Mastering Your Therapeutic Self

"We think we want to do things, but that simply isn't enough, for without emotional motivation, the thought won't go anywhere. It's like a car without gas."....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

As writers or teachers, we have many, many unique opportunities to help our readers or listeners travel towards change, but that won't happen unless the written or spokenWord is well-marinated in hot-desire emotional images that speak directly to the therapeutic part of our audience's mature self. It's also not going to happen if the individual is not taking good care of herself, both physically & emotionally. This is especially important for those of us who write in the field of self-help & self-development, although well-written fiction has placed many a person on the road to change because the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between truth or fiction.

MEET THE THERAPEUTIC SELF

Inside each of us is something called the therapeutic self. In the practice of nursing, this is a key element in designing the nursing care plan for the patient. In writing, I find this just as important. When someone says "your writing or your audio really speaks to me," you know that you have reached the door of the therapeutic self.

The concept of the therapeutic self plays a major role in the development of a positive attitudinal approach, both for the writer & the reader/listener. What you do, what you say, as well as what you think & feel make you unique & your uniqueness is the key to deep caring. The depth of the caring will impact on the ability to bring change. To achieve positive change, each of us, writer & reader/listener must be invited & then to be motivated to look at ourselves & to examine our assets & liabilities.

Without the knowledge gained from an honest appraisal of the personal self, the therapeutic self can be in jeopardy of being ineffective as a change agent. So yes, as writers & teachers, we have our own self-work to do, if we want to bring this depth to our audience.

To be therapeutic, you must be yourself. And so, you need to recognize your personal strengths, as well as your weaknesses & to work with them, bringing them to their highest levels. In the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis, this is accomplished with the help of the subconscious mind. Here's an inner working example:

Invite yourself to relax deeply into the moment. This is as simple as finding a quiet place, utilizing a few cleansing breaths & intending to bring this experience to yourself. Once settled in, tilt your closed eyes up about twenty degrees & view the mind-screen. If you are not a visual person, just pretend that you are sitting in the second row of a movie theater & put your limitations aside. On the screen place your mature or therapeutic self, perhaps sitting on a comfortable chair. On the right are chairs for your assets & on the left sit the chairs for your liabilities. Image them as children coming in & taking their appropriate places. Notice there is no voice of judgment.

Once everyone is settled down, notice the light filtering in through a big window & entering both the assets & the liabilities. Black drops exit the fingertips, transmuting into gold dust as they touch the floor. Notice the assets are becoming bigger & stronger; the liabilities smaller & less intensive. The gold dust is now presented to your therapeutic self to bring back to the workshop of your daily world.

Here you are being genuine, honest, open & flexible. There is no voice of judgment. Nothing here speaks to errors or mistakes or any other negatives. Here, the self-esteem grows strong. In allowing yourself to just be, you share feelings, as opposed to trying to mask or cover them. Sharing is a very meaningful part of honest & open communication, but before you can have it with others, you must be able to have it with yourSelf. This is the practice of being human & is the essence of professionalism, both with yourSelf & with your audience. This is mature growth.

POWER OF POSITIVE ATTITUDES

The therapeutic self needs specific positive attitudes for living at healthy levels. This is so for both writer & audience & so when writing, we come from our own therapeutic position & speak to the mutually mature aspect of our audience. Here are some powerful additudes to entertain, as well as to deliver in your writing:

Personal Worth: This is the viewpoint your hold about yourself & others. For example, staying aware & understanding such things as cultureal & social differences, respect for humanity, tolerance & patience towards human fraility. This is especially key when writing for addiction or other self-help areas. Whether it be the spokenWord or written word, the writer should demonstrate a conviction that dignity, individuality & equality of people must be protected.

Personal Integrity: I believe strongly that we must all maintain a sense of honesty towards ourselves & with others. We communicate on so many different levels & if we are living a dishonest life, then this will come through as well....not the type of delivery we want.

Open-Mindedness: We can model a willingness & ability to change, for it sits within all of us. As we practice, this will find itself in the work we deliver to our audience.

Hopefulness: As writers, we must practice looking at our own life situations from the bright side. This will then allow us to easily convey brightness to our audience, keeping in mind that we cannot give what we do not have to give.

So writing is not just about getting the words on paper, or the sounds on the disk. It's not just about deadlines & struggling with mental blocks. Writing is also about how we care for ourselves & the attitudes we hang around with, for like it or not, they are a part of what we share, consciously or subconsciously.

From the Author...

In order to achieve something, one must have "intention" or hot desire. We can achieve this imind state in many different ways. Here is a complimentary session/track from one of my CD/mp3 programs called Modeling the Desire to Commit & Achieve. The entire program is available through my websites, as well as from major mp3 distributors around the world.

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Cleaning, Clearing & Making Goal Space

This is a BlogAlong Workshop focusing on the Master Mind. This means that you are invited to work with specialized tools of Active Awareness & Interactive Self-Hypnosis to reach your goals, while cleaning up those life patterns that may have been blocking you for decades & possibly your whole life. As you follow along, your own subconscious mind will become your Workshop or Master Mind Mentor. I'll step to the side & guide you, as you continue to work at this high level of creative thought. You will be able to spot your emotions as they peak around the corners of your life experiences, asking for your permission to join in or not. This is a very different state of affairs from their old "automatic pilot" appearances, often causing creative chaos instead of whatever it is you want to build or achieve.

There is much material to cover & to help you along, I've provided mp3 downloads in each new post. Be sure to stay current, because the mp3's in past posts are not available. The mp3 for today is an extremely important one, for it begins to program the mind for entering the "moment or the Now" & setting up affirmational imagery for goal achievement. It is a major key in the Law of Attraction. The name of the program is Inner Winning. This is the first track of three tracks. I hope you enjoy it.

ABOUT DESIRED GOALS & BECOMING ACTIVE

Once you have cleared mind-space, you are ready to choose & plant goals. This workshop is taking you on a step by step adventure from choosing a goal to high level end goal results. If you have been working with the series you are already seeing changes happening all around you. Some have to do with the goals at hand, but other changes are subconscious mind spin-offs. This is how the mind works. Once we begin the wheels rolling, activity can be seen in all areas of our life.

I hope you are working with pen & journal, as well as goal folders. The better your inner & outer organization, the faster your goals will mature!

Look for ways to keep your goal new. Boredom can really dampen a new behavior. For example, if you are changing your dietary habits & you keep bringing the same boring salad for lunch, it won't be long before your old habits start knocking at the door.

Make a conscious effort to stay "new." Look at one of your goals right now & notice if it is stale. If so, right now in the theater of your mind, see the ways to freshen it up. Now schedule one thing to do today. This is an example of utilizing self-hypnotic exploration with action steps. While it sounds simplistic on the surface, make no mistake. Your subconscious librarian has made inner notes on this new change.

Watch for emotions that interfere with focus. In order to succeed, you need to keep a high level of focus on the goal. Certain emotions such as anxiety, fear, depression & other negative states literally grab your flashlight & turn it off. For example, when you are under stress, your goal loses clarity. Awareness meditation allows you to notice shifts in focus & interactive-self hypnosis allows you to get back on track & even enhance your goal in that moment.

Look at your goal from a new perspective. Sometimes we need to stop & have a look at how we are living our new challenge. It is not uncommon to find we have lost enthusiasm for the original project. We may be viewing it as a "drag" instead of something great we are working to achieve. Simply staying in awareness can be a turning point to re-energize the goal.

Notice what distracts you from your focus. Often distractions are very subtle. You may find yourself lost in thoughts of old behaviors that we enjoyed, even if they weren't healthy. Bingers miss bingeing, smokers miss lighting up & compulsive shoppers sign as they drive by shopping malls less frequented. Staying aware of this subtle inner programming keeps us in "choice."

Enjoy practicing persistence. Developing & practicing staying on focus can be very enjoyable. It can actually place the mind & body in a flow experience, that is not only healthy, but also fruitful for all future goals. Again awareness is KEY. Celebrate your ability to achieve even small steps. This builds self-esteem & enhances your self-image.

Continue to work with your goal on a personal level. A good imaginology exercise for this type of work is the "Board of Directors Table." Choose six board members to assist you. These can be people you know & admire, or even people you don't know, but admire. In your mind's eye, call your goal to the table & ask the members to interview the goal & then present advice for making it better & better. Your goal can also have input. The goal image may have some very good ideas that were out of your conscious awareness.

Practice "eating the crust" first. If there are difficult parts to keeping your goal in progress, do these things FIRST. For instance, if you like dusting, but hate cleaning the bathrooms, do these FIRST. If you dislike exercising, plan to do it the FIRST thing in the morning. You will find your levels of motivation change. If there is a part of you BLOCKING, do learn the tools of awareness meditation to move through these blocks & expand your goal progress.

Stay flexible. Although we want to stay passionate about our goal, it is just as important to be able to bend somewhat. We are not perfect all of the time & perfectionism is NOT a healthy goal. Learn to relax & enjoy the journey.

See your goal as an exciting journey. Most of us are very task orientated & the goal often becomes just another drudge in a long line of things to do. Think instead of a wonderful journey into areas you have not previously visited. Become aware & notice new things. Some things may have negative connotations, but they are also important. Those are rocks that once transmuted will become your beautiful rock garden; a place where new exotic plants will take hold. Never back away or down from the negative corners on the journey. This is where ordinary people turn to become champions.

Anticipate interruptions & roadblocks. Once again, planning is our best friend. Figure out in advance how you are going to handle perceived problem areas. For instance, if your vacation is coming & your goal is to avoid over-spending, do some long range planning in YOUR MIND'S EYE. If you have become a non-smoker & you are going to be with friends who smoke, do plan & practice this event in YOUR MIND'S EYE. This is the work of CHAMPIONS.

Experiential Self-Development

1.List three things you learned from this blog entry that will help you personally or in your work. While it's fine to just "think" you list, it works best if you actually write them down......not typing....writing.

2.Pick one of your goals & practice interviewing it. What is the first question you would ask? And now the second question? Make certain to relax before working in this way.

3.What emotional states are famous for getting in your way? Do they hang out in all goal gardens, or only some? Take them to the interview room or have your Board of Directors interview them & make suggestions for change.

4.Look for the "crust" on one of your goals. Plan to act on this part first. Do this right now & write an action step related to the "crust" in your daytimer & do it.

5.Take one goal & image yourself on the goal journey. Notice what you pass & what roadblocks you over-come as you go forward. Enjoy your successes in all parts of the journey. Write about your experience in your journal & then ask the goal for further suggestions.

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Clustering & Planting Affirmations

"I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away"....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We all know that how we choose to see things will change our outcomes & while that is so, it is more often said than done. Why is this? As I explore this within my own life, it's clear to me that I get so caught up in my automatic-pilot thinking and patterns, that I can simply forget to do it. And so, part of my own self-discipline is to trigger this new thought behavior in my daily life. I use a very simple non-scientific method consisting of a sticky note on my desk and one in my car. The car happens to be an excellent place for changing mind-sets and since driving is a hypnotic activity, the new programs slip easily into my subconscious mind.

The above affirmational cluster is a favorite of mine. The idea that life is a school is so simple, yet profound. I've enjoyed developing this metaphor for years and have planted in many of my CD & mp3 programs because it works so well. I've come to understand and life as proved this out, that we are born with two books. One is what we've come to learn, the other what we've come to teach. We are teachers and students at the same time. I've found this to be so in every individual I've met during my life travels, no matter who they are or where they've been. Keeping this in mind has helped to keep me balanced in some very difficult situations, and so I thank this metaphor for that. How often I've had to drop my own mask, and yield to the image.

As I design and record my CD's, mp3's and books, I like to plant active affirmations such as these. Readers and listeners are often surprised as to how easy it is to change their mind programs. Interactive self-hypnosis is much more like play than work.

If you haven't experienced this before, here is a complimentary mp3 download. The name of this program is Affirmations for Staying Positive. It is a three session program, each a separate track. This particular download is Session or Track 1.

PLANTING AN ACTIVE AFFIRMATION

We always begin by reading the affirmational cluster out loud or slowly to ourselves. Prepare to spend some "real time" with yourself. Planting on the fly is not the way to go.

I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away...

Relax deeply into the moment. Utilize some deepening images that we've reviewed earlier on. If you are new to the Master Mind Group or Blog, review some of the earlier archives or send me an email if you need assistance. Everyone can learn to relax deeply into the moment. This is key for high level health and performance, so do practice this whenever you can. You won't be disappointed!

Go to the first image of the affirmation cluster. I've come to understand that life on earth is a school, in which I am a student. Locate your mind-screen and as you repeat the affirmation, look to the image that appears for you. If nothing appears, just wait a moment. Relax.... repeat the affirmation slowly. Intend or expect the image to appear, either on the screen or in a passing thought. It will come. Notice what this means to you. See/sense yourself there. How do you look? What are you wearing? Are you alone or with others? What are you doing? These self-questions will help to etch the image details, making it more effective.

Ready now...I am evaluated, not by what I know, but by what I do not know. My false self-image & arrogance fall away...

Find the steps and enter the mind-screen school image. Locate the student-you. Listen as this part of you repeats the second and third part of the cluster. Perhaps you are being shown the book about what you've come to learn. Notice that it is a positive book..... an exciting book. Look through it, sensing excitement about what will be coming to you.

Let me give you an active image here. Notice that black drops are falling off the ends of your finger-tips. This is your FALSE self-image or EGO & connected arrogance. You are cleaning and clearing these negative, blocking states. As the black drops exit and fall to the path, they change or transmute into golden dust that melds with the path. This is a release image that allows you to take off your mask and to be authentic.

How wonderful it is not to need to know everything, nor to pretend. You can be you. Pay attention to your body sensations as you work within this active image. Once you contact those images, enhance them. Make them bigger.........just as if you had an imaginary dial. Turn it to the right and sense the physical sensations. This is a powerful planting.

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Working with the Therapeutic Self

"We think we want to do things, but that simply isn't enough, for without emotional motivation, the thought won't go anywhere. It's like a car without gas."....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

As writers we have many, many unique opportunities to help our readers or listeners towards change, but that won't happen unless the written or spokenWord is well-marinated in hot-desire emotional images that speak directly to the therapeutic part of our audience's mature self. It's also not going to happen if we are not taking good care of ourselves, both physically & emotionally. This is especially important for those of us who write in the field of self-help & self-development, although well-written fiction has placed many a person on the road to change because the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between truth or fiction.

MEET THE THERAPEUTIC SELF

Inside each of us is something called the therapeutic self. In the practice of nursing, this is a key element in designing the nursing care plan for the patient. In writing, I find this just as important. When someone says "your writing or your audio really speaks to me," you know that you have reached the door of the therapeutic self.

The concept of the therapeutic self plays a major role in the development of a positive attitudinal approach, both for the writer & the reader/listener. What you do, what you say, as well as what you think & feel make you unique & your uniqueness is the key to deep caring. The depth of the caring will impact on the ability to bring change. To achieve positive change, each of us, writer & reader/listener must be invited & then to be motivated to look at ourselves & to examine our assets & liabilities.

Without the knowledge gained from an honest appraisal of the personal self, the therapeutic self can be in jeopardy of being ineffective as a change agent. So yes, as writers, we have our own self-work to do, if we want to bring this depth to our audience.

To be therapeutic, you must be yourself. And so, you need to recognize your personal strengths, as well as your weaknesses & to work with them, bringing them to their highest levels. In the practice of Interactive Self-Hypnosis, this is accomplished with the help of the subconscious mind. Here's an inner working example:

Invite yourself to relax deeply into the moment. This is as simple as finding a quiet place, utilizing a few cleansing breaths & intending to bring this experience to yourself. Once settled in, tilt your closed eyes up about twenty degrees & view the mind-screen. If you are not a visual person, just pretend that you are sitting in the second row of a movie theater & put your limitations aside. On the screen place your mature or therapeutic self, perhaps sitting on a comfortable chair. On the right are chairs for your assets & on the left sit the chairs for your liabilities. Image them as children coming in & taking their appropriate places. Notice there is no voice of judgment.

Once everyone is settled down, notice the light filtering in through a big window & entering both the assets & the liabilities. Black drops exit the fingertips, transmuting into gold dust as they touch the floor. Notice the assets are becoming bigger & stronger; the liabilities smaller & less intensive. The gold dust is now presented to your therapeutic self to bring back to the workshop of your daily world.

Here you are being genuine, honest, open & flexible. There is no voice of judgment. Nothing here speaks to errors or mistakes or any other negatives. Here, the self-esteem grows strong. In allowing yourself to just be, you share feelings, as opposed to trying to mask or cover them. Sharing is a very meaningful part of honest & open communication, but before you can have it with others, you must be able to have it with yourSelf. This is the practice of being human & is the essence of professionalism, both with yourSelf & with your audience. This is mature growth.

POWER OF POSITIVE ATTITUDES

The therapeutic self needs specific positive attitudes for living at healthy levels. This is so for both writer & audience & so when writing, we come from our own therapeutic position & speak to the mutually mature aspect of our audience. Here are some powerful additudes to entertain, as well as to deliver in your writing:

Personal Worth: This is the viewpoint your hold about yourself & others. For example, staying aware & understanding such things as cultureal & social differences, respect for humanity, tolerance & patience towards human fraility. This is especially key when writing for addiction or other self-help areas. Whether it be the spokenWord or written word, the writer should demonstrate a conviction that dignity, individuality & equality of people must be protected.

Personal Integrity: I believe strongly that we must all maintain a sense of honesty towards ourselves & with others. We communicate on so many different levels & if we are living a dishonest life, then this will come through as well....not the type of delivery we want.

Open-Mindedness: We can model a willingness & ability to change, for it sits within all of us. As we practice, this will find itself in the work we deliver to our audience.

Hopefulness: As writers, we must practice looking at our own life situations from the bright side. This will then allow us to easily convey brightness to our audience, keeping in mind that we cannot give what we do not have to give.

So writing is not just about getting the words on paper, or the sounds on the disk. It's not just about deadlines & struggling with mental blocks. Writing is also about how we care for ourselves & the attitudes we hang around with, for like it or not, they are a part of what we share, consciously or subconsciously.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Managing Thoughts is key to optimum health & performance. Here is a complimentary mp3 program that will assist you in opening your mind even further. This is a full self-hypnosis session & is part of the CD/mp3 program called "Managing Thoughts." You can find the entire program on my website.

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Welcoming the Master Mind

"In adversity assume the countenance of prosperity, and in prosperity moderate the temper and desires." ...Livy

"The air around me twinkles with gold dust....confidence dust....properity dust. It feels so good to be touched in this way."...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Welcome to The Master Mind Power Blog. This blog is designed for my Master Mind Group that connects to my Expert Network located at http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/elizabeth_bohorquez.html This group currently has over 1200 members & grows every day. Members of the group include educators, physicians, healing practitioners, psychologists, nurses, mental health professionals, business creators, spiritual leaders & others from all walks of life. The purpose of Master Mind Power Blog is to share ideas about utilizing this powerful mechanism. If you are not a member of the Expert Network, you are welcomed to enjoy the blog & complimentary mp3 programs, but I do encourage you to visit www.self-growth.com & to become a member.

Today I'd like to address prosperity & ways to open the mind to receive, as well as to give. The mp3 program is about working with one's own Master Mind. The link is below.

And so, here are some areas for self-awareness...

I've never met anyone who didn't want to prosper & while they might not verbalize it as such, it will be there if one knows how & where to look. However, it's not uncommon to think small & to negate receiving, especially if one has a low self-worth & self-image. If one grew up in a home where there was a combination of abusive, addiction & lack, then chances are that individual will have less thoughts of prosperity. Those are homes where the child merely looked to survive.

If you were to visit such experiences, you might sense a prosperous feeling when the abuse stops for a period of time. These are recorded as pure joy & reason for celebration. Another example is when the child or even an adult, in such a family of origin is given a very small token or gift resulting in an out-pouring of gratitude. Sometimes the gift may be intangible, such as a smile or kind joke ..... a semblance of normality.

Most of us have no problem giving, but there are many who find it difficult to receive. Even giving to oneself can be painful. Again, this is attached to low self-worth. It can also be connected to co-dependent living. In the practice of interactive self-hypnosis, we can change these patterns, even if they are very deeply mind-etched from childhood. It's important to remember that old & deeply etched patterns continue to play out no matter how old or even mature the individual may appear.

There is, indeed, a secret inner life within all of us. We may not present this Self to the outside world, but it is there & it is always active. We all live behind masks, but in our privacy we can come to know what truly is real for us, if we are willing to look. Of course, looking is painful, but as we learn to separate or disassociate from our painful looking, then we have a chance at changing these patterns, even those deeply etched. This is why it is so important to stay awake, aware, head out of the sand, ready to forgive the Self, have compassion for the Self & be ready, willing & able to work with specialized mind & body tools for inner change.

As writers or therapists, getting to see beyond our own masks, makes us better at our craft. It is certainly more difficult, if not impossible, to get truly inside a character or an individual we would like to help, if indeed we haven't done our own awareness work. For me, that is why writing is so therapeutic. Of course, when I work directly with patients, it is absolutely necessary for me to open my own subconscious mind, if I am to help any of my patients open theirs.

Some readers of this blog have asked me for specific examples of how to do this type of self-introspection. I am certainly happy to do so, as space allows. The two most important tools are something I call interactive heightened awareness & interactive self-hypnosis . We can also deem this active imagery or imaginology. Let's go ahead & apply these two keys to the subject of prosperity.

In the practice of interactive self-hypnosis, it is important to relax the mind & the body. This is very different from sitting in front of the TV or playing solitare on your computer. We want to purposefully slow the brain waves to the alpha level. If you have practiced meditation or yoga, you may have experienced this level of brain wave activity. Once you have trained your mind & body, you can actually change brain wave speed in 1/200th of a second. This is often practiced by athletes or others in competitive play or performance. Obviously, if one is having performance anxiety, it's usually not the moment to go into a deep meditative or self-hypnotic trance.

Once the brain waves are slowed, then the door to the subconscious mind is open & available. Since we are working with prosperity, we will want to design some active imagery for this purpose. I like to develop my mind stage-sets around powerful affirmations. They form the frame-work for the stage-sets. Here is a clip from a CD/mp3 program I designed to enhance prosperity. Keep in mind that the participant is deeply relaxed & already into the subconscious mind library. As the individual participates, the new images are being etched or installed into the subconscious mind.

.....in the clearing we will find the right path leading to the Crystal Cathedral....as we go up the few steps leading to the Cathedral, focus on the rainbows embedded in the crystal blocks....these are rainbows of prosperity....choose one of the blocks & press the palm of your hand against it....real hard now like you are taking a hand print....now find the little pot of gold...remove it gently & notice you can take the coins out, one by one....they are beautifully engraved. I'm giving you a magnifying glass so you can read the inscriptions & as you do, these will enter your own mind library for they are now yours...

I am now seeing new ways of living & new methods of working....I am not confined to the ways & methods of the past...prosperity touches all parts of my life & in ways never experienced before. Titly your eys up just about 20 degrees & locate the screning cloud over there....the cloud opens & you can see yourself in this beautiful new production.....observe your new ways or living.....& now, locate the cloud ladder & climb up....enter the stage & engage yourself in the cloud activity.

We can have anything we can mentally accept, but first we must be able to mentally accept it. Working with interactive self-hypnosis not only gives us this opportunity, but it also allows the subconscious mind to connect to any & all old mind etching that may not have been supporting prosperity & re-program those. Remember that the subconscious mind will take the most recent mind program & super-impose that over any old programs.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Many of us are familiar with the Master Mind, but others are not. We can work with this powerful image in several ways. One way is through our Power Networking. Another way & one I would suggest for everyone, is to work with your very own Inner Master Mind. And so, I'd like to offer you a complimentary mp3 program to help you set the images. The name of this program is The Inner Board Meeting Workshop

Complimentary mp3 programs are ONLY available for a week after my posting them. Of course, all programs are available on my websites, or through major bookstores online who handle mp3's. The complimentary program is a full session, but only a part of the entire program.

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Beginning Steps to High Level Health & Performance
originally posted: January 6, 2008

There are 4 steps to travel to high level health & performance, but before climbing, one must be willing to wake up from a deep sleep & to pay close attention.... Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

We are all in such a hurry to climb the steps, and why not. Most of us are sick and tired of our problems and we want to be free of them. We want to live our dreams, but our issues block. Many are heavy, interfering with our life as a whole. Others prove to be an annoyance, perhaps a mystery at the same time. How is it that one can be so successful in one part of life, and be such a complete failure at things that appear so simple on the surface?

Have you ever considered that perhaps these things are not as simple as they appear? Disorderly eating and bingeing fall into this group. Addictions are the same. And to make matters even more different, your problem will not be exactly the same as that of someone else. All problems are colored by personal experience, as well as gained expertise at managing different aspects of them. We talk about our problems "as if" they were singular, but indeed, they are not. They all are all multi-faceted and here sits the reason for failure in most of us. We have a tendency to rush into solutions without first studying the facets or assessing our own strengths and weaknesses. We begin our climb far too soon, while we are still asleep. So now you are beginning to awaken. You can see the steps, but you must be patient if you want to climb well and not fall back.

I'm no different from you. I woke up many years ago, and as the days pass, I wake even more. I know what it is to binge. I know what it is to have disorderly eating & to live a life of disorder. I know what it is to feel anxiety and depression. I know what it is to have & live an addiction. I also know what it feels like to be free of all of these and what has to happen on a daily basis to earn this freedom. I also know why I have these problems and I do know that it is not my fault. And while I have no guilt or shame, I do accept that I am totally self-responsible for keeping myself healthy, at optimum health and high performance levels. I like it this way and you will as well.

Disorderly eating, addictions & binge behaviors are pervasive in our country and most other industrialized nations, so we are far from alone in having these issues. We wake up from our preoccupation with these disorders at different times of our lives. I was a long sleeper. As the decades passed, I often thought I was awake, but I wasn't. Something always seemed to be tripping me, keeping me out of balance. I wanted to feel whole, but the brass ring on the merry go round seemed out of reach. I would wake up with good intentions, but before sunset I would take two steps backward. I remained the optimist; hopeful that I would live long enough to experience what is called optimum health and performance. One day I would be my healthy weight. One day I would be free of anxiety & panic attacks. One day I would sense my pure creativity from morning to night and know that it was mine to keep, but as the years passed, I came to doubt this would ever happen.

I was invited to my very first emotional binge eating experience at the age of 3. My father had died in an automobile accident. It was my birthday. In those years the deceased were waked or viewed from the home, and so I found my father "asleep" in the living room. I still remember everyone screaming to take me away. Whenever I asked "why he didn't go up to bed", someone gave me a cookie and sat me in the garden by myself to watch the birds. I don't know how many cookies I ate that day, but this was my first remembered association of great-tasting cookies with sadness and being alone. There are times when I still can connect with that very early negative food experience.

Once an emotional food pattern is placed, the subconscious mind will look to find more opportunities for releasing stress, often choosing particular foods. These then take on the job as binge trigger foods. As years pass and more stressful situations present themselves, one can understand how very easy it is to become a disorderly or binge eater. As the child becomes become older, other addictions join in. Some children start smoking, drinking and experimenting with drugs in elementary school. In addition, children often follow the habits, behaviors or addictions of the parents. If the parents cannot teach the child to release emotions in a healthy fashion, the child is left with few options for managing their internal stress other than the addiction of choice. The purpose of the addiction is to help the child feel safe and to release the stress.

My addiction of choice was food-related, especially junk and sugar in just about any form. Regular meals held little interest for me. Healthy foods were not my first choice. To make matters worse, the more sugar I ingested, the less healthy foods I would eat. My taste buds were now programmed towards sugar and salt. My mother was busy with the many trials and tribulations of widow-hood and being a single parent in a society that, at that time, did not support this. And so, I became invisible, free to keep my disorderly eating, as long as there was still some cake for my brothers.. As the years moved along, I graduated to caffeine and smoking, then exploring diet pills with my nursing student colleagues. It was normal to skip breakfast, have a liquid diet lunch and then binge at dinner. No one thought anything about it, nor what might be happening inside our bodies and our minds. There was never a thought of a consequence, short or long term. We were totally invincible. As long as there was enough money for donuts and beer, it was a great time, or so I thought then.

My first wake-up call came in my senior year when I fainted in class. I was sent home to recover, but no one knew what I was supposed to be recovering from, not even the family physician. Stress, sugar addiction or disorderly eating was not part of the medical vocabulary.. No one ever questioned my nutritional intake, or if I was taking drugs or smoking. Looking back, I can certainly appreciate my body and mind trying to get my attention, but it would be many decades before that would come to pass. I had no idea that my body was over-producing insulin and building insulin resistance, the precursors to the major killers. I was already on the road to diabetes, heart disease and circulatory disease. I was building tendencies towards other chronic medical conditions and a compulsive personality that would come to plague me for years to come. Yet, I believed I was having a good time.

We meet helping angels along the way. Mine came in the form of my husband-to-be who insisted that I stop smoking. Although resisting every step of the way, I did so, but replaced that release mechanism with more sugar, junk and caffeine. Remember, I had never learned to release my emotions in a healthy way and so my addictions were all I had. My body was busy responding to my lack of nutrition and other negatives that were ingested everyday.

The body is like a bank, busy recording and responding to both positives and negatives. In those days there was mainly a negative balance. Keep in mind that we do not sense all of these, some only presenting themselves when it is too late to change. Of course, I wasn't awake for that gem of knowledge during those years. To quote an old saying, but appropriate nevertheless, I always wonder how different life would have been if I knew then what I know now.

FROM THE AUTHOR....

Moving past resistance is KEY to achieving high level health & performance. Here's a complimentary mp3 download to help you to just that. The name of the program is Moving Past Resistance. The full program is available on my websites.

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Opening Bell... 2008
originally posted: January 2, 2008

We're in the midst of New Year's resolutions. Should I or shouldn't I? I think I want to change, but do I really, really want to. What does my heart say? What does my body say? What do the little voices inside of me say? Many of us tend to repeat resolutions, often deciding they are simply unattainable, especially if the failure rate has been high.

Here's the question....Why do we harbour this inability to change such important behaviors that threaten our health? The keys below may open some doors for you.

KEY I

If you truly want to change, you must begin to think differently. It's not enough to daydream a resolution. The road to permanent lifestyle change takes time & a special kind of planning & execution. Pre-resolution work includes having a solid look at past failures while locating facets of the resolution that need revamping or tweaking. The willingness to observe & work with past failures is key to success. As you disassociate from the failure, relax & then look into it, the actual failure will show you the way to success. In addition, it's time to grow-up, wake up to the truth & then move out of unrealistic expectations.

I'd like you to meet Sue who is one of my online clients. Sue is a successful, but burned out executive who brought her resolution daydream to my coaching practice. "If I lose weight, I know that my life will balance. I'll be completely happy & feel like I'll never complain again! However, here's what's in the back of my mind. I've never been able to lose weight & keep it off.......so, I guess I need a dose of magic! Then again, perhaps I shouldn't do this now because I have so much stress in my life." It's easy to see that Sue is already lost in mind confusion. She has no plan & has even programmed herself for failure before beginning.

KEY II

Sue looks for magic, but this is unrealistic wishful nonsense. She has yet to learn that heightened awareness is the route to success. Looking for magic erodes her personal power. Her mode of travel needs change, as well as her power of obsservation. Sue needs to train her mind to notice the unfolding moments of her day. Then she can see what works & what doesn't. These knowings or noticings are small resolution facets that include Sue's thoughts, emotions & actions. As Sue brings these to heightened awareness, her stress will be releaded, then positioning her right in the middle of her own powerful subconscious mind where change can easily take place. These minute changes become mind etchings, the beginning of new patterns. These will then enhance Sues ability to succeed.

KEY III

It is imperative to uncover the auto-pilot programs & to check them well. This is a matter of becoming an expert at self-observation. As Sue learns to pay attention to her body communications, emotional patterns & resistance, she will spot these, as well as other facets of her patterns that may have gone unnoticed for years. Once spotted, she can work to reprogram these with those that benefit the resolutions. On auto-pilot, Sue is out of the editing game. Her auto-programs are driving the car. Her heightened awareness is blocked & so she can't spot the facets. She is blinded & may trip instead of skip on the stones that line her path. The chances that she will fall & not get up are very high. She might appear next year with her weight loss resolution, but this time more heavily etched for failure, unless some powerful motivator, such as illness, comes to frighten her into action.

KEY IV

The practice of heightened awareness, also known as mindfulness, is vital to both stress management & achievement. Adding Interactive Self-Hypnosis helps to position images that assist the mind in waking up to specific moments. As Sue learns to apply this practice to the facedts of her resolution, she will notice that she is awakened to othr moments that have connections she might have missed, especially stress-related ones.

The actual practice tools are very simple....their power sitting in this simplicity. Sue learns to purposefully experience inner stillness, fractionated throughout her day. She comes to know that stillness is separate from mind chatter. As her mind wanders, Sue brings her attention back to the sensation of stillness or to the goal at hand. She comes to understand that her thoughts are mind programs that are presented by her emotions. As she isolates these, she can examine the contents further, simply by requesting this from her own subconscious mind. As Sue goes throughout her day, she begins to notice the playing of thoughts & emotions, as they apply to her resolution facets. As she contains these in her consciousness, she is free to edit, as they were caught in a mindful moment.

It's important to know that there are many health benefits to the practice of awareness as it is coupled with Interactive Self-Hypnosis. When thoughts are predominating the awake state, the brain waves tend to go very fast, producing a large quantity of stress chemicals. These chemicals are responsible for making important changes in the body, often disrupting important systems, such as blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism, blood sugar levels, gastro-intestinal funcitioning, including digestion, endocrine function & that of the neurological system. During the practice of fractionated stillness, the brain waves & stress hormone production slow down, bringing homeostasis or balance back to the mind & body. The mind is not free for programming healthy active imagery.

Sue is learning to wake-up to her emotions & thoughts that make up her life patterns & resolution facets. As she works to couple awareness with "Interactive-Editing Imagery", she moves herself from her failure mode into the moment transition of success......over & over again.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Happy New Year! My plans for thoughtWARE include some direct online coaching for lifestyle change. I've already offered you a complimentary download for motivating exercise. That is still currently available in the blog that sits underneath this one. Here I'm offering you an mp3 for weight management discipline. It is one track of a three track program. On my website you will find a large selection of programs designed to help you to reach & maintain your goals.

Send author a comment on this post

Re: Clearing Clutter... Inside & Out (December 16, 2007)

Hi Elizabeth:

When I was a behavioral health case manager for a major hospital in Florida, I had
the occassion to view many peoples homes; and many of these people were very ill.
Some of them were more able than others, to allow the clutter in thier lives to fall
away or be removed.

A fellow nurse case manager once said to me: "I can't be sick or die yet ..... I
haven't cleaned my house" Sometimes I wonder, if I became ill today - would I
feel okay having others judge the inside of my house and closets and drawers?

Perhaps the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves is simplicity and a clean
clutter free environment. There is a freedom and a quality of energy enhancement in
room that is free from excess or accumulation.

Freedom from accumulation allows the psyche to be less burdoned as well. It is a
shedding of a skin and a purging of the unused, that will release us. Release is
freedom and freedom is like the breeze through a tree - flowing and natural.

Releasing objects and clutter give me a place and a space to be more natural and
flowing.

Christina Hyland R.N. PhD

Re: Working Through Self-Anxiety (December 5, 2007)

Thanks for this post. I have the added challenge in my life of anxiety and panic
disorder. I just heard yesterday that I need to go back after a mammogram for further imaging, due to a "thickening" in my breast. Talk about feeling
overwhelmed by anxiety! I take a lot of comfort from your writings and it's especially helpful to see your
personal fears and concerns shared via the journal entry.
May we all live in saftey, be happy, be healthy and live with ease, Suzanne

I enjoy each and every one of your blogs. Particularly
today, because the ability to speak up for ones self and set boundaries is empowering and enlivening. We are all faced with particular situations when we hesitate or second guess ourselves .... "should I speak up or just hold the peace" There are great lessons in becoming assertive in a balanced sort of way! I thank you for reminding me this morning in your blog.

I too am an R.N. and a certified hypnotherapist. I am new
to hypnotherapy, but have studied holistic psychology for
quite some time.

Again, I really enjoy your work! Thank you.

Sincerely,
Christina Cameron Hyland R.N. Ph.D.
www.globalintegrativehealth.org

Re: mindART - Working with Imagery (August 26, 2007)

Eliz, I am glad that I am able to comment on this post. In my ongoing psychotherapy,my therapist has told me that it is good to put down ANYTHING that I FEEL during the course of the week. Examine it, see if I can make changes and objectively observe any results be it positive or negative. Today is Tuesday August 28 and I have a session with him at 10:00. I am very excited in this session in such a way that I have created a scenario where I can be on the offensive or the defensive. I mention both of these areas in a positive way. I am sure that you are familiar in hockey,the position of goalie and that of either the offensive right or left wing or center. If I am the goalie I am trying to stop the offensive from scoring. I use this analogy because(I love hockey in the first place)which I think has a very positive outcome on what happens during this analogy that I play out in my mind. Trying to find ways to either stop the offensive from scoring or...if I am on the other side of the puck I am trying to find ways to score. I mention both of these scenarios because of the different things that come up during the course of life. Writing this down is helping me greatly. Attaching scenarios that I am familiar with that affect me in a positive manner I believe helps me a great deal. I thought I would mention these two images because I have been using them as of late and I also LOVE to work with imagery. This is a bit of a lengthy comment here but I am very upbeat on results. Thanks for this post.

Re: Inside Secret Eating (July 5, 2007)

That could have been me! How do I break this habit?

Re: The Creative Body Connection (July 26, 2006)

Seeing everything in a drawing like you put it in this article here makes me get in touch with everything a heck of a lot more clearly, Eliz. It appears that I have PLENTY of work to do since I have been diagnosed with GAD. That was about 5 years
ago and it has been going up and down with me as well as my seizures ever since. I also believe that I am identical with Jennifer here in that I do not talk about what is bothering me, ever, except to a psychotherapist that I see weekly. I am sure that I have plenty of points within me that are storing a hell of a lot of tension. It is no wonder that I am trying to deal with all my stress through junk food now.

The Realm of Heightened Creativity
I cannot begin to tell you how touched I am by this blog..I know I always say that, because I am easily "touched"...but I feel a genuine happiness for you and your freedom, and I admire you for your dedication to your beliefs! You are a remarkable woman, and have so much to share!
I have found that alot of people have misconceptions of hypnosis, and what it can help one to achieve...people seem afraid of loosing control of their own thoughts, but yet they don't realize their thoughts are being manipulated on a daily basis by negative thoughts, news media, marketing, advertisements and so on; and usually to their demise. The number of people trying to cover up the effects of this are evident in the large numbers of people taking anti-depressents etc... Your work helps counteract all of that, allowing people to have a chance, by stipping away all this garbage that most of us are subjected to on a daily basis. If I were a publisher, I would publish your work !

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht has been working & writing in the field of mindbody health, self-hypnosis, addictions, creativity & optimum performance for over 30 years. She is a graduate of Rockland Psychiatric Center, SUNY; Graduate Nurse Intern, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University, N.Y. She is President & Program Designer, Sarasota Medical & Sports Hypnosis Institute, Sarasota, FL & online at http://www.hypnosis-audio.com & http://www.sugar-addiction.com

She has written & produced +350 audio CD programs for adults, children, students & athletes, as well as several books in original Interactive Self-Hypnosis. She specializes in the food connection to addiction, optimum health & performance. She is the author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It, as well as Beyond Disorderly Eating...the Truth About Sugar & Binging & How to Stop