Beyond Disorderly Eating - The Subconscious Mind Connection

The subconscious mind is a powerful place. Imagine it as an enormous library, the size of three football fields.

The older you are, the larger your library. As you look around the library of your mind you will be able to discern your patterns or automatic pilot programs. It's easy to find these.. Quite honestly, we couldn't live without them. Think about some of yours; for example brushing your teeth or taking a bath. I'm sure you've had the experience of driving your car and finding yourself at your destination without remembering how you got there. However, if someone had cut in front of you or stopped short, you would have awakened from your automatic pilot state and probably produced lots of stress chemicals from the fear factor.

We can then agree that we all have a tendency to live in automatic pilot programs. Most of the time that is fine, but we all have subconscious mind programs do not reflect what we truly want or need. Many are dangerous like smoking and abusing alcohol or eating in disorderly patterns, perhaps bingeing, yet many of us continue to participate in these programs. The question I hear from my patients is "why do I do this when I know it is so dangerous. Why can't I stop?"

As you travel through these pages you will learn how to check your own automatic pilot programs, how to assess them and then decide if you want to keep them or not. Some you may choose to edit, perhaps deleting some things, adding to others and some may simply be tossed out. You will achieve this through the tools of heightened awareness and interactive self-hypnosis. These tools will help you to wake up, break the habit of compulsion, clear the mind for reviewing and then help you to make the best choices. This is a position of self-power. From this position it is also easier to motivate yourself into the needed action plan for success.

Right now you may be thinking that this is a tall order, considering all the areas in your life that may need changing. Do know that it is not uncommon to feel over-whelmed at this point of departure. In fact, this is the very position where most people set themselves up for failure, telling themselves that "I can't do this" or "I'll have to wait until my life calms down and then I'll think about this." This is simply procrastination or fear, an early reaction to your awareness of how disorganized and out of control you may be and yes, it can be very frightening. So, take a nice relaxing breath and know that we are just beginning to set the stage. No self-pushing. No need to hurry. No need to be perfect. No need to run. This is a supportive program and you will be guided gently through all parts of your healthy rehabilitation.

WE BEGIN WHERE WE ARE

There is a first day for everything. This book you are reading had it's first day, way back in 1983 when I was hired as the new director of staff development at a large gero-psychiatric facility in New York. My job assignment was to educate the staff with an eye to reducing turnover while enhancing productivity and quality assurance. The administration gave me the usual set of manuals and directives, then told me to instill these into the mind of each employee.

And then I met the employees....500 of them. Over all, I found them burned out, unmotivated, addicted to all sorts of substances, completely abandoned in bad lifestyle habits. It didn’t take long for me to understand that they were unable to manage their own emotional selves. It was like a huge dysfunctional family. Tardiness and absenteeism was high, accidents and incidents were up and turnover was heavy. This state of affairs, however, was not about the workplace. These employees arrived without the things they needed to do a good job, not only for their employer, but for themselves. They simply had never received what they needed for healthy self-management. These things are received through parents who practice healthy parenting when their children are little. Our parents are our first teachers or mentors. Children are like little sponges, absorbing everything through all senses. Perhaps if you pay attention to yourself, you can spot some of your earliest lessons, many on automatic pilot.

After spending time getting to know the employees in my new workplace, I was fairly certain that many had been neglected as children, perhaps not purposely, but neglected never the less. They were emotionally immature, managing their emotions through unhealthy channels, as well as addictions, some that were seen in the workplace and others than could be seen on Monday morning. It wasn’t difficult to observe the lack of self-respect that permeated the workplace and carried over to their job performance. Not caring in one area is often seen in others. A good number of their waking hours were spent in a self-formed world that delivered little to constructing self-esteem and the ongoing building that is needed for a healthy self-image to be maintained. The employees needed many things, but these things would be found in those manuals and directives that given to me by the employer.

My program, the working model for this book, was born out of the necessity to salvage this intolerable situation and not just for the employer. While I could appreciate the bottom-line needs of the employer, to me the survival of those 500 human beings was more important. I also knew intuitively that if the employees were helped with what they needed most, then the employer would benefit as well. I simply knew it was going to be a win-win situation, but intuitively I also knew it was going to be more, for workplace stress is very connected to personal and family stress. Even the family dog pays the price. Workplace stress is connected to an acceleration of all addictions, self-abuse, as well as child and spousal abuse. An individual can be viewed as “buried alive.” Creativity is lost as the Self is lost. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead we can choose workplace wellness and it’s connects to high level health, enhanced self-image, self-esteem, healthy relationships, prosperity, creativity and all of the good things of life. Now who wouldn't want that?

As we explore the pages of this book together, you will have the opportunity to meet some of these employees and share their personal journey. You will also get to meet some of my patients, students and individuals who participate in my online discussion groups. All have much to share. We learn from each other, myself included, for we are one and the same. Getting to know each other is a very important part of the educational process as we are all teachers and students at the same time. One of the statements I hear over and over is "Oh what I would give for a fresh start!" Well, the good news is that fresh starts are available to us in each and every moment. While most of us don't need quite so many, they are there if we need them. So, feel free to take advantage of these wonderful momentary opportunities.

Reading this book is like attending one of my classes or having a private office visit. You will be receiving lots of information, as well as specialized tools for utilizing that information and planting in on those shelves you observed earlier in your subconscious mind library. Sometimes we will become deeply involved in imaginology or focused-imagery. Other times you will receive simple, but powerful affirmations that are designed for library-placing as well. Here are several that support our beginning work. I mentioned earlier that we were “setting the stage.” Later on you will learn more about planting affirmations, but for now simply relax into the moment. This is quite simple. Pay attention to where you are sitting, take a deep cleansing breath and sink into the chair, as if magnets were very gently pulling you down. Take your time as you read each affirmation written below. Tilt your eyes up slightly, just as if you were sitting in the second row of a private movie theater and were viewing your mind screen. Sense yourself living in the affirmation, as if it was a scene in a movie.

Don’t be concerned if you cannot visualize. This will come. Simply play this in your own thought processes. We all know how to think and do so without any difficulty. This is no different. Take your time. Remember, no pushing or hurrying. You have all the time you need to accomplish all that you need. And when you take this gentle approach, your subconscious mind and your body will assist you. It’s only when you are hurrying and pushing that stress chemicals are produced. Try these on for size.

· I am always free to choose to stop doing what I am doing.
· I am always free to choose to break old habits and patterns.
· I am always free to choose to change anything and everything.
· I am the writer, the producer and the director of my life.
· Yes, I am.

Make some observations in your journal. What kinds of thoughts presented themselves? How did you feel taking these positive steps? If you don’t have a journal handy now, be sure to come back to this area again. Don’t be tempted to skip these suggestions. One never knows which mind exercises or affirmations will trigger the delivery of the most powerful gifts or insights.

Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, President & Program Designer for Sarasota Medical & Sports Hypnosis Institute located in Sarasota, FL & online at www.hypnosis-audio.com & www.sugar-addiction.com She is the author of Sugar....the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It & Beyond Disorderly Eating...The Truth About Sugar, Bingeing & How to Stop. She has also written & produced +350 audio CD's & mp3's. The websites include moderated discussion groups, ezines, library & a host of other educational tools for learning Interactive Self-Hypnosis. Visit the online Boot Camp & work directly with the author. Download a free mp3 each month.

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