RUNNING YOUR OWN BRAIN: Changing Your
NeuroChemistry

One of the main focuses in my work has been discovering ways to help people achieve what I call 'personal freedom'. Personal freedom means having the freedom to be able to control your thoughts and to manifest the kinds of feelings you want in your life.

We are often imprisoned by the chains of our thoughts and we allow ourselves to think ourselves into problems. However, since most problems are created by our imagination and are thus imaginary, all we need are imaginary solutions. So, here are some effective ways of controlling your thinking for a change.

Think of a time when you felt really good. Now, step inside that time and see through your eyes, hear through your ears, and feel the really good feeling all the way through your body. Make the images bigger, brighter, more colorful, and you'll probably find yourself feeling even better. Make the sounds louder and crisper, and if there are no sounds, add sounds. Start to intensify the good feeling.

Next, find out where in your body the feeling starts and where it goes. Discover the direction it spins inside your body, and spin it faster and faster and, again, notice your feelings intensify. There lies the control you have over your brain to create powerful feelings inside of you.

You can then attach these feelings to other thoughts. If you keep spinning this feeling inside your body and you think about your future while it's spinning, you will start to associate the feeling with your future. By doing this, you will start to feel better about your future.

How to Feel Wonderful Exercise

1 - Think of a time you felt wonderful.
2 - Close your eyes and imagine that time in vivid detail. See the image clearly, hear the sounds loudly, remember the feelings as they were then.
3 - Imagine yourself stepping into that experience and imagine being in that memory as if it's happening now. See what you'd see, hear what you'd hear, feel how good you'd feel. Make the colors stronger and brighter if that helps. Notice how you were breathing back then, and breathe that way now.
4 - Pay attention to the wonderful feeling in your body and get a sense of where the feeling starts, where it goes, and the direction it moves in. Imagine taking control over the feeling and spinning it faster and faster and stronger and stronger through your body as the feelings increase.
5 - Think of a time in the future where you could use these good feelings. Spin these feelings throughout your body as you think about the future and the things you are doing over the next few weeks. Don't be too surprised if you find yourself feeling really good for absolutely no reason.

Similarly too, if you find yourself in a negative or unresourceful state, you can change your mood by changing the qualities of the feeling.

For example, think about somebody who annoys you, intimidates you, or irritates you. Make an image of him and see him look at you in whatever way he looks at you when he is annoying you. Hear him say whatever it is he says and notice the bad feeling that happens in your body.

Next, take this image and make it black and white. Move it far off into the distance. Make it much smaller, one-eighth its size. Place a clown's nose on his face. Hear him say whatever it is he says, but hear him say it in Mickey Mouse's, Donald Duck's, or Sylvester the Cat's voice. This changes the feeling you have toward him and allows you to deal with him with more confidence and effectiveness.

Changing Bad Feelings Exercise

1 - Think about somebody who annoys you, intimidates you, or irritates you. Make an image of him and see him look at you in whatever way he looks at you when he is annoying you. Hear him say whatever it is he says and notice the bad feeling that happens in your body.
2 - Take this image and make it black and white. Move it far off into the distance. Make it much smaller, one-eighth its size. Place a clown's nose on his face.
3 - Hear him say whatever it is he says, but hear him say it in Mickey Mouse's, Donald Duck's, or Sylvester the Cat's voice.
4 - Notice how you feel differently. Then distract yourelf for a few moments and think of him again. You will still be feeling differently about him.
When you practice using your brain in this way, you will find yourself feeling really good a lot more often. Achieving personal freedom is all about developing new mental habits and skills and getting used to mentally running your brain the way you choose to run it.

©2008. Richard Bandler. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Get the Life You Want. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442