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Dredging up that old painful stuff (or not)

"Why would I want to pull up that old painful stuff?" If you recognize this as a real question from a real user of my Ultimate Stress Buster Kit, you're right on.

At my suggestion, she's been working her way through the booklet "Incubate Your Best Solution: How to Answer Perplexing Life Questions by Connecting with Your Inner Voice of Wisdom." And in her feedback to me during our last conversation, she offered up one of the most common reasons that people often block out the wisdom their subconscious mind is literally SHOUTING at them to pay attention to.

In my language now, not hers, she was just a little wary of what was going to be inside the magic envelope she was about to ask for.

"What if the message is something I don't want to hear?"
"What if it frightens me?"
"What if it brings up painful memories I don't want to re-visit?"

These are great questions. Really great questions. And they expose perhaps one of the most common reasons that people are so reluctant to quiet themselves to the point of being able to hear any message at all. Fear of getting an honest answer.

Fortunately, there's a solution so simple that once I reveal it, you may metaphorically kick yourself for not thinking of it before.

Are you ready?

Step one in the process, as you'll recall, is formulating a great question. Determining what it is that you really want to learn.

All it takes to protect yourself from anything too scary coming up is a simple little modification in the question. Simply include at the end of your question something like this: "...and please only give me information today that I can handle."

Alternately, you could suggest, "Ultimately I want the full truth. But please deliver it in small enough bits that it doesn't scare me."

Or if you're feeling really brave, "Hit me with the full monty. I'm tired of messing around!"

The point is this. You are ultimately in control of not just the information you request, but how you request that it be delivered. Sometimes you might be so tired of being unsure about what to do next that you'll request the proverbial spiritual 2 x 4. Other times, you'll want one little bite at a time.

Just add the directions right in with your request.

A secondary related fear that was not in the way for this particular participant (but may be for you) is the fear of becoming responsible for what you've learned. We'll take this part up in another entry.

Have a healthy one-
Elizabeth

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Elizabeth Eckert, Healthy Living & Wellness Coach

Elizabeth Eckert, PhD

I enjoy observing human nature and helping people get healthier. I'm the author of Word Cures, webmaster of the WordCures.com healthy living website, and an organic vegetable gardener. I hang out in spacious North Dakota with Max, my precocious pup. (more)

About This Article

This page contains a single entry from the Healthy Living DIY blog posted on June 12, 2006 10:28 PM.

The previous post in this blog was Is your case really hopeless? Or did you make that part up?.

The next post in this blog is Did you get some extra sleep last weekend?.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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Note: The information and ideas offered here are personal opinions of a general nature. No opinion posted here constitutes medical advice, either general or personal. If you have a health concern, please consult with your medical doctor and follow his or her advice. The author disclaims responsibility for any misuse or misinterpretation of any opinion posted here.

(c) 2006-08 Elizabeth Eckert


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