Once we change the picture, it becomes the job of the creative subconscious to get the picture to match our reality. The job of the subconscious, in order to preserve sanity, is to make us act like the person we see myself to be. We cannot consistently act otherwise. The challenge is to change the way we see ourselves to be. Our past mistake was in trying hard to be different from our picture. It is that very trying that will cause us anxiety and to avoid change. Our self-image controls our performance and we automatically and effortlessly act the way we see ourselves to be.
If we try to force ourselves not to smoke, to lose weight or to make any change in our lives, without first changing the picture, we have to push ourselves to make the change. As long as we consciously focus on the change we desire, we will make progress. But the moment we forget to exert conscious effort, we will go back to our old habits - because we are always going to act like the person we see ourselves to be. When we force ourselves to change, we place tremendous stress and tension on our nervous system because we are forcing ourselves to be different than our subconscious picture. The moment we let go we return to our dominant picture or controlling mechanism. Using affirmations and visualisations reprogrammes our picture. If we do this, we no longer need to force change.
It is also important that while you are visualising yourself like the new person, you just go on behaving like you always behave. Do not force yourself to be like the new person. Do not try hard to be like what you are affirming or picturing. Just relax and be yourself. Remember, we are altering the subconscious automatic guidance system. We are not concerned about our current behaviour or performance. If we change the picture, the change in our behaviour and performance follows automatically. Just go on acting daily like your old self. If you are using affirmations and imagery, the new you is changing little by little. Pretty soon you will automatically be like the person you wish to be. Some people have difficulty getting a clear picture in their mind. If this is true for you, just concentrate on the feeling instead of the picture.
Sometimes we do not get a good clear picture because we are not relaxed enough. So you should learn to relax your mind and body so that your subconscious is more receptive to your affirmations and imagery.
It helps to take a look at the areas of your life that you are avoiding or having difficulty with. Then visualise yourself in the situation you are avoiding or having difficulty with, acting in a way that would be more appropriate for you to be. Visualise the skill level, the characteristics, and the qualities you want to express. Soon you will act and behave like your picture. Once it takes hold in your subconscious, you do not need to affirm it or visualise it any more. Just go out and be you. What you have done is to control and consciously decide what the new "you" would be like.
For example, if you choose to be a non-smoker, picture yourself in a situation where you would normally have a cigarette. See yourself with nothing in your hand. If your image is clear enough, it will be as though you did not have a cigarette that one time. Record it subconsciously and feel the satisfaction of the accomplishment. This will make impression upon your subconscious mind. As far as your subconscious is concerned, for that one time you were a non-smoker.
If you feel you are shy, picture yourself with your best friends. Now project yourself into a new, unfamiliar situation, perhaps in a crowded room or at a party. See yourself just as confident and relaxed as you are with your friends. Feel the sense of accomplishment. Repeat that kind of scene over and over again and your subconscious will think you have done it like that many times. When you actually get in that situation, you will act like yourself - the way you have been picturing yourself to be.
Identify with the new image
Not just any kind of imagery changes the subconscious image of reality. If that were so, all you would have to do is watch TV and your subconscious picture would change. The only kind of imagery that will alter the subconscious image of reality is EXPERIENTIAL imagery. We must clearly identify with the imagery.
If I observe somebody else do something, I say to myself. "That is the way they do it. I am not doing it; they are doing it." I must personally experience it in my mind. I must see myself, not someone else, accomplishing the end result.
All permanent and lasting change comes from the inside out. Any other change is temporary. You have been using affirmations and imagery all of your life. What you want to do from now on is to learn how to control them so they will work FOR you instead of AGAINST you. The actual process of applying affirmations and imagery is called imprinting. You now have a sufficient overview concerning affirmations and imagery to learn the techniques of imprinting.
Imprinting
Deciding to change a habit, attitude or personal situation does not automatically bring about the change desired. The decision to make the change is only the first step. Further action is required in order to effect a change in your subconscious self-image. We have learned that your goal is the mental picture of what you want. When you write down the goal, it becomes an affirmation.
The process of doing this is called "Imprinting". Imprinting is the deliberate control of thoughts and pictures of the kind of changes we want to make. The imprinting occurs when our subconscious mind accepts the new visual image of the end result.
Dr Robert Anthony offers a three-step process of Imprinting: (a) You affirm your goal. (b) You picture the end result. And (c) You feel the emotion that goes along with accomplishing the goal.
Step 1 - Affirm your goal
An affirmation is simply a statement of fact or belief that is written out in a personal, positive, present tense form as though the goal were already a reality. When you write out your affirmations, you deliberately control the programming of your subconscious by directing the visual picture to the end result you want.
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Step 2 - Picture the end result Picture and experience in your mind the accomplishment of the end result. See yourself actively involved in the accomplishment. This is called constructive "synthetic visualization" or "virtual reality". It works on the theory of displacement. You are displacing the old picture and old self-image with the new. Remember - we will move toward the goal that we picture.
Step 3 - Feel the emotion that goes along with accomplishment.
The subconscious responds to feelings more than to words. It does not respond any better to positive feelings than to negative feelings. It just responds to feelings. The more emotion or feeling we can put behind an idea, the faster it will manifest. So feeling and emotion are very important for impact. It can be said that our affirmation will manifest in direct proportion to the frequency with which we use picturing and emotional involvement. What you want to do is see to yourself accomplishing the end result while feeling the joy and satisfaction of the accomplishment.
Dr. Anthony reiterates that all three steps are necessary for successful imprinting. If you just read your affirmations, you can expect about a 10% success rate. If you read and visualise the end result, you can expect about a 55 per cent success rate. If you read your affirmations, picture the end result, and feel the emotion behind the accomplishment of what you are picturing, you can expect a 100 per cent success rate!
