“I know my poor self-esteem results from being yelled at as a kid, but I don’t know how to put it behind me.” Friends or clients complain that, despite insight into the cause of a particular concern, it persists. Compare this to a physiological challenge: Knowing that a heart attack is caused by stress does not remove the heart problem; in this case it would be necessary to reduce or eliminate the stress that caused the heart problem. We must not only understand, but eliminate the cause of an emotional issue. Habits, behaviors, and feelings arise from our subconscious beliefs. Using the example above, a child whose parent belittles them, will begin to believe s/he is not good enough, while consciously wanting to believe s/he is good. While the conscious mind is directed at wanting friends, a relationship, or a raise, the subconscious belief operates in the background to create outcomes more consistent with the negative thought. To discover an underlying belief, take a few deep breaths, and begin to relax. When you feel centered, start repeating, “I am…” and then fill in the blank. Address a specific matter, like weight, by repeating “I’m overweight because…” and finish the sentence with a different ending each time. Eventually, you will make a statement that feels like a core belief—for example, I’m unlovable.
Next, write several corrective statements: I am lovable, I am special, I am likeable, I am worthy of love. Close your eyes again, imagine a beautiful, loving light above you, and while you take deep breaths, visualize that light fills you completely. Repeat the positive statements to yourself. As you envision receiving love, make loving statements, and hear yourself repeating them, allow yourself to really feel open, loved, connected. Using all of your senses helps the subconscious mind to absorb the new ideas more easily. Repeat the meditation and affirmations daily for 30 days. If you want a stronger shift, book an appointment with someone who uses life-changing techniques, such as Hypnotherapy, Psych-K, EFT, or NLP. Don’t give up! You can change your programming.