The 5 Secrets for Finding/Cultivating Gratitude – The GReatest Attitude for Your Life

September 21 is World Gratitude Day. An existing client came to me with a new issue.  She had received a difficult medical diagnosis.  She was concerned about her family and how she and they would cope over the coming years.  It was affecting her sleep. She kept ruminating on what the future held for her and her family.  We came up with a set of affirmations to help her with a more positive outlook.  I reminded her of the value of gratitude.  When she couldn't sleep, I suggested she focus on what she is grateful for instead of what the future may hold.  In our initial conversation, I always suggest that clients write what they are grateful for each day as they write their affirmations at night.  Just making this small change in our mindset can be immensely helpful.

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is the practice of acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of life, no matter how big or small. It’s more than just saying "thank you"—it’s a mindset that can transform your outlook, emotions, and overall well-being. Gratitude shifts your focus from what you lack to what you have, fostering an attitude of abundance, positivity, and connection.

The Benefits of a Gratitude Mindset

Cultivating gratitude has been shown to have immense psychological, emotional, and physical benefits. People who regularly practice gratitude report:

• Improved mental health: Less anxiety, depression, and stress.

• Enhanced emotional resilience: A better ability to cope with challenges.

• Stronger relationships: Increased feelings of empathy and compassion for others.

• Better physical health: Reduced blood pressure and improved sleep.

• Increased happiness: A heightened sense of contentment and life satisfaction.

Expressing Gratitude with Positive Affirmations

Affirmations are powerful tools for reinforcing a gratitude mindset. By regularly expressing gratitude through positive statements, you begin to rewire your brain to focus on the positive. Affirmations act as reminders that gratitude is not just a feeling but a practice—a way of living.

Here are 5 examples of positive affirmations for gratitude:

1. "I am grateful for the abundance in my life, and I welcome more every day."

2. "Every day, I find new reasons to appreciate the people around me."

3. "Gratitude fills my heart, and I am thankful for both small and big blessings."

4. "I am grateful for the opportunities that come my way, and I trust in life’s flow."

5. "I attract positivity and joy by embracing a gratitude-filled mindset."

The 5 Secrets to Finding/Cultivating a Gratitude Attitude

1. Affirmation
   Affirmations are the foundation of cultivating gratitude. By repeating gratitude-focused affirmations, you begin to integrate this attitude into your subconscious mind. Affirmations like, "I am thankful for the good in my life," shift your perspective, helping you stay present and appreciative even during challenging times.

2. Journaling
   Keeping a gratitude journal is one of the most effective ways to deepen your gratitude practice. Set aside a few minutes each day to write down things you’re thankful for. This could be anything from a supportive friend to a sunny day. Over time, journaling shifts your focus to the positives in life, even when things are tough.

Tip: To enhance the journaling process, ask yourself reflective questions like, “What is one thing that went well today?” or “Who am I grateful for and why?”

1. Daily Reflection
   Gratitude is a muscle that grows stronger with daily practice. Carve out a few moments at the end of each day to reflect on the good things that happened, no matter how small. Whether it’s a kind word from a stranger or a productive workday, taking time to acknowledge these moments can reframe your mindset towards optimism.

Tip: During reflection, also think about challenges you faced and how they contributed to your growth or learning. Finding gratitude in difficulties helps develop resilience.

1. Setting Gratitude Goals
   Just like setting goals for career or fitness, you can set goals for practicing gratitude. This could include writing in your gratitude journal five times a week, sharing your appreciation with loved ones, or practicing mindfulness techniques focused on gratitude. The key is to make it intentional and measurable.

Tip: Start with small goals, like listing three things you're grateful for each morning. Gradually, you’ll notice an increase in your overall happiness and satisfaction.

1. Sharing Your Gratitude
   Gratitude thrives when shared. Expressing your appreciation for others strengthens relationships and spreads positivity. This could be as simple as sending a heartfelt note to a friend or colleague, or publicly acknowledging your gratitude in a social media post.

Tip: Consider keeping a “Gratitude Calendar,” where each day you make a point to share your appreciation with someone different in your life. The act of spreading gratitude creates a ripple effect of positivity.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help You Cultivate Gratitude

Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that can help you unlock a deeper sense of gratitude by working with your subconscious mind. Often, our ability to feel gratitude is blocked by limiting beliefs, unresolved emotions, or mental habits that keep us stuck in negativity. Through hypnotherapy, you can reprogram these barriers, allowing gratitude to flow more freely into your life.

Here’s how hypnotherapy supports the cultivation of gratitude:

1. Releases Negative Thought Patterns: Hypnotherapy can help you identify and replace ingrained thought patterns that focus on lack, scarcity, or negativity. It creates space for gratitude to enter by shifting these patterns toward positivity and abundance.

2. Develops Mindfulness: During hypnotherapy sessions, you are guided into a relaxed state of heightened awareness. This allows you to become more mindful of your thoughts, emotions, and actions, making it easier to recognize moments for gratitude throughout your day.

3. Deepens Self-Awareness: Many people struggle to cultivate gratitude because they are not fully aware of their own emotional needs and desires. Hypnotherapy can help you connect with your inner self, providing clarity on what truly matters to you and igniting a deeper sense of appreciation for your life.

4. Supports Affirmations: When working with a professional hypnotherapist, your gratitude-focused affirmations can be amplified, making them more effective. The state of hypnosis opens your mind to positive suggestions, reinforcing affirmations and making them a natural part of your mindset.

5. Addresses Emotional Blockages: Sometimes past trauma or unresolved emotions can make it difficult to feel gratitude. Hypnotherapy helps uncover and heal these blockages, allowing you to experience gratitude with a fuller, more open heart.

Conclusion

Gratitude is indeed the greatest attitude—one that transforms lives, relationships, and even health. Whether you are just beginning your gratitude journey or seeking to deepen your practice, these five secrets can help you cultivate a more fulfilling, gratitude-filled life. If you find it challenging to maintain a gratitude mindset due to emotional or mental blocks, working with a professional hypnotherapist can provide the tools and support you need to tap into the healing power of gratitude. Hypnotherapy offers a path to unlock your potential for gratitude, fostering a more positive, joyful, and balanced life.

When you are ready to work with me as your certified, professional hypnotherapist, I am available for a Free, private 30 minute phone consultation for new clients. Please call me at 818-929-4944 or go to cindaroffman.com to book a free consultation

Sincerely,

Cinda

 HypnoNews and Resources

 For further reading about World Gratitude Day and the scientific evidence for the positive effects of gratitude, please see the following:

World Gratitude Day – Founder and Official Site

https://www.srichinmoy.org/service/united_nations/world-gratitude-day

Effects of gratitude intervention on mental health and well‐being among workers: A systematic review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8582291/

Part 3 - Ready-Set-Go: Achieving and Sustaining New Year's Resolutions With Your Hypnotherapist's Support

Surveys tell us that a New Year’s Resolution to lose some weight is one of the top 3 resolutions that people make every year. One of my clients came to me last January wanting to lose 40 lbs. In our initial two sessions I worked with her to establish her readiness to make changes and to craft her resolutions in a SMART form. Then we began to apply the power of hypnotherapy, affirmations, and guided visualization to support her weight loss actions. By June she was well on her way. By year end she was down 27 pounds. Her resolution for 2024 is now to lose the remaining 13 lbs. by May 15th and then maintain her healthy new body weight forever more.

The Power of Hypnotherapy: Affirmations and Visualization for Success

Part 3 of this series, explores

• The transformative power of hypnotherapy

• Positive Affirmations

• Visualization techniques in the context of achieving your New Year's resolutions

• Understanding how your hypnotherapist uses these techniques to help propel you toward your goals and foster lasting positive change

Hypnotherapy's Transformative Influence

• Breaking Through Mental Barriers: Hypnotherapy serves as a potent tool for breaking through mental barriers that may hinder progress in achieving resolutions. By inducing a state of deep relaxation, hypnotherapy enables access to your subconscious mind, where ingrained patterns of thinking and limiting beliefs reside

• The Subconscious Mind: The subconscious mind plays a crucial role in shaping behavior. Hypnotherapy allows you to explore and reshape subconscious thought patterns, promoting a more positive and constructive mindset that supports goal achievement

• Challenging Negative Beliefs: Through guided hypnotherapy sessions, you can identify and challenge negative beliefs that may be rooted in past experiences or self-doubt. This process is essential for creating a mental environment conducive to success.

Understanding Affirmations

In my hypnotherapy practice I include the use of positive affirmations as an integral part of the process.

Affirmations are statements about yourself, your thoughts, beliefs and behaviors as you want them to be. They use positive, constructive words to state what you intend to be true when your have completed a personal change goal such as a New Year’s Resolution.

The word ‘affirm’ means to make firm. You can use written affirmations to make a goal or belief firm in your subconscious mind and bring it into forceful alignment with your conscious desire. Affirmations are a vehicle for change, for transformation, in your life.

Crafting Effective Positive Affirmations

Affirmations are written in the present tense as if the statements are true now. They usually begin with the words ‘I’ or ‘My’ and include positive feelings or actions. Here is an easy six step process you can use when crafting positive affirmations that will support achieving your New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Find a quiet, peaceful place where you can relax and work without distraction for a least 20 minutes

2.  Using a simple sheet of paper or notebook, consider and jot down several of your current issues, problems and goals for change

3. Select an issue that is important to you to work on first. Refer to part 2 in this series and render that issue as a SMART New Year’s Resolution

4. Write out some statements beginning with ‘I’ or ‘My’ and affirming your desired state/goal as true. Write them in the present tense, using positive feeling and action words. Keep going until you have seven to ten statements to work with

5. Read your statements out loud and notice which ones resonate strongly  and feel the most powerful and authentic for you

6. Pick the top three statements to use in beginning your daily affirmation practice in support of your New Year’s Resolutions

When I work with you on achieving your New Year’s Resolutions we use my book, New Power in Affirmations, to help you craft effective affirmations and establish a daily affirmation practice that powerfully supports your goals. I encourage my clients to write their affirmations in longhand every evening before going to sleep.

Instilling Confidence Through Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations, when integrated into hypnotherapy sessions, act as powerful catalysts for change. Here's how they work in tandem with hypnotherapy:

• Repetition and Reinforcement: Positive affirmations are repeated during hypnotherapy sessions to reinforce desired beliefs. Consistent repetition helps embed these affirmations in the subconscious, aligning the mind with the pursuit of resolutions.

• Cultivating Self-Belief: Hypnotherapy instills confidence by incorporating affirmations that cultivate self-belief. As you repeat and internalize these positive statements, you develop a stronger sense of self-efficacy and resilience.

• Aligning with Goals: Crafting affirmations that align with specific New Year’s Resolution goals ensures that the subconscious is focused on the desired outcomes. This alignment enhances motivation and commitment.

Visualization and Guided Imagery: Creating a Mental Blueprint

Visualization and guided imagery are powerful techniques employed in hypnotherapy to create a mental blueprint for achieving and sustaining your New Year’s Resolutions.

• Vivid Imagery of Success: Hypnotherapy sessions can guide you to vividly imagine yourself successfully achieving your resolutions. This mental rehearsal enhances motivation and primes the mind for success.

• Emotional Connection: Visualization allows you to connect with the emotional aspects of your goals. The positive emotions associated with success become powerful motivators, driving sustained effort.

• Overcoming Challenges: Through guided imagery, hypnotherapy helps you visualize overcoming challenges you may encounter on your resolution journey. This proactive visualization equips you with mental strategies for resilience.

Summary:

Hypnotherapy, when integrated with positive affirmations and visualization techniques, becomes a dynamic force in the pursuit of New Year's Resolutions. By breaking through mental barriers, instilling confidence, and creating a vivid mental blueprint for success, you are empowered to navigate your New Year’s Resolution journey with clarity and purpose.

Having harnessed the transformative power of hypnotherapy, join me in Part 4 as we craft a blueprint for your transformative journey—setting the stage for New Year’s Resolutions that not only endure but flourish.

If you are considering working with me as your hypnotherapist, I am available for a free 30 minute consultation for new clients. Please call me at 818-929-4944 or go to cindaroffman.com to book a free consultation.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resosurces

For some additional ideas specifically focused on setting and crafting positive goal affirmations, please see the following:

https://rhythmsofplay.com/why-i-turn-my-goals-into-affirmations/

Never Put a Skunk on a Bus - The Power In Affirmations

I wrote and published The Power In Affirmations more than 4 years ago. My clients use the book to establish and maintain a daily affirmation practice supporting their goals and the positive changes they want to make in their lives.

As I began planning for the second edition of my book, imagine my surprise when I came across this great article in the September 2022 issue of Reader’s Digest.  It’s called Life Advice from a Five-Year-Old and includes a little boy’s favorite affirmations and an explanation of each.  I’ve summarized them for you here. They are priceless:

“You gotta say your affirmations in your mouth and your heart.” 

• His mom told him to say it like he means it and this is how he translated that.

“You say, ‘I am brave of this meeting! I am loved! I smell good!’“

• So sweet, he knows not to use negative words like scared or afraid.

“You gotta walk big.  You gotta mean it.  Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.”

• Not sure who Dolly is, but it is a great image.

“Never put a skunk on a bus.”  

• Very wise.                                   

“Think about the donuts of your day!” 

• This one is about looking for the good things in your day – and not focusing on the “holes.”

“Even if you cry a little, you can think about potato chips!” 

• One of the boy’s favorite things is potato chips so when things are not going well, he can always things about the good things to come.”

“Even if it’s a yucky day, you can get a hug.” 

• Sometimes all that we can do to make things better is offer a hug.     

Affirmations are a simple tool to help us focus on what we want to achieve. We become what we think about – so make those thoughts positive!

What affirmations do YOU need today? If you’d like help coming up with positive affirmations personalized to your needs and goals, please give me a call 818-929-4944. I’d be happy to help. Or join us any Wednesday on my Hypnotherapy Q and A.

You can register here.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0lfu6trjIvGNZ8XkMGblRSB97cmXEKVT6p

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

For more information about Affirmations and Hypnotherapy:

https://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/how-to-create-and-use-effective-affirmations 

https://www.awakenthechange.com/other/the-benefits-of-hypnosis-and-affirmations/

How Hypnotherapy Can Help with Substance Dependency

My flight home from Dallas was delayed due to an incoming tornado, so I decided to get a glass of wine in the bar. The first fun thing that happened was that I was asked for my ID.  I am way older than 21 but it sure felt good! 

Then, the gentleman sitting next to me started a conversation.  We started with the weather and then he joked, “Kinda funny, I’m sitting here with a beer and a whisky waiting for my plane to rehab.”  I must admit I was a little surprised but they had told him that whatever it took for him to get on the plane was fine, as long as he made it to rehab. 

He easily shared a little about his life. He had been drinking heavily for 34 years. He had 2 granddaughters, 1 and 3, and said he wanted to live to see them go to prom. When he talked to his family about stopping drinking, they were ALL quick to encourage him.   He had some doubts he could make it through rehab. I kept telling him I know you can do this. That seemed to help. I hope he makes it.

While substance abuse is out of scope for my work in hypnotherapy with clients, I can help with changing mindsets – encouraging clients on their rehab journey.  Affirmations can be a great help in changing your mind about who you are with and without substances.      

If you are dependent on addictive substances to help you relax or enjoy life, you may have a problem.  Along with your treatment, hypnotherapy can provide alternative ways of coping, feeling better about yourself in social situations and dealing with difficult situations.

Using addictive substances can also be an attempt to cope with a traumatic event in your life.  Again, hypnotherapy can provide another way of viewing that event, making it less impactful on your daily life.

I also encourage weight loss clients to carefully monitor their alcohol intake.  Alcohol consists of empty calories and can reduce your willpower when watching what you eat.

If you would like to discuss how hypnotherapy might be helpful on your journey, please reach out. Call for a free consultation (818-929-4944) or join my free Hypnotherapy Q & A every Wednesday at 10 am PST.

You can register here.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0lfu6trjIvGNZ8XkMGblRSB97cmXEKVT6p

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

Here are some articles with more information:

What to Know About Hypnosis for Alcoholism

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/what-to-know-hypnosis-alcoholism

Hypnosis Won’t Make You Stop Drinking Overnight, but It May Help

https://www.healthline.com/health/substance-use/hypnosis-for-drinking

February The Month of Love

I know, I know, there are lots of celebrations this month – Black History Month, American Heart Month, Cancer Prevention Month and who can forget Great American Pies Month.  All of these are important things to recognize and focus on.  For me, though, February will always be the month of love.  This is partly because of Valentine’s Day and Heart Month but also because my parents and my son and my daughter-in-love all got married this month.

So let’s talk about love.  How do you get over it and how do you get it are the two most often asked questions about love in my practice.  A few years ago, I had 3 clients at the same time trying to get over lost loves.  I’m happy to say they have all moved on and hopefully found love again--this time forever.  One client was happily married but couldn’t stop going by the ex’s house every day.  Through affirmations and hypnotherapy, that practice was stopped.

How do I help my clients find love?  By setting an intention and creating a set of affirmations that will get them to their goal.  I suggest that they think about what it is they are looking for in a partner and actually make a list of their wants.  If a person really wants specific qualities or attributes then listing them can be helpful.  What if someone comes along and doesn’t have the desired attributes, but they fall in love?  Time to change the list!  A list can be a great starting point as long as you are willing to be flexible.

It’s also important to remember that “If you are good on your own, you really can have a beautiful relationship.” (From Jennifer Lopez in “It’s A Beautiful Love Story” in February 14th People Magazine.  She also says she gets her glow by “affirmations, eating right, exercise and “being a good person.”

Remember, what you think about comes to be, so be intentional in your thoughts. Whether you are looking for love or looking to get over love, focus on what you really want.

If you’d like more information on how hypnotherapy can help, check out my free Hypnotherapy Q & A every Wednesday at 10:00 am PST or call for a free consultation (818-929-4944).

You can register here.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0lfu6trjIvGNZ8XkMGblRSB97cmXEKVT6p

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

Here’s more about hypnotherapy and love:

 I Tried Hypnotherapy to Get Over My Breakup,

https://www.thecut.com/2015/03/i-tried-hypnotherapy-to-get-over-my-breakup.html

 and

 How I’m Using Hypnosis to Attract My Life Partner,

https://psiloveyou.xyz/how-im-using-hypnosis-to-attract-my-life-partner-8c45fd5defb9  

New Technology for Your Daily Affirmation Practice

As I wrote about in the THE POWER IN AFFIRMATIONS, there are 3 parts to a daily affirmation practice:

1.      Read and write them each evening just before bed

2.      Read and say them out loud first thing in the morning and

3.      Repeat them to yourself throughout the day

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Mary Schulz, the creator of the AFFIRM Store app, a new tool you can use to help you remember and re-enforce your daily affirmation practice.  Today, it is my pleasure to share our conversation with you.

Cinda: Mary, thank you for agreeing to talk to us today about your new app, AFFIRM Store. To begin with, can you tell us how you first learned about affirmations?

Mary: My maternal grandparents were interested in positive thinking and familiarized me with affirmations early on in my life.  My grandmother would read from a daily affirmation book that had an affirmation and then a few paragraphs about the theme.  I realized that I liked having that positive thought as a theme for the day.

Affirming the positive things in my life and the goals that I wanted to come true, brought me a lot of comfort and success over the years, but I was never consist in using affirmations.

Cinda:  How have you used them recently in your life today?

Mary: In 2019, after years of struggling with being overweight, I had come to the decision to buckle down and get my eating under control.  I was referred to Cinda Roffman for Hypnotherapy and I was brought back to the power of affirmations. 

I used Cinda’s book to write my affirmations each night, as well as a few gratitudes.  During my sessions with Cinda, we would review my affirmations to see if I needed any revisions, and she’d state my affirmations while I was under hypnosis.  Between appointments was when I could see that I would be working through how to get to these goals…trying new approaches…thinking of things from different perspectives…gaining confidence to do what was needed.

Cinda: When do you use your affirmations?

Mary: I have to confess, I’m not great at reading my affirmations in the morning and saying them out loud.  I do have other practices in the morning that help me start my day off on a good footing.  But that is also why I love using AFFIRM Store to keep me focused on my goals throughout the day.

Cinda: Do you write your affirmations?

Mary: Yes, every evening while watching TV, I write a few gratitudes and my affirmations.  I’ve found that once I’ve headed to bed is not a good time for me to write and have the lights on.  So, I’ve compromised and write them while I’m relaxing in the evening.  

Cinda: What are some of your affirmations?

Mary: I change up my affirmations as the needs in my life change, but there are some that I have used repeatedly, especially for the harder issues in my life.  Here are just a few:

• I enjoy and relax in my new appearance

• I stick to my eating planT

• The food I eat satisfies me.

Cinda: How have you found that hypnosis and affirmations work together for you?

Mary: Some say that you have to believe what you are affirming…but I found that I could affirm things and with the power of hypnosis, introduce into my subconscious mind success that my conscious mind would never have believed.  In the process and over time, my conscious mind was able to find ways to start believing in the goals I set and the affirmations I was using, and I made great progress towards my goals. 

Repeating my affirmations before going to sleep and multiple times during the day really helped me. 

Cinda: Tell us about AFFIRM Store.  How does it work?

Mary: With a busy job and life, remembering to think of my goals during the day was hard.  So, my software developer husband and I decided to create the AFFIRM Store that randomly sends me my affirmations via text message throughout the day, during the times I designate, to help me stay focused on my goals and reintroduce them to my conscious and subconscious mind.  I can have an unlimited number of affirmations in the app, and it will cycle through them. 

When I receive my affirmation via text, I love to take a moment and read it out loud, if possible.  I find that I gain a sense of calm, similar to the calm I feel under hypnosis, and I can easily move on with the tasks of my day.  It’s a great touchstone to center me and the confidence I gain helps me to achieve my goals.

The Standard annual subscription in AFFIRM Store allows up to 5 texts per day and with Premium, up to 12 texts per day.  If you have less than 5 affirmations, the app will just cycle through and repeat affirmations until the amount you designate is reached.  

I’ve introduced it to a number of my friends, and they love having more than 5 texts per day and just love AFFIRM Store!

Cinda: Any concluding words?

Mary: With the help of affirmations, hypnosis and other programs that I was open to try, I’ve reached my “right-sized” body and have been maintaining it for months.

We invite you to try AFFIRM Store for 14 days for free.  Just go to https://www.AFFIRMstore.com to sign up and get started. Then tell us what you think at info@AFFIRMstore.com

Cinda: Thanks again, Mary, for this excellent new tool. If you would like to work together on setting your goals and designing you affirmations for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

 HypnoNews and Resources 

An interesting article about combining mindfulness and hypnotherapy into Mindful Hypnotherapy https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200615/Novel-intervention-for-stress-shows-positive-results-in-pilot-study.aspx

 One of my favorite authors, Jack Canfield, writes about the why and how of affirmations https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/practice-daily-affirmations/

Goals, Visions and Affirmations Method - Part 3

This series introduces a new, hypnotherapy based method that you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals your desire. Part 1 covered an exercise to help you get in touch with goals in different areas of your life. Part 2 helps translate your goals into an inspiring and motivating vision board. Part 3 is about using Affirmations to influence your subconscious mind and harness its power to help you reach your goals.

What’s dancing in your head? We have self-talk in our heads all day long.  What you are saying to yourself can make a real difference.  Is your self-talk negative or positive?  Do you constantly criticize yourself? Berate yourself for what you may not have yet accomplished? OR Are you telling yourself “I am powerful!”, “I am successful”, “I am a winner”?

One way to counter that negative self-talk is by creating a set of positive affirmations that you can use all day long.  Affirmations are very easy to write.  Just remember to keep them positive and begin with an “I” statement.  You do not have to believe your affirmations yet; they are about goals and aspirations.  They are a way of sealing in ideas that you would like to have be true.  “I am a permanent non-smoker.”  “I easily achieve and maintain my weight management goal.”

You can choose one affirmation each day to focus on. Make that your mantra for the day.  If you are going to be flying tomorrow and you are anxious, make your mantra for that day something like, “I love to fly and I am looking forward to my vacation in Bali.”

You can use AFFIRMATIONS to:

• Motivate yourself

• Keep your mind focused on your goals.

• Make positive changes in the way you think, feel and act.

• Influence the subconscious mind and harness its powers to help you reach your goals.

• Shift your mindset and life experience to a more positive, energetic and active world view.

The best time to repeat affirmations is the last thing at night and first thing in the morning.  Each evening our subconscious mind “Takes over” as we prepare for sleep.  This is the time when your subconscious mind is most available for programming.  As we are sleeping, the mind uses dreaming to deal with all the things that have happened during the day.  When you read your affirmations out loud before falling asleep, they enter your subconscious and begin to make changes.

When you write them as well, another part of your brain is engaged and the affirmations are even more effective. 

When you wake up in the morning, you still have some access to your subconscious mind.  Read the affirmations again to set the stage for your day.  Even better?  Say them out loud in front of a mirror.

I offer each of my clients a copy of my book and journal, The Power in Affirmations. Clients use this as part of their daily practice to reinforce their personal Affirmations and track progress toward their goals.  The journal also contains space to write what you are grateful for each day.  This is another way to focus on the positives in your life. 

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and designing your affirmations for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HYPNONEWS and RESOURCES

For another look at affirmations from a different perspective -

https://www.mindtosucceed.com/positive-affirmations-self-esteem.html

The science behind affirmations - does science believe they work? https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/

Goals, Visions and Affirmations Method - Part 2

This series introduces a new, hypnotherapy based method that you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals that you desire. Part 1 covered an exercise to help you get in touch with goals you may have in different areas of your life. Part 2 is about translating your goals into an inspiring and motivating vision board.

A vision board is a physical representation of the goals you want to achieve. It serves as a visual reminder of what you would like to see in your life, what changes you want to make and what you want to focus on each day. As you focus on your vision board images and words, it reinforces your subconscious mind to motivate and encourage you toward achieving your goals.

I like to make a new vision board at the beginning of each New Year.

My vision board for 2019 included beautiful pictures of a Mediterranean island – little did I know I’d spend time that summer on the Greek island of Corfu. 

It also included a picture of a family eating outside at a long table under market lights.  Last summer my son put market lights in my backyard and we have had many socially distanced family dinners out there together. 

One of the phrases I picked was “Clean Out”   --- Little did I know I’d have time to clean and organize my spice cupboard, my coffee cupboard, my pantry, my junk drawer and everything else!! 

Caution – be careful what you put on your board, it may just come true.

You can make the board all about one area of your life or a general board that encompasses all areas.  If your focus this year is on your business, for example, you might use words and pictures that remind you what you will achieve in your business this year.  If you are focused on your healthy weight management journey, you could choose images and words that inspire you towards that goal.  You might select pictures of yourself at your goal weight, pictures of activities you’d like to do and healthy foods that you’d like to include in your plan. 

I usually make one large board for all parts of my life and divide the board into sections in my mind so that one corner is business, one corner is personal, one corner is recreation and one corner is health. I like to see how they are interwoven. For me, keeping a balance between business and personal is important. I remember in one vision board I actually had a bridge connecting the different parts of my life.

Making a vision board is simple and fun.  Get a large poster board – I like to use one at least 3 feet by 3 feet, a stack of magazines, scissors, glue and some paper and markers. 

Take a moment after you have your supplies to pause, close your eyes and do a short exercise like the exercise in Part 1. Calmly sit, relax from your head to your toes and imagine your life at the end of the year. What changes would you like to see? What goals would you like to achieve?

Now, your job is to find pictures and words that speak to you of those goals.  After you have a group of pictures and words, lay them out on the poster board and paste them down.  If there are words or phrases that you couldn’t find you can write them down and add them to the mix. You can also print pictures and words from your computer – any source works.

When your vision board is ready, put it in a place where you can see it and be inspired by it every day.  You can even add to it if you find things that you might have missed on the initial board.

In a year, take a look and see which of the things you aimed for have come to be.  I think you may be very surprised.  I always am.

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and creating your vision board for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

Here’s a link to a great set of example vision boards for a wide range of goals and time frames:

https://parentuniversity.wws.k12.in.us/?p=3260

Goals, Visions and Affirmations - Part 1

Did you set some important goals for 2020 that may have been disrupted, derailed and blocked by pandemic events beyond your control? I know I did.

The good news is that 2021 is here at last and on a personal level, we all get to start again.

The extra energy that comes with beginning a new year makes it an optimal time to set clear, new intentions for our health, wealth and relationships and learn some new ways to help us achieve those goals.

Today I am excited to share a new, hypnotherapy based, 3 part method you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals you desire.

Part 1 is about determining your goals for 2021.  Part 2 is about translating your goals into an inspiring vision board.  Part 3 concerns development and use of several affirmations to implement your goals. I will talk about Part 1 this week and Parts 2 and 3 in upcoming blogs.

To begin, let’s do a quick exercise to help you get in touch with what goals you may have for 2021.  Focus on what you want, not how you will get there.

Get in a comfortable position, feet flat on the floor if possible, legs and arms not crossed. Close your eyes (Unless you are driving)  Imagine a beautiful white light starting from the top of your head and flowing down through your whole body, relaxing each part as it slowly moves down from your head, over your forehead, eyes and face, down your neck and out through your arms all the way down to your fingertips.  The gentle white light now flows down your chest, into your stomach, thighs and down your legs all the way to your feet.  Take a moment and get in touch with how calm and relaxed you feel. 

Now imagine it is December 31, 2021.  What would you like to have achieved?  Take a look at areas in your life that you might want to improve.  Wealth, health, relationships or career are some possibilities. Pick two areas and imagine what the impact would be on your life if those 2 areas were to change significantly.

Now open your eyes and take a deep breath.  Remember the 2 areas that you would like to change.  Take a moment and jot down what your goals are in those areas and set your notes aside, ready for Part 2, translating your goals into an inspiring vision board.

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and writing affirmations for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

Did you set some important goals for 2020 that may have been disrupted, derailed and blocked by pandemic events beyond your control? I know I did.

The good news is that 2021 is here at last and on a personal level, we all get to start again.

The extra energy that comes with beginning a new year makes it an optimal time to set clear, new intentions for our health, wealth and relationships and learn some new ways to help us achieve those goals.

Today I am excited to share a new, hypnotherapy based, 3 part method you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals you desire.

Part 1 is about determining your goals for 2021.  Part 2 is about translating your goals into an inspiring vision board.  Part 3 concerns development and use of several affirmations to implement your goals. I will talk about Part 1 this week and Parts 2 and 3 in upcoming blogs.

To begin, let’s do a quick exercise to help you get in touch with what goals you may have for 2021.  Focus on what you want, not how you will get there.

Get in a comfortable position, feet flat on the floor if possible, legs and arms not crossed. Close your eyes (Unless you are driving)  Imagine a beautiful white light starting from the top of your head and flowing down through your whole body, relaxing each part as it slowly moves down from your head, over your forehead, eyes and face, down your neck and out through your arms all the way down to your fingertips.  The gentle white light now flows down your chest, into your stomach, thighs and down your legs all the way to your feet.  Take a moment and get in touch with how calm and relaxed you feel. 

Now imagine it is December 31, 2021.  What would you like to have achieved?  Take a look at areas in your life that you might want to improve.  Wealth, health, relationships or career are some possibilities. Pick two areas and imagine what the impact would be on your life if those 2 areas were to change significantly.

Now open your eyes and take a deep breath.  Remember the 2 areas that you would like to change.  Take a moment and jot down what your goals are in those areas and set your notes aside, ready for Part 2, translating your goals into an inspiring vision board.

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and writing affirmations for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

Here’s a link for a great, comprehensive Goal Setting Tootkit:

https://www.mindtools.com/downloads/lbr5283hs/GoalSettingToolkit.pdf

For more ideas about goal setting, check out these articles:

https://www.addvantagehypnotherapy.co.uk/6-steps-goal-setting-self-hypnosis/#:~:text=The%20key%20to%20achieving%20your,your%20conscious%20and%20subconscious%20minds

https://www.google.com/search?q=making+hypnotherapy+goals+work+for+you&rlz=1C1BOHB_enUS678US678&oq=making+hypnotherapy+goals+work+for+you&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30.22599j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Extinguish Negative Habits with Help from Hypnotherapy

As we approach the end of 2020, it can be a time to reflect on what you did right this year and what changes you might want to make for 2021.  With the COVID crisis, I think everyone has staying healthy on their mind.  I have had several clients during COVID decide that it was time to quit smoking.  One of them was a 66 year old female client who had been smoking for over 40 years. She was a caregiver for her 2 young grandsons and wanted to stay healthy to be able to keep up with them.  Her husband was having some health issues and she wanted to support him as he worked to stay healthy also.  This is what she wrote: 

“After years of smoking cigarettes and attempting to quit on my own, I turned to Cinda Roffman. After three sessions, I conquered this horrible habit with Cinda guiding the way, instilling positive affirmations and insights. Cinda figuratively took me by the hand, and helped me realize I could do this. She is an amazing therapist!”

Do you have an addiction or habit that you would like to say goodbye to as 2020 ends?

Whether it is smoking, nail biting, hair pulling or other negative habits, exploring why can be a first step to extinguishing these habits. Stress and anxiety can be a contributing factor in these negative habits.  Once we figure out why you are doing them, we can come up with behaviors that will not harm you and provide the same level of comfort.  For example, a warm cup of tea or a brisk walk can do a lot towards relieving the stress that can lead to these behaviors.

Negative habits may have originated as a response to stress or anxiety that you did not know how to cope with. Looking back on their beginnings can be enlightening. Maybe you began to smoke when it was cool and the hip thing to do.  Now we know more about smoking and the many medical problems associated with it.  Knowing that in our conscious mind, however, does not always translate to a change in behavior.  That’s where the subconscious mind comes in. When we convince the subconscious mind that smoking is bad for us also, it makes changing the behavior so much easier.  

We will also write affirmations that you can use to remind yourself of the changes you are making.  “I am a permanent non-smoker.”  “I have beautiful, long nails.”  “My hair is healthy and full.”   These affirmations will reinforce the suggestions made in hypnosis.

We will find your “happy place,” and anchor it to the calm, relaxed feeling you feel in hypnosis.  When you find yourself beginning to do the behavior you are trying to extinguish, you instead focus on feeling calm and relaxed.  Eventually, the behavior will be completely replaced by a feeling of calm.

Wishing you and your family and friends a happy, healthy holiday season!

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

For more ideas about extinguishing negative habits with hypnotherapy, check out these articles:

https://www.hypnotherapists.org.uk/hypnotherapy/problem-behaviours/

https://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/articles/smoking.html#whystopsmoking

Navigating the Holidays during the Pandemic

My friend Lynne, who lives in Denver, put up her Christmas tree last weekend.  You might think this is a little early.  I did at first.  She said that she did it because it made her happy.  I’m OK with that.  This year the holidays – all of them – will definitely be different. Because of COVID, many of our traditional family events will not be possible. 

Holidays can be stressful in the best of times. This year the social distancing and isolation are adding to everyone’s anxiety.  So with Thanksgiving coming up this week, let’s take a look at the holidays and how to navigate them.

1.    Take some time to reflect on your feelings about the holidays. 

• Maybe even take a few notes or write in a journal  

• What is your level of concern about COVID transmission?      

• Do you have a pod you are comfortable getting together with?

• Are there some alternatives to in person meeting that might work for you and your family? 

• How do you feel about decorating this year? 

• What are the elements of the holidays that are meaningful to you? 

• How will your handle gifts if aren’t able to see each other?

 2.     Decide what is best for you individually

• After you realize what is truly important, consider new ways to make the holidays meaningful.  I’m thinking of decorating with a few things that bring me joy and make me smile.

 3.     Have a frank discussion with your family and friends

• Discuss with them your thoughts on getting together, decorating and gift exchanges.  The most difficult part of the discussion is beginning.  When navigating these discussions, emphasize that you care about your family and friends and your goal is for you all to stay healthy.  Hopefully starting from that point will encourage everyone to work together. 

So what about the Christmas tree?  I say do what gives you joy (with thanks to Marie Kondo). If you want to go all out and decorate – why not?  If you want to have a minimalist holiday this year, that’s fine too.  Start from a place of what makes you the most comfortable and share that in a loving way with your family and friends. Take into consideration their thoughts and feelings and come up with new holiday traditions.

 Wishing you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

For more ideas about navigating the holidays, check out these articles:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/should-you-cancel-holiday-gatherings-this-year-because-of-covid/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/4-mindful-tips-to-destress-this-holiday-season  

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544

And of course, here’s Marie Kondo’s famous book: The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up) by Marie Kondō 

Pandemic Dreams - A Hypnotherapy Perspective

A writer recently wrote in to “ASK AMY” in the LA Times about their anxious, strange and vivid dreams since the pandemic began.  Amy responded by referencing the work of renowned Harvard Medical School dream researcher Deidre Barrett whose newest book is titled Pandemic Dreams. The book has been described as a collection of vivid Covid-19-related dreams accompanied by her advice for practical exercises to control stress and anxiety while asleep. Amy commented that she was surprised to learn that “you might be able to control more of your dream content.”

Hypnotherapy also holds the view that yes, you can direct and control what you dream about to some extent.  Don’t forget, however, that dreams serve a very important function in mental health and you may or may not need to direct and control your dream experiences.

In an excerpt from Pandemic Dreams we read that “Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept around the world, and we began to shelter-in-place, people have reported unusually active dream lives. We’re remembering more dreams than usual, and those dreams are especially vivid and bizarre. The virus itself is the star of many – literally or in one of its metaphoric guises.”

 Below are 3 techniques you can use to help with Pandemic Dream experiences. If you are curious but not worried about your dreams consider item #1 before jumping into dream direction and control activities. If your dreams are contributing to and exacerbating your level of stress and anxiety consider items #2 and #3.

1.       Gain an understanding of the purpose and natural function of dreaming and dreams.

Everything that happens in our world during the day remains in the 10% of our mind that is our conscious mind.  At night, as we sleep, all that information is “downloaded” into our subconscious mind.  Dreams are an important tool to clear our mind and ready it for the next day’s input, similar to a computer restart.

 2.       Learn to direct the content of your dreams by programming your subconscious mind just before you go to sleep at night.  

Accessing the subconscious mind and implanting ideas for what you do want to dream about is best done just before for you go to sleep when the conscious mind is ready to turn control over to your subconscious for the night. “Tonight, I will dream about ……”

 3.       Train yourself to enter lucid dreaming and use the power of lucid dreaming to adjust and modify your dream experience as it is underway.

In a regular dream you don’t know that you are dreaming. A lucid dream is a dream during which you are aware that you are dreaming while in the dream. That awareness empowers you to exercise some control of the dream by doing things like recognizing and eliminating negative symbols or directly confronting fears without concern for you safety because its only a dream.

If you find yourself having pandemic dreams that disturb you, you might want more information. I am offering a free, online group hypnosis session every other Wednesday from 10-11 am pst. Our next session will be on November 18.You can register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpf--rrDkiHdHHxRgKaamvgHt5fbvj2ADR