& 5 Ways to Harness It
Written by Camille Lucy
Everything begins as energy, then manifests or solidifies into form. (The Power)
Would you believe that your thoughts can actually change your DNA? The brain is remarkable and your thoughts are extremely powerful. By harnessing your thoughts, you can access your subconscious mind and actually change your DNA. What’s more, negative thoughts can damage the body at a physical level, causing sickness and decreasing productivity. On the other side of the same coin, research suggests that people with a strong, positive attitude can heal themselves from fatal disease.
These findings could alter generations of beliefs, as science is finding that we may not be victim to our genes, after all. Researchers at HeartMath Institute suggest that “we can influence and alter the outcomes of our individual’s DNA blueprint not by just our thoughts, but that factors like feelings and intentions we have on a day to day basis play also a major role. These findings explain many of the miraculous healings.”
Studies have shown that as much as 2/3 of all medical healings have been a result of the “placebo effect.” Researchers use placebos during studies to help understand what effect a new drug or treatment might have on a particular condition. When a person has a response to a placebo, perhaps symptoms improve or they experience adverse side effects, this is known as the "placebo effect."
Dr. Bruce Lipton shares an example in his bestselling book “The Biology of Belief“ where a Doctor’s patients were divided into 3 groups: 2 groups had real surgery and 1 group had a “fake” surgery. A video was played of real surgery to make the patients believe they were being operated on. He simulated surgical sounds and sewed the wound back up without having done anything. Much to the surprise of the doctors, all 3 groups improved to the same extent.
Everything you do - or want to do - begins in your thoughts. They are intimately intertwined with your habits, success, failure, healing, recovery and any change you are wishing to make in your life. Although you can think without acting, there is no action without thought premeditating it. The most successful people are first successful in their mind.
Steven Covey says, “The ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes – it is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don’t make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It’s about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.”
Here are 5 simple ways you can begin to notice and shape your thoughts to benefit you and your life:
- Catch Yourself. Begin to observe your thoughts and notice any patterns or loops you do not want to get stuck in. Meditation is a profound tool for learning to observe thoughts, and detach from them and their power over us. Spend time each day meditating, noticing your thoughts, and beginning to refocus them onto something good-feeling and positive.
- Exercise daily. Even walking allows you to clear your head and purge the junk that’s taken over your mind. Movement is a powerful way to literally “move” stuck energy (or chi) and transform our mood and chemistry almost instantly.
- Question your thoughts. Byron Katie has a phenomenal system called “The Work” that encourages you to ask 4 questions about your thoughts and find turnarounds. The Work is a simple process of inquiry that teaches you to identify and question the thoughts that cause your suffering. It’s a way of understanding what’s hurting you, and addressing the cause of your problems with clarity. We don’t have to believe everything we think! And much of what we believe is only harming us. Thoughts are endless; so why not choose the ones that feel good and keep us healthy?
- Affirmations & Goals. Jot down your goals and dreams. Look at it often. Try to feel good about them, as if they have already came to fruition, as you think about them. Find affirmations that resonate with you and repeat them often. Even if this seems difficult or awkward at first, keep at it. It will get easier in time, and it helps to keep you focused on the good.
- Gratitude. There’s nothing that can replace the feeling of gratitude and its overwhelming benefits. Studies show that an “attitude of gratitude” goes a long way and those that are thankful are, overall, much happier and healthier. Some ways to practice gratitude are to write “Thank You” notes, express thanks verbally to others, begin a Gratitude Journal (write 3 things you're grateful for everyday), pray or meditate (this can include exercising or being out in nature for some quiet time).
What you think, believe and feel has a tremendous impact on your body, your health and your well-being. The good news is, you always have the choice of what you want to attach meaning to, or focus on. Thoughts come and go like clouds in the sky. Scientists estimate that you will think up to 70,000 thoughts in a day. That’s hundreds in just one minute.
And just as simply as they enter, you can allow them to ebb and flow, in and out, leaving without giving them any attention or regard. You can choose where to keep your attention, what to believe, what makes you emotionally charged or passionate, and which direction to focus in.
As Author and Speaker, Mike Dooley, says, “Thoughts become things; choose the good ones!”
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