog will lift. You will come to understand that managing your problems is not a curse, but a gift. The problem is waking you up. Your food and beverage changes will benefit you through the rest of your life. You will be your future experiences, moving away from medical complications into a healthy life.

Spend a moment imaging your binge, disorderly eating or addictions as a child wearing a tee shirt with it's name on the front. Pay attention, noticing it is only a child, and that you are an adult in charge of it. Locate your containments of knowledge that are growing as you read this material. Invite a sensation representing confidence to arise deeply inside yourself. Your subconscious mind knows where your confidence is located and will play it if you request it. Do so now right in eye view of your disorderly child, and notice it noticing you.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

In school you began with ABC, and in this work you begin with basics as well. These become your touchstone. This is where you will return if you fall off course. In the next few chapters you will learn about food groups and what your cell managers need to run the cells of your body. Every cell in your body is an expert at what it does. Your heart cells know how to be heart cells. Liver cells follow their own job descriptions. If you were asked to step in and be a heart cell for a day you simply wouldn't have a clue. As we come to understand this rather child-like story, we can see the important reality underneath. We are totally responsible for what the cells receive in the way of nutrition and stress management. So, your job is quite simple. You need to provide that or else live with the negative outcomes that will eventually knock at your door.

You are learning to observe yourself in relation to food "as if" you were under your own microscope. You will get very good at self-observation and this will take you to safety, to higher health, as well as to optimum performance. Sometimes you will have to begin again, returning back to basics. This is not failure, but re-structuring. Whether you come back once, or a hundred times, this is where you come. It helps to know this. This way you won't be left wandering through life not knowing what to do or where to go. After all, you are only human!

Sugar and the body response to it, is the world’s most widespread addiction. This substance is everywhere and is socially accepted. Few people actually recognize the extent of their sugar addiction until becoming more aware of the moments surrounding their eating behaviors. The ability to see moments is key to successful addictions management, especially in relation to sugar as it is the underlying addiction to all addiction.

Managing sugar addiction and bingeing starts with preventive nutrition. It's important to remember that food and beverage are chemicals and react in the body as such. You have already read about your family medical and addictions history that affect your genetic wallpaper. How interesting that few people consider their food intake in relation to the workings of their body, much less their minds. What a gigantic mistake this is!

As strange as this sounds, food intake is seldom a consideration when stress management is needed. The food connection is also missed more than not in relation to addictions management. This is particularly unfortunate as proper nutritional management helps the addicted individual to get back into control. An important resource book on this subject that you might enjoy reading is "Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism through Nutrition" by Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D.

A visit to the local supermarket turns up tons of sugar choices for every age group. As you follow the exercises in this book, including the practice awareness shopping, you might be stunned by the sheer number of foods that boost sugar addiction. You may think that you are already aware, but hold that thought in abeyance until you complete the work presented here. For those of you who can't wait, a good eye opener is making a list of your favorite foods. If the title of this book appealed to you, I already know what's on your list!

Whether you are looking to improve health or obliterate an addiction, you must always begin your travels with what is placed in your mouth on a regular basis. As you work with the food logs presented in a later chapter you may get some big surprises. How quickly we tend to forget what enters our mouth! How unfortunate that in America our basic nutritional education is very limited, if present at all. This gives opportunity for food industry advertisers to position themselves as reliable sources of what we need to be eating. One doesn't have to look far to know that they are hardly a reliable source.

INNER MOTIVATION

When we find ourselves lost on a road and not knowing where to turn, it is comforting to have information. This book is designed like one of those road maps with lots of informational blocks surrounding the actual map. Relax deeply and see this image as it relates to your road map. You don't even need to close your eyes to do this work. You can image hypnotically with your eyes wide open. Of course if you want to shut them that is fine, but you don't have to. Return to the beginning of the last knowledge hook and re-read the paragraphs. After each paragraph see it as part of your road map. Just read and place the image. Each time you read a knowledge hook in this book, place it on your road map. These motivational areas surrounding your new knowledge will enhance each other. You are now in the process of powerful self-motivation.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK
Few people really know what it is like to feel 100% well. Most of the time when I ask patients when was the last time they really felt healthy, a look of surprise fills their face. The reason for this is that few people eat a well-balanced nutritional program for any length of time, or stay chemical free. Therefore they have not had the opportunity to notice the mind and body under those circumstances. Most people are completely unaware that they could be functioning on a much higher level; physically, mentally or emotionally. One important reason they may not be achieving these goals is that they are not aware, and not working on the nutritional aspects of their self-care program.

While this book is about disorderly eating, it is also about disease prevention. It’s about optimum functioning of both mind and body. Just through the reading, you are already employing powerful tools that slow your brain waves. You are releasing stress in this very moment. However, if your body is responding to food stress of any type, it is very difficult to achieve these results. Remember the mind and body are one. They are connected in every way. To function at a higher level, all cells must be cared for and kept in good physiological balance.

Most people don’t pay attention to what is going on in their body. They are disconnected unless a screamer appears. It is very unlikely a person will connect body sensations with foods they have eaten that particular day. If the change is rapid, such as a stomach ache, or intestinal upset, they may connect it, but if it presents with vague symptoms such as those accompanying tiredness, depression, anxiety, agitation, poor concentration, anger, moodiness, muscle cramping, headache, boredom, or insomnia, it is more than likely that they will place the blame on someone or something else, thereby missing the boat entirely. To complicate matters further, certain foods may cause reactions on one day, and not on another, making it more difficult to make that important connection.

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Inventing Knowledge Hooks

Keys for managing sugar addiction, bingeing, disorderly eating, while building healthy lifestyle changes, include paying attention to details, examining moments in transition, designing and building new disciplines, as well as mind motivations. This chapter is about paying attention to the many aspects of the food connection, while moving in the direction of change. It's not enough to know what to eat and what not to eat. The knowledge alone holds little motivation for the long- haul discipline needed to achieve permanent success.

Self-discipline walks hand in hand with inner motivation. You already have the coupling of these in your subconscious mind in the form of past successful experiences. You practiced this, with interactive self-hypnosis, in an earlier chapter. These tools are now becoming a part of your own subconscious mind library. You are now able to apply them to managing the different aspects of your bingeing, sugar addiction or other addictions. Soon, you will be able to mentor off of these, building new programs with inner creativity tools. Then you will be able to design goals, active them, while continuing to mind- motivate in moments of transition. This book is providing knowledge, some new and some old, but perhaps only forgotten.

Just knowing something is not enough. The world is filled with people who know things, but don’t act. Knowledge must be contained and organized into a plan of action. Then one must step into the action.

MORE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE HOOKS

Throughout this book you are collecting knowledge hooks. Think of these as being similar to coat hooks. After locating or designing your motivations, you will be asked to hang them on the knowledge hooks. There are different kinds of motivations. Some will motivate you towards a positive or reward experience. Others will motivate you away from positive experience and towards negative ones. The levels of positive or negative motivation can be enhanced or diminished. These are interactive self-hypnotic tools that will allow you to take charge of your own mind programming. Both types of motivation can work well, but a balanced approach seems to work best in most people.

OPENING THE FOOD CONNECTION…HYPNOTICALLY

Perhaps you have known about your binge behavior or sugar addiction for awhile, or maybe you just woke up to it. It’s possible that you didn’t know the relationship to other addictions or chronic disease. Patients often tell me its like dream-walking their way up to a particular moment in time. As their eyes opened, they found themselves in the deep, dark place of bingeing or sugar addiction . This is just an illusion, for little happens over-night. More than likely their sugar addiction had been building for years. If you return to the assessment area in this book, I'm sure you can spot the beginnings of food issues in your own life. Remember, knowledge is king. The more you collect, the easier it will be to see even beyond what you can see now. This will allow you to travel further towards high level health and optimum performance.

Students often ask if it possible to be born with a sugar-addiction? They remember their parents telling how cranky they were, and the only way to stop the crying was to give them a bottle of condensed milk that was watered down. Of course that is much sweeter than regular milk. It certainly is possible for a very young child to crave sugar, especially if the family medical history is positive for the diseases and addictions that were mentioned earlier. This is seen in crack babies born to addicted mothers. However, certain babies do need a different type of formula and unfortunately most physicians, in the past, weren’t aware of how to solve these problems. But while the past is useful as a bank of information, you are now living in the present. Your responsibility is to self-manage from where you are now.

In this program you will be working with tools of regression and future pacing. This actual book is written with specialized imagery woven through the fabric of the pages allowing you to go back in time and also forward. If you are unfamiliar with medical hypnosis, or the practice of active imagery let me share a bit with you. For thousands of years the unique powers of these mind and body tools have been well known, but unfortunately found themselves tucked away on a back shelf, out of reach of those who would benefit from them. In this experiential book you are invited to reclaim these tools, dust them off and learn to apply them through different areas of your life. You already have an advanced tool of mine, called interactive self-hypnosis. This type of self-hypnosis allows you to communicate directly with the library of your mind in any moment that ticks on your watch.

Your subconscious , or creative mind loves to learn through stories and metaphors. Whether you are reading this book to stop bingeing, to manage sugar addiction, disorderly eating, chronic disease, or simply to enhance your lifestyle, these images will glue themselves to your specific goals or desires. There is no need to effort, for this is the gift of active imagery.

BUILDING CONTAINMENTS

When working with lifestyle change, it helps to have some inner organization. You will also want to use self-hypnotic organization with other large projects. I like the metaphor of containments. These are simply "mind containers".

Just for a moment image a table with many containers. Locate the labels. Each time I ask you to build a containment for some knowledge, you will mentally come to this table, choose a container and label it. Each and every time you work with this particular area of knowledge, you will take the container off the shelf, and work with it in some self-hypnotic way. When something is contained it is easier to manage, as it no longer sits out in the confusion of the world. You mind and body will not only see it as less stressful, but will find it much easier to send you free floating thoughts or suggestions relating to it.

Now it's time to begin collecting knowledge, locating the hooks and hanging up some motivational mind programs. Then you can place these in labeled containers in the library of your mind.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Let's begin with imaging a baseball diamond, a great organizational metaphor for the problems we are focusing on in this book. In fact, you may remember working with this very image earlier in the book. This metaphor works for many different kinds of goals. Remember, you are always the batter. Most of us know there are four bases. In the baseball game of life, first base is the food connection and it is here that you will collect very important knowledge. You will then find out how to apply your motivation to the knowledge.

First off the bat, few people think about what they eat and drink in relation to the needs of their body. Even fewer think about what they put in their mouths in relation to their family and personal medical history. In most people’s minds, it is like these things have no relation to each other. It is actually uncommon for someone to build a connection between what is eaten and the function of the mind or body.

It helps us to think in imagery. We were all born with genetic wallpaper that comes with designs from parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. Some of us were born with a tendency towards certain diseases such as heart, diabetes, circulatory diseases and certain cancers. This tendency towards is a biochemical factor that can cause you to either over-produce a hormone called insulin or to develop a resistance to it. You visited this knowledge earlier in the book .

You also learned that through the years you might have developed some of the risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, obesity or yo-yo weight gain patterns. Perhaps you added a history of smoking, alcohol or drug addiction. How you managed stress over the years also is an important consideration when evaluating where you are in relation to where we want to go and how your food connection hooks up. Now that you know this, it is a good time to work with the knowledge. If not, it will have the tendency to go out with the tide.

INNER MOTIVATION

Many people have difficulty finding a place to begin lifestyle change and so they answer to this by not beginning. They either procrastinate or bury their head in the sand, either way achieving the same negative outcomes. But you are not like most people because you are reading this book, and you can choose to begin right in this moment. There is no need to wait. Let me show you how.

Read through this exercise and then close your eyes . Earlier in the assessment area you learned a simple relaxation response. Employ that now and go a bit further by tilting your eyes up just slightly, allowing your mind screen to appear behind your lightly closed eyes. Notice a movie is in progress and that a hand is being extended to you, offering to pull you forward. Take the offered hand with confidence, knowing you have nothing to lose in learning about yourself and wanting to change. Your subconscious mind is now engaged. You are on the path to first base.

Your past family is waiting for you with their rolls of wallpaper. Walk past each member, even if you don't know them, thanking them for coming. Place all the wallpaper into your cart and go into a quiet place where you can spend time reviewing it. The more you understand and accept where this comes from, the better your self-care will be. There is no room to be upset. Just like anyone else, you received both good and bad from those who came before you. Your work is to do your best with what you have. You can choose to commit to this now through the planting of an inner motivational affirmation:

• I understand and accept my genetic wallpaper.
• My wallpaper serves as a guiding light to the needs of my mind and body.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Pinpointing your current location on your life path is important when deciding to change course. Most of us have little idea as to where we are "path-wise" in relation to the chronic disease door, nor have we evaluated how fast we are walking towards it. Moments do count. Everything you put in your mouth counts. Think of your body departments as being bank accounts. Each time you put something in your mouth, a record is made in that particular area. Think about yourself for a moment now. How would you evaluate your inner prosperity?

Waking up is often unpleasant. Just the idea of making a lifestyle change can cause panic. Lifestyle changes can appear monumental, especially in the deciding and early phases because usually no containment has been build. The emotions are in charge and most people have no idea how to get their life back on course. For success, both containment and emotional management must be engaged. In this book you will be learning how to do this and more.

A patient of mine had his first heart attack this year. He was forty-two. While that was really frightening, he was actually more frightened when his doctor told him that if he didn’t make radical changes to his lifestyle, he would die. That meant he had to lose weight, stop smoking, stop drinking and learn to relax. He is a corporate executive, living on a high stress career track. He saw this as his “worst work project to date.”
He is not alone in his boat. I wish I had a dollar for every patient who is given a similar message. Here is a good example of knowledge not being enough. This patient, like all others, needs a containment and a plan of action. Then the plan needs to be fired off, motivated and supported, especially through the early stages.

continued in next blog...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Inside Sleep

Which comes first....good eating habits or good sleep habits? You may think that they have nothing to do with each other, but this is wrong thinking. Everything is connected & so your addictive behaviors are connected to your sleep behaviors. How you sleep is very important to the management of addictions. The body needs a deep level of rest and to produce dreams. These assist in stress release, as well as problem solving. Some people have bad sleep hygiene. Some is related to food stress & the practice of other addictions, as well as "not releasing stress" during the day. Remember the blog entry on releasing? In addition to our daily stress building, many of us were taught poor sleep hygiene. Go ahead down your past path & notice if anyone mentored these behaviors to you? It's also a good idea to review your sleep history, noticing if it was something you looked forward to or something you fought. It's not uncommon for those of us with addiction histories to have stressful sleep "stories." Of course you already know that you can delete these from your "story book", while planting new, healthy patterns between the pages of your new book.

MIND EXERCISE

Relax deeply into the moment. Utilize your breath to take you deeper down to a place where you can watch your story up on your mind screen. Take a moment to review your current sleep habits, as well as how you prepare for sleep. When you are ready, regress and visit some early areas that signal sleep information available. Trust your subconscious mind to show you the areas. There is no need to effort. Simply elicit your relaxation response and request any information that might be helpful in relation to sleep pattern improvement.

CLAIRE

"I’ve always been a follower from the time I was a child. I’m beginning to get annoyed with in myself. Sometimes I dream that I wake up in a totally different mind and body. The idea of changing seems too big a job, especially with all the other things I have to do in my life. Is it truly possible to make really big changes or should I just settle for who I am and let it go at that?"

It's interesting that Claire is asking questions in a different genre, although "dreaming" is in her question. Reading Claire's question helps us to see how writing helps us to understand thought patterns. When we think the mind is going very quickly, but when we write things down the mind slows and gives us information to work with. Here you can see some of Claire's frames and inner programs. Perhaps you would like your subconscious mind librarian to answer her questions. Relax deeply for a moment and observe the writing that comes off the end of your pen.

LET'S EXPLORE STRENGTHS

Stay deeply relaxed, but turn your attention to yourself now. You have many strengths. They are located in your experiences on your time-line. Early strengths are just as important, if not more so, than current ones. Take ample time to regress and visit past experiences. Ask your subconscious mind to name the strength being presented in the experience you are observing. Sometimes we have difficulty naming them, but they are there. Once you are aware, you can bring these forward and future pace them. That means you can attach them to new goals that haven't been achieved as yet. You will also learn to apply them "in the moment." This is the true power of Interactive Self-Hypnosis.

LET'S EXPLORE WEAKNESSES

While strengths are important, weaknesses are key to improvement. Only those who are willing to identify these short-comings will achieve at high levels. It doesn't matter what the goal. You need to see the flags and get into the pit with them. Every weakness holds the secret for success. Hypnotically you can open them up and engage them in the process of goal achieving. This is called transmuting. Later in the book you will learn many ways to work with these jewels. For now, take this basket and go collecting. The more you bring back the better. You can find them in the past, as well as in already formulated future-paced files.
How do you spend your free time?

How you choose to spend your time speaks volumes about you. It is in this area of detective work that you will find keys to managing your addiction. This is a good train to regress on. Go back and review early years, noticing your play and choice of hobbies. Sport is also important. Truly visit and become involved in the experience. Notice how you feel about yourself during these times. Move forward to the time when you stopped doing certain things, taking time to notice why. You may uncover some hidden de-motivators that are best seen in the light. Check out your current free time and any hobbies, as well as the level of involvement that you allow yourself.

SETTING GOALS HERE & NOW

What would you like to achieve with this work? Be very specific. Sometimes we think we know what we want, until asked to explain or define it. This may be one of those times. Don't just cop out by stating "I'd like to manage my sugar addiction." Write down how it will be when you do this. Truly explore as if writing a letter to someone about your decision to work in this book. This will become part of your blueprint for change.

Aside from the above, write down some of your other goals. Be specific. Review the different areas of your life such as health, relationship with yourself, with others, prosperity, work, home, spiritual, future and anything else that presents itself to you. You might want to relax deeply before writing, taking time for your subconscious mind to connect up with you.

What do you see as problems, obstacles, old beliefs, etc. that might be getting in your way towards your goal achievement? Some of these rocks may be on the surface and so it's a god idea to locate them. Others will be underground and they will pop up as the work continues. If you have difficulty focusing, relax deeply when doing this work and regress a bit. Look to experiences where you didn't achieve what you wanted to and then ask your subconscious mind to show you the problem or obstacle. Make some notes about these. If they weren't properly managed then, they are probably still hanging around.

CLAIRE
]" As I see it, my paths are loaded with rocks thrown all over the place. It’s like there is nothing but rocks. Is it possible that there isn’t anything else there and if so, what can I do?"

It’s not uncommon for individuals with addiction to see as Claire sees, but this only a perception and can be changed. We all have rocks. Claire framed them as negatives, but as we do this work, rocks are seen as powerful tools for change. So in actuality, Claire has a goldmine on his path.


A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Stress Meets Disorderly Eating

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

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

OPENING STRESSORS - MIND EXERCISE



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

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

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

WEIGHT & DIET HISTORY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Addiction Two Step

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caffeine Addiction

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

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

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

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

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

Mind Exercise

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

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

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

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Family Album

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

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

CLAIRE'S QUESTION

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

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



MIND EXERCISE


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

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

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

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

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

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Gardening

We all have beliefs and behavioral patterns that work for us and those that don't. Once again, if we don't see them OR want to see them, we can't see them and if we don't see them, then we can't change. During your review of your childhood & teen years, you probably found many beliefs and behavioral patterns that never received any special scrutiny. If a parent or mentor didn't intervene, then there was no one to teach you anything different, but as you came into your early adult years, these behaviors should have had red flags. Unfortunately, disorderly eating patterns often have a high level of enjoyment and so the desire to pay attention to the red flags was often missing. But nothing can go on for ever, for the "piper must be paid." One cannot go on abusing the body by filling it with junk, and not giving the body systems what they need for growth and repair. Quite simply, the body and mind will break down.

I'm a good example of this. For years I lived my life eating whatever I wanted, even eating what I didn't want. Wanting had nothing to do with it. My subconscious mind had developed a very strong pattern that connected eating with the release of stress. There was no rhyme or reason to my eating behaviors. There were no rules, boundaries or limitations. I rarely thought about what I was doing, only thinking about when I could eat something again. For me, eating was a true compulsion leading me towards the development of body breakdown and adult onset diabetes. Unfortunately my story isn't unusual and that is why we, as a society, are faced with an epidemic of obesity and related diseases.

Once I woke up to my disorderly eating I needed some help and since I was a hypnotherapist, all I needed to do was to know exactly what my body needed and then to motivate my new, healthy behaviors with emotional imagery. I'm sharing some of that with you here.

Here we are imaging beliefs and behaviors as plants, for plants know all seasons and they can, indeed, be helped to grow and change. Just like eating behaviors, some plants have both positive and negative aspects. Others are completely positive and some completely negative. Understanding this concept, allows the subconscious mind to give-up whatever doesn't work, or to edit/change it in such a way as to make it healthy. In the beginning, like many other people with eating issues, I tried dieting or limiting my intake and then over-exercising. This pattern made me very ill and actually pushed me down the path towards the diagnosis of pre-diabetes. What works is a healthy, balanced eating plan...one that is organized and disciplined, which of course, I was not. But, planting a garden to represent this new pattern, allowed my subconscious mind to grow towards that.

In our work here, we spend a good part of our day planting and weeding. As we work with inner assessment, it becomes easier to know what plants need to stay and which ones need to go. Sometimes it is difficult to release or let go of things, especially certain aspects of our disorderly life. We think that we want something, such as losing weight or clearing out an unhealthy eating behavior, but may find it difficult to move from the "wanting", into the action of "doing it." Working inside imagery helps us to bridge the gap. "Pulling out the weeds" connected to choosing sugar or junk foods when we shop, makes it easier to walk down certain aisles. On a side note, I did not walk down the cereal aisle ( aisle 5 ) in our supermarket for five months. I remember the child part of me screaming and yelling inside my head for a favorite cereal that was not on my eating plan. So, yes it does take work along with the imagery and hypnotherapy, but quite honestly, if you want to experience health, then there is no choice. You must do what your body and mind require. No secrets.

Here we are working with the time-line, allowingyou to see where old beliefs were planted, as well as where and how behaviors were developed. Some of these are in the past, but many are actively being planted in the future. Yes, you are planning and planting your future on many different levels. Every time you think about a future happening, you are planting in that time-frame. So, if you are thinking about what you are going to eat for lunch, then you are future-planting. Think about how many times you do this, not only about today, but about next weekend, holidays, shopping, visiting friends, going to restaurants, and so forth. This can be either good for you or not so good! You already know from your assessment that as a young child or teen, you developed volumes of coping mechanisms and behavioral patterns. Some of them continue to follow you right through life. Some help and some impede. Some we learned from our parents, other mentors or teachers and some came by way of experience. It is only by being aware, then reviewing and editing them, that permanent change is possible. It is important for us to know that we can alter any behavioral program simply through the tools presented here. Interactive Awareness and Interactive Self-Hypnosis give us the means for going into these past files. We can then re-edit or reframe memories and associated programs, so as to make them healthy and useful to us in our present and future life.

LEARNING TO RE-FRAME

Re-framing beliefs or memories or any mind programs is just like deciding that a particular photograph would look better in a different frame, and then actually changing it; only frames for mind programs are those of perception. You choose to see your mind program differently, through “new eyes.” Suppose that you have a memory or mind program that is framed in anger or distrust. This is how it is stored in your subconscious mind, so whenever you review it consciously, it will come up framed in anger or distrust. In fact, the way the subconscious mind works, every time it comes up the frame will be stronger in perception. Now suppose you have a mind program or memory file about managing an addiction framed in failure. I’m sure you get the idea!

MIND EXERCISE

Now we are spending time assessing and locating areas for concentrated attention later on. Take some time to deeply relax, in fact even deeper than before. Perhaps close your eyes after reading this, knowing that everything shown to you will be useful in your recovery.




Each day of your life you are presented with learning experiences. Some appear pleasant and others are not, but all are learning experiences. Significant people may have or currently be demonstrating anxiety, panic, depression, compulsive or obsessive behaviors to you. You may find yourself mirroring these or wanting to, perhaps later in the day. Go to work on your time-line. For example, notice if anyone demonstrated addictions to you in the past, including yourSelf. Yes, you observe yourSelf from disassociating and being outside of yourSelf. Addictions and related behaviors travel through families of origin and extended social circles. Also look for specific emotional teaching or patterns that may or may not work for you. All hold importance for now, as well as for your future. You can go ahead and re-frame these. For negative behaviors, take some diminishing frames that will actually shrink the images down. When images are smaller, they are interpreted as being less important and therefore have less power. Now do just the opposite. Take some positive demonstrations or behaviors and place these in "power frames". These frames will not only make the images personally powerful for you, but you can actually enter them and sense the energy they produce, now available in your own body and mind.

Think of the world as a great big school where you begin your formal schooling at birth, continuing along until death. Every experience you have is an actual learning experience. Every person you meet, or that attracts you in some way becomes a teacher of sorts, including parts of yourSelf.

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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

All Grown Up or Am I?

If you're following along, you have already re-visited your childhood, teen years & young adult. More than likely you've located the origins of some current day issues & have started to release or edit them. Now it's time to catch up with yourSelf, focusing in on your more mature & current adult years. Sometimes it's easier to practice regression than to work in one's current life, but here we'll go about this review in the same way as the others, by detaching & observing yourSelf from the outside position. Perhaps you might like to enter your Higher or Therapeutic Self, making it easier to forgive yourSelf as you face your reality. The above box contains some suggestions for a self-review. Of course, you & your own subconscious mind may suggest others, but do know that you are completely self-responsible for your self-care and health. Each of you working through this assessment will be playing different mind pictures, depending on where you are in your own life and experiences. If you could all meet, you would find that you have much in common. We all seem to get lost in the same places.

When we haven't been awake, things tend to stay the same. Depending on your age and life experiences, you might like to work with each decade separately. You can start at any age you choose. You will intuitively know where to begin. Take time to look carefully at your subconscious book covering these years. Note your health states, any illnesses or surgery. The adult health pictures are very important ones as they often show tendencies towards either continued health or illness. Look at your decisions related to nutrition, exercise and stress management. Can you spot any self-care negligence?

As you move up the time-line perform a new body scan. The body and mind are always changing, so it is important to stay in close contact so as not to miss anything. Scanning through different years allows you to experience these changes. The subconscious mind often takes this as a quest for more information. Information is Key, for without it one cannot see and therefore cannot change.

• Find an area where you changed and locate the motivators.
• What kinds of things tend to get in your way?
• Make some detailed notes about what you see and feel as you review this part of
your life.
• Once again, if this were a book you were writing, is there anything you would
change?
• How would you edit it? Be very specific.
• Has any additional information been provided that would apply to your earlier
years? If so, go back and make additional notes in the area above.

TIME LINE WORK PAYS OFF



Working on the time-line allows you to see more clearly. Everything we need is found inside us. Let's practice with just one example of the power of your subconscious mind. There is a book on the library shelf about the last time you felt physically well. Take a moment to deeply relax and notice that your subconscious librarian knows where that book is located. Observe the effortlessness in locating the book. Notice that you can enjoy observing the lack of struggle. The book is given to you now, so go ahead and take some time to review and describe some of the important details.

• Notice your age and what was going on in your life at this time.
• Who was there with you?
• What stressors were present and how were they handled?
• Have a look at your internal and external motivation system in action?

MIND EXERCISE.

Later in this book you will be learning how to interview your emotional states. This is a good time to practice this, so here is a short exercise. Relax deeply as before and summon your subconscious librarian. Ask to meet with a member from your internal motivation team and one from your external team. See them in front of you and now go ahead and ask them some direct questions such as what do you need to be so successful? Find out how you can summon them in the future and what they would need from you. Sometimes you will be given this information right in the moment, but other times the answers will come as free thoughts known as free associations.

Relax again and ask the librarian to bring the book about the last time you felt really emotionally well. Once again notice how easily this is accomplished. It's almost as if the book finds the librarian. Open the book, noting that you are the author and take some time to review it and describe some of the details. Notice the particular time of your life and what sorts of experiences were playing out. It's interesting to note that emotional wellness is not only experienced when one is free from stress. Often times it is when one has been successful at accomplishing something of importance. Relax into the scenes that are brought to your consciousness.

You might want to relax into these files several different times, rather like canoeing through small waves. This type of repetition often brings deeper awareness to the surface. Try it. Remember what you experience in one moment can be very different from what the next moment has to bring. Decide to be a true inner explorer and expect to receive important gifts. You will not be disappointed for the Law of Expectation has been well proven through the ages.

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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Adult Already?

Life moves along quite quickly and before you know it.... the childYOU grows into the teenYOU, and the teenYOU transitions into a young adult. Sometimes not all areas of the Self grow up, so let’s go ahead and check this out. Early adult years are a time for experiencing self-responsibility for your health and well-being. In the above list, you will find some areas to visit subconsciously. Of course, these are not all of the areas available, but it's a good beginning. Once you are in the "library of the mind", ask your subconscious librarian to bring forth additional "mind folders", both positive and negative. Keep in mind that everything you get to "see & review" becomes a resilience resource. As you visit inside the different folders, you are once again free to continue writing your own "StoryBook."

MIND EXERCISE

Begin by relaxing deeply. Find the quiet area of your mind and take a few moments to enjoy how pleasant it is to be in the quiet mind space. Spend time noticing how your body areas respond to the request for internal quieting. Practice going to a deeper part of your quiet mind space by counting backwards slowly and allowing the numbers to come towards you and then flow away gently. Now go back and look closely at your tension areas, and place flowers on them. Open the flowers and allow these areas to relax even deeper than before. The Goal-den Path is now available, welcoming you to regress back to your transition from teen to young adult. As you locate this area, notice that you are simply an interested observer, here to learn and to edit, for everything here is yours. Go ahead and choose to open some of the areas. Your "young adult Self" will show you around.

Early adult and the years that follow are total self responsibility years in self-care and health. For some reason people think that age makes a difference, but if you didn’t develop self-discipline or know what you should do and why should do it, perhaps you missed doing it. In adult life you are totally responsible for what you do, what you don't do, and for all outcomes. . Ask your subconscious librarian to bring forth your health books by decades. If you have had "busy decades" health-wise, ask for these books separately. Some books need more attention or noticing than others. Be sure to look at good books, as well as those that have some negative connotations. We will be taking things from both, transferring some and editing out others.

The adult health books and pictures are very important ones because they often show tendencies towards either continued health or illness. It's important to notice your emotions and attitudes as they relate to your beliefs about what is possible and what is not. Sometimes we allow emotions to lock areas that could otherwise take us to higher levels of health and wellness. For example, if one has a fear of dentists, and believe that they will lose their teeth anyway, the opportunities to correct the current situation are locked up and teeth that could be saved are then lost. Or one may believe that it is impossible to change eating behaviors because of age. In other words, the belief that old dogs can't be taught new tricks is blocking the goal. The belief that middle-aged women have to experience middle age spread is also blocking goals!

Take your early adult health book off the shelf . Begin with body scanning and observation of your total self. Look at your beliefs and decisions related to nutrition, exercise and stress management choices. Are there any emotions holding keys to locked doors? Be sure to keep journal entries when doing this work. Ask your subconscious mind librarian to show you the important entries and especially those related to health, illness and surgery if any. Notice how you took care of yourself nutritionally. Were you self-responsible or were you careless in this regard. Next visit the areas of exercise and stress management. Once again, notice how you look and how you feel about yourself health-wise.

• Were you self-responsible about caring for yourself?
• Can you see any negligence or self-abuse?
• Did you lose yourself in others?
• Was your fantasy broken?
• Begin looking at your hidden motivators. What motivated you to change and persevere?
What got in your way? Make some notes about these memories.
• If this were a book you were writing, is there anything you would change?
• How would you edit it? Be very specific.
• Has any additional information been provided that would apply to your earlier years? If
so, go back and make additional notes in the area above.

Remember we are just assessing in this area. Before we can change we must SEE. This is like a medical diagnosis! We need all the facts before we can set up a treatment plan. So, stay opened to the process and enjoy this time you are taking for yourself. Everything about this work is positive and designed to take you to a high level of health and performance on your life journey.

CLAIRE'S QUESTION

" It has really helped me to visit my transition from teen to young adult. I can understand how much pressure I put on myself and how much I pretended to be mature. This was very stressful and also set the stage for the years that followed. I truly lost my essence here in this very place. Now I'm looking forward and have a question. Every woman in my family became obese in middle age. Are you telling me that I have a chance to have different outcomes?"

While you have family genetic wallpaper, you also have the ability to make better choices in how you care for yourself. More than likely the other women in your family did not have this information available to them, but you do. Keep in mind that everything you do has a consequence, and so if you keep doing the same things as they did, you will have the same consequences, but if on the other hand you choose to change, so will your outcomes.

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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

Addictive Mentors

It's important to know that even when you were a toddler, your earliest teachers may have been placing potential addictive programs into your subconscious mind. If addictions were present in your early environment, you were also learning how to manage stress with these substances. What did your hero’s teach you?

• Was anyone in your family an addictive eater?
• Did you ever see or know anyone who had binge behaviors?
• Was food or beverage ever utilized to manage stress?
• Were there members of your family or social circle or smoked ?
• Where there members of your family or social circle who consumed alcohol?
• Was coffee a regular a beverage of choice?
• Did you have soft drinks available?
• We you offered any of these substances?
• Were you offered water as a beverage or was it not considered a beverage?
• Was there evidence of other addictions such as drugs, medications, gambling or shopping?

There are many other areas to view in relation to any disorderly eating programs you may be entertaining. In fact, sometimes, these negative habits can't be seen as "disorderly" because they have become "normalized." There is also the issue of NOT WANTING to see them, because seeing means believing or knowing your truth & often times, that is hard to take. It also means that you are now self-responsible for taking care of these behaviors & you may be reluctant to do so. In some instances, individuals, especially addicts, deny their truths for decades, etching them further into their subconscious.

If you are reading this book, I'm assuming that you do want to accept a healthy lifestyle. Even if you are "not quite there", pretend that you are. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between what is real & what is imagined. This may be exactly what you need, because with your emotional kids or ego out of the way, you can change things without dealing with "resistance." So, looking at the above list, are there any areas that need editing here? Simply relax deeply into the moment and bring up the images you would like to change. Remember, even though they may have really happened in the past, you can still change the subconscious mind programming or inner files. Perhaps you would like to stand next to your child as an adult mentor and point out that one can love or like someone even if they participate in dangerous habits. Let the child know that it is not healthy to binge or smoke. Let the child know that you can truly enjoy a healthy lifestyle, even when others who are around you are participating in some unhealthy behavior. This is your life & you direct it in the way that you choose, going towards the outcomes that you want to experience.

You may be wondering IF you will need to completely abstain from potentially addictive substances. In truth, there are some people who can enjoy a drink of alcohol on occasion, but it truly isn't a good idea to get used to it. Certainly, it should not be utilized as a stress releaser & if you are not sure if you are doing this or not, simply relax into the moment & contact your Therapeutic of Higher Self. Ask the question & it will be answered. As for managing stress, you now know how to go about doing this, not only when you find yourSelf in a high stress situation, but throughout your day. Releasing, letting go, eating a balanced & healthy diet are all ways to keep stress hormones at bay.

THOSE TEEN YEARS AS CURRENT TRIGGERS

During our self-exploration, the teen years often stand-out as some of the most difficult ones in relation to the development of nasty lifestyle behaviors. This is the time when the self-image & self-esteem tend to take a beating. Severe dieting, junk food bingeing, exploring with addictive substances, following the wrong role models, people pleasing, home stress & the struggle for independence can be overwhelming. Take your teen health book off the library shelf and open to the early teen pages. Begin reviewing your history as in your childhood book. Revisit your body through mental biofeedback. Notice you can stay in your adult self while visiting your teen body and mind. Look at the complete you.

• Were you under-weight or over-weight?
• What was your perception of yourself?
• Looking at it from where you stand now, was it factual or a false image?
• What did people tell you?
• Were you involved in any addictions such as smoking or drinking?

Notice if there are any meaningful doctor visits or surgery and if so, spend some time relaxing into those files to see if any messages come forward from your subconscious mind. If you are a woman, look at the information concerning your menses. Did you have any difficulties such as PMS or irregular periods?
Now, go to visit the nutritional areas including regular meals, school eating, social eating and family preferences, as well as behaviors at meal times. Spend some time studying the details of the pictures, one by one.

• What were your favorite foods?
• Were there any indications of eating disorder or bingeing?
• Any secret eating?
• Did your family eat together at a table, or did you eat alone or in front of the television?
• Were mealtimes happy or stressed?
• Did you use food as a stress-releaser?
• Were there any rituals around this such as hidden or middle of the night eating?

You might like to open these files and relax into them before editing.. I suggest you visit as a mature adult and take a few moments to re-introduce yourself. No need to rush.. Remember, it's been a long time since your last visit. Your teen self has much to share with you and will be willing to do so as long as you are non-judgmental. Indicate that you care deeply about helping and making things better. As with your young child-self, gently point out what would be good to change and why. Invite your subconscious librarian to gift you with further information.

You are now beginning to become familiar with the origins of some of your disorderly eating patterns. The more you acknowledge, the more you can correct at this level of origin & the easier it will become to change old, unhealthy cemented behaviors.
A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.


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

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.

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

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