Meeting & Disciplining the Emotional Kids

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meeting Your Unbalanced Self

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Working the MindBody Health Garden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freeing Yourself from Co-Dependency

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Looking Inside Clutter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Questions & Answers from Readers

WORKING WITH IMAGES - READING VS DOING

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Stay with the breath.

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

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

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

9. Feel your fingers moving on your lower abdomen.

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

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

FEAR OF RELAXING

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

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

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

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

MP3

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

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