"It's all about managing life & understanding that we are not alone. However, the responsibility still sits with our Unique Self. There is often a tendency to just sit around waiting for something to happen or for someone to carry the load & that simply isn't going to happen. The longer you sit, the longer you wait."...Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
INNER SELF DEVELOPMENT
Earlier on I talked about the Therapeutic Inner Self & how important it is to the management of any & all self-development. People with secret or disorderly eating have many other issues, just like we all have & all of them are managed in the very same way. That is why Interactive Self-Hypnosis & Heightened Awareness are KEY tools. These tools are utilized ONLY by the Therapeutic Self & NOT by the child or emotional self. Think of it this way..... there is only one captain of the ship & in no way do you want the captain of your ship to be your emotional child.
In my work with secret & disorderly eating, I utilize my experience with my private patients/clients, as well as from my own life experiences. I'm very much in favor of being completely opened with those I come in contact with & that includes everyone who works with me privately, as well as through my writing & recording. This is a huge rapport builder & quite honestly, it's good to know that the developmental horrors of my own life can be put to some good use.
I first learned the term Therapeutic Self when I was studying psychiatric nursing. I fell in love with the idea that there was a part inside of each of us that could/would help & best of all, would always be there, no matter how difficult life became. My creative Self figured out that if there was a Therapeutic Self, then it stood to reason that there was another part of the Self that wasn't therapeutic & that was the part that would need the part of the Therapeutic or Leader Self; the captain of the ship.
One of the most difficult challenges I've found for myself over the years & the same runs true for patients, is staying motivated & out of trouble with the old secrets & facets of the disorders. Some of these, in my case, still have to do with my secret eating that began very early in my life. Often people are discouraged when I'm honest about the resurgence of those very old habits & behaviors. Obviously, those of us who have these issues, would like to believe that they can be gone once & for all, but unfortunately that is rarely the case. But, on the bright side, once you have a terrific Therapeutic Self, there isn't much to be concerned about. After all, one doesn't have to do this alone!
The majority of people with issues seem to wait for someone to motivate or push them to change. This is not the same as working with your Therapeutic or Inner Self. Just from the title we know that one is inside of us & the others are outside. Others cannot make us change & even if they push hard enough, the resistance will build & sooner or later one goes back to the old patterns. In this instance, the patterns are usually more heavily engrained into the subconcious mind.
In the case of the Therapeutic Self, when old patterns surface, the inner power source is there to greet them with images that are designed to allow them to release & then to empower them onto the correction path. Each time a behavior, pattern or piece of a pattern comes forward, it already knows that it is going to receive "special treatment" from the part of the Self that is focused, non-judgmental & willing to teach & guide. Who wouldn't want this type of mentor or friend. The Therapeutic Self is like a very healthy, balanced parent, who knows you well & wants you to succeed.
We develop this mentoring Self in the practice of Self-Hypnosis. I suggest to my readers/listeners & patients, that they relax deeply & think of people who have the characteristics that they would like in this special part of themSelves. In fact, some of these individuals might be male & others female. They could be known personally to the individual or not. They could be real or fictional, living or dead. It truly doesn't matter.
Once the group is decided upon, then comes the integration. The individual is instructed to relax deeply & to make certain that they will not be disturbed for the time it takes to do this part of their inner development work. This is not the time to rush or play the game of "hurry up, I have so many things to do today."
Once relaxed, the eyes are gently closed & the mind screen is in place. A symbol of the Therapeutic Self is present & the group is ready for the integration. One by one, they enter the symbol until all are fully integrated. In the future, other aspects can be brought to the Therapeutic Self. Often, during our life experiences, we come upon people who we admire & when this happens, we can take those characteristics & make them our own, utilizing this simple, but profound imagery.
Once the Therapeutic Self is ready, then one spends time each day in it's presence, until it becomes an active part of the individual, having both form & voice.
