[antilt]

does anyone have any tips on learning to break from bad habits and behavioral patterns that are deeply set in you and ingrained into your personality?

[Junrlaeh]

much, obviously, can be said in answer to this, a.j., although it may be helpful to consider: rather than breaking away from old habits, one may emphasize breaking into new ones, that one conceives of as being more helpful to one's goals in life.

as you contemplate that which you strive towards in life, rather than regretting current conditions, old patterns may lose some of their hold on you and thus be more amenable to change.

i personally have found it helpful to accept and bless these shadow issues in my self, as railing against issues such as addiction and other no longer useful patterns of behavior only lends them strength to persist. rather, i meditate with hopeful, optimistic heart on what i could be and accomplish if i were not bound by these things; this makes for a bridge across the fear of the emptiness of being without them.

-mark

[Pharmaciest]

does anyone have any tips on learning to break from bad habits and behavioral patterns that are deeply set in you and ingrained into your personality?

i think one of the more important and often overlooked things, imho is to get your subconscious and your unconscious mind on the same page, so that your actions can be congruent. unfortunately this is easier said than done, but maybe i can give you some tips. one of the ways to reach the deeper levels is hypnosis. it can work wonders for some people.

serious open and honest self-reflection can also help a lot. when you have some time to devote to this, ask yourself the following four questions.

* in what way is this behavior a benefit to me?
* in what way is this behavior detrimental to me (or, bad for me)?
* if i didn't have this behavior, how would that benefit me?
* if i didn't have this behavior, in what way could this be detrimental to me?

when you do this, all the obvious answers will probably pop up, and then you will kind of blank out, but if you keep going here you might uncover some real gems.

another thing that helps me is to just keep telling myself, 'if i can only do this for three weeks....' this is much easier for the unconscious or inner child part of you to accept, especially if you feel like you're being deprived, like not smoking, or not eating as much. because your inner child will probably see that as a lifetime of deprivation.

some new behaviors are better learned on the bodily level. in this case, use stimulation, like wearing a loose-fitting rubber band on your wrist. when you catch yourself thinking about 'that thing' immediately snap the rubber band against the inside of your wrist. this sting will teach the body to associate pain with the old pattern. then you can also kiss or stroke your wrist whenever the new behavior pattern pops in your mind. i know this sounds silly but it can be very effective.

ok, i got a few more, but i'm late for work. more later
love and (wrist) kisses
manny

[Cheeniandab]

hello,

hypnosis is certainly a method that would assist, my only concerns with it are it is almost completely unconscious, and you are not really investigating yourself, just 'tricking' your mind into believing or changing.

manny's comments regarding open and honest self-reflection come extremely well recommended from me also.

if you do a search on your prefered search engine for byron katie you will discover a very similar process of self-enquiry which allows you question thoughts that you believe. this allows you to unturn every stone and find out what's really going on..

with love,

jake

[pharmablogger]

hi jake. when i discovered that this could be done i began my search too. i sorta still am. i've been heavily reading and practicing huna and it's 3-selves-based system. it resonates with me strongly. i can proved urls to anyone interested.

having learned this about myself i came to learn the role of each self and how each works with one another to achieve what we pray for/attract/manifest both consciously and unconsciously.

one technique is ho'oponopono (which is mentioned in this forum under another topic "healing within..." i think). in fact i am taking some mind training this weekend in how to reach alpha (and other brainwave levels) so that i can keep the conscious part of me active while still in a meditative state.

i'm giving a real high-level view here, but it seems to be what works for me right now.

peace.