Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Why Affirmations Matter
Why Affirmations Matter
I must confess. For years I have been skeptical of the power of affirmations to produce the results attributed to them by many. I simply did not see how saying a few words could create welcome changes merely by repeating them.
Recently I have come to see the role of affirmations very differently. Here is why:
I attended a recent presentation by a well known energy healer and she gave us an exercise that convinced me I was wrong. Here is the exercise (it is very simple and only takes a few minutes.)
First, you hold your hands in front of you. Then you place your palms together, noticing the creases at the base of your palm. You take notice that your hands match in size. Then you select one or the other hand to focus on. You concentrate on making that hand bigger for a few minutes. You envision it growing larger and larger, until it fills the room and then space itself. When you feel you have "made it grow" for enough time, you bring your two palms together again and see if they are still a match.
When I did this, I saw that the fingers on one hand were significantly longer than those of the other. I was amazed.
How did this happen? Clearly there is a very close connection between mind and body. We of course know this already, but for me this was convincing proof.
Now, what about affirmations? Here is some evidence that is also very compelling.
Bruce Lipton has studied the effect of the surrounding environment on blood cells in the laboratory. He finds that when the cells are in a welcoming atmosphere, they literally open up to receive more blood. When the atmosphere is charged with negativity, they close down and no longer receive the same infusion. Thus joy brings better health and depression creates the likelihood of illness.
The work of Emote on water has broken new ground. He found that when the water crystals were bombarded with negative thoughts, they they became distorted and misshapen. When they were given messages of love, they went into symmetrical form, reflecting the consciousness of the observer. Sometimes he just pasted written messages in front of the crystals and the effect was the same.
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird did groundbreaking studies of the interactions of human thought and plant reaction in the 70's. (The Secret Life of Plants) Their work provided strong indications that plants reacted strongly to the consciousness of the human with which they were associated. Thus, when the observer thought of harming or killing the plant, the polygraph reacted strongly. The plant also reacted in a positive way when the experimenter was making love many miles away. Studies also have shown that plants grow more successfully when they are treated with love as well as when music is played for them.
All of these studies together present a convincing picture that thought definitely affects "matter," whether the matter is the human participant or another biological entity,
My conclusion: yes, our affirmations can and do affect us, in ways that are just now beginning to be understood. Thought does create reality and intention does influence results.
(My only caveat here is that there seem to be limits to what our own personal thoughts can achieve, particularly when we move to a more universal and global level. But who knows what we might achieve if we band together to produce planet wide peace and love.
I must confess. For years I have been skeptical of the power of affirmations to produce the results attributed to them by many. I simply did not see how saying a few words could create welcome changes merely by repeating them.
Recently I have come to see the role of affirmations very differently. Here is why:
I attended a recent presentation by a well known energy healer and she gave us an exercise that convinced me I was wrong. Here is the exercise (it is very simple and only takes a few minutes.)
First, you hold your hands in front of you. Then you place your palms together, noticing the creases at the base of your palm. You take notice that your hands match in size. Then you select one or the other hand to focus on. You concentrate on making that hand bigger for a few minutes. You envision it growing larger and larger, until it fills the room and then space itself. When you feel you have "made it grow" for enough time, you bring your two palms together again and see if they are still a match.
When I did this, I saw that the fingers on one hand were significantly longer than those of the other. I was amazed.
How did this happen? Clearly there is a very close connection between mind and body. We of course know this already, but for me this was convincing proof.
Now, what about affirmations? Here is some evidence that is also very compelling.
Bruce Lipton has studied the effect of the surrounding environment on blood cells in the laboratory. He finds that when the cells are in a welcoming atmosphere, they literally open up to receive more blood. When the atmosphere is charged with negativity, they close down and no longer receive the same infusion. Thus joy brings better health and depression creates the likelihood of illness.
The work of Emote on water has broken new ground. He found that when the water crystals were bombarded with negative thoughts, they they became distorted and misshapen. When they were given messages of love, they went into symmetrical form, reflecting the consciousness of the observer. Sometimes he just pasted written messages in front of the crystals and the effect was the same.
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird did groundbreaking studies of the interactions of human thought and plant reaction in the 70's. (The Secret Life of Plants) Their work provided strong indications that plants reacted strongly to the consciousness of the human with which they were associated. Thus, when the observer thought of harming or killing the plant, the polygraph reacted strongly. The plant also reacted in a positive way when the experimenter was making love many miles away. Studies also have shown that plants grow more successfully when they are treated with love as well as when music is played for them.
All of these studies together present a convincing picture that thought definitely affects "matter," whether the matter is the human participant or another biological entity,
My conclusion: yes, our affirmations can and do affect us, in ways that are just now beginning to be understood. Thought does create reality and intention does influence results.
(My only caveat here is that there seem to be limits to what our own personal thoughts can achieve, particularly when we move to a more universal and global level. But who knows what we might achieve if we band together to produce planet wide peace and love.
