Visulization/Symbolic Objects

[EyeOfBraille]

[Meditation using an symbolic object of concentration is to direct your attention away from the conscious mind and to the subconscious. The object may be a mantra, sigil, image, or any other symbolic representation of a desired goal. Language does not easily transcend from the conscious mind to the subconcious. The symbolic object and the desire it represents will pass to the subconcious without any problem. By the way, the mantra MUST have meaning to actually work; creation of your own mantras is very simple. If someone gives you a mantra, it is usless for the purpose of directing thoughts to the subconcious mind. ]
taken from: http://healingdeva.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=65


Would making a symbolic object of what you want and desire before self-hypnotizing yourself work better then listening to a hypnotist repeating postive affirmations and telling you to visualize what your desire while your listening?


For example: If you desire a 6 pac. Find a picture in a magazine of that you desire, and focus on it. Look at it and visulize yourself as that person with it. Visulize every little detail of it, then go into the self hypnosis state and implant it into your subconcious. It should be easier for you to create a life like image of what you desire in the subconcious because you just imagined having it, and you have that memory of the 6pac visual from a magazine on your mind, therefore better results? Right? or am I missing something?

[Terry (existing)]

"Right? Or am I missing something?" Ah if only it were that simple (G)...... Yes you are missing something, but not much, just a dirty four letter word "work".... Want a sixpack? do the excercises. What you are doing is what we all do daily, it is called dreaming......

[Don]

Hello, Eye Of Braille.

Unfortunately, you're missing a great deal. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that your concepts are not incorrect, just highly limited.

I don't think that I could give a full course in mantra here, but the understanding posted about mantras is about 95% wrong. It is possible to create one's own mantras, but those that are given to you--if created by someone who knows you very well and has a higher understanding of the nature of mantras--are likely to be far more successful. Which will come out better (in the sense of "more realistic"), a paint-by-the-numbers version of a Rembrandt or a from scratch painting by a person with no training? In a few rare cases, the latter, but 99% of the time the former.

Secondly, people have innate methods of communicating with others and with themselves. If a person is oriented toward visual communication with the subconscious, then the example you gave would be a part of achieving the goal. But if the person is more focused on kinesthetic or auditory communications, it would only help slightly in the method you propose.

Thirdly, the idea you present implies that in making a physical change (acquiring a six-pack), the subconscious already knows what to do. Indeed, this may be the case. The person may know that to achieve the goal they must reduce body fat (I believe you have to get below 5%, but I could be wrong on that figure) and do certain exercises.

Now, some people may say, "Wait a moment, according to some hypnosis theories, you need to simple tell the unconscious what you want to achieve, and it will work to get it for you." But that's a different thing. If someone is a nail biter and wants to stop biting nails, giving the person the suggestion to have beautiful nails and allow the subconscious to figure out the rest is dealing with knowledge contained within the subconscious. If someone has no idea of carbs and crunches, fats and lats, the suggestion isn't going to do much good. Having a goal is one thing; having a means to the goal is what gets you there.

Finally, you should understand that real change is instantaneous. Sometimes, there is a lot that needs to build up to that instantaneous change, but the change actually happens like the snap of the fingers. If you want to change and are hypnotized, presenting a suggestion properly is only needed once. Do it a few times if you want to cover your butt. But repeating it for 20 minutes while under hypnosis, IMO, will not do you much good.

So why do people do this with positive affirmations? Because you're trying to pound your way through the conscious into the subconscious. Do it long enough, often enough, and with enough feeling, and after weeks or months it might work. Contrast that with hypnosis which, in the worst case, should only require a few sessions to achieve change.

[Jack]

Hello EOB,

Don has hit the nail on the head. One other small point: language is easily understood by the subconscious providing it is the right sort of language; symbols are not specifically needed since the subconscious will create it's own symbols. It is one of the reasons an altered state is required to make happen change which cannot be made consciously.

Jack

[Merlin]

>Language does not easily transcend from the conscious mind to the subconcious.

Nonsense!
All language is from the subconscious.