How many times have you tried repeating positive affirmations that you read out of a self-help book, only to find that your mind still operates the same old way? It can be frustrating! Why do positive affirmations work for some people and not for others?
Affirmations are statements that you consciously make to yourself in a decisive, present tense, and positive way that suggest to your subconscious mind that you are open to thinking, feeling and behaving in a new way now.
However, the very fact that you are repeating positive affirmations to yourself suggests that there is a negative or limiting belief operating behind the scenes that has been creating unwanted results in your life.
Limiting beliefs can be tricky because they operate on the subconscious level of the mind – hidden from the conscious mind. And here is the rub: our affirmations are being done on the level of the conscious mind – not the subconscious, where the problem or issue is rooted.
Positive affirmations do actually work. However, there are factors involved that increase their effectiveness. The secret to using affirmations for positive, lasting change is to identify the core, limiting belief that is holding the problem or issue in place and to diffuse the emotional charge associated with it.
If the limiting belief has causes you to feel highly emotional when you think about it, then it is imperative that you diffuse the intensity of the emotional reaction before you begin to practice the new positive statements.
Our emotions are our thoughts in motion. If we are trying to transform our thoughts, we must listen to our emotions because they are demonstrating what we are thinking subconsciously.
This is why affirmations don’t work for some people. There is nothing wrong with the people for whom the affirmations aren’t working. The problem is that their subconscious mind is rejecting the statement because the affirmation is too threatening to the safety of its current programming.
If we have fear around the positive affirmation because it’s unfamiliar to us, then we will not be as open to accepting it subconsciously. And therefore, it will only be a “happy thought” that we sometimes think, but it will never become a belief. The subconscious belief will always trump the conscious thought, no matter how much nicer the conscious thought may be.
This is because it is the function of the subconscious mind to protect us from any threats to our survival. Furthermore, the subconscious is 95% more effective and powerful than the conscious mind. This is why it’s so important to make our affirmations believable and attractive so that they appeal to the subconscious mind’s desire for security.
Therefore, we always want to begin by being aware of our current thoughts and feelings. Then, we can use techniques like NLP and EFT or hypnosis to shift from fear and pain into peace and openness.
Once the emotional body is calm and open, we can introduce the positive affirmation and we will experience less resistance from our subconscious mind. Use neutral or positive words that move you toward your desire, keep it believable, and remember that repetition is key!
There is a fabulous technique for releasing the emotional energy that blocks the effectiveness of our affirmations called Emotional Freedom Techniques. It not only diffuses the negative emotional response related to the pain, but it has been proven to be over 80% effective in relieving physical symptoms of pain in the body as well. For more information about this technique, visit www.eftuniverse.com.
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