Introduction
Ever wondered why your mood shifts with a passing thought or why a surge of worry can leave you physically uneasy? The remarkable connection between the mind and body is more intricate than we might realize. Every single thought that traverses your mind sets off a cascade of biochemical events within your brain, shaping not just your mental landscape but also influencing your physical well-being.
The Mind-Body Connection: A Chain Reaction
Intriguingly, your thoughts orchestrate a symphony of reactions, impacting your breathing patterns, immune system, hormone production, nervous system, digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure, and more. Emotions, from pleasure and joy to sadness, anger, and fear, are triggered by specific neurotransmitters and brain regions, forming a neural network unique to each emotional state.
More complex emotions like pride, embarrassment, or annoyance can be thought of as a special combination, like an algorithm, of different neurotransmitters being activated (a circuit), at different levels, at the same time.
Let’s illustrate this intricate dance between thoughts and biology through an example. Consider a scenario where months of intense studying culminate in an exam day. The thought "What if I'm not ready?" triggers worry despite diligent preparation. This worry, manifesting physically with queasiness and difficulty breathing, escalates, reinforcing the anxious state. The ensuing thoughts during the exam further fuel distraction and self-doubt, culminating in feelings of failure and defeat.
The Domino Effect of Thoughts and Emotions
This cycle showcases how our external circumstances can swiftly shape our internal experiences. Our thoughts create intricate neural networks, akin to dominos falling one after another, rendering our internal thoughts more potent and "real" than external reality. Succumbing to your mental simulation of negative thoughts perpetuates the cycle, reinforcing our self-identity and validating our external reality. This is exactly how the "self-fulfilling prophecy" (also known as the Pygmalion effect) plays out.
If we allow ourselves to be the victim of these experiences by falling prey to our own predatory thoughts it will become easier and easier to get sucked back into the old familiar pattern.
Your Mind, Body, and Behaviors Are a Program
When neural circuits are activated repetitively, they will become stronger. You can imagine this as two microscopic neurons that look like little octopuses floating in space and between each “arm” is a cord. When there is a signal from one arm to another arm, a specific neurochemical is released and the code in between them is strengthened. That cord is called an axon. The axon is wrapped in a myelin sheath. Strong myelination promotes optimal information transmission through a network of neurons. This makes information flow faster and more efficiently.
This is where the saying “neurons that fire together, wire together” comes from. All of this happens unconsciously and automatically and the more you “practice” a certain thought or activity, the more practiced your brain becomes at traveling that pathway.
As the brain changes on a physiological level based on what it is “conditioned” to learn, the body follows suit. If the mind is conditioned into a state of fear, lack, or worry, a chemical cocktail of adrenaline, histamine, and cortisol will be released. Soon, the body will become a reflection of that state of mind. This slew of biological reactions could look like digestive or gut health issues, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, hormone imbalance, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbance, etc. As time plays out we unconsciously and unintentionally condition ourselves into a state of survival and now the body is influencing the mind.
The Science Of Reprogramming Your Mind
However, change is within reach. It is 100% possible to reprogram the mind by consciously associating and intentionally channeling thoughts and emotions toward your desired reality. All you have to do is build new neural pathways on a subconscious level. This necessitates daily practice and intentional effort while acknowledging our emotions with self-compassion. Make a promise to yourself to not fall victim to unhelpful or self-destructive thought patterns, stories, and beliefs.
Hypnosis offers a powerful, science backed avenue for reprogramming the mind and its neural pathways. Hypnosis will help you access the theta brain wave, which is a powerful state of learning where the brain waves in your mind become less erratic and more coherent. In this state, there is increased creativity, greater clarity of thought, and more emotional stability. This creates an efficient process for neural pathways to form, old beliefs to be discarded, visualizations to be created, and elevated emotions to be generated. The downstream effects of serotonin, GABA, and dopamine neurotransmitter production paired with the calming parasympathetic nervous system activation ("rest and digest") will condition your body back to a state of health and homeostasis.
Frequently engaging in this practice enables us to think greater than how we feel, facilitating a shift in our internal reality. The next stage is that you will begin to feel greater than what your past and current reality reflects. At that point you are well on your way to transcending and overcoming your current circumstances and obstacles.
How To Reprogram Your Mind: The Daily Work
Reprogramming your mind may sound like rainbows and butterflies... Sometimes it is and sometimes it is everything but. The reality is that change is hard and you will likely encounter some emotional sensitivity or impatience along the way. Stay committed. It will take some time for your outer world to become a reflection of your new inner world.
Eventually, your life, relationships, and existence will start to shift as the things that are no longer in alignment with your inner reality begin to fall away. This will likely bring up more emotional sensitivity, fear, and resistance. Stay committed.
Every challenging emotion or feeling of resistance is an opportunity to practice self-love and compassion. It is also an opportunity to look for the core limitation within yourself that is leading to the resistance you're feeling. When you find it you can begin to challenge it and reframe it. Practice modifying those beliefs little by little into a more positive direction, moment by moment. Self awareness and vulnerability are the keys to success with this process.
Every time you encounter a judgment, limitation, criticism, or fear you can visualize your younger self feeling this way about themself. Then swoop in as your adult self and envelop your younger self in a feeling of all-encompassing, unconditional love and acceptance. This exercise in and of itself can bring up a lot of emotion.
Top Tips for Embracing Change and Shifting Perspectives
Embrace Worthiness and Safety: Acknowledge your worth and trust in the safety of positive emotions.
Clarity and Responsibility: Define your desires clearly while taking full responsibility for thoughts and feelings.
Abandon Limiting Beliefs: Unsubscribe from self-limiting beliefs and negative thinking to pave the way for transformation.
Pre-emptive Trust and Gratitude: Cultivate trust and gratitude for the future you desire, even without current evidence.
Conclusion
Harnessing the power of our thoughts to shape our reality requires consistent practice and patience. By challenging limiting beliefs and cultivating self-awareness, we can reframe emotions and thought patterns. Remember, every encounter with judgment or fear is an opportunity for self-love and growth.
As we emotionally rehearse new positive states, engaging all senses, our automatic thoughts and biological processes begin to shift. The journey towards a transformed reality lies in recognizing the immense influence of our thoughts and emotions and harnessing this power to shape a more fulfilling, happy, healthy life.
Hi, I'm Ellen - Certified Rapid Transformation Therapy Practitioner, spiritual hypnotist and your own personal hype woman...
I believe that inner work is life's most important work, but it shouldn't take a lifetime. I help people overcome anxiety, depression, and trauma by putting them in touch with their most powerful tool, their subconscious mind.
Visit www.ellenhaines.com to learn more.
Ready to embark on your own personal journey of self-discovery and healing? Let's reprogram your mind and create the life you desire.
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Ellen specializes in helping people to overcome anxiety, depression, self-doubt, low self-esteem, anger, relationship issues, trauma, and childhood issues. Those who are committed will experience a significant change after their first session with life-changing results after multiple. You can expect to uncover the root cause of your challenges, reprogram your subconscious mind, reparent your inner child, deal with trauma, and gain the mindset and tools you need to move forward.