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.

208.8 A Changed Mind

I have talked a little about hypnosis as a part of this weight loss experience.  The first time I was hypnotized I was a senior in high school and  my cousin Marcia, who had learned to use hypnosis as a tool to study for her PHD thesis orals, hypnotized me.  I had an English paper to write and through hypnosis she gave me enthusiasm for the subject and confidence that I could write this paper.  She also said that I would really enjoy writing the paper.  I remember that I did experience all of those things as I wrote that paper.  When the teacher returned it to me she had graded it with a big red letter A and then wrote "What happened?"  What happened was that I had been empowered by hypnosis!

In the most recent hypnosis CD that Jennifer made for me she says, "You have changed your mind".  This does not refer to dithering, something I have been known to excel in according to my husband.  It has to do with a real shift in how I think about myself since starting this weight loss program.  And this shift, this change in how I view myself is one of the best outcomes as a result of losing the weight.

How has my mind been changed?  I no longer think of myself as someone who is disabled.  I no longer think of myself as someone who is just too old to try something new.  And, I no longer think of myself as fat!  How's that?  Oh yes, I still have a lot of weight to lose and I am very aware of that, but instead of feeling fat and unattractive, I feel thinner, happier,  and confident that I will lose the remaining pounds to reach my goal.

Once again, I was empowered by hypnosis!  Having a changed mind is even better than getting an A on an important assignment.