I wrote the following article that was featured in the January 2008 issue of PHLARE - The magazine for professional women in Philadelphia:

Ahh, here we are again!  The start of the new year – time to make goals and resolutions for improving our lives.  We’re pondering why we never kept up with our pledge to join Richard Simons and sweat with the oldies, drink a few less martinis at happy hour, actually get to work on time 3 out of 5 days per week, quit smoking – or at least cut back, etc.  Yep, we blame ourselves…we didn’t stick to our goals and therefore, have failed yet again.  So, you ask, why bother trying again in 2008?

 

            Did you ever consider the possibility that you’re not to blame for your goals being unrealized?  Our brains, much to our dismay, often work against us.  Our subconscious mind operates on the pleasure principle – ensuring our life is full of happiness and abundance – which sometimes means downing those extra shots at the end of a night of partying, consuming the whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food when you’d only planned on just a taste, emailing him after you swore you’d wait until he initiated the contact…sound familiar?  We often logically set limits on ourselves, make realistic goals, and then cave in our attempts to successfully carry them out.  Why oh why, you bemoan each year, can’t I do what I intend to do?

 

            Our subconscious mind has the emotional and intellectual abilities of a four- year old child.  It thrives on protecting us, keeping us safe, and happy – on four- year old terms. Imagine telling a four year old, “We need to lose weight, so we’re going to cut out carbs and alcohol, forgo Grey’s Anatomy to wake up at the crack of dawn each day and hit the gym, and of course – no candy.”  Our subconscious reacts as many four year olds would, by throwing a tantrum and screaming, “Noooo!!!!”

 

            Try as we might – our subconscious gets the best of us more often than not.  It works hard to maintain the familiar – even if the familiar includes a daily pint of vodka, a pack of Marlboro Lights, and obsessively checking his myspace page for updates on his life.  The little girl in your head is working diligently on keeping you safely set in this state of familiar – and equally making it hellish for you to break this comfortable existence.  She’s on guard always, fiercely protecting you from those oh so logical thoughts and goals by kicking them out of your mind with the suaveness of Mia Hamm on the soccer field.  She’s your most loyal companion and at times, your own worst enemy.

 

            Getting through to your subconscious is always a battle.  One sure way to make it easier is through hypnosis.  Relaxing in a comfortable chair, with soft lights and music – your brain enters into a state in which your little girl is so relaxed, she’s open to suggestions and instructions on how to help you obtain your goals, rather than barricading you from the possibility of discomfort and impending doom. One sure fire way to test this theory, I’ve found, is the next time you’re tempted to fall off the resolution wagon – tell your inner child she can’t have her way today then visualize sending her to her room and slamming the door shut behind her.  Try it – it surely will work for you and with the aid of hypnosis, you’ll be able to get in control of your weight, your bad habits, negative thoughts, and worst fears.  Hypnosis works in controlling your bratty inner child – so you don’t have to work as hard to become that incredible woman you yearn (and deserve) to be.  Whether your goals for 2008 are focused on weight loss, smoking cessation, or even tolerating your Uncle Harold – I wish you the best in everything.