The Science Behind Affirmations and Auto Suggestion

How Your Inner Voice Is Destroying Your Health, Happiness and Well-being

I’m sure you’ve heard a version of this age old wisdom, “So you think, so you become.” In a sense, I believe we all know this to be true one a subtle level, but how many of us actually live our life with this universal principle in mind? When was the last time you found yourself talking negatively about yourself to yourself? How aware of your inner voice are you? Do you know what kind of “playlist” you constantly have playing in the background of your mind?

Personally, I am guilty of indulging my negative self talk. I also catch myself speaking poorly of another person and denying that fact that the flaw I was criticizing probably exists with-in me as well. I share these points to let you know that, I too am always working on myself and striving to become the best “Me” I can be.

The intention of this article is not to make you feel more guilty about your faults or to give you a cheeky affirmation to repeat daily in order to bring you health, happiness and joy. In this post I’d like to share with you the science behind affirmations and auto-suggestion. Yes, there will be some affirmations you can practice AND I’ll share with you some of the suggested methods for implementing the practice of auto suggestion correctly.

We go over the affirmation techniques I’ve learned from studying Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda, and Napoleon Hill. (My girlfriend loves Louise Hayes’ work as well.) I welcome and highly encourage you to share your auto suggestion practice and some of your favorite affirmations in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

To start us off on the right foot, here is an affirmation on success...

“I leave behind me both my failures and accomplishments. What I do today WILL create a new and better future filled with Joy!”

Here is another one for Good Health…

“My body cells obey my will; They dance with divine vitality! I am well! I am strong! I am a flowing river of boundless power and energy!”

Pause for a moment, and try repeating one or both of these affirmations for at least 30 seconds. Don’t worry if you feel something or not, just try repeating the affirmation aloud and then come back to the rest of this article. (You can do this at your desk or while your holding your tablet or smartphone.)

I would like you to do this in order to get a point of reference for later on. As mentioned, I’ll be sharing with you some techniques you can use in order to make your practice of auto suggestion more effective and dynamic. So, please take at least 30 seconds and repeat the above affirmation. Then come back and continue reading the post.

You’re Wasting Time on Auto-Suggestion if Your Hearts NOT in it.

Affirmations without feeling or emotion are like paper airplanes. They may look pretty, and may fly from one end of your living room to the other – BUT they will never have the ability to fly you around the world, let alone across town. In other words, affirmations done without feeling are ineffective, no matter how many times you say them. If you fail to engage your “feeling nature” when practicing self suggestion, you could repeat the famous affirmation, “Everyday in every way I get better and better,” a million+ times and you still may not experience any change. Think of the heart’s loving feeling as fertilizer for the seeds of your affirmations, or you can think of the heart as a universal transformer – taking your words and transforming them into a finer form of energy that can be picked up and transmuted through the ether… kind of like a radio.

A burning desire, passion and enthusiasm are great feelings to help you change the chemistry of your words and self talk. Anger, jealousy, and selfishness are also very strong feelings that can poison your thoughts and destroy the intentions of your affirmation. We’ve all heard someone say, “Why does this always happen to me?” or “Bad things always happen to me, even tho I’m a good person.” What these people don’t realize is that they’re sowing seeds of negativity with their emotions and feelings, even tho the words they may be repeating are of a positive nature.

Your feelings and emotions matter when it comes to the practice of auto-suggestion, as well as when it comes to relationships. Picture this, there’s a couple sitting on a park bench and you hear one of them say the words, “I love you,” but you see and feel that that person is frustrated, angry and scowling. What do you think the other person picks up on the most? What do you think the other persons heart is feeling?

The universal law of cause and effect acts the same way. If you put out negative feelings like fear, anxiety or anger, you shouldn’t be surprise when those feelings come back to you in the form of bad experiences or poor health.

My own experience has taught me that words are only words. What gives them power is our hearts feeling. It can give them the power to heal or the power to kill. To heal one from a life threatening disease – Louise Hayes healed herself of cervical cancer with affirmation and healthy diet. OR to destroy one’s body and mind from the inside out – If you say you are UN-healthy with the emotion of fear, you will continue to be UN-healthy.

Learn How to use the Love of the Heart and the Power of the Mind to Change Your Inner and Outer World

By this point I’m sure I’ve conveyed the importance of the heart’s feelings and the state of your emotions when you practice any affirmation technique. Now let’s get to the practical application of these principles. Do you recall the affirmations on success and good health I asked you to repeat for at least 30 seconds? Take a few moments to reflect on that experience and note if it had and affect on your body and mind in any way. Feel free to even write down a few words to describe that experience. Once you’ve done that, come back and I’ll share with you my own personal practice when it comes to auto-suggestion.

Five Steps for Practicing Affirmations or Auto-Suggestions

Step One – Calm and Clear Your Mind

Stand or sit up straight, depending on where you are at, close your eyes and begin to follow the flow of your breath. Once you feel connected to the breath, begin to take deep breaths in and out. Do this for at least 60 seconds.

Step Two – Connect with Your Heart Center

Once you’ve cleared the mind with deep breathing, begin to notice the waves of “emotions” rising and falling in the heart. Use your breath to calm those waves into a clear-calm state of feeling. (Emotions are unruly like the ocean during a storm, where as feelings are like the ocean during a calm full-moon night.)

Step Three – Raise the Positive Vibration of Your Heart’s Feelings

As the emotions of the heart begin to calm down and you begin to connect to the loving nature of the heart, use your focus and will-power to lift that energy from the heart to the Third-Eye or the point between your eyebrows. (Think of the heart as the receiving center and the Third-Eye as the broadcasting station.)

Step Four – Begin to “Broadcast” the Affirmation into the Ether

At this point, your heart and mind should be clear of any negative emotion. If not, take more time to cultivate the heart’s nature feeling of love and joy. This will help eliminate negativity, just as light eliminates darkness.

If your heart and mind are clear and flowing with the vibration of enthusiasm, it’s time to begin “broadcasting”. First, begin to repeat the affirmation in a loud voice 2-3 times, then in a regular voice 2-3 times, then in a whisper 2-3 times, then silently in your mind 4-5 times. Finally, let go of the words and allow them to echo through your mind. Allow them to cascade and ripple through your body cells. Allow them to change you from the inside out.
Success Affirmation:

“I leave behind me both my failures and accomplishments. What I do today WILL create a new and better future filled with Joy!”

Good Health Affirmation:

“My body cells obey my will; They dance with divine vitality! I am well! I am strong! I am a flowing river of boundless power and energy!”

Step Five – Share What You’ve Gained with Others

Use the healing prayers technique explained in an earlier article to share your joy and enthusiasm with those you know are in need of healing and love.

Q&A – Questions and Actions

Q:

Do you have an auto-suggestion practice?

How has your negative or positive self talk affected your well-being?

Do you know someone who is sabotaging their life with negative self-talk?

A:

Honestly try the five steps outlined above! Once you’ve gone through all five steps, take some time to reflect and compare the experience and the results with that of the first time I asked you to repeat the affirmations. Please share any difference in the comments below.

Create your own affirmation. One that will help you improve an area of your life you’ve been struggling with.

Help someone else overcome one of their challenges by encouraging them to develop an auto-suggestion practice!