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<Susanrose> I want to thank everyone for coming. The topic tonight is:
Self-hypnosis techniques to help with decision making.
Whether a big decision, like leaving a job or relationship,
or a smaller one, like how should I spend the afternoon,
all decisions are important. And not making a decision
can be just as life altering as choosing.
Have you ever shook the magic 8 ball for a yes or no answer?
Flipped a coin? Used a pendulum? or closed your eyes,
opened up a bible or book, and then look at where your finger was pointing
for an answer?
Girlfriends spend long hours on the phone conferring
about what to do, especially when concerning relationships.
I asked Novale, who lives in Indiana, to lead tonight.
She has experience both personal and in her
practice with helping people make decisions
and I was hoping that she could share the
hypnotherapist view about successful decision making skills
Her beautiful web site is
http://www.innersphere.com/soulfire/soulfire.htm
I am happy to introduce her...
Go ahead Novale!
<Novale> Thanks :)
<tjmac> well, I decided to attend tonight, that should count
<Novale> it does!! everything counts :)
I'm glad you all have come
<Richard> :)
<kombachi> we're glad to be here!
<Novale> Over the course of the last week, I have been thinking,
and dreaming about this presentation. Its a part of the creative
process that for me, I have called "wallowing". When something exists
before me, whether it is a decision, a project, a required task, I often
spend much of my preparation time cloaking myself in the issue, wrapping
it around me, pulling it through my skin and into my being.
During these times, synchronicity has a great deal to
say to us about whatever issues we are weighing. Careless, we often
miss those signs and guides.
An interesting thing happened yesterday as
I was finalizing my thoughts: The car was a mess, it always is.
My friend Azmodius was cleaning for me and found an old CD
which I had not listened to for a very long time.
Delighted, I immediately snatched it from him and
shoved it into the CD player as background for my work. I must have
played it 5 times before it snuck into my awareness, before I realized
the sign given me. Two lyrics kept rolling round in my thoughts, pieces
of poetry: "secure yourself
Wow! That's it!! That is ALL there is to any decision
which we have before us...the simple reality of understanding and
flowing with where we belong. Now, we are going to talk about some of
the details of this knowing, but I suppose that I've started with the
punchline, that's where we are going, always, in every aspect of our
lives, you are, we are, of the light, and everything in our lives is for
the purpose of leading
Several days ago I had a conversation with TJ, another
synchronicity that he, without any verbal invitation from me, spoke so
clearly about decision making, awakening. He shared with me a picture
which I'd like to share with you. TJ spoke of a play, marionettes on
the stage. Most of us, audience, or players, are focused on the front
of the stage, the movements of the dolls and we have lost sight of the
"backstage" act
We are trapped in what some call Maya, the illusion
that the puppets are all there is. As we awake, and every decision
which we have to make is an opportunity for awakening, we begin to see
that we are the dollmakers, we are the puppeteers. We shape and
manipulate the puppets which we have created in order to experience the
glorious universe around us.
There is an old question which we all laugh about,
we've all heard it since childhood, heard it so often that we may have
forgotten its relevance: If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is
there to hear it, is there a sound? Quantum physics takes the notion
and clarifies it by telling us that there is no reality without
observation, and a step further, that observation shapes and defines
reality.
You have, consciously or no, created your reality, and
that reality, conscious of no, is absolutely perfect for you.
Everything in your past, your thoughts, your desires, have brought you
to the place of making whatever decision you are facing. Perfectly so!
And, if you take the time to examine your life you will often times be
very clear about any question before you. That's not very realistic is
it?
We don't spend very much of our time awake eh? We are
constantly in a trance state, drifting without awareness. Now, I for
one, believe that's a fine thing. I trust the universe to guide each of
us into perfection. What I do unconsciously is as useful to the
universal experience as that which I do carefully and consciously.
Grace guides and sustains us. At the same time, paradoxically, it is
our task to become more
Perhaps unconsciously we have taken ourselves into the
darkness, Meister Eckhardt tells us that it is only in this darkness
that we can find the light. You have the opportunity, in the midst of
the dim or dark, to bask in the Light, to invite the Light as you
contemplate any decision, no matter how small or insignificant it may
seem, to consciously count each footstep so that it falls true and Holy,
connecting Heaven and
The path, process and methods for accomplishing this
Holy Task are as varied and endless as there are Teachers, religions and
students, each one given perfectly as needed. I, as hypnotherapist,
have learned a few of these techniques.
Remember, though I or anyone else may give you a Tool,
it is in your hand that the Tool must be lifted, it must feel
comfortable against your palm, a weight perfectly suited to your arm,
your trunk and the body which will use the Tool. If you'd like to join
me, I am offering two processes which I find useful in approaching
decisions.
The first, you may not need to do often, but you also
might not wish to leave it in the dust too quickly because you can find
that the answers you awaken to, change as quickly as you change and
re-create your reality.
Because our time here is short, I think it might be
best for the first exercise, to simply read it here, and if you choose
to fully experience the process at a later time. You will want to be
relaxed, use whatever has worked for you in the past, or try something
new. Dim light, candles, incense, appropriate music. You will want to
sit quietly, breathing slowly and deeply into the core of your being,
letting everything a
When you have fully arrived at a relaxed and
comfortable state, I'd like you to let your awareness drift back to the
earliest memory you are aware of. Perhaps you are five. Remember how it
felt to be five. As images drift past your awareness, I'd like you to
focus on one question: What did you like to do when you were five? What
things brought you joy, a feeling of strength and wholeness? Do not
judge whatever comes to
You might want to write these images down for later
review, or you can simply let them float through your knowing. When you
have touched upon a few of these, move forward a bit, to ten. fifteen,
twenty, twenty five, thirty. Let the images drift over and through your
awareness to present day.
When you have reached present day, linger a bit, let
all the images flow round and dance in your awareness. Let go of
compartments, let go of divisions, allow the relaxation to bring some
confusion to the images as they all roll together. You will know when
its time to stop. (you really never stop, just take a breath).
At this point, slowly bring your awareness back into
your body, feeling feet against the floor and re joining with the
surroundings of your present time.
After the experience is completed, review it. What you
will find are Organizing Principles. At first, the images from each time
may seem unrelated, distinct, childish Vs mature, silly Vs thoughtful,
grief Vs joy. But, if you let it linger, what you will see are
commonalties.
You will see a flow and a theme to your life. Is your
current situation aligned with your Organizing Principles? Is the life
you are now living, the life which your knowing has led you to live? It
may not seem so, but I would wager that it is.
Perhaps you need to do some tweeking, some fine tuning,
maybe you need to add or delete some activity to your repertoire,
perfect some skill you've been missing.
I try and engage in this process at the very least,
yearly. Each year, I find that the images I bring to consciousness
shifts just a little, but it all flows into a continuum
very often, I can see the path before me, not the
details or twist and turns often, but the general roadmap, I get pointed
North, South, East or West in my journey.
I understand what I am ready to experience "next".
There are many forms of retrospection you can use...I
find this one useful but there are others as you lay the foundation for
decisions before you.
Do you have others? Methods of clarifying who you are
as you move into a new creation?
I'd like to break for a bit to share insights
before we move on to an exercise which you can do in this moment
<kombachi> the familiarity seems too be an important
component... in music, learning a song, the instrument's music has
to be integrated into your psyche before you can concentrate on the
vocals...after the integration, it almost becomes
subconscious...
<Novale> oh! learning a new piece of music is a really strong
analogy
<Kardan> Maybe I just haven't focused enough,
but it is hard for me to remember my childhood
<Novale> its pretty common for people to have trouble remembering
their childhood...you can practice with hypnosis and relaxation Kardan
Maybe it would be useful to practice
the exercise "backwards"
starting with present time and floating back thru your life
<Kardan> hmmm, I think perhaps that will work, thanks!
<Novale> I do an age regression with each of my children on
their birthdays, going back through each year of life and noting the
highlights
<Susanrose> I had the vision given to me of going down a supermarket
aisle. I was only able to take one of those small plastic baskets,
not a cart. Then I had to look at what were the really important
things to keep in my basket, and what to put down in order to make room.
That's when I say, what do I need the most? When I get in
my car, what will I say --Phew, I'm really glad I
remembered to buy that!
More about this thoughtfulness given to your decisions can be found at
http://www.city-net.com/~arianna/2WEBPG.TXT.html
<^Jbb> Novale: I am in the process of moving forward on a major
decision right now and I find old tapes (habits) appearing to challenge
the forward movement in my own life.
<Novale> are you working with the old tapes Jbb? rewriting them?
<^Jbb> I'd like to know how.
<Novale> well, one method that people use fairly often is , in a
relaxed state, to go thru the event again
<^Jbb> Are imaginary visualizations as powerful as any other
visualization?
<Novale> and then follow that by going thru and changing it, re
writing to what you think you would like to have happened
<Novale> what other kinds Jbb?
<^Jbb> hahaha... yes... you are right
<Susanrose> Guess all our thoughts are imaginary visualizations, ...smile.
<Novale> your imagination is the beginning of every creation in
your life. Nothing can exist in form which has not existed in
"imagination"
<tjmac> *smile*
<Novale> what we can do now, if move into the exercise
I'll wait a few minutes for you to prepare, you can use
candles, incense, lowered lights, music, waterflowing...
Use whatever you have available, and whatever you are
comfortable with for this sort of an hypnotic journey
You can go into it as deeply or light as you choose,
some people experience hypnosis very well on IRC, others choose to wait
until later
Ready?
<Susanrose> :) ready
<tjmac> :D
<Jackie> ready
<Lotus> *
<Jbb> all set
<PWest> ;)
<Novale> With your hands resting on the desk before you, allow
your attention to fix on the words which I am typing. Focus all of your
being on the letters scrolling across the screen
As you do so, notice that your body is resting heavily
against the chair, your feet rooted to the floor beneath you,
You can feel the weight of your head resting on the top
of your spine.
Notice how that weight is carried down, one vertebra at
a time, all the way down through your spine, and you can feel that
weight pressing down on the chair, through the force of gravity, the
earth is pulling your weight towards it.
all the way through the sub-structure of your house,
to the very center of the earth itself.
you can imagine and almost feel the column your weight
makes as it bores its way into the earth
allowing the excess energy from the outer brain to move
through the body, replenishing and nourishing it and then descending all
the way to the core of the earth..
to an unlimited source of pure energy that can rise
through you, buoying you...lifting you ...allowing you to feel like move
through you with grace and ease
As you sit comfortable in this Holy state, allow your
mind to drift to a question you may be facing, a decision or choice
which is necessary to make.
Slowly, while still watching my words, let an image
form in your awareness.
A picture to symbolize the question for you. Do not
question the image which forms, simply accept it. Let it be
As you become more aware and comfortable with the
image, allow its movement.
Does it speak? Sing? Croak? Does it have color? Shape?
Integrity? Does it vibrate?
Just watch, let the image grow into fullness as you
observe. As you examine this image, notice your feeling about it...
Is the feeling warm? Is your breathing slow and even?
Are you smiling?
Is there something about the image which you would like
to change? Its color perhaps?
Is there something you wish to ask or share with the
image? Negotiate.
You do not need words....Is the image willing to
dialogue with you? Are you willing to dialogue with the image? Take
several slow deep breathes
Lovingly ask yourself and the image if you can trade places.
Become the image. As you notice yourself melting into
the image, let your body feel how this feels.
If it is uncomfortable to you, step back and away.
Focus on the image noting whether you wish to change it further to allow
yourself to
become the image.
Perhaps your exercise is complete at this point.
Perhaps you are aware that the image is not of your light. If so,
simply let yourself drift back now to your surroundings.
If the image presenting itself to you is one which you
can melt into and become, feel the strength and joy that builds in your
being.
Slowly dance until you know that the process is
complete and then gently allow your awareness to return to the room
Breath deeply and slowly as you become more aware of
your body in present time.
Just take a few moments to sit and exhale.
Novale sits quietly and waits
<Susanrose> {{{Breathing}}}}}
<^joyful^> nice experience
<Kardan> *hmmmmm*
<Jackie> very relaxing
<Susanrose> great descriptions... helped the feeling process..
<Lotus> ~nice~
<tjmac> {{{{{{{ NovaLee }}}}}}}}
<Novale> As you review this experience, there are following
steps which you can take on your own. If the image is pleasing to you,
inviting resonance, flesh out in waking moments how that manifests in
your life
If the image is not pleasing, you can do the exercise
again, asking for the alternatives or for guidance in moving past this
image.
Another variation is to ask either congruently or at a
different time for two images representing the alternatives that you
face. Susanrose has suggested seeing 2 bubbles
representing a Yes or No
answer to a question, drifting into the bubble to
explore what's there.
<Susanrose> See which bubble is magnetically attracted by the presence that
surrounds you , and which bubble floats away.
<Novale>
There are endless possibilities, I like to toss coins,
not because I will accept obediently the "answer" in the coin toss, but
because I will "know" if the answer is comfortable.
Pendulums can work in the same way. Horizontal swings
mean choose this, vertical swings mean I choose that, and my body KNOWS
the wrong or right answer.
Tools require your confirmation and you, as a Holy
Being can give it. Use Holy Writings, open scriptures and read what's
there. Heck, pulling daisy petals works too.
Whatever tool you use, its a simple as, "I am of the
Light". You will know which reality you choose to create.
<Susanrose> Before starting a therapeutic touch treatment, I am
told the grounding affirmation is: "I am there." ...meaning You are at the
core of your beingness
<Novale> you are there :)
<Susanrose>
I want to mention the power of prayer!
Ask a friend to join you in prayer to help you make the best decision
for the good of all concerned. Remember, when 2 or more are gathered,
the presence of the Christ is in your midst.
I recently took a theology course at Carlow College in Pittsburgh
as a part of a BSN degree program. In it was an outline for decision making.
I will put it in my own words here:
Prepare: Do a personal purification of thought by praying for the light.
Then make a pro and con list regarding the decision before you
Detach from the outcome: Realize that you may be lead in a direction that
May be the best for you, but may not be your original intent. Drop your
attachment to having it occur your way.
Confront the Universe with Your Question: Using the Serenity Prayer,
place the situation in the lap of the highest power.
No one can do it alone. Build your faith by remembering
all the times you have been pulled through. Feel your gratitude,
giving thanks for how far you have
been loved and guided up until this moment.
Evoke your Sacred Presence:
Recall your most precious moments when you felt
Spiritually alive and connected into that higher power.
(ex: the goose bump awe of a sunset, a birth, a moment
in your life that you felt delivered .) Sometimes music, smells,
and visual effects of inspiring objects can help put you in that space.
Hold in your mind and in prayer the memory and feeling of this union.
Visualize the same grace reinfuse you and create a sphere of love
around you.
Invite the Possible Answers into your Sphere:
One at a time... Notice whether this produces a sense of congruence an deep peace,
or incongruence and disharmony. Repeat with each possible choice.
Confirmation: The decision may need to be confirmed in the days that follow.
As you go about your daily life, look for signs and omens that you are on the right track.
Give thanks!
Thank you for your descriptive coverage of this
topic, Novale!
It also stirred up in my lots of inspiration in what I could add
to this topic.
<^joyful^> I appreciate the lesson
[<^Jbb> Thank you Novale !
<Lotus> Very helpful Novale~* !
<AshtarRose> aww I missed it
<Susanrose> the edited log will be at the web site in about a
week ! Good night to all!
"Never worry when you can pray, if you can't
pray, you better worry." -Edgar Cayce