Have you ever worked hard to make a change only to find yourself falling back into the old habits you were trying to transform? During a process of change, have you come up with questions like: How do I know if I’m making the right decisions? How can I stay true to myself during this transition? Who am I, anyway?
During my practice working with individuals, I’ve seen many people pondering to themselves about these questions, and sometimes feeling stuck or lost, incapable to move forward, paralyzed with fear and anxiety, not wanting to deal with the call for change, falling into behaviors and ways that allow them to escape or avoid confrontation with reality.
When we look at nature and our own life processes, at every stage of life there are changes and transitions — some of which we chose and others which happen without our control. As long as we are alive, change is a fundamental part of the experience.
We can create for ourselves a new understanding of how change occurs. We can learn learn to benefit from it and how to move on from concerns, fears, and doubts, to wise decision making.
The first action in order to create this shift is to tune in our mind and body to work harmoniously together. This will help us to focus our attention on looking within versus dwelling on external circumstances.
If we focus on ourselves we have a real chance to change and to move with more ease as we change. Self-exploration, Self-inquiry and Self-knowing are essential for a balanced, steady and lasting Self-transformation.
In our culture there is a strong belief in the need to fix and repair our broken minds, our imperfect bodies, the dysfunction of society, the way things are going, the mistakes of others, etc. In the practical world that belief is extremely painful to sustain, mainly because it is limiting and because it forces us to maintain a constant judgment and criticism over ourselves, others and the world around us.
Change is not a matter of fixing what already is, but rather adding something new. Transformation occurs when we learn to strategically set up new ways that don’t conflict with what is happening, but rather ways that nurture it, embrace it, and change it bringing a new and different experience.
In hypnosis it is well known that a habit will only entrench itself more firmly if we tried to disallow it. The best way to change behaviors is not by eliminating old patterns, but by creating new ones and reinforcing them repeatedly until we incorporate those as part of our habits.
One of the best ways to stimulate change is through peak experiences, a-ha! moments, and awe. Is it possible for us to generate those experiences for ourselves? Yes, we can awaken our inner child, a whimsical attitude that opens the doors to attend to our experience being present, curious and flexible. This attitude lets us see our habitual patterns and reactions.
Through deliberate intention, experiential practice and creative process we can make use of resources such as gaming, art, symbols, stories and metaphors to map our own lifelong journey of change.
The result of this exploration is a profound change into more ease, joy, and calm throughout the different phases of our lives, as well as new understandings of the transformative potential of struggle, pain and challenges. We start taking more assertive actions, enjoying ourselves more, and complain less about others and the world. We also can become agents of conscious change, a source of inspiration for others to free themselves as well from unnecessary suffering.
Awake Mind & Body guides you in your particular journey of transformation, providing you with techniques that provide an integrative approach to change, balancing your mind, bringing to life your body and lifting your spirit. The FUN approach reveals your natural state of pure joy and wonder. FUN stands for Free of guilt, pain and criticism. Union of mind and body. Natural organic methods and tools that get you back to the best you.
There is a constant invitation from life to all of us to start letting go what needs to change without tears and to embrace and love the possibility that we can be reborn and vibrant while having fun doing it. Are you ready to accept this invitation?
Paula.