Did you know that your perceptions create your reality? I see it practically every day in my hypnotherapy practice. How a person “frames” getting older, or anything else, projects into their environment and into the very cells of their body. When someone comes to me, I listen to how they describe their life, their “self”, and their perceptions about their past and future. The unconscious mind acts out whatever direction we give it with our internal and external dialogue and imagery. If we start looking for wrinkles or aches and pains, our unconscious begins to act on creating that which we are focusing on, thinking it is our goal.

Research on depression found that, in time, through focusing on all of the problems and “bad” aspects of one’s life, the cells literally begin to lose the ability to “recognize” happy or pleasurable experiences. The cellular receptors adapt to the environment of their surroundings, and that includes the energy vibration of thought. If the majority of thoughts are those of “sadness”, the cells will develop more of the receptors designed to recognize “sadness”, and fewer of those they aren’t utilizing. This is why someone will eventually seem unable to experience happiness, even when it seems to be right in front of them.

Back to staying young. Many years ago, I noticed that youth is an attitude. I know people who are 30 and act “old”, and people in their 80s and 90s who are “young”. A positive attitude toward life not only affects your emotions, it affects your skin, internal organs, immune system, and each and every cell of your body. One of my first great teachers, Dr. Bruce Lipton, wrote The Biology of Belief, which may be of interest to those who require a more scientific explanation. Dr. Lipton was a professor of cellular biology at Stanford University, and his research verifies how thoughts affect cellular structure and can even alter the DNA. In my private practice I find that as soon as someone begins to change the habit of focusing on the negative prospects of aging into a new habit of focusing on and expecting new, positive and exciting experiences and opportunities associated with the next phase of their life, they immediately get a new sense of optimism, their energy increases, their minor aches and pains become less evident, and they actually start to look and feel younger. It is simply a matter of “re-training” the mind by changing the focus of attention, and hypnosis and NLP facilitate this change more rapidly and at a higher level of mind.

A great philosopher once said, “We always move in the direction of our most dominant thought.” Ask yourself, “What do I think about most of the day?” If the answer is “something I don’t want,” then be careful. Your unconscious mind thinks that is your goal and has no choice except to act on creating it. When you catch yourself thinking or focusing on what you don’t want, interrupt that thought and “reframe” it to what you do want. (Hint: It will probably be the opposite of what you were just thinking!)

I hope these insights will assist those of you who are in search of ways to improve the quality and quantity of your lives. With just a little effort and practice, you can develop new habits of thinking and behaving that can help you to stay young in attitude and appearance, and active and optimistic about life. So, pay attention to your thoughts and create a long, happy and healthy life for yourself.

Here is an affirmation I created to get me through one of the most challenging times in my life: “Today brings wonderful and unique experiences and opportunities that will never happen again…BE HERE NOW!”

Patricia V. Scott is a Certified Medical Hypnotherapist & NLP Master Practitioner, Certified Master Trainer for the International Association of Counselors & Therapists, Life Fellow with the International Medical & Dental Hypnotherapy Association, and President of UP Hypnosis Institute in Palm Harbor. For more information, go to UPHypnosis.com. See ad page 21.