We all have beliefs and behavioral patterns that work for us and those that don't. Once again, if we don't see them OR want to see them, we can't see them and if we don't see them, then we can't change. During your review of your childhood & teen years, you probably found many beliefs and behavioral patterns that never received any special scrutiny. If a parent or mentor didn't intervene, then there was no one to teach you anything different, but as you came into your early adult years, these behaviors should have had red flags. Unfortunately, disorderly eating patterns often have a high level of enjoyment and so the desire to pay attention to the red flags was often missing. But nothing can go on for ever, for the "piper must be paid." One cannot go on abusing the body by filling it with junk, and not giving the body systems what they need for growth and repair. Quite simply, the body and mind will break down.
I'm a good example of this. For years I lived my life eating whatever I wanted, even eating what I didn't want. Wanting had nothing to do with it. My subconscious mind had developed a very strong pattern that connected eating with the release of stress. There was no rhyme or reason to my eating behaviors. There were no rules, boundaries or limitations. I rarely thought about what I was doing, only thinking about when I could eat something again. For me, eating was a true compulsion leading me towards the development of body breakdown and adult onset diabetes. Unfortunately my story isn't unusual and that is why we, as a society, are faced with an epidemic of obesity and related diseases.
Once I woke up to my disorderly eating I needed some help and since I was a hypnotherapist, all I needed to do was to know exactly what my body needed and then to motivate my new, healthy behaviors with emotional imagery. I'm sharing some of that with you here.
Here we are imaging beliefs and behaviors as plants, for plants know all seasons and they can, indeed, be helped to grow and change. Just like eating behaviors, some plants have both positive and negative aspects. Others are completely positive and some completely negative. Understanding this concept, allows the subconscious mind to give-up whatever doesn't work, or to edit/change it in such a way as to make it healthy. In the beginning, like many other people with eating issues, I tried dieting or limiting my intake and then over-exercising. This pattern made me very ill and actually pushed me down the path towards the diagnosis of pre-diabetes. What works is a healthy, balanced eating plan...one that is organized and disciplined, which of course, I was not. But, planting a garden to represent this new pattern, allowed my subconscious mind to grow towards that.
In our work here, we spend a good part of our day planting and weeding. As we work with inner assessment, it becomes easier to know what plants need to stay and which ones need to go. Sometimes it is difficult to release or let go of things, especially certain aspects of our disorderly life. We think that we want something, such as losing weight or clearing out an unhealthy eating behavior, but may find it difficult to move from the "wanting", into the action of "doing it." Working inside imagery helps us to bridge the gap. "Pulling out the weeds" connected to choosing sugar or junk foods when we shop, makes it easier to walk down certain aisles. On a side note, I did not walk down the cereal aisle ( aisle 5 ) in our supermarket for five months. I remember the child part of me screaming and yelling inside my head for a favorite cereal that was not on my eating plan. So, yes it does take work along with the imagery and hypnotherapy, but quite honestly, if you want to experience health, then there is no choice. You must do what your body and mind require. No secrets.
Here we are working with the time-line, allowingyou to see where old beliefs were planted, as well as where and how behaviors were developed. Some of these are in the past, but many are actively being planted in the future. Yes, you are planning and planting your future on many different levels. Every time you think about a future happening, you are planting in that time-frame. So, if you are thinking about what you are going to eat for lunch, then you are future-planting. Think about how many times you do this, not only about today, but about next weekend, holidays, shopping, visiting friends, going to restaurants, and so forth. This can be either good for you or not so good! You already know from your assessment that as a young child or teen, you developed volumes of coping mechanisms and behavioral patterns. Some of them continue to follow you right through life. Some help and some impede. Some we learned from our parents, other mentors or teachers and some came by way of experience. It is only by being aware, then reviewing and editing them, that permanent change is possible. It is important for us to know that we can alter any behavioral program simply through the tools presented here. Interactive Awareness and Interactive Self-Hypnosis give us the means for going into these past files. We can then re-edit or reframe memories and associated programs, so as to make them healthy and useful to us in our present and future life.
LEARNING TO RE-FRAME
Re-framing beliefs or memories or any mind programs is just like deciding that a particular photograph would look better in a different frame, and then actually changing it; only frames for mind programs are those of perception. You choose to see your mind program differently, through “new eyes.” Suppose that you have a memory or mind program that is framed in anger or distrust. This is how it is stored in your subconscious mind, so whenever you review it consciously, it will come up framed in anger or distrust. In fact, the way the subconscious mind works, every time it comes up the frame will be stronger in perception. Now suppose you have a mind program or memory file about managing an addiction framed in failure. I’m sure you get the idea!
MIND EXERCISE
Now we are spending time assessing and locating areas for concentrated attention later on. Take some time to deeply relax, in fact even deeper than before. Perhaps close your eyes after reading this, knowing that everything shown to you will be useful in your recovery.
Each day of your life you are presented with learning experiences. Some appear pleasant and others are not, but all are learning experiences. Significant people may have or currently be demonstrating anxiety, panic, depression, compulsive or obsessive behaviors to you. You may find yourself mirroring these or wanting to, perhaps later in the day. Go to work on your time-line. For example, notice if anyone demonstrated addictions to you in the past, including yourSelf. Yes, you observe yourSelf from disassociating and being outside of yourSelf. Addictions and related behaviors travel through families of origin and extended social circles. Also look for specific emotional teaching or patterns that may or may not work for you. All hold importance for now, as well as for your future. You can go ahead and re-frame these. For negative behaviors, take some diminishing frames that will actually shrink the images down. When images are smaller, they are interpreted as being less important and therefore have less power. Now do just the opposite. Take some positive demonstrations or behaviors and place these in "power frames". These frames will not only make the images personally powerful for you, but you can actually enter them and sense the energy they produce, now available in your own body and mind.
Think of the world as a great big school where you begin your formal schooling at birth, continuing along until death. Every experience you have is an actual learning experience. Every person you meet, or that attracts you in some way becomes a teacher of sorts, including parts of yourSelf.
Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author.
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.
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