1、This little book can change your life.If you believe that, youre well on your way towards . . .Healing Yourself withWishful Thinking32002, Arthur BlochOakland, California2PREFACEDONT GET ME WRONG. Im not one of those people who think science has all the answers. Or any answers to the truly important
2、 questions, for that matter. The meaning of life, purpose, volition, free will, intention, why women find John Malkovich attractivethese are all issues that might forever be beyond scientific explanation. Regarding health and wellness, who is anyone to say what works and what doesnt? I certainly don
3、t want to take my cues from a medical profession for whom “euphoria“ is an adverse reaction.Still, science does seem to have a role here. Even while we read, from one of dozens of on-line wags on the subject, that we have “evolved beyond the need for scientific proof,“ there is not a single guru, he
4、aler, chakra reader, past-life therapist, crystal gazer, vibrational consultant, or spiritual counselor who isnt overjoyed when even a small part of this work is “verified“ by scientific experiment. When the Catholic Church turns to science to authenticate the Shroud of Turin, we realize that the ma
5、ntle of authority has officially passed from the faith-based arbiters of truth to those of the scientific establishment.And yet we retain the right to our unscientific beliefs. An Internet search for Web pages concerning chakras yields 120,000 choices; channeling, 118,000; reincarnation, 144,000; 3k
6、arma, 415,000; astrology, 1,060,000; and angels, a whopping 2,070,000 pages. So if science is the highest authority, there is no shortage of anti-authoritarian sentiment.My own background puts me in a position to appreciate both the joys and pitfalls of the self-help, new age, and recovery movements
7、. As producer of the Thinking Allowed public television series for 16 years, I have met and conversed with hundreds of prominent, intelligent writers and thinkers in the areas of psychology, philosophy, personal and spiritual development, and the frontiers of science. On the other hand, as author of
8、 eight Murphys Law books I am a professional curmudgeon whose job it is to poke fun at the hypocrisies and ludicracies of modern life.What Ive learned is that much serious, intelligent research is being done in alternative areas of study, subjects outside the self-imposed limits of academia and esta
9、blishment science. Theres also a lot of foolery going on in the name of higher truth, a lot of oversimple platitudes masking as spirituality, overamped rhetoric in the name of wisdom, and over-the-top claptrap about how you and I should live our lives.So what is this book about? Its about how far fr
10、om reality we can stray in service of our search for meaning. Its about the cockamamie things we can convince ourselves of when we hang out with others of like mind. Its about the things people will do and say to make a buck, to make a book, to gain acceptance, to gain control, or to set themselves
11、apart from the rest of the ignorant masses.But mostly, its about not taking ourselves so seriously.Arthur BlochApril 2002, OaklandRELAX AND MEDITATE4RELAX AND MEDITATEThe Empty HeadTHIS VOLUME contains exercises and hints to help you achieve optimum health, happiness and well being with a minimum of
12、 effort and little if any personal responsibility. These exercises work best when you are comfortable and relaxed. Experts in these matters agree that such procedures are most effective when your defenses are down and your powers of reason and common sense are at rest.In this chapter we will introdu
13、ce a simple technique for inducing a receptive, creative and altogether non-critical mindset that you will find invaluable for the visualization, intuition and other exercises to follow.Whether you simply relax or go for the technically more challenging state we call “meditation“ is up to you. Relax
14、ation and meditation are essentially indistinguishable from the outside. Others cant tell, so they have to take your word for it. The two are frequently indistinguishable from the inside as well, so this is an area where a little self-delusion can go a long way.Surely there are differences between m
15、editation and merely closing ones eyes to rest. Some meditative postures are so excruciating as to preclude any thought of relaxing. And some relaxed positionssuch as lying on your back and snoringwouldnt fool anybody.But by and large it doesnt matter for our purposes whether you are truly meditatin
16、g or just visiting the ashram in the hope of getting laid. You dont have to achieve any metaphysically altered or blissful state to perform the practices described herein. You need RELAX AND MEDITATE5only dismiss your critical faculties and hire some easily manipulable stooges to run the show for aw
17、hile. Cultivating Non-BeingTo be truly open to the benefits of wishful thinking, you must give up trying to control everything. You must open yourself to a higher power. Namely, me. This shouldnt be much of a sacrifice. If you were any good at controlling your life, you wouldnt be reading a book lik
18、e this in the first place.It is time to relinquish authority over your inner being.Hand it over.There. That wasnt so bad, was it?Now, get down on your knees and bark like a dog.Just kidding.Here is the general relaxation procedure we will use throughout this book:1. First, find a comfortable positio
19、n, either sitting up, lying down or leaning against the wall with a cigarette dangling from your lips. 2. Uncross your arms, your legs, your fingers and your toes. You didnt even realize they were crossed, did you? Now uncross the ones you missed.3. Close your eyes. You dont really want to watch thi
20、s.4. Breathe, if you are not already doing so.RELAX AND MEDITATE65. Count down from 1,987 using only prime numbers. Alternatively, you can recite pi until you pass out. (3.141592653589793238462643392795 . . .)6. Allow your mind to go away. Do not try to follow.7. Experience yourself bathed in a bril
21、liant pool of light flowing all around you. If this doesnt work, forget it and move to Step 8.8. Visualize yourself sitting right in front of you, visualizing yourself sitting right in front of you, visualizing yourself sitting right in front of you, etc.9. Breathe again. Its been a while.10. Now wh
22、at do you want to do?AFFIRMATIONS I will cultivate mindlessness. I look cool when Im meditating. I can take anything if Im lying down. Nothing bad can happen to me while Im relaxed.VISUALIZE THIS7VISUALIZE THISCreate As You GoTHE POWER of visualization to effect positive change in yourlife, if diffi
23、cult to document, is well attested to in the literature. Imagery techniques are used by everyone from professional athletes, actors and artists to therapists, trainers, midwives, and multi-level marketers. Even many doctors and psychiatrists, when pressed, admit that it couldnt hurt. According to th
24、e literature, you can use visualization to contact your higher self, open your energy centers, meet your guardian angel, find hidden treasure, attract a lover, become more popular, reduce stress, relieve pain, increase your self-esteem, feel more youthful, locate missing objects, improve your study
25、habits, clear up your complexion, assuage your grief, strengthen your aura, attract riches, cure depression, lose weight, grow hair, quit smoking, lower your handicap, strengthen your immune system, and heal yourself of everything from hemorrhoids to cancer.Can we in fact create reality through cons
26、cious imagination? Does form follow idea? Is the universe really that obliging? These questions are too profound for us ever to expect a definitive answer.But surely theres nothing wrong with creating a clear picture of what youd like to see occur in your life, and theres no shortage of books, video
27、s, and audio tapes that will show you how to do this. So here is our step-by-step guide:VISUALIZE THIS81. Close your eyes and relax using the progressive relaxation techniques you learned in the previous chapter.2. Create an image in your mind of your favorite bookstore. 3. Visualize a special sale
28、on visualization and creative imagery books and tapes.14. Go buy some.You see, too many successful, well meaning people have invested too much time and energy into this issue for me to glibly make fun of their efforts. I therefore have nothing to add. Except . . .Never-MindingWhat happens when you t
29、ry to change the world through visualization and nothing changes? Or what do you do when you try to visualize positive changes and yet things seem to be occurring in the opposite direction? The worst thing you can do is blame yourself. Theres a good chance youre not responsible. And in a situation l
30、ike this its difficult to blame anyone else.When it becomes evident that your visualization efforts are not having the intended effect, your best bet is to practice a technique we shall call “never-minding.“ 21 Be sure that you do not visualize a bargain remainder table. Authors hate that.2 Now that
31、 the “verbing“ of the English language is almost complete (more than 2,500 Web pages include a reference to “languaging“), it is time to begin applying the procedure to two- and three-word phrases. This is our humble contribution.VISUALIZE THIS9Never-minding is sort of denial lite. (See Chapter 11,
32、POSITIVE FORGETFULLNESS.) Why bother denying something when you can just pooh-pooh it? It is very closely related to glossing-over, and akin as well to selective memory, both of which techniques will be discussed elsewhere.The best sort of positive feedback you can give yourself is to ignore the neg
33、ative feedback, and an active ability to never-mind is the most valuable tool for doing this.For the Good of Us AllMost books and tapes about visualization will tell you that visualization techniques can only be used for good purposes, and that the Laws of Karma will quickly chew up and spit out any
34、one who attempts to use such techniques for harmful ends.Heres where the new age precept that “all is for the good“ comes up against the age-old question of good vs. evil.I would be the last person to tell you what to believe, but Im sometimes not so hesitant to tell you what not to believe. When it
35、 comes to applying the principles, ideas, and techniques in this or any other book, there is only one guideline to follow:DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. AFFIRMATIONS I am all-powerful. I can do anything I set my mind to. I will ignore all evidence to the contrary.YOUR WISH IS YOUR COMMAND10YOUR WISH IS YOUR C
36、OMMANDBe Careful What You Ask ForWAIT A SECOND! Let us assume, for the sake of discussion, that it is indeed possible to affect the world just by consciouslyvisualizing the changes you want. Then what about the rest of the crap you think about over the course of the day?If the power of your imaginat
37、ion is strong enough to create what you want in life, isnt it also powerful enough to create what you dont want? Arent your fears, nightmares, and other horrible imaginings just as capable of manifesting themselves in the world as your positive thoughts?Well, yes. Unless youre able to impose some ki
38、nd of “hierarchy of values“ on your mental meanderings. The first step is to become aware of your negative mental activity. For some, this can be a full-time job. Be sure you dont get down on yourself for having negative thoughts, because that, too, is a negative thought. This is a called a negative
39、 feedback loop. Its like a whirlpool. Dont go near it.OK. Now youre in the whirlpool. At this point the best thing to do is to let go and enjoy the ride. When you come out the other side, well try something else.Whee!YOUR WISH IS YOUR COMMAND11Meta-ReprogrammingThe most effective way to proceed is t
40、o follow a step-by-step procedure for reprogramming yourself, with a goal of overriding the negative consequences of your mental imagery. To begin, assume the position (i.e., follow the relaxation procedure in Chapter 1, RELAX AND MEDITATE). Then follow these simple steps in order:1. Establish compl
41、ete and total control over your emotions, your thoughts, your desires, your weaknesses, your stray thoughts, images, etc.2. Generate a meta-thought as follows: “Only my positive, life-affirming thoughts, feelings, and images will manifest in the world. This thought-form will have priority over all t
42、houghts, feelings, and images from Step 1.“3. Enter a password to protect this meta-thought. Write it down somewhere and put it where you wont find it when youre in a bad mood and might be tempted to tamper with your meta-thought.By utilizing this simple procedure you can ensure that only your posit
43、ive thoughts will become manifest in the world, and you can trust yourself to venture forth without leaving a trail of disaster in your wake.YOUR WISH IS YOUR COMMAND12AFFIRMATIONS Only good can come of this. I am a source of positive vibes. I am in complete control. I am not responsible for anythin
44、g bad that happensPREPARING YOUR SANCTUARY13PREPARING YOUR SANCTUARYCreating a Special PlaceALMOST ALL of the visualization guidebooks recommend that you create a “special place“ or imaginary inner sanctuary to visit during your meditations. Designed to your specifications, this is a sort of virtual
45、 vacation home where you can go at a moments notice and they cant kick you out. It is a place of peace and tranquility, warmth and comfort. Except for your various guides, angels and totems, there wont be anyone else around in your special place to know what youre up to there.Sometimes a special pla
46、ce is outdoors, like a meadow or a beachfront propertythough the latter can be quite expensive. Waterfalls and babbling brooks are popular, as are caves, grottos, mountaintops, gardens, and redwood groves. More often your special place is a room or chamber in a house, a castle, a library, a church,
47、or a temple. It can really be anywhere, someplace youve been or someplace youd like to be. I know a fellow whose special place is a room in Drew Barrymores house. Its up to you.If you cant afford a special place, you might consider a time-share. Or perhaps you could create a virtual mobile home.PREP
48、ARING YOUR SANCTUARY14Outfitting Your SpaceThe more realistic and detailed your sanctuary, the more comfortable you will be during your sessions and the longer youll be apt to stay. It is therefore a good idea to provide for certain creature comforts in anticipation of your virtual needs.Why not ins
49、tall that media center you cant afford in real life. The large screen will come in handy for your visualization exercises.A fully equipped bar would be nice. Help you relax. And a drug stash isnt illegal here. You might want to create a hidey hole to use if you want to conceal something from your higher self or your inner child.This might be the only place youll ever be where a waterbed is appropriate.Whether you want bathroom facilities is up to you. Its not always a good idea to relieve yourself while your actual b
