Subconscious Power Introduction The Power to Shape Your Life What if I were to reveal an intuitive yet practical framework that cuts through the emotional and physical clutter obscuring your path, so that it becomes possible to envision the life you want and also make that vision real? What if you were to learn a set of simple, three-minute exercises that can alleviate pain, release you from resentment, and erase any residual shame you feel from past or present experiences? What if you were able to activate your own inner resources so that you could finally "play big" in your life without ever having to posture or pretend to be someone you''re not? Fully engaging in the marvelous creation of your own life is everyone''s birthright. And yet few of us feel like we have the power to shape our own lives. Why do so few people believe they can get what they most want in life? Why do so many of us seem to fall short of our dreams? We get a taste of gratification and purpose, but then we watch, frustrated and helpless, as the momentous occasion or achievement seems to disappear, becoming a hazy memory. Just like going on a diet to lose weight for a big event and then watching as the pounds return with a vengeance, as if the weight is in control of your body, not you. Indeed, sometimes our own minds, bodies, and actions seem to work at cross purposes with our goals. Why is that? The answer lies within you. Subconscious Power makes the road to ultimate self-improvement accessible by showing you how to tap into a powerful force within you, a capacity for agency that you more than likely did not know you possessed. What is this mysterious power within? Your subconscious.

Your Inner Eight-Year-Old The subconscious has been defined and referred to in many ways. The concept first emerged as a translation from the French word "subconscient," which was coined by the psychologist Pierre Janet (1859-1947) to refer to a "powerful awareness" that "lay underneath" conscious thought. A more mainstream definition that most people rely on is the thoughts and feelings that exist "below" the conscious mind. Indeed, ever since Freud popularized the term "subconscious" (which he later changed to the "unconscious"), psychologists and other theorists have gone back and forth without ever coming to a consensus about a preferred term, with some using "unconscious" and others, including myself, using "subconscious." I prefer the term "subconscious" because it both offers a more positive connotation and feels more instinctive and closer to what we think of as intuition. Its power stems from the access the subconscious gives to our inner mind, which often knows more than we realize and always has a magical, elusive quality. When you meet someone new and have an immediate sense of unease for no obvious reason, that''s your subconscious talking to you. When something within you compels you to turn right instead of left on your usual route to the grocery store, that''s also your subconscious talking.

When you go on a job interview and come away with a feeling in every cell of your body that this is the opportunity you''ve spent your whole life waiting for--that''s your subconscious. When you learn to attune yourself to this power and tap into its energy, the subconscious can then become your inner compass, guiding you to the life you truly desire and deserve. I also refer to the subconscious as your inner eight-year-old. Why eight? Think about your eight-year-old self. He was old enough to think independently, yet young and innocent enough to listen to his true nature without worrying about what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to act. If she didn''t like her great-aunt, she wasn''t going to pretend she did for the sake of family politics. In other words, eight is the age when we can articulate ideas and have opinions, but have not yet been overtaken by the vigilance of the conscious mind. The eight-year-old self speaks the truth frankly--exactly how she sees the world, without any interference from the expectations of others.

He loves others without reserve and intuits the fact that we are all connected. Our inner eight-year-old relies on symbolism, takes everything personally, and is fully engaged in whatever activity is present at the time. But we age and mature, we silence the voice of our subconscious self; our eight-year-old grows up, disconnects from that inner voice of truth, and seems to disappear. In the pages ahead, you are going to not only find your subconscious; you will also reclaim its power. Finding Your Long-Lost Self We are at a point in our evolutionary cycle where we have become out of sync with our natures and need the subconscious more than ever. It''s as if the more our brains become empowered--with information and knowledge--the louder the noise of the conscious mind, and the less access we have to the inner softness and enlightenment of our subconscious. Think about it: our lives are increasingly complex. The technology that''s designed to make our lives easier and more productive often leaves us feeling overwhelmed on a daily basis.

At the same time, we''ve become separated from the natural world. This complicated, high-tech world has forced us to silence our subconscious and let our conscious selves take over. We have become too conscious, too driven, too obsessed. Where does this leave us? Disoriented, ungrounded, and stressed. We feel unbalanced, out of control, because we are disconnected from our subconscious, our inner, true self that knows best what we need to make us happy. By tapping into your subconscious, as I''ll show you how to do in this book, you will cut through the chaos and confusion of your daily life to know immediately, in the here and now, what you need--what your mind, body, and soul require--so that you can create the life you truly desire. All of us make choices during our lives and decisions that aren''t in our best interest. My program is designed to teach you how to make choices that are positive and affirming.

Subconscious Power will unmask what''s between you and the goals--big and small--that have thus far been out of your reach. By rediscovering your subconscious, allowing it to reveal itself and give you both permission and direction, you will learn how to get past obstacles that are keeping you from truly inheriting your birthright: a full, happy life shaped to your ultimate gratification. In the pages ahead, I will show you how to address and overcome the specific issues that are keeping you from living your best life. Depending on your individual needs and goals, you will learn to: * Get past anxiety and depression * Stop smoking * Rein in out-of-control eating or drinking * Lose weight, if that''s your desire * Let go of constant worries and fears that hold you in their grip * Overcome procrastination * Manage chronic pain * Improve your memory * Resolve sleep disturbances * And so much more. You may be wondering how one book, one program, can make so many different types of promises. That''s just the thing: your subconscious contains the capacity for big problems and small challenges. It''s a superpower that can adapt in scale to whatever you need it for. One of my clients, Matthew, a thirty-nine-year-old investment banker, was able to quit his twenty-five-year smoking habit.

Lori, a forty-two-year-old former model, was able to reduce bloating steroid medicines she''d been taking to manage pain related to fibromyalgia. Kendra, a sixty-year-old art dealer, described living a life free of the crippling anxiety that had been keeping her like a prisoner in her own home. Throughout the book, you will meet other clients who have used my approach to solve physical and emotional problems that had been holding them back from not only living full, satisfying lives but also from achieving their fullest potential. My Life''s Work Bringing people back into balance has been my life''s work. As a board-certified, registered hypnotherapist, I have used my rigorous training in hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to help people solve everyday problems that constrain their abilities and hold them back from truly experiencing and enjoying the full potential of their lives. My work with women and men of all ages and backgrounds is based most generally on the tradition of Ericksonian hypnotherapy (founded by Milton Erickson, MD); however, it is also supported by substantive research in neuroscience, cognitive science, positive psychology, and Gestalt therapy. Over a twenty-year career as a certified hypnotherapist and life management consultant, I have worked with all sorts of people--world-renowned actors and actresses, sports stars, millionaires and billionaires. I''ve learned that these people, for all their fame and fortune, are exactly like the rest of us.

They share the same problems, challenges, and obstacles in their lives. Problems that you would assume stardom, wealth, and access to anything they could ever want would keep at bay. But you would be wrong. Every one of us is like a car or other machine. And everyone''s car has had some mechanical malfunction at some point in time. Now imagine a car that ages as we all do. Chances are, any problems, if unaddressed, will get worse with time, regardless of how much money you make and how famous you.