Clutter & Chaos

While we enter all of the foundational goal-den bricks through deep relaxation, the fourth brick teaches us, while inviting us to practice the intricacies of traveling in & out of the "creative mind" space. While we are all different, we all share the same problems regarding cluttered & chaotic mind space. Without cleaning & clearing the mind space, it simply isn't possible to go effortlessly towards & then into any sort of change. It would be like bringing more stuff into an already overly cluttered room. Once you put it down, you may never be able to locate it again. In addition, one cannot stay motivated in a chaotic state & that is why one of the biggest excuses not to start a lifestyle change is because one's life is already too chaotic.

You know the excuse, "I'll think about going on a diet or stopping smoking, or controlling my spending when my life slow's down a bit, when the children return to school, when my husband get's a job, when my mother's illness is in remission, etc." What's interesting about these excuses is that the individual doesn't realize that life will keep replacing the chaos with more of the same & it will not be until the chaotic mind is disciplined or cleared, that chaos can exit on it's own. The actual process of cleaning & clearing the fourth goal-den brick will open the creative process, where the answers to what's going on are actually located.

While we meander through the four foundational bricks during any given day, in fact many times a day, the fourth brick is the brick of "mind stability or discipline." If we are having difficulty in our first brick, the one having to do with eating, or the exercise brick or the self-esteem brick, we learn to go directly into the fourth brick to clean & clear the debris or chaos that is blocking in the other areas. Once the debris is cleared, then the Creative or Higher Mind will either bring forth the creative answer to the blocking OR will simply motivate you right into the middle of the positive action. So, you can now understand the importance of the fourth brick.

When patients come to my office, they learn the fourth brick FIRST, but not until they give me their garbage. This happens in the first half hour. Sometimes the garbage is very toxic...other times it's just a run-down of things we've all familiar with; not enough time, not enough desire, not enough discipline, not enough goal-setting, not enough self-esteem, not enough understanding of Self. Usually I don't get all the garbage in the beginning, because we have so much & we continually make more because we are still living our "old story." But, at least by clearing the top of the garbage heap, we can make some space to enter the fourth goal-den brick.

None of this is difficult, but on the other hand, none of it is easy....mainly because we are basically living with a very undisciplined mind, with emotions that are running our show or repetively writing our "story." As we work within the fourth brick, we take charge & the emotional-childSelf sits to the side. Notice that we don't kick the childSelf out or lock it in the closet. It's important to discipline this part of the Self & this is accomplished with the child working right by your side, inside the fourth brick.

The process is a discipline in itself. I call it fractionation because I will ask you to break your day down into at least six parts & find a place to be still for three to five minutes. I can hear the excuses already....but that is the childSelf acting out. When I first started fractionating, I found the most interesting places for my silence practice including the stall in the bathroom. In the future, when you fractionate in any "moment", you will be able to go into the fourth brick in the middle of a conversation. That is when you will be the most powerful.

I'll go through the process in a moment, but first...

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.

MAKING CREATIVE SPACE

We can make Creative Space in any moment, but it is important for us to practice fractionation. This is how we get good at what we do. First, we need to have "intention & desire." Simply put, we have to want to make creative space. That means directing the childSelf to her chair & having her practice with you. Where you do it is up to you. You may have one particular place or a bunch of places as I do. Next, center yourSelf by sitting up in the chair, fingers on the lower abdomen, riding the breath. If your breath is in the chest, bring it down with your mind. This is the releasing or relaxed breath. Now, invite your body to open...I like to scan down my body & observe the cells moving apart. You can make up whatever image or thought your like. Sometimes I feel magnets pulling me down. Next...place a Golden Egg shape around you & simply be inside. This is your private place on the face of the Earth & it if from here that you will simply notice your thoughts, your presenting emotions & your body sensations. First will come one & then another & then another. Each time you notice or become aware of one, simply notice & then sense your fingers riding on your lower abdomen...ride your breath.

In the next blog, I'll continue this process...space is an issue here.



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

Inward Ho!

There are 4 basic Goal-den bricks that make up the foundation for permanent change, all of them leading to high level health & performance. The bricks sit side-by-side, each one as important as the other & there is no particular order for working inside of them. Everything depends on the activities of the moment & one moves between them, just as if there were doors in place. I've already invited you into three of the bricks & now I'll introduce you to the fourth or final foundational brick, designed for relaxing deeply, centering, releasing tension & thoughts, in preparation for entering the domain of the "Highest Self"....right in the moment. You may be wondering if there are other bricks & of course, there are many, some of them general, such as relationships with significant others, family & friends. There will be bricks for work & prosperity, spiritual life, home & environment & ones related to your future. You may also choose to have other bricks that are specific to your life needs. All of these build on top of the Goal-den brick foundation.

The 4th Goal-den brick is all about "cleaning & clearing" & then keeping our lives in order & balance. If thoughts are not managed, then emotions can't be managed & without this one lives in mental & physical turmoil. We call is "stress", but that is an umbrella word, not really giving us the information we need to bring order out of chaos. Picture a house or a room that is filled top to bottom with an abundance of clutter & disorder. It may have deep surface dirt, but it's impossible to see it, much less take care of it, because it is hidden underneath all the debris. The mind & body can be like this & until there is re-structuring, it is impossible to make a permanent lifestyle change & this is why most fail. There is simply far too much to manage. Life is complicated in this scenario & what is needed is simplicity that is achieved through order & self-discipline.

People who live in disorder often balk at these ideas. This is because they are still existing in the middle of their mess & so, of course, it's easy to understand how these ideas could make them more tense & resistant. This is why the 4 foundation bricks need to be instituted together. While this may seem like a lot of work in the beginning, it only feels that way because the mess is so big. As the disorder begins to lessen, then it actually becomes it's own "behavioral unit"....rather like pushing a stone down a hill. In the beginning one has to get the stone rolling, but after that, the stone rolls by itself. Sometimes it may get stuck in a rut, but then it doesn't take much to get it rolling again.

Most people who live in disorder have never felt true release & centering, especially ongoing. They tend to live their life on a treadmill, going round & round, but never ending up where they truly want to go. Some don't even know where they want to go, the reason being that their lives are so chaotic that there has been no time for creative thought & expression. They are the window-shoppers of the world, believing that they cannot have what they want, either because they are unworthy or have not been given the opportunities that others have received. These beliefs tend to lead to more of the same, locking the person in a jail-like life. The truth of the matter is that the key to opening the door is right within reach.

Before I go into some practical applications, I'd like to welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

INWARD HO!

Relaxing deeply does not mean sitting in front of the television or even reading a book. It means being "still", both inwardly & outwardly. It means putting regular time aside for entering stillness & observing the activities of your mind. It means observing the thoughts & connected emotions as they pass through, just like watching traffic from the curb. You are not in the traffic, but just observing it. Thoughts are things & they come through in categories, accompanied by the emotions that engage them. I've written several blog entries about thoughts & emotions, as well as the physical or body components that respond to them. Physical stressors... When you enter stillness you will be able to sense them, in fact they may actually scream out, especially in the area of the neck, shoulders & gut. As you sit in stillness as the observer of these things, you come to know much more about what helps & what hinders. Simply observing is a part of releasing. Noticing a thought, emotion or physical sensation, perhaps labeling it & then breathing from your center, sends a message to your subconscious mind that you don't need or want that right now. If it's something negative, you don't want it at all, but when sitting in stillness, it's important to release everything, thereby opening the creative space & pathway to the Higher Self.

I'll continue this discussion in the next blog...


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

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

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

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

Mirror Mirror

Building foundational Goal-den bricks is time consuming, but after all, it is your life & what better way is there to spend your time? "Oh", comes the answer, "but that is selfish & how can I possibly feel good about spending time "thinking" about mySelf, when there are so many things to get done?" Well, here it is in a nutshell....careful, the nut may be bitter. If you don't take care of yourSelf in the fundamental ways, you will most likely have less time to take care of others because you won't be around OR you will end up having to take care of yourSelf in ways that you may not like very much. I'd like to suggest that you put on some new lenses & look around. You won't have to look for long before finding people who wished that they had taken the opportunity to build & work inside their own Goal-den bricks. The world is filled with "if only's"....I have a special compartment in my subconscious mind for all of those patients I've cared for over the years. These are my "special mentors." Quite simply, I do whatever it is because they didn't wake up in time to do it themselves. I'm grateful for what they have taught me. Their images push me out the door to exercise & remove the extra junk from my cart in the supermarket. They work along with my Higher Therapeutic Self, cheering me on & I know that you can have your own group of cheerleaders, if you just look around your life. You don't even need to know them personally, just spot someone in poor health & add them to your subconcious wellness team.

Since we're in the middle of this conversation, it's a good time to set up another Foundation Goal-den Brick, one representing your Self-Image & Esteem. Quite simply, this brick represents how you see & feel about yourSelf. Unfortunately, most of us are lacking in this department & that is one of the major reasons why we don't take care of ourSelves. We believe that we simply aren't important enough or worth the effort. Cold but true. Most of us do not lead our own life parade. Instead, we position ourSelves at the back of the line, waiting to serve everyone else before serving ourSelves, that is if we every serve ourSelves at all. In my years as a Therapist, this is the most difficult change for most people to make. When we look in the "excuse basket" for reasons why someone isn't serving themselves first, the basket is filled to the brim with all sorts of excuses. No matter what the reason, it all boils down to the same unworthiness. Everyone else deserves to come first. Having been taught that to care for oneSelf is selfish & shameful. Guilt, guilt, guilt. Well, I say "ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous." Taking care of oneSelf is "self-ful" & also teaches others how to treat you. If you don't treat yourSelf with utmost respect, don't expect that anyone else will do it.

Re-building an enhanced self-image & esteem is a full-time job & one that can be filled with supreme joy because there are so many wonderful ways to do this. I'll touch on some of these in this blog, but before this, let me welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

MIRROR MIRROR

In the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis we never focus on what we don't want, but only on what we want. From now on forward you will not talk or think about yourSelf in a negative sense. I'm going to place a mirror on the wall of your new Foundation Goal-den Brick & as you practice looking in that mirror, you will only see the magical little hole in the middle of your forhead. Inside that hole is an image of your very Highest Self, all glistening bright. You can give that image whatever characteristics you choose. Here are some of mine, in no particular order, because they all blend into each other, "authentic, funny, spiritual, kind, non-judgmental, peaceful, wise..." you get the idea. Remember, the mirror image is also fluid, so when you notice some special character trait in another person, you can borrow some of their's for yourSelf. Once again, you don't need to know them to do this. We are all spiritual beings & part of the Universal mentoring system!

The mirror on the wall is "interactive." Not only do you look at the Highest parts of your character & work to enhance it, but you also have the opportunity to enter the mirror & work directly with this Highest part of you. In the next blog, in we will go & experience this "in the moment"...


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

Hitting the JackPot

Goal-den Foundation Bricks, as well as all Goal-den Bricks are always fluid. That means that they change, sometimes daily. They are rather like one's home...as you live there, new ideas come into your mind about improving things. One never sits around & daydreams about making something worse & the same goes for Goal-den Bricks. Everything is about making an area of one's life better & better. Once my Goal-den Exercise Brick was in place, I had little trouble staying the course, mainly because there was no room for discussion or debate. That simply wasn't allowed & while that made it much easier to stick to the plan, I soon came to realize that it would be much more enjoyable if I could really "like or even love" to exercise each day. There's a big difference between tolerating & truly looking forward to doing something with high enthusiasm. I began thinking that it would truly be quite funny if I became just the opposite of how I was in the past & going to exercise became a super-enjoyable part of my day.
Of course, since I was programming all of my Goal-den Bricks inside my own subconscious mind, I already knew that anything was possible. I could paint any emotion I desired inside any lifestyle behavior or brick. That meant that I could literally fall in love with broiled chicken & out of love with fried chicken. I could fall in love with the treadmill & out of love with sitting in front of the television. I could fall in love with self-discipline & out of love with clutter & waste. Wow...this was really like hitting the jackpot. All I had to do was to truly decide what I wanted, as well as what I didn't want & then paint the interiors with the right images & emotions. The possibilities were endless.

Getting organized is key to high level success, whether you are working with disorderly eating, a disorderly life or a disorderly relationship. Keep in mind that all of the aforementioned are actually relationships of a sort. You have a relationship with yourSelf, with your food, with your envionment & with others. So now, let's focus on the JackPot. But since we have some new readers, let me take a moment to help orientate them to our projects...

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?" 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.

HITTING THE JACKPOT

Consciously deciding to be happy & successful was a new venture for me. Now this may sound somewhat ridiculous, for indeed, who decides to be unhappy & unsuccessful? The answer may surprise you.....most people program their minds for just that, for what we think is what we actually request from the subconscious mind & Universe. The subconscious mind is a servo-mechanism that works like radar. Probably you have heard about the Law of Attraction & this is exactly what we're discussing here. In the realm of disorderly eating, most people practice negative or failure programming. I know this for a fact, not only from years of working with patients & students, but from my own history. Yes, I still work daily with re-programming this area of my subconscious mind because my old programs were so deeply etched over the years, but because I've worked diligently in my own Recovery, I'm happy to say that my life has changed dramatically.

Hitting the JackPot means making those new lifestyle behaviors into happy habits. This is accomplished by designing new, highly emotionalized imagery or imaginology. For example, when I see & then put on my exercise clothes I feel an intense excitement in my body. How did it get there? I put it there. In the past did I feel that? No, of course not. In fact, I felt just the opposite...something like "dread." "Oh goodness" said the mind. "I have to go to the gym & it will be painful, boring & take forever." Obviously, these emotions would not bring the JackPot home. Let me give you another example. Because I live in a hot, humid climate, I have to do my walking on the treadmill. In the beginning I simply hated it & could just about go for ten minutes without being tired. Besides my body being an enemy of sorts, the mind joined it. "This is long enough. The body is filled with aches. Who needs this? Time to go home. You can do more tomorrow." Of course, tomorrow brought more of the same. Now, there is a different mind program in place, making the treadmill a truly enjoyable & competitive experience for my mind & body. The outcomes are just the opposite. Because I'm very health conscious, I do two miles for my blood sugar, two miles for my HDL's & two miles for my LDL's. Do I feel tired? No... & what about the mind? It's a happy companion, working along with me to get the job done.

In the next blog, I'll go into another Goal-den Brick, one that forms a very important part of my Recovery Foundation & will do the same for you...




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

Exercise? Me?

Foundation Golden Bricks may differ for each of us, but even if one doesn't have disorderly eating issues, there truly must be a foundation brick for nutrition, as well as one for physical exercise. In fact, these should be put in place in early childhood. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me, although I was very physically active as a child, up until the time I was married. While I always enjoyed sports, I never thought about exercise as being a part of my daily health regime. Regime? I have to laugh as I write this. I never thought of any regime whatsoever, simply living my life from the end of a swinging rope. On the other hand, it wasn't like I never thought about exercise, because I did. I joined many gyms, but never lasting very long. The same with purchasing other exercise equipment, books & videos. I tried leaving my exercise clothers out, running shoes by the door, packing a gym bag to keep in the car. Quite honestly, I was an embarrassment to mySelf. Despite being very disciplined in my work, nothing seemed to carry through into my own self-care. There were times when I thought about it, but my mind was able to keep those ideas well away from me....perhaps someday, but not now. There was simply no time to fit anything else into my busy life & besides, I had no energy.

Now, I know that I was not alone with my exercise woes. In fact, I had enough friends to help me stay in my unproductive & unhealthy state. We ate our unhealthy diets together & shared exercise horror stories, convincing each other that none of this was possible for people such as us. It felt so good to have such supportive friends, but the day I woke up & knew I had to change, was the day I felt very much alone & afraid. As I looked around, I honestly did not have one person in my life who had a healthy eating plan or exercised routinely. And so, I was going to have to design some very important foundation bricks & learn to live within them.

Designing hypnotic images truly saved my life. Without these living foundation images, I was easily swayed to return to my old procrastinations, for indeed, they were extremely strong & very well etched into my subconscious mind. You might say that I was a true expert at procrastinating about food & certainly with exercise. The first golden brick I designed was the one I discussed in the previous blog, the food golden brick. The second focused on exercise. I remember thinking that I would not be successful & was very worried about it, even more so than the food. However, it is a basic premise in hypnotherapy that negativity has to be completely removed....no images, no thoughts, no inner or outer discussion...nothing but positive & motivational thoughts & images. I knew that I was not to look for negative conversation from others & if I found others talking in negative terms about their experiences, or trying to draw me in, I was to leave the venue. I remember doing that a few times, but then realized that I could turn the conversation around without seeming like a preacher.

As a therapist, I've taught the ins & outs of these awareness techniques to all of my patients & students, for few of us have ever learned to view ourSelves & our issues through these lenses. I'll share some of these with you in just a moment, but first I'd like to welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

THE GOAL-DEN EXERCISE BRICK

I utilized the "automatic writing hypnotic journal" to build my Goal-den Exercise Brick, the reason being that I had a tremendous history of resistance & failure to long-term discipline. Writing about my history helped to clear my "creative space." In order to make changes, just like in redecorating a room, everything must be removed. Then, you can put useful things back in place, while getting other things that you might need. This was my approach inside my newest Goal-den Brick. It is clean, clear, bright & happy. Remember, no negatives are allowed to exist. Emptying through journaling took care of this. I then remember hanging a calendar on one of the inner walls of my brick.

I remember not being able to circle the five days for exercise. Each time I went to do this, I hesitated. This was resistance. I then went deeper into my trance state, disallowing any inner conversation. I remember stepping away from the calendar & locating things I needed which included a gym membership because I live in a hot, humid climate & the weather had always provided an excellent excuse. In the past, rainy days were happy days! I also needed some new shoes & clothers that didn't hold moisture. Then, back to the calendar. Since I was still resistant, I called in my Higher & Therapeutic Selves to take care of this. What was extraordinary, was that it was accomplished "just like that." No discussion....just done. It was made clear to me about the timing & other details were simply presented. I remember feeling a sense of relief. It was decided & it was over. From that day forward I never, ever had another inner negative discussion about exercise....strange but true. Now why was this is different from my previous years of "exercise debate"? I'll share some thoughts about this in my next blog.


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

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

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

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

Goal-den Brick Building

Recovery from disorderly eating means changing many things, not just one. In the past, all I thought that I had to change was my diet, but I was very wrong. I remember the day I realized this & it was just like lightening struck me between the eyes. Quite honestly, I was very frightened. I remember thinking," if I wasn't successful in changing my diet, how was I going to change all the things that I knew had to be changed?" The answer to this question was like a stone that dropped at my feet.A very rude awakening. "Do it or die" the inner voice said. "Oh... OK", was my automatic response. I still remain surprised that I didn't follow my usual pattern of questioning & defending. Instead there was no discussion, no argument. It was settled as simply as that. Part of me hoped that I had turned a corner & the rest would be just as comfortable.

But, this is not the way life is for we need the lessons in order to grow & mature. I remember becoming very still, most likely because I had little idea where to go from "do it or die". But, because I didn't argue, I soon learned that this was the key to being rewarded & I would receive all the help I needed. I came to understand that is what happens when you simply stop fighting. It's called acceptance & this state of mind opens the communication to & from the Higher or Creative Self.

Through the years, as an RN & therapist, I've dropped many stones at the feet of patients, most of them still arguing & obstinate. Not all of my patients have eating disorders. However, in the realm of getting well, everything seems to be connected to a lack of discipline & a desire to be right at all costs. Getting patients to put down the gauntlet & instead, to come into acceptance & discipline is interesting to observe. Once discipline is placed on the life path, other issues seem to line up as well, bringing joy to life, even in the face of illness.

If you've been reading along with me, you already know that my eating issues had become very serious & I soon came to understand that building a set of disciplines would only be a part of what I needed to do. But, before I could do that, I needed to know what I truly wanted, not in just one area, but in all areas. While this may sound rather obvious, it is often the part that is left out of the mix & in the past this is what led me to fail. What one truly desires needs to be very clear & well defined. It also needs to be emotionalized. One needs to get inside the specific desire to feel connected to the emotions. This is the basis of goal-setting. Missing out on specific details, makes it much more difficult for the subconscious or creative mind to build the motivational plan & so if one trips even slightly, one can get stranded on the path to nowhere. This is not a good place to be.

In the world of disorderly eating motivations need to be strong & this comes from high level goal definitions. Luckily, most days we follow life patterns, making it easier to define our images & manage our emotions. In my self-work, I found it enjoyable to build "goal-den bricks" that would build on each other. Since I never had a good foundation, I found it best to start from the beginning, just as I would if building a new house. I'll take you through the design of some of my bricks. Perhaps this will give you some good ideas for your own that will work within your life patterns. But first I'd like to welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

GOAL-DEN BRICK BUILDING

I found it useful & still do, to design my bricks inside a very special leather bound book. This book really exists & sits on my desk. Writing in long-hand is much better than typing on a computer screen. I think this is because it takes so much longer to get the ideas on the paper, giving the subconscious mind the opportunity to converse without rushing. It seems like we're always rushing.

As I mentioned earlier, I was without a sound foundation in relation to my eating behaviors. I literally had no discipline, eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. I was a binge eater, a walk-by eater, a secret eater & an imbalanced eater. I rarely thought of what my body needed & when I had dieted in the past, my focus was only on what foods to take out or to deny myself & never on what foods to put into my daily intake. The first brick I needed was one of very clear definition that focused on the exact foods that my body required, whether I liked them or not. I came to realize that I really didn't dislike most of the foods I needed, but they were too much trouble to put together & I really did prefer to eat pizza, sandwiches & other assortments of fast foods. As I studied this brick, I came to realize that I could eat the foods I liked, but I had to improve the ingredients. This meant that I had to spend time planning, organizing & preparing. I also came to notice that I didn't treat mySelf very well. I ate standing up, while walking, talking or watching TV or playing on the computer. Observing mySelf inside my brick was unpleasant. I decided to stop all of that & brought a proper china plate, silverware & a crystal goblet to my workplace. Of course, others were quite amused with my behavioral changes, but I really didn't care. I was on a mission & I'm still on that mission.

Visiting inside this major foundation brick I'll show you my meal clock, my beautiful plastic containers, my cookbooks & organizing area. Happy emotions hang out here & accompany me to the supermarket & specialty stores. You will not find any negativity in this area, or in any other goal-den brick. Everything here is about designing the most perfect life I can for mySelf & in so doing, for others around me. When we come back, I'll take you into other adjoining bricks that form my life foundation & then we can travel up to some newer areas that were made possible because of the great foundation I've built & I hope by now you know that you can do so as well.


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

Fresh Start

Cleaning, clearing & then rebuilding old rituals takes courage, a hot desire, commitment & persistence. Remember, a good part of any ritual is on auto-pilot & you may find yourSelf inside the ritual without even thinking. However, this does not mean that you have failed & should give up. It simply means that you need to wake up earlier. Just because you find yourSelf inside a negative ritual is no reason to stay....just the opposite. It's a reason to leave. As you dismantle your old ritual & build a new one, it will be even easier to change positions.

This was a big issue for me, especially in the beginning of my wellness trek, because my ritual was very old, having so many tangents that were added over the years of it's existence. I thought of it as a big, heavy tapestry, even bigger than mySelf. In the past I had tried to change some of the threads, but no matter what I did, it never seemed to be enough to effect a long-term change. Now, I had no choice. My physical health had taken a toll & the tapestry had to go.

There are different approaches to making lifestyle changes & dismantling habits. As I mentioned above, I had tried to remove some of the ritual threads, but had been unsuccessful. I also found this to be self-defeating, as it reinforced my failure. This time I had no choice but to throw out the ritual. In the practice of self-hypnosis the chosen imagery can be very quick & powerful. I knew that I would discard the ritual tapestry, but I also knew that I did want to save some of the threads, especially the ones that were symbols of my resilience. Over the years I fought through some changes. For example, I had resolved my issues with letting others make my food decisions for me. I no longer ate something because someone would supposedly feel bad if I didn't eat it, or if everyone else was having it, so therefore I needed to have it. Those were important threads for me to keep & to weave into my new tapestry.

My old tapestry was very emotional, wrought with anger, sadness, depression, worthlessness, helplessness & hopelessness. Some of my emotions were very connected to specific people & so I decided to build an alter of sorts to honor those who were responsible for teaching me some of my most valuable lessons. Remember, we learn through positive & negative examples. Here was an opportunity for me to practice forgiveness, thereby setting me completely free from those who had held the key to my prison for so long. This part of my new ritual & tapestry reminded mt that I held no anger towards anyone, including mySelf. The past was over, the path ahead was clean & clear & I was about to develop a new healing garden that would house my ritual & tapestry, for I would be weaving many new experiences into the fabric of my life.

You may wonder about the old ritual popping up on auto-pilot & finding mySelf in the middle of it. Yes, this did happen & still does at times, but remember, I am no longer the same person & I have the Key to get out. Here are some of the things that became part of my new auto-pilot ritual. There were times when forbidden foods seemed to magically appear in my supermarket basket, but they were returned to the shelves or left at the checkout. There were times when the desire to hide & binge pushed themselves to the front of my mind, but I now had a new ritual garden....one that was growing powerful roots & so these seemingly negative thoughts became opportunities for me to strengthen the new rituals. And, you can do the same. Allow your own mind to guide you, as I invite you to walk through my therapeutic shifting process with me.

But first I'd like to welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

NEW RITUAL GARDEN

As I mentioned earlier, I found it easier to dispose of my old ritual, except for a few threads. I did this in the "theater of my mind". It was a simple as telling it to go completely. That's what the power of the creative mind is all about. I remember the day I did this. A light came down, leaving the area completely empty & very clean. The first thing I did was to set up my alter of gratitude & forgiveness. In the development of imagery, it's a good idea to make important metaphors very detailed, so I spent quite a bit of time in this area of my mind. It took me awhile to be able to place pictures of those people who I felt had injured me the most, but after awhile, it became easier. In the meanwhile, I placed an object that represented them, instead of the picture. Another area of my garden or ritual was an actual kitchen with very modern appliances. I was no longer afraid of food & wanted it well represented, so my subconscious mind understood what was needed by my body systems. I also took time to think about foods that I liked. It was during that time that I improved my cooking skills, because when I had the most problems with bingeing, my food shopping & prep was dismal. The new ritual garden also included an area for deep relaxation & a leather bound book filled with future images. I'll share those with you in the next blog.

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

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

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

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

Inside the Ritual Nest

As I entered the Foodie Ritual Area I was surprised at the level of detail that had been developed over the years. My addictive childSelf was willing to show me the deepest elements, those that were the seedlings for the rather complicated working ritual that was now in place. I had some rememberance of the seedlings, but not all of them. Being able to visit them in self-hypnosis truly touched my heart. I can remember my early child, but being able to feel the deep emotions, truly opened my heart, allowing a pouring of sadness to release. I could feel the pressure before the release & that did frighten me for a moment, but the Higher Part of me was present, encouraging me to just let it flow & so I did. The untimely & surprising death of my father & the shock that separated my mother from me, had to be interpreted by a three year old child, who had no other support. The childSelf I was invited to enter was frightened, confused, anxious & very disturbed.

There was no point of reference for her to grab hold of & so the emotions were raw & scary, especially as more people arrived at the funeral that was held in the home. Visitors hugged her, while crying & screaming. The addictive childSelf took me to a little "nest-like" place, a uterus of sorts. Inside the nest were pacifier cookies & candies, some provided to the child & others secretly taken from the mourning table. These were especially addictive, for they combined mourning with sugar treats. This was to continue throughout her childLife & even into her adultLife. The "nest-like" place took many different forms, mostly hiding places that were closed in & secret....the car, closets, corners of rooms, the attic, basement & behind certain bushes & trees.

As the childSelf grew, the nest became more & more useful for releasing emotions, especially those related to insecurity, emotional & physical pain & critical emotions. Physical pain was also invited because it made it easier for emotional pain to be expressed. This pain announced itself in multiple body aches, headaches, tightness & weakness, always accompanied by fear. Sometimes the childSelf binged, almost inviting the pain to appear, as if it's presence would fill the void. The kinds of foods were mainly unhealthy, the amounts huge. At times there was an acutal fear of the foods, the Self realizing the danger of what was about to happen. That fear could even start in the supermarket as the foods jumped into the shopping cart. There was also fear of body sensations, believing them to be a hidden illness that then connected itself to fear of death & dying, bringing the nest back to it's original purpose. As the child grew older, the insecurities also grew, for there was no parent figure to help the child find her way back to balance. In fact, others thought the child was very well adjusted, for she hid everything very well & the nest, even though more complicated, was a deep secret. Even though she was very afraid of illness & accidents, she entered the health care field, as if defying the original fear, but the eating issues worsened & the secret was forced to become further submerged.

Before I go ahead & share some of the therapeutic techiques I utilized for mySelf & taught to others like me, I'd like to welcome new readers...

A NOTE TO NEW READERS:

This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" 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.

INSIDE THE NEST

Disassembling the old ritual & the nest in it's present form was going to be necessary. Releasing on food was no longer possible, as I was heading towards the door of adult onset diabetes. I was already hypoglycemic, the frightening symptoms causing me to run to the nest, but I was already aware that the food was taking me even nearer to the killer diseases, so this was no longer workable. Awareness is a powerful tool, especially if it is utilized in a very deep relaxed state. That means, below the conscious level, where the brain waves are slower & the stress chemicals aren't being produced. For me, this meant learning a special kind of meditation, one that could be practiced "in the moment." As I learned to be a close observer of mySelf, I was shocked at the levels of stress I produced & stored in my body. No wonder I kept my ritual close by my side & always knew where to find my portable "nest."

Managing my thoughts was paramount to re-defining my ritual. I realized that I truly needed a ritual, but one that was very different from the one I had since childhood. Of course, my childSelf was not happy, but interestingly enough, that unhappiness passed very quickly, once I made it clear that I was now in charge. I believe that the childSelf was relieved at finally having a mature ParentSelf. In the next blog I'll invite you to visit the interior of my new ritual habitat.


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

Underneath the Foodie Mantra

Be clear...emotional eating & the binge is not about the food. Like the iceberg, the main components are located below the surface. So, it was one thing to take my addictive childSelf out of hiding, but quite another thing to deal with the causative factors & her "foodie mantra." Willingness to change means willingness to become aware & until that permission is granted, it is rarely possible to get a full view of the true problem & such was the case regarding my food thoughts, bingeing & obsessions. By inviting my childSelf out of hiding, permission was granted for me to enter the food behavior hiding place that is located well below the surface..deep in my subconscious mind

Despite gaining permission, I remember stalling at the door to this area, somewhat frightened of what I would find. It is not easy to enter into pure honesty. Despite my nervousness, my addictive childSelf pulled me energetically, probably thinking I was going to join her in the old hangouts, but of course, this was not to be. Instead, we were going to stand side-by-side, while I reviewed the extent of what had already happened & the already present ramifications. These would be hard to own, because what was done was done. However, I had my futureSelves to consider & I needed to know specifically what wouldn't be happening ever again. As I "read" my body sensations, I could feel anxiety & inner-trembling, probably the anticipation of having to face up to my weaknesses & then accepting the finality of letting go....this was to be a true & difficult commitment, but one that was necessary for healing, not only for my body, but for my mind as well. I had lived a life of lies, excuses & hiding & all of these would be leaving at the same time. There would be no discussion, no guilt...no shame...but I did expect a tremendous feeling of loss & that was to be.

The childSelf did need to stand by my side, but it's important to know that she was not truly participating in the seriousness of the experience, for the addictive child does not understand, nor care to understand the serious impact of over-eating, under-eating or eating foods that have no nutritious value. Her interests are found only in the special ritual that accompanies the eating, including the excitement of thinking about, then finding the foods of choice, followed by eating ,sometimes slowly or other times shoving the food quickly into her mouth. None of this had anything to do with nutritional needs, nor hunger, but instead, representing pure emotional release. To her, everything was about fixating on the ritual, for all parts were related to the emotional release. Once we were inside the door, I wanted to encourage my childSelf to open the ritual so I could see inside. I felt certain that I didn't know all parts of it, nor from where they originated. I was also interested to know how the ritual was "fired", so I could work to dismantle those elements as well. Upon entering, it was clear to me that the ritual, nor it's parts, could no longer exist. I believed that dismantling them & removing them completely would be much easier than doing this piece-meal....like emptying a room completely, instead of just doing a corner at a time. For this, I needed the child at my side, so hopefully she would guide me into the deeper recesses of the room. I was soon to find out that she wasn't about to disappoint me...

Before I go ahead, we always have new readers & I'd like to welcome them...

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?" 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.

THE ADDICTIVE CHILD'S PRIVATE ROOM

Once inside the room, I was stunned with the state of affairs, but of course, thisarea had been operational since I was a young child. Despite being over-loaded, it was actually quite organized. My childSelf seemed to take pride in this, making it easier for her to show me where things were. She was impressed with my interest, obviously appreciative that I wasn't angry not threatening. Luckily she missed the fact that I was appalled, perhaps because I decided to put that aside, for any criticism would have built resistance for the "show & tell." Part of me was pulled towards the seemingly mountains of food that had either been ingested or hidden through the years, but I decided that i preferred to enter the ritual first, for indeed, this was a core issue & would help to answer some of the areas that were nearer to the surface. My childSelf was fine with this, almost excited to share the intricacies of the ritual fine-tuning.

I'll share most of this with you, but space in the blog is a bit of an issue, but here's something I learned. Emotional eaters tend to preferto practice their ritual alone or if they share with others, these partners are carefully chosen. These are not the usual people one meets at a dinner party...but special addictive companions. In the case of my child, her ritual bliss was always about being alone & made especially potent by the preference of secrecy. For example, while she liked to binge in the car, she would never eat or even chew at red lights because the driver in the car next to her or behind her would be watching, thereby invading her secret. I was coming to understand that the more my childSelf trusted me, the more she would share & so staying open & non-judgmental would be key to my healing.

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

Re-Dressing the Addictive ChildSelf

Once I decided to recover from my disorderly issues, my own subconscious mind began showing me an array of things that truly needed to be addressed. I came to know that there was a very big part of me that was hidden, not only from others, but even from mySelf. This part is what I now know as my Addictive childSelf. Although she was always present, she stayed behind the scenes where she was easily ignored & certainly I hid her from others. Being absent from view, you might think that this would have weakened her effect on me, but all this hiding seemed to enhance my anger, guilt & shame, making her even more powerful. My relationship with her was two-faced, for I loved & dispised her at the same time. I imagined her as a pitiful, sad little messy child harboring a dirty face & unkept hair, someone only a mother could love. I wanted to keep her locked up because her behaviors were embarrassing. I was actually fearful that others would come to know this hidden part of me, causing me to lose respect. It took quite a bit of energy to keep her locked away & so I was forced to live behind a pretense mask, presenting me as a balanced professional in all aspects of my life. I tried very hard not to look in the mirror, because this unruly part of me could be seen peering out. She would not let me forget her.

You may wonder how it is possible to hide a part of yourSelf, but it is possible & perhaps you have had your own experience with a part of you that lives behind your scenes. However, in recovery it is so important to become completely "authentic" or whole if you are going to heal. I'm convinced that the Key to managing disorderly eating is not about scale weight, but about being authentic & whole. Living in a relaxed mind & body, sensing your own power, being real, loving yourSelf is all connected to living a healthy, balanced lifestyle. There is no longer a need for compulsive or emotional eating. As the Self comes together in wholeness, there are no more parts hiding behind the bushes, waiting to jump out & be disruptive. Life can be a peaceful journey.

So, we know that this is what we want, but how do we get there? What happens to the disorderly childSelf? In my own recovery I came to understand that the part of me that I was hiding was going to be instrumental in my healing process. I needed her by my side, for she was going to be my catalyst for change. But first, I must bring her out of hiding, ask her forgiveness & promise her unconditional love, for truly she has done nothing wrong. She is simply part of my childSelf who was left on her own with no discipline & no emotional management. As I came to know her, I noticed she resembled my early childSelf, who grew up in a dysfunctional home & carried the very same characteristics. She also carried the heart of my eating issues, for her addiction was her panacea & because she was so needy, she actually became very good at what she needed to do.

Uncanny, but true, the addictive child at my side was perhaps the most powerful part of my being. She would now become whole, transmuting what was negative energy into a positive power source. I'll share some of my hypnotic work in this regard, but before that...

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?" 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.

RE-DRESSING THE ADDICTIVE CHILD SELF

Just the idea of not hiding a part of me turned out to be a very freeing experience. Now, I didn't stand on the rooftop & scream out my truth, but I no longer pretended that I was something I was not. I remember the first time I shared some of my dark secrets with my patients & then with my family. By this time, I had been re-establishing my own relationship with my addictive childSelf. I did this mainly through self-hypnotic & meditative channels, but also through automatic journaling. This was a very interesting experience, for the childSelf brought other areas to my attention, things that I never considered being connected to my eating issues. Some of these included areas of my personal life that I had ignored, such as the state of affairs in my clothes closet of all things. In fact, there was plenty of disorder in my life & as I began to see with more clarity through the eyes of this part of me, I came to realize how asleep I've been & for so long.

The child had plenty of complaints as to her own dress & personal appearance. Since she was no longer hidden, it was time to bring some changes to her as well. I soon came to see that these were not just her issues, but mine, for indeed I had closed my eyes in this area as well. Together we cleaned house, made a shopping list, as well as a list of other things that had been missing from our life experience for so long. Yes, disciplines were needed & we worked on these together. I found that she was cooperative & willing to try new things, but she didn't appreciate being pushed into the background without her needs taken into consideration. Some things that were missing had to do with play & some old childhood experiences that were no longer in sight. All of this came forth in our journaling together.

The wisdom of this part of me was a surprise....but why shouldn't she be wise? After all, she'd been around for quite awhile & had witnessed many things from her hiding place...

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

Gifts from Future Selves

One thing for sure, maintaining a healthy weight means managing the multiple facets of compulsive, emotional & stress eating & for that one needs a high level of motivation. For me personally, I looked outside of mySelf for this motivation, often expecting someone to jump in & save me from my disorderly eating. But, since much of it was a secret, there was no one to jump in. For me, this was very frightening, because I was afraid of my own Self. I remember thinking, that if left alone, it would be possible for me to kill mySelf with food. One day I made a list of all the foods I would be willing to eat that day IF I were alone with no one to stop me. Reading that list was a very uncomfortable peak into my true addictive Self.

Now, I was taking a new approach & had commited myself to being on the Path. My old shoes were gone & I was breaking in the new ones, but even in the new shoes, I needed more than Knowledge to keep going forward, especially in the world in which I existed. I was very much alone with my changes & even if I wanted others to motivate me, few were up to that task as they were so unmotivated themselves. I came to realize that I lived in a world of disorderly eaters, even those who lived in denial, convincing themselves that they had healthy habits. Their focus was achieving & keeping a low scale weight, no matter what the price. I knew I would not walk that path again...ever.

So, what were my options to stay the course? Much has been written about "outer motivation", but little about "inner motivation." I remember wishing that I had a personal coach who would follow me around, whispering positive affirmations in my ear, as I walked through the many destructive triggers on my life path. I was immediately reminded that I was always looking for something more, while I already had everything I needed. I just needed to practice being awake & aware. We wake up through the desire to be awake & then learn to pay attention to our thoughts & the images that accompany them. We learn that thoughts & images can be changed. Images are small subconscious mind programs that when fused with high level emotions, become motivational catalysts.

In the last chapter I was delighted to be introduced to the image of the magical rock garden. There I was to communicate with my past Selves who were happy to re-introduce me to my past inner strengths & the power that I had available to me. I remember wondering if there were other areas on the Path that could provide the same & once again, before the question was formulated, the answer was presented to me. Just as I have past Selves, I also have a large array of future Selves, going right up to my most powerful future Self, the one at the extreme end of the path. This was my "end of life" Self who had all the answers, as well as all the plans leading up to the answers.

In the beginning, I was horrified with the idea of looking into my future, for getting old was not high on my list, but in this series of images, I was soon to experience some of my most powerful inner motivators. Let's review something first. There are two ways to motivate the Self....going towards something positive....or away from something negative. The latter is better known as fear motivation. In other words, "do as I say, or you will experience something very terrible...like death." I firmly believe that you get what you think about & so I was not a fan of fear-based motivation. I remained very curious about my future Selves, especially my oldest Self, wondering how any of them could possibly motivate me without using fear tactics.

As I began my journey into the imagery of my future Selves, I was already aware that there were very special tools for these inner creative beings. I'll take you into my experience in a moment, but before that...

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?" 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.

RESILIENT GIFTS FROM THE FUTURE SELVES

Regression & future pacing shouldn't be so mysterious. Each time we look at a photo album we become involved with our past Selves & each day we look in the mirror, visiting an older Self who yesterday existed as a future Self. We also talk about these future Selves, thinking how that ice cream will put weight on us. The results of that ice cream are being delivered to our future Selves & not just one of them, but many of them. The more deliveries, the more problems for our Selves down the Path. As I travel down my future Path, messages are delivered to me by the entities that exist there. Strangely enought, these messages are not the same ones that I hear in my consciousness. Instead, these are positive affirmations, accompanied by images on signposts. This is the beauty of practicing Interactive Self-Hypnosis or imaginology.

I can image my oldest Self who lives at the end of the Path, encouraging me to come forward. The fear I anticipated is magically removed, as I drift along, as if my feet weren't needed to move me. She is in the Light & I find her very loving, welcoming & without judgment. She has a sense of humor & I find mySelf smiling in her presence. She tells me that "everything turned out just perfectly." I had done a wonderful job in cleaning & clearing my life & had learned the most important life lesson, that I was in charge of my own life & therefore my own choices. Others were simply life students who shared life with me, but who were not "me", nor were they in charge of "me." As I became more self-responsible, bringing daily changes into my life, each of them became healthier. They then passed their health onto the next older Self. My Self of today actually "gifted" each of them. She asked me to look down the Path towards my today Self, so I could actually visualize the piles of gifts on the future Path. Some of these were healthy food baskets from each meal, exercise, stress managing with meditation & positive affirmations....so many gifts, all delivered by mySelf to these powerful women in my life. Becoming aware & realizing the impact of my daily actions would perform as rebound motivation, as each future Self responded back to me as each gift was received.

She touched my hand, allowing me to feel the collective energy of who I am & what I'm about.

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

Hidden Resilience & the Former Selves

Despite being successful in other areas of my life, the same did not hold true for managing my eating issues. In this area I was pre-programmed to fail & so as I walked in my "new shoes" I felt very insecure. I continually policed my steps, both expecting & waiting to fall down once again. Although I was committed, I was lacking in faith. My thoughts were not helful, most of them negative about any promise of success, even a short-lived one. In fact, I noticed that I was feeling worse than in other attemps when I wasn't totally committed. Finding this hard to understand,I called on my Higher Therapeutic Selves for much needed advice.

When working hypnotically, help comes very quickly...even before the question is asked, when it is just an idea of a question, rather like living with a mind-reader. I was quickly ushered to a beautiful rock garden, intermingled with bright colored flowers. I was surprised as to the number of rocks, some big & others small. As I looked closer, some rocks had dates on them, while other sparkled as if they contained inner reflective jewels. I'd never seen rocks like these before & I was immediately curious as to their origin, as well as what they were doing here on my Life path. I remember being asked to sit on the bench that was located right in the midst of the garden & one of the "dated" rocks was placed on my lap. Closer examination revealed some words that explained the origin of the rock, indicating that it represented a day in my life when I had won a skating competition.

I was instructed to tap on the rock & as I did this, the rock opened as if it had it's own door. Looking inside I could see the recorded number of falls I had taken during my early skating career, all of them leading up to being able to perfect my skating performance. Oh yes, I remembered this well. I loved skating & I honestly didn't mind falling. Even if I was hurt, I always looked forward to getting back on my skates & doing better. This young Self of mine would be very useful to me now. I truly needed her & wondered how I could get her back inside of me.

I'll share this special teaching with you in just a moment, but before that...

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?" 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.

HIDDEN RESILIENCE & THE FORMER SELVES

I came to understand that the rock garden contained a lifetime of resilience building, all of it available to me in any given moment. As I looked at the rocks, I became aware of how strong I had been throughout my life, in so many different areas. I was a fighter & a person who never gave up on things, no matter how difficult they were. How odd that I never connected any of this with my eating issues. It was like this particular part of my life had nothing, or very little to do with who I am & what I'm about. This vision was very stunning & even as I write this, I can feel an internal shift from weak to strong. My Therapeutic Teacher was encouraging me to locate more rocks & to open them. I was told that I could also enter these & communicate directly with those earlier Selves. In the beginning I thought this quite odd, but then I realized that I communicate incessantly with my old failure Selves & so why would I think this was odd? Then I realized why....my old addictive Self simply didn't want me to gain the strength I had available to me, because with every ounce of strength I gained, that destructive part of me became weaker.

I was curious as to how I could engage my past strengths & as before, the answer came before the question was formulated. It became clear that simply by remembering & becoming engaged with the resilient imagery, the power was simply available to me. These were now "new triggers"....stepping stones instead of tripping stones.


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

Sticky Fingers

I had started again so many times that a "fresh start" didn't feel very fresh at all. I noticed how frightened I was, even more so because of my solid commitment. As I relaxed into my fear, I heard the internal voice of my Therapeutic Self & who made it clear that just because I had "new shoes" didn't mean that I was going to do all of this perfectly. In the past when I tripped up, my immature addictive childSelf was waiting for me with my "old shoes." But, this was no longer possible, because there were no more "old shoes" , but my Higher Therapeutic Self would always by my side, just as it was in this moment of uncertainty. With each step I would be experiencing new ways to traverse my Life path.

Yes, I would have to learn to walk through old dark areas & triggers &....I would have to be willing to wash off my "sticky fingers." The art of "being willing" would be Key for me, for in the past my immature childSelf would never have agreed to any of this & there was a part of me that was still internally engaged with that part of me. But, the disengaging of the immature Self would become a very powerful growth tool & one that would take me to high levels of health & performance in other areas of my Life. I was learning that power gained on the Life path was transferrable to other areas, even areas that weren't formed as yet. These were some of the gifts of the "new shoes" & they would be powered by my new-found willingness.

I stepped out on the Life path with my new shoes. Looking to the right & left were invitations to stop & experience. Some areas had signs that sported affirmations, not just words but images inviting me to enter & feel the affirmation in a deeper part of me. "I'm having a fresh start" spoke to me. I climbed the few steps & went inside the affirmation. I was immediately caught up in the feelings of freedom & joy. In the past, fresh starts had made me somewhat uncomfortable, but these old feelings were not present here. I was welcomed by images of nature & those representing my Higher Self, all congratulating me on being here & chatting of the exciting experiences that were ahead of me. I was also introduced to some of my "future Selves" who were delighted with getting this show on the road....once & for all time. This was the last time I was going to start from the beginning, for now, I had the right information, the best motivation & a true connection to my Higher Self & it's companions.

The path was very organized. Disciplines, motivations, inner mirrors & other gifts lined the way & I invite you to walk along with me, but before that...

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?" 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.

STICKY FINGERS & SPECIAL HAND WASHING PROCEDURES

While the Recovery Life path is beautiful & filled with learnings & motivational gifts, there are also tripping stones or triggers. With each day I notice mySelf becoming stronger, but what's interesting is that I still have an attraction to some of my old triggers. My HigherTherapeutic Self tells me that my encounters with these will make me much stronger than before & not to be afraid of this "attraction" which is not an attraction at all, but just my addictive childSelf having a little tantrum as it becomes weaker & weaker. It helps me to think in this way. My Higher Self suggests that when I notice this, that I take the childSelf to the little golden sinks that are located along the path & to wash her sticky fingers of the old trigger residue. This is a self-hypnotic suggestion, telling the subconscious mind that triggers can be removed with this small, but powerful image. The fear emotions that are intertwined with triggers are easily dismantled in this way, allowing the Self to become more confident in the moment. Fear mounts when it appears there is no control, but now the mind & body has control, delivered by the hand washing image.

I have many triggers & each time I take my addictive childSelf to the golden sink, the individual triggers weaken. I find mySelf washing her hands in advance of entering some of my trigger-centers that include the supermarket, passing the pizza place & dessert time at meetings I need to attend. Pre-washing has become a powerful tool for me & I'm learning to apply it in other non-food areas of my life as well, for example when socializing with people who are difficult for me to be around.

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

Stepping into the "Now"

"This I know for sure...my new shoes will take me to new places, but I also know that they are currently very uncomfortable & my old shoes are nowhere in sight, so I guess I'll have to deal with it."

These are some thoughts I had several decades ago when I truly committed to change my lifestyle behaviors. The commitment was solidified when I gave up my "old shoes." I was also to find out that the phrase "lifestyle behaviors" was more than I thought. How easy those words fell off of my tongue, but walking the path in new shoes was certainly proving to be an uncharted adventure for me. My life would never be the same again, for I was about to meet parts of mySelf that had been hidden for a very long time, some since early childhood. Emotions that I preferred not to experience were insisting to be heard, as a new "me" began to form. What I thought was all about food, was turning out to be less about my eating & more about my immature Self that wanted to be in charge of anything & everything.

Working inside "interactive self-hypnotic imagery" or imaginology was very helpful to me because it gave me a discipline of deep relaxation, as well as a place to "go." In my "old shoes" I tended to stay in the problem, enhancing body tension & a state of mind confusion. My emotions were highly negative, especially the ones involved with past failures, fears of the known & unknown & underlining hopelessness & helplessness. But, that was the past & now I had "new shoes" & a "new path", one with knowledge, guidance, organized discipline & much more. Here I could practice new ways of doing things, manage my thoughts & emotions, choose what I wanted for me & even design my future. Here I could let go of things I didn't want without any repercussions or feelings of guilt or shame. I sensed the freedom of being my authentic Self. As I stepped forward onto the path, I looked down to view my "new shoes" & noticed my healthy reflection smiling back at me. I felt like I was home; not my old home, but a home that transcended that image. This was somewhere totally different, but a place that I seemed to remember from long, long ago.

Here I was not alone, but accompanied by my Higher or Therapeutic Self who formed my Parent/Teacher/Physician Self. The path was very organized & I invite you to walk along with me, but before that...

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?" 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.

STEPPING INTO THE NOW - KNOWLEDGE, CLARITY & VISION

It was made clear to me that we all must start from where we are in the moment. That didn't mean that we hang out in that "moment", for that moment is already in the past, but we start in the now & each step is another step into "the now." This is what it means to "live in the moment.' With each step a higher level of clarity emerges. Besides being in the "now", we also need specific Knowledge & disciplines to employ that Knowledge. This is important in all areas of Life, but especially so in the nutrition or eating departments. Make no mistake, everyone needs Knowledge in regard to nutrition. The body is a group of intricate systems that need to be maintained with high level nutrition, deep relaxation & positive imagery. My "new shoes" were going to walk me to each specific area where I would experience Knowledge, clarity of vision, high level motivation & Keys for self-management. This was certainly very different than how I lived my life in the past, where I was blown by the current wind that blew me without any charted course.

My "new shoes" entered the first area on the Path that was labeled High Level Nutrition. The area was filled with plants, each representing body systems or specific cells. I was shocked to see the state of affairs of some of my body systems. Because they were "out of view" inside my body, I never paid much attention to them unless they screamed out. Lately I'd been having lots of body screaming, but seeing the desperate state of the actual plants took my breath away. I thought mySelf a reasonable & responsible human being, but to be honest, I truly never paid all that much attention to my food choices. I ate what I liked, when I liked & if I felt like I was gaining weight, I'd diet & exercise heavily, never thinking further than the size of my jeans. My Higher Self was now by my side, along with my Teacher/Parent & Physician. "This is no time for wallowing, but a time of action." I was handed a set of directions or "disciplines." I started to cower at that "discipline word", but immediately bounced out of that mind state by the reflection of my "new shoes." I was beginning to get the idea.

The directions were quite lengthy & I wasn't surprised because obviously I needed lots of correction. In the past I balked at correction, but the relection from my shoes didn't allow for this. Instead I felt rather giddy & excited to get going. The plants were watching me & my sense of responsibility kicked in. Yes, I can do this. I was directed to the eating tables that were labeled "breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner". Then I was shown the huge buffet. I was told that each meal needed to contain protein, healthy fats, & a selection of balanced & unrefined carbohydrates. It was easy to understand the protein & the fats, but the carbohydrates were going to take some education. I looked around for my favorite foods, but they weren't there & I questioned that. Was I to be denied these FOREVER!!! My new shoes blinked at me." Relax...first things first. Your body parts need to return to healthy balance & then you will learn how to engage with unhealthy foods....either by being happy to discard them, or to find ways to entertain them on occasion."

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