The power of words

   

                       

                         The power of words 

‘Mere words have an extraordinary significance for us; they have a neurological effect whose sensations are more important than what is beyond the symbol.’

Krishnamurti

Words and concepts have a magical quality in that they ‘stand in’ for our thoughts. We think using words and when they are linked together by logical reasoning, they help us to arrive at good conclusions and decisions. 

Words also have power to evoke emotions. Look at the way news is presented in different ways by the media: For example, have a look at the following two headlines which describe the same event:  

‘Vicious dog attacks defenseless man’

‘Cruel owner bitten by abused dog’

This example highlights the problem of 'perspective' or one's point of view as shown by the choice of words of two different reporters. Notice the different feelings you experience as a result of the words used. 

The effect of ‘words’ on our minds and thinking

Mental exercises such as affirmations show how powerful words can be when they enter our subconscious minds. But even consciously, in everyday life people can be easily swayed or seduced by highly emotional or great-sounding words and ideas, which can have almost a hypnotic effect on those who are open to the message. The right words can have a powerful effect on our minds. For example, if someone tells you that there’s a vicious dog just behind the next gate, you will know what this means and be extra careful to make sure the gate is closed when you pass by. And if your partner phones and tells you that you have just won a pile of money in that competition you entered, your state of mind will quickly change and you will be very excited. Obviously, it is the meaning and implications of what is being said that gives the impetus and direction to our actions. In fact, words are so important that if we don’t understand a concept, we will struggle to understand any inner experience linked to that concept.

Our understanding and openness to new knowledge deepens with each new concept that we master and this is the reason why I believe in reading more holistic books and articles, so that our thoughts and vocabulary will expand and become more universal and able to accommodate new ideas. 

Self-talk

Having the right thoughts (or words) are especially important for our self-talk. Self-talk is the inner ‘conversations’ we have with ourselves when we are put into any situation. Put simply, it is ‘what we tell ourselves’ when placed in these circumstances. Sometimes we may speak our self-talk our aloud (thinking out loud), but for the most part it takes place subconsciously without us even knowing what we are saying to ourselves and this is where the danger lies. 

As I have just shown in the example of the ‘vicious’ or ‘abused’ dog, the words in our self-talk can trigger emotions which, in turn, can affect our thinking and decision-making. Words can either be positive and uplifting or negative and dis-empowering. Holding onto negative thoughts can be a real problem if they filter through from our subconscious minds and come out as our self-talk. 

Let me give you another example:

Tom had a difficult childhood and ended up as an adult with low self-esteem. This is shown in his self-talk when he is around women, which would probably be something along the lines of : 

‘I am not very popular with women’ 

Or 'Women simply don't like me' 

This is not necessarily the case. The problem is that this type of self-talk is being reflected in his insecure body language (social awkwardness) and social avoidance, which reinforces the idea that Tom is not a fun fellow to be with. This causes women to avoid him even more. In this way his inner conversations (words) become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is important for our growth and development that we be prepared to challenge and change this type of negative self-talk. 

The effect of metaphors on our minds

To add to this theme on the power of words, try looking at the metaphors you use every day to describe yourself, your situations and the world itself. Metaphors have a special, powerful effect on our minds and thinking. There is a recorded case of a spectator calling a soccer referee a clown and who was convinced he saw the referee’s uniform change into a clown suit. In other words, the clown metaphor filtered into his subconscious mind and acted as a cue to activate the idea of a clown suit which was then superimposed by his mind and imagination onto the referee’s uniform. This is not an isolated case, and there are many cases of people using cue words to influence our thinking and even what we believe we are seeing. In fact, cue words are often used by magic entertainers as the power of suggestion.  

Metaphors also subconsciously affect the way we look at ourselves, at life and reality itself. For example, the metaphor ‘living between a rock and a hard place’ leads us to the idea that life is all suffering.  However, if we change this metaphor to a more open and universal one, such as ‘life is the field of all possibilities’ and we really believe it to be so, we confirm to our subconscious mind that we are open and receptive to new possibilities and experiences and our subconscious minds will respond accordingly. 

‘Our words change our perception and if we change our language, we change our reality ‘

Luigi Boscolo

New book release : Dealing with Trauma:

Readers please note that my latest book 'Dealing with trauma' is now available in e-book and paperback from Amazon.com as well as other platforms.

https://amzn.to/3axYKN8

My next talk will be at the Kloof Country Club in Durban, South Africa

The four stages of consciousness

‘The higher self struggles to find its way through the web of human thought.’

J . Henderson

Instinctual consciousness 

The first stage has to be Instinctual consciousness. This is the mark of early man who had not yet achieved self-awareness and acted purely on instinct. The brain structures of embryonic homo-sapiens had not developed the complexity to support language or to reflect on itself and become self-aware. At this point there was no real thinking and consciousness was probably limited to moments of crude realisation based on associations. For instance, imagine a cave-man being cornered by a sabre-tooth tiger and realising its association with death from his early learning experiences (having seen it kill others). This would give rise to an instinctual response of fear.

Schematic consciousness  

The next stage of the evolution of human consciousness would be linked to the development of those areas of the brain associated with self-realisation, language and thinking. This would allow for self-awareness, but with an ego-driven mentality, a schematic consciousness in which people think only in terms of themselves and learnt mind-programs (schemas and scripts) built up from rigid beliefs without any real independent or creative thought. Sadly, many people are even now, still stuck at this level of consciousness.

Cognitive consciousness 

The third stage of evolution would be a cognitive consciousness, when, as the result of education and mental development, a person begins to think less selfishly and more independently and is able to come up with creative and helpful ideas and discoveries.

Intuitive consciousness 

Finally, the stage of intuitive consciousness, in which pre-programmed thinking and reasoning give way to an implicit knowledge of natural universal principles which are then used to understand, or at least explore, the mysteries of life and the universe. This can be seen as the level of philosophy and metaphysics. When this happens we find a more general attitude of love and benevolence towards all of humanity, a desire to help and be more compassionate. Unfortunately, many of us are still lagging behind and have not reached this intuitive stage.

Hopefully, the rapid moral advancement taking place now is heralding a new global consciousness or awareness. People are becoming significantly more aware of human and animal rights and are calling for ecological change. Sometimes these changes are painful, but metaphorically, birthing pains are never pleasant but inevitable. And they bring with them a new life. There is also a new interest in post-modern thinking. People are beginning to feel more connected to others and the relationship between us and the cosmos is also being seen as more important.  

‘Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought.’

Eckhart Tolle

Self and spiritual development

My article in the latest edition of Odyssey magazine 

Contemplation

Contemplation

 Dr. Jimmy Henderson

‘We normally keep our minds so busy that we fail to hear the passing whispers of angels’

 J. Henderson

Contemplation is a technique in which we open our minds to incoming impressions, inspirational guidance or answers to problems or questions which we set ourselves.

It is similar to meditation, but in this case we only need a quiet, relaxed, introspective state of mind in which we can allow our thoughts to flow, similar to free association. This is explained as allowing your mind free reign to explore all impressions, thoughts and ideas that spontaneously enter.

Through contemplation we connect to the creative power of our subconscious minds and are able to gain answers, new insights and inspiring thoughts and ideas. This can be useful in business as well as in our personal lives. It can also be used simply as part of your mental development, as it helps you build a working relationship with your subconscious mind. Bringing a certain sense of peace and connectedness, contemplation can also help one heal emotionally.

Although it can be used anywhere, I have found that contemplation works particularly well outdoors during a slow walkabout or nature ramble. In this case I would liken it to a ‘walking and talking’ meditation, combined with a process of free association. Contemplating Nature also brings a sense of presence. When we focus intently on various aspects of our natural surroundings, from the colour of leaves to the smallest insect, we increase our mindfulness of the present moment, of the ‘now’.

Contemplative thoughts can be easily distinguished from day-to-day thinking, as the ideas presented are often philosophical and generally quite poetic in form. 

The process

Find a suitable quiet place to sit indoors or take a walk outdoors in your garden or in a nature reserve. Strive for a relaxed state of mind.

  

Decide on what you are contemplating. It can be a specific problem, an object, a verse or an idea, such as the beauty of Nature. Set an intention to engage deeply and then pose your question to your subconscious mind.

An intention is a precise thought which represents a sincere request or instruction, without any hesitation or doubt, as to exactly what you want from your subconscious mind. It must be simply worded and unambiguous.

          

For example;

‘I open myself to inspiration on the aspect of beauty in Nature.’

Once you have phrased your question and set your intention, let go and move ahead with your next action with the belief that it will be carried out as requested. It is this confident, powerful state of mind that ensures the co-operation of your subconscious mind and which will open you to inspirational guidance from within, or even outside of your own mind.

Now simply relax and allow a free-flow of impressions, thoughts, symbolic ideas and even images relating to your question and set intention to pass through your mind. Initially speak your thoughts out loud. Describe what you are thinking or feeling. This usually comes out as deep and colourful words or possibly even further questions.

For example; ‘I can see the beauty of Nature, but from where does it come?’    

As you continue to express your impressions feelings and thoughts in words, let your subconscious mind take over. You may begin to utter strange words out loud without even thinking.

For example, ‘I see this beauty, it is all around me.’

                      ‘This beauty comes from its source’.

                      ‘There can be only one source to all things’.

                       ‘I am part of this source’

And so on…

Notice how your thoughts become deeper and more philosophical. If they are at first, strange and incomprehensible, write them down and interpret them later.

At the end of the contemplation give thanks and acknowledgement for the guidance received. Once you have practiced contemplation for a while, you may find that you begin to receive messages and revelations much quicker. This means that you have built up a good relationship with your subconscious mind and it is spontaneously releasing information to you.

MIndfulness

                                   

  Mindfulness 

Dr. Jimmy Henderson

Most of us go through life making decisions based on our past experiences without being really mindful of all the issues involved. This can lead to the stereotyping of people and situations and us not always taking the best course of action.

          

          What exactly is MINDFULNESS?

Mindfulness is being fully aware or conscious of what is happening around you and what you are thinking and doing in the moment, in the ‘now’. Simply put, you are mindful when you know the thoughts and feelings you are having about a person or situation and are then able to pause, think and make a more conscious decision.

If it is still not clear, let me describe it as a blend of pure openness, pure observing, and most importantly, ‘a pure feeling of self ’ without any real thinking at all.

          Let us do a little experiment which may give you a better idea   

          A moment of mindfulness

Clap your hands together suddenly, or snap your fingers

At the same time, shout out ‘I’m alive!’

Now be very quiet for a few seconds and focus on your feelings

What do you feel? A little shaken, disorientated or even confused?

What you did was to be briefly, fully mindful of your experience of ‘being alive’.

The sudden clap or snap also opened your subconscious mind for one split-second to allow you to experience this at a very deep level and produce the strange feelings that you may have had.

Now imagine a situation in which you are able to create this experience at will, increase it further, and keep it going for long periods of time.

How is mindfulness useful? 

Mindfulness improves your thinking by giving you better mental focus and attention to detail. It also improves your intuition by connecting you with your subconscious mind and you become more aware of the real issues as well as hidden agendas. This helps with understanding human behaviour and improves problem-solving. You are able to make more conscious and rational decisions in your business as well as private lives.

Mindfulness also empowers one with a sense of well-being and increases moral, human and animal-rights awareness. Mindful people are less judgemental, more empathetic and compassionate, more aware of the consequences of their actions, and able to consciously take steps to avoid hurting others.

It is good for your mental and physical health, relationships and success in business dealings and essential for reaching your full mental, emotional and spiritual potential.

In fact, new forms of therapy try to raise your mindfulness to the point where you can see and deal with past and present issues holding you back and re-connect with your authentic self, that pure childlike part of you before it was ‘programmed’ by your past experiences and squashed by the demands of the world.

Sound good?

How do I become more mindful?

The problem is that most of the time our minds are very active, filled with chatter that takes all our attention and stops us from becoming more mindful and living fully in the present moment.

If you wish to be more mindful, you have to lessen this clutter and clamour going on in your minds and shift gears to a more relaxed state. Brainwave patterns for normal active minds are about 12-30 cycles per second (cps) (the Beta state). You will have to learn to lower it to the Alpha state of 8-12 cps second or even further, to the Theta state of 4-7 cps. This slows down your normal thinking until your brain is just idling or ticking over with no actual thought, but you are still fully aware of what is happening.  

This lowering of your brain activity allows your subconscious mind to become more dominant and you will feel a greater sense of self or ‘presence’.

Exercise

Sit comfortably, close your eyes and consciously begin to relax your body. Move your focus to your breathing. Allow all thoughts to slowly leave your mind. This is a process of ‘letting go’ rather than trying to force it to be quiet. 

          Begin counting in your mind as you breathe in slowly for a count of 5

           Hold your breath for a count of 5

           Breathe out slowly for a count of 5

           Hold your breath again for a count of 5

           Begin the process again, breathing in to a count of 5

           Do this for about a minute. Your mind will soon settle down and you should feel more relaxed. 

                                  

A powerful experience of mindfulness

           Hold your hands in front of your chest palms facing you, Look down at your hands and move your fingers slowly, repeating to yourself slowly over and over:

           ‘I am alive’

           ‘I am alive’

           ‘I am alive’

           Now stop moving your fingers and turn your palms towards your chest. Move your focus to the area between your hands and chest. At this time, change the words to ‘I am’, repeating it slowly and deliberately over and over again.

           You should feel a second shift to an even deeper level of mindfulness (the ‘I’ consciousness). 

           Finally, change the words ‘I am’ to the word, ‘I’ and also repeat this slowly and deliberately a number of times, still focusing on the area between your hands and your chest.  

           Breathe deeply and try to be fully mindful of what it feels to be ‘I’.

          Carry on until you take a sudden, deep spontaneous breath and for one exhilarating

          moment become fully mindful of the fact that you are alive.    

          Do these exercises from time to time. They will certainly quieten the frenzied activity of your minds and increase your mindfulness.