Welcome to the ongoing blog/workshop, based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" If you are new to this area, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
Here we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.
HEIGHTENED AWARENESS
One of the big benefits of working hypnotically is the ability to call up a "frame" for enhanced focus & clarity. This is accomplished through relaxation, as well as the desire, intention & willingness to look at things even if they are unpleasant. In the theater of the mind we are practicing "disassociation." You & your actorSelf are separate. You are boosted by your Higher Self/Power & are working with your intermediary...your Therapeutic Self. Your relationship with your Unbalanced Self is much improved to the point that this part of you has now become helpful, instead of hiding in the shadow of negative emotions. You are now able to identify many of these child-emotional states, even the bigger ones who incidently are still child-emotions even though they believe that they are in charge. I often ask my patients or students, if they would give their car keys or turn over their financial affairs to a child. Of course not & so we do not turn our lives over to our emotional children.
Just like the scene of any movie or play is different from the next scene, the same goes for the unfolding of your life. Every scene or frame is different. Here we are working with scenes related to eating venues. You have come to know that breakfast is different from lunch & snack. Now you will see that dinner is different from all other meals & depending on the venue, the frame or scene will change. The actorSelf will be harboring beliefs related to the frame. Many of these will be on what's called "auto-pilot." That means that the scene has played out before & so the thoughts & corresponding emotions just know their cues, appearing & acting out, as if the actorSelf were simply asleep or a silent observer.
There are many areas to observe. As you learn more about Heightened Awareness, you will be able to key in to what is present or happening, as well as to what is NOT present or happening. All of this gives you, the writer, director & producer a very wide-scope for change & programming what you want. For example, start to pay attention to the time of day, including what happened in the previous scene. This is especially interesting if the dinner meal comes at the end of a work-day. The emotions & thoughts can be very different than those played out on a non-work day. This is an example of what's present one day & not on another day. There are also things that are never present, so you might practice asking your Therapeutic Self that question. "What are other options for this scene?" Obviously, you are only looking for the positive options! There are tools for working with negative options, but that discussion is for another time.
The other actors who are present in the scene also have an impact on the action of your actorSelf. Many actors are triggers for particular auto-pilot behaviors or emotional reactions. Practicing heightened awareness gives you the "ah-ha" or eureka moments that are key to deep understanding, the precursor of true change. You will be learning different tools for interpretation of the behavior & communication with others, but again, that is for another time. Just know it is "waiting in the wings."
As the writer,director & producer of your life, you have the opportunity to interact with these parts of yourSelf. You are coming to understand that there are reasons for certain behaviors & the presence of emotions. Some of these are valid & others not, but no matter what the reason, you can decide to change the behavior because you are not the same person you were yesterday, the day before or last year. You can choose to let go & to program your mind & body for what you want. This is your leadership role & all the assistance you need is now available to you.
ACT 1 SCENE 3
DINNER & DINING OUT
Since this is a blog & not the book, space is an issue for me, so let's go ahead & set the scene for dinner at home & then move into a dining out venue. Keep in mind that each venue is a different scene with it's own auto-pilot programs. While this may seem a bit over-whelming, once you get used to working with your mind in this way, it will become easier & actually entertaining.
READY - ACTION
You are in position as the writer, director & producer. The curtain opens & you recognize the home dinner scene. Notice your actorSelf & details of the environment. It's important to pull into as many details as possible. This enhances the focus & clarity, so take time & look around the room. Notice who is preparing the meal & the energy that is present. Separate negatives from positives. Your Therapeutic Self is present, but is just observing, along with your Unbalanced Self. The Theater of the Mind is an educational tool for change & you already know that your Therapeutic Self is your positive transition Self. Now focus on the emotions that are present. Clarify which are helpful & those that are not. Remember not to dismiss any of them too soon. They have valuable information for you & you will want to glean that while they are still relaxed in their activity. You lead from a position of quiet assertiveness & balance, never threatening or punishing. Since this scene is about food choices & behaviors that surround those, have a look at what's present, as well as consider what's missing. You can now hear the thoughts playing in the mind of your actorSelf.
When you are ready, go ahead & stop the action. Now go ahead & direct the changes.Make the scene exactly as you would like it. Take your time. Take care of all aspects. If emotions need to exit, simply ask them to do so. No need to shout. That's not leadership. And now, go ahead & have the scene re-tell itself. I'd like you to practice this exercise with eating dinner at home, as well as dining out. Remember, you may have many different venues, so in the future, plan to review each of them.
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Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author.
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.
http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers.com
