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Self Talk
We can easily recognise our negative self talk (if we pay attention - and this can be difficult if negative self talk is a habit). We can see, when we realise that we talk to ourselves 60,000 times a day, how "sabotaging" negative self talk could be. The negative self talk keeps us where we are now - in our Comfort Zone, whether we want it or not.
That's not the only way that the subconscious mind works (in the area of sabotage). It can work at sabotaging you with images and feelings within Peaceful Place and probably with Smells, Taste and Sounds, although I have no proof of the last 3 senses mentioned.
Peaceful Place (PP)
To quickly explain PP (although you probably know) - it is a place that you build inside your mind, real or imaginary, or a combination of both, which, when you get back to a special place within it, (maybe a focal point or chair) using self guided imagery and visualisation (using any of the 5 senses and/or imagination and self talk) you completely relax. In fact you are in the Alpha brainwave state and you can achieve this in an instant when you practise.
As an example, my PP is a circular glass building, with a teepee-style glassed roof with the stars above me. All around are perfectly shaped mountains with snow on them, much the same as Mount Fujiyama. The wind is icy. Inside the glass building is a foam rubber green floor that is warm, with an Indian carpet on it and my brown leather meditation chair on the carpet. I enter in bare feet and sit in the chair. I am instantly in Alpha - the relaxed state. I recognise it by feeling a big sigh (we would appreciate receiving from you more examples of your PP - please read the PS.)
Examples of PP Sabotage
The following examples are all on my website under frequently asked questions.
Example 1: Greg called me and said “I can't get to my Peaceful Place any more because when I sit on the beach and look out to the sea there is a big brick wall built right along the beach which prevents me from seeing the sailing boat with two red sails. What do I do?”
My response was ... “Recognise that what the subconscious mind is doing here is keeping you where you are now, which of course is its job. In other words, what it's attempting to do is to sabotage you from being able to get to your Peaceful Place because it doesn't want the new habit of being able to relax and release stress in less than 30 seconds. The next time you go to your Peaceful Place, go down to the brick wall and punch a hole in the wall, and put a window in it. Then come back to your spot on the beach, look through the window. When you have done that call me back and tell me what happens.”
I received a call back saying that as soon as he looked through the window, he saw the boat with the two red sails, and then the brick wall disappeared. Everything was fine from then on. Why did that happen?
Example 2: Here's another example of sabotage, which occurred in a seminar. There was a gentleman who was about 70 years old, and loved horses. He's the original horse whisperer! He could get on the back of any horse in half an hour, and he described himself as a horse psychologist. Here's what happened.
You can guess where the focal point of his Peaceful Place was - in the saddle, on a horse! When we were doing the Peaceful Place exercise, I noticed that this man opened his eyes with a startled gesture of his arms and legs. I asked him why, and got the answer that, he was in his Peaceful Place and the horse started to gallop, and it galloped towards a 6m high barbed wire entanglement. He didn't want the horse to get into the barbed wire, so he came out of his Peaceful Place. I suggested that the horse could jump the wire, and he said that's not possible. I inferred that anything is possible in Peaceful Place - people can fly to their focal point, so why shouldn't a horse grow wings and jump over the fence? He gave it another try, and everything was fine. I think this is just a further example of how the subconscious mind can sabotage us. In other words, try to prevent us from getting to our Peaceful Place, and making the new habit of Peaceful Place.
Example 3: I received a phone call from a doctor who had attended my seminar. The doctor wanted to be accompanied by her psychologist as she tested herself on the electro-encephalograph, because she couldn't get to her Peaceful Place. I anticipated that she was being sabotaged.
What was really interesting was that the electro-encephalograph showed that the lady was getting to Alpha in her Peaceful Place, but she only stayed there for about 2 seconds. I pointed this out to her and asked her to tell me about her journey to the Peaceful Place and her actual Peaceful Place. She described how she was carefully going up a mountain side, and then peering over the top into a secret hidden valley. This was set in the United States, and the valley was occupied by Indians. It was really lovely - there were buffalo, teepees, and corn growing. She said that when she peered over the top and looked into the valley that everything had changed - the teepees weren't where they were before, the buffalos had moved, the corn had moved, and it wasn't as orderly. Her statement to herself was "It's changed - I'm not there" and she was quite annoyed. When you get annoyed, you're out of Alpha, and this explained why she was getting to Alpha just for a couple of seconds, and then she was totally back into Beta. I suggested that she allow the teepees to move, to allow the buffalos to move, to allow the crops to be rotated and be in a different area, and to make that okay, because really and truly, this is nature. She tried again, got to the top, peered over the edge, and stayed in her Peaceful Place.
Example 4: When I do seminars I always tell the story about the Peaceful Place sabotage that Greg experienced sitting on the beach and not being able to see the two red sails because of the brick wall. One day I received a telephone call from a 16 year old girl saying - "My Peaceful Place is totally destroyed. It's a cave, up in a mountain, and I've done it out like my house. My focal point for my Peaceful Place is my bed. My bed collapsed, and I thought back to the story about the man and the brick wall across the beach. So I decided, not to worry, I'll build a stronger bed. The steel bed collapsed. Not to worry, I sat on a carpet on the floor. The carpet flew out the window. I thought I'd give it one more try so I sat in front of the fire, but the fire spat at me. Now what do I do?"
This was a special case. I asked the young lady, what was her journey to her Peaceful Place. She had a wonderful imagination, and described how she used to line herself up in front of a hill where she could just see the windows of the cave up in the mountain and then she pressed a secret stone key, and the mountain opened up. She went in to the mountain and it was like Disneyland, and she got on to one of the rides, with the music going, loving every moment of it, and this ride took her all the way to the back of her Peaceful Place. I said - "Stop there. What I want you to do is to make your new Peaceful Place chair (or focal point) the seat of your musical ride." Just to explain why this will be okay - I have measured many people on the electro-encephalograph and most of them are in the Alpha brainwave state as soon as they start their journey towards their Peaceful Place. I told her that with her imagination, I was sure she would be in the Alpha state as soon as she started her journey on the ride. Remember, the purpose of Peaceful Place is to get you to Alpha, so that you open the filter, so that you can access memory or change a habit.
Some Conclusions
You can see from these examples the way the subconscious mind works in Alpha. The new habit of having a PP was not established so the subconscious mind used its power to stop building the neural pathway, with creative sabotage.
It's a good thing to recognise. Once you recognise that the subconscious mind is using sabotage then you can consciously take over. Speak nicely to yourself - your inner child - and be encouraging, just the same way you would encourage a 3 or 4 year old. "Come on. You can do this. It will be OK soon. Just do it again. You'll enjoy the process soon then it will be good for you " ... and much more.
Q and A Sessions - Something New
I have always found Q&A about PP, and what it can be used for, wonderfully challenging and interesting. I am about to start a free monthly Webinar - a Q&A session. The sessions are for anyone who wants to know more about any challenges they may have or questions about how to use PP. Places are limited and you do need to register. The first thing to do is to respond to this email by just pressing "Reply" and typing in "Q&A" in the subject line. I will send you the way to register.
The first session is on Sunday 13th September at 10am Australian Eastern Standard Time (which translates to Saturday 12th September 2009, 5pm Pacific Daylight Time - that's in USA). Duration will be about an hour. You will be able to connect via telephone or computer anywhere in the world. It's exciting!
So, please recognise sabotage if it occurs and talk to yourself supportively. You will get through it and use your own inner strength. Remember the Q&A Registration and the PS below.
All the Best
Sandy MacGregor
Success Story
Hi Sandy,
Here is my experience of the effects of meditating whilst I donate my platelets & plasma every 2 weeks on an alternate basis.
Firstly, I feel that donating these blood products is the best thing I do in my life, and in fact I sense that it's one of the keys to my life’s purpose .
During the week leading up to the Friday afternoon donation, the week seems to flow perfectly, culminating in the donation afternoon being filled with a quiet satisfaction and gratitude for being able to donate.
As a rule the donation session commences with an initial interview, the completion of a questionnaire, and measure of Blood Pressure .
I have been recording these readings, since completing the CHI Course some years ago. In the moments preceding the Blood Pressure reading, I go to my Peaceful Place and say on the breath in , “In with a deeper peace “, and on the exhale , “Out with all anxiety”,
It is wonderful to see that my blood pressure, during the occasions of saying these affirmations, is generally lower; by at least 10% , ie. my blood pressure is normally 120/75, and with affirmation, it's 110 / 65. My lowest was 103/56 during a medical examination with my Doctor last year.
This is all the more remarkable, when you think that most folks' blood pressure has a tendency to be higher than normal during such interviews, knowing what’s ahead, and because of what’s known as the "White Coat effect" when doctors and nurses are present.
Then, following the interview, we are off to another room with an array of 25 chairs similar to those at dentists - coloured in a light navy blue vinyl, with armrests and lay-back head and shoulder support, with the front section lifting to support your legs in a horizontal position. Once in position the process of connecting tubes, and insertion of catheters begins.
However, I was amazed 2 months ago to hear the nurse's positive comments regarding my blood flow rate during my 1-2 hour donation session, which after 10 years of donating, and 3 years of meditating, I had never heard before.
He stated, that normal blood flow rate is 80 ml/min. His observation of my flow rate within 5- 10 minutes, was that it dropped to 60 ml/min - a 25% flow rate reduction and this being within minutes of using Peaceful Place! What a wonderful, easily discernable measure of the near immediate benefit of entering my Peaceful Place.
Moreover, for many months, a couple of years ago, the nurses would regularly come up to me after I laid back in the chair, because the machine would commence to beep, flagging a rapid drop in my flow rate – now they know that this is because I meditate.
I am grateful for and cherish the gift that I am able to give to others, and the benefits I receive from spending 60 minutes in my Peaceful Place.
Another interesting experience occurs when, during my mediation, I regularly envisage the passing on of the white light of Unconditional Love to each of those nurses in the room and others donating and this invariably engenders in me a wonderful feeling of peace .
Quite often I finish my meditation, appearing to staff as though I have been crying, for I have become so associated with the meditative experience, and my peaceful place, and am often asked “Are you ok ?” Of course I always say: Yes, I have just been meditating. This more often than not provides a rich opportunity for discussion about Sandy’s great work, and his Peaceful Place tools.
Sandy, Please feel free to use and distribute my experience as you see fit, in the hope that even more will benefit from your good work.
Cheers & God Bless you mate ! Barry VICTORIA
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