184.0 The Voices of The Past

If you've been reading the Geneen Roth book, Women, Food and God, you are in very good company as it was reported in the Wall Street Journal this morning that it is #4 on the bestseller list for non-fiction. In it she talks about the voices that we hear from our past that are still dictating how we think about food, our bodies, our weight, etc., and, how we need to get over it, erase those voices.

I was talking to my sister Barbara about the book and she reminded me that we were definitely raised with the concept that all good children cleaned their plates (not by washing them!), and then there was the guilt about all the starving children elsewhere. It is a challenge to erase those voices or thoughts but as I have learned, extremely important to do so. Living in the past is never helpful if you want to change your behavior. Jennifer Scott's slogan on all of her publications, websites, etc., is Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. It is easier said than done, but can lead to wonderful benefits if you are able to do it. And for me, that's where the hypnosis has helped immeasurably. Replacing the old voices, the old thoughts, with new empowering ideas of how to handle life, and food issues, has been so helpful in this journey for me.

I still smile at the concept that by cleaning our plates as kids we were helping to feed the starving children of the world. I wish my mom was still living so I could ask her. I wonder if she ever really thought about it.