A Mental Game |
|
BrainPlayground.com by Elle Sanders I first became aware of self-hypnosis on a news program several years ago. I don't recall which one. For those of you in the U.S., it was 20/20 or Dateline or something. It's unimportant, really.
A woman had learned the techniques of self-hypnosis and reported that she went through childbirth without pain. She could also have a needle inserted deeply through the skin on her hand without bleeding or pain. Just by willing herself that it be so. Seriously, they showed her doing this on camera.
I reveal my über geeky-nerdiness by admitting that it seemed to me that
she had developed something like mental super-powers, a sort of Jedi mind trick. I was
envious and I wanted some of that. Now there is new science that indicates that our minds can in fact, continue to grow and develop well into our golden years. But we must learn new things and push ourselves mentally in order for this to occur. And research institutions as esteemed as Stanford, Harvard and Mount Sinai and others are now conducting studies into the use of meditation and self-hypnosis to tap into the power of our own minds to help ourselves heal, relax, renew and refresh. Y'know, all that mental super-power stuff I was so smitten by years ago.
Because it's all - all of life - a mental game. All of our lives, except for this moment, this "right now" - is in our minds. Our past - all memories. Our future - all dreams. Each person's life, in it's entirety, is this one moment + past memories + their desires for the future. We all truly live in our own minds. And in this one living moment, we bring to bear all of our memories and all of our dreams. Which is to say also - our insecurities from the past, and our fears about the future. What to make of all this then? How best to use one's memories, good and bad, to build a more perfect future? How to have a future filled more with dreams and goals realized, than with fears fueled by past insecurities and failures?
Because when you feel it right now, you also put it in your personal
bank account. If you feel strong, powerful, calm and relaxed right now,
then you can call upon that knowledge in the future. You'll know what
it feels like. It's in your memory bank. And the more your do this, the
more memories you have of those feelings, the more easily you can draw
upon them. They will become part of who you are. I don't know when I'm going to have those mental super-powers that I dreamed of. And I'm not sure how soon I'll be performing any Jedi mind-tricks..."These are not the droids you are looking for"... "You do not want to give me that speeding ticket"... But I do know that by learning self-hypnosis and using guided imagery, visualization and meditation, I have more control over my life, who I am becoming, and how I feel about it. And that is more than enough for now. |
Elite athletes have long used guided imagery and visualization to bring
their performances up to world class levels. It's the See It- Feel It-
Be It school of thought. Top salespeople also often speak of the 'Fake
It 'Til You Make It' way of thinking. It's really all about the power
of your imagination. Imagine - in a deep and real and powerful way -
your goal, and you have fought half the battle.
I
think, of course, that it comes to this moment. Fill the now - the
present - with thoughts and feelings that are positive, healing,
affirming and empowering. Because what we give ourselves in the right
now, will become our memories in the moments to come. And so our now
becomes our past and thus informs our future. It seems like a good
idea to take 20 or 30 minutes, whenever we can, to feel great. To feel
calm, peaceful, strong and relaxed.
