{"id":993,"date":"2018-06-01T13:57:47","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T12:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebodymatters.co.uk\/blog\/?p=993"},"modified":"2021-12-08T13:10:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T13:10:39","slug":"affirmations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebodymatters.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/06\/affirmations\/","title":{"rendered":"Affirmations"},"content":{"rendered":"

An affirmation that is well known in the world of Hypnotherapy<\/a> is that of French Psychologist \u00c9mile Cou\u00e9: \u201cEvery day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better\u201d.<\/p>\n

Affirmations are phrases which we can repeat to ourselves, which set an intention for how we want to be. The idea is that this positive self-talk will, through repetition, take root in the subconscious and become reality. Negative beliefs about oneself are cancelled out.<\/p>\n

When Katie Piper visited Southend\u2019s Palace theatre this April as part of her \u2018What\u2019s in my head\u2019 tour, she spoke about affirmations that she had collected as contributing significantly to her recovery. She wrote the ones that resonated most strongly with her and had them on display in her home. She has actually had a book published that contains 365 such affirmations, one for every day of the year!<\/p>\n

Probably better known than \u00c9mile Cou\u00e9\u2019s affirmation is that of Yoda from Star Wars: \u201cDo. Or do not. There is no try\u201d.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, in the world of therapy this affirmation is interesting. When we use the word \u2018try\u2019, the suggestion is that the task in hand is difficult, or something that will be a struggle. \u201cTry to stay calm\u201d, \u201cTry to smile\u201d, \u201cTry not to hit your brother\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

Stage hypnotists may use phrases like \u201cTry to pull your hands apart\u201d, whilst telling participants that the harder they try to do this, the more they will feel like their hands are glued together. \u2018Try\u2019 then, is not a great word to use when encouraging yourself or others to do something!<\/p>\n

Helpful affirmations tend to be positive, a negative affirmation being something like \u201cI am not an angry person\u201d or \u201cI am not a failure\u201d. Unfortunately, this fails to plant in the subconscious anything about the way the person does want to be. In fact, even worse, an affirmation like this actually reminds the person of how they don\u2019t want to be! This mechanism works in the same way that if someone tells us \u201cnot to think of an elephant\u201d, we can\u2019t help but think of an elephant. If someone says \u201cDon\u2019t think of the big toe on your right foot\u201d we start to think of it, even though we weren\u2019t thinking of it at all up to that point. Thinking for a moment of the big toe and your right foot is unlikely to mess up our life, but constantly thinking of oneself as a failure or as an angry person might.<\/p>\n

There is another word that can be used to great effect: \u2018but\u2019. The word \u2018but\u2019 can be used positively, to reframe those negative thoughts that run through our heads. For example, a statement such as \u201cI\u2019d love to write a novel, but I never have the time\u201d, might be re-stated as \u201cI never have much time, but I am going to write a novel\u201d. Here the word \u2018but\u2019 becomes a word of possibility, rather than a word that marks the abrupt and permanent end of a desire.<\/p>\n

To arrange a free first session to discuss how you are affected by negative thoughts, you can contact Jonathan<\/a> at The Body Matters on 01702 714968.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Affirmations are positive self-talk phrases that we can repeat to ourselves, which set an intention for how we want to be.<\/p>\n

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