The Key To Freedom

By Gregg Sanderson

Last month, we realized that our prison is the world of Stimulus > Response. The doorway to freedom is the realization that it’s Stimulus > NEED > Response.

The NEED is the unconscious belief that keeps you stressful. The good news comes in the words of Glenda, the Good Witch of the North.

“You had the power all along.”

It’s YOUR need so only you can change it. This month, I’ll tell you how you can change it to end stress, sadness and suffering. I call it Emotional Replacement. It’s unorthodox, but it works.

It’s worked for me every time for the past 43 years.

The first step is to realize that you believe lies that say you’re incomplete, inadequate and incapable.

The Truth of you is that you don’t need anybody or anything to complete you. You’re never too old, stupid or fat, and your possibilities are unlimited.

Oh, you don’t believe me, eh? Look at it this way. You now believe lies that limit you and cause stress and suffering. What if you change them to lies that allow you to feel good, realize your potential and live your dreams?

YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS DOESN’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

We call it Emotional Replacement because that’s exactly what it does. You use the power of emotion to replace the cause of pain, hurt and stress with acceptance, love and peace.

There are four elements to a good “replacement”:

  1. A scene where you got upset
  2. Strong emotions
  3. An idea or statement to replace the need that caused it
  4. A replay to reinforce the result

The Scene

Create a picture in your mind of an incident that triggered any unpleasant feeling. In can be from the past, present or even an imagined future situation.

View it as if you were watching a movie, with a combination of detachment and involvement. Here’s an example:

The scene: You are in your boss’s office.

What happened: You’re told your services are no longer required.

Your feelings: Anger, resentment, hurt and fear.

What is: Chris let you go. Period. Nothing more. That’s the scene.

Just who and where, what is said or done and how you feel. Anything else is extraneous. No judgment or justification.

Emotion

This is the most controversial element of Emotional Replacement. The more emotion you can work up over the scene, the more powerful the change you make. This is so, even if you’re feeling intense anger, resentment or hurt.

That’s the power of your emotions…be they pleasant or unpleasant.

You don’t “let go” of your feelings. You use their power. Letting go eases the effect. Replacement eliminates the cause.

The Replacement

The cause of stress and pain is the idea in your mind that situations or people must be different from the way they are. You can’t change them, so the only alternative is to change the idea.

What do you change it to? You must have something you can apply to all situations and all people. It has to be easy to remember, easy to identify and easy to pronounce. Think for a moment.

The reason the example scene causes bad feelings is because getting fired is not OK with you. It’s not OK by definition, because if it was OK, you wouldn’t be feeling bad. Replace the thought that says “It’s not OK” with one that says “It’s OK.” Then you’re home free.

Well, not quite. Beneath most emotional reaction is the fear that there might be something wrong with you. You cover that one with “I’m OK even if…”

In our example, you have two affirmations:

“It’s OK if Chris lets me go.”

“I’m OK even if Chris lets me go.”

That’s all there is to it. You just have to do it. Let’s put it all together.

Do It

Be in a place where you won’t be interrupted, and won’t disturb people around you.

Close your eyes and picture the scene.

Work up as much emotion as you can. It’s OK to curse, scream and cry. All the better if you can. You can even get down on your hands and knees and pound pillows. Anything to build up that emotional power.

Then start your affirmations aloud while you keep your mind focused on the scene. If it’s a biggie, like our example, you might even cup your ears and yell them to yourself:
“It’s OK if Chris lets me go.” Repeat several times until you feel a little better, then switch to, “I’m OK, even if Chris lets me go,” and keep it up until you calm down.

Replay the scene in your mind and notice how you feel.

Alternatives —Q & A

“But what if it really isn’t OK?”

It doesn’t make any difference. Remember, this is about eliminating stress. In the physical world, you can take any action you want. You just won’t stress over it.

“Suppose I don’t want to beat pillows and holler at myself?”

Just keep your mind focused on the scene, then speak the words aloud to yourself or use them as meditation mantras. It all depends upon how bad you feel.

The procedure is: (1) Focus (2) Emotion (3) “It’s OK…and I’m OK even if….” (4) Replay the scene to check the result.

Give it a try. You have nothing to lose but your pain.

Gregg Sanderson is author of Spirit With A Smile, The World According To BOB. He is a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living, and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books were, What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing The Pain Of Divorce. His latest project is the New Thought Global Network, where subscribers can enjoy the best in New Thought presentations from anywhere at any time. You can see it at www.newthoughtglobal.org.

 

This entry was posted in Tips and Tools. Bookmark the permalink.