Power affirmations are used to address the existence of negative and self-defeating beliefs in the conscious and subconscious mind. Current events and experiences can trigger negative and self-defeating beliefs that were created in the past. Trauma, childhood and relationships can leave scars in the subconscious mind related to perceptions of the self, others and the world. Negative and self-defeating beliefs like these below can create a cycle of self-manifesting unhappiness and lack of fulfilment caused by abusive childhood experiences, abusive relationships or other trauma.
- I am a failure
- No one can love me
- The world is unsafe
A power affirmation establishes the opposite belief to counter the effects of a negative self-defeating belief. The method is simple by just repeating it out loud, then as a whisper and then mentally within. This can be done in the morning, evening and at any point during the day. The duration of a practice like this can be from 10 minutes to half an hour.
Power affirmations are statements of truth. They are positive and highly potent in terms of their ability to not only become part of our conscious mind but also the subconscious mind which sits below the conscious mind but is actually responsible for 90% of our patterns of thinking and behaviour.
Clients who have deep-seated negative beliefs and patterns of behaviour about themselves, other people and the world find power affirmations incredibly life-changing because they rewrite old beliefs and patterns that may have taken hold in their life.
Below you will find a sample guided exercise for power affirmations and a link to a audio file of a guided relaxation and power affirmation exercise.
When you have practised the sample exercise below you can then go ahead and conduct your own ones.
Method:
- Sit comfortably with the spine straight.
- Take some long deep and calming breaths.
- Affirm in your mind that you let go of all worldly thoughts and worries for a few minutes.
- Allow a state of relaxation to manifest in this moment.
- Breathe in and tense all the muscles in your body for a count of 5 and then exhale and release and relax the muscles again.
- Repeat this muscle relaxation exercise a few times and then just relax in long deep and slow breaths until the process feels complete.
- Repeat this affirmation out loud: No matter what experiences come…they cannot touch me…I am always happy.
- Repeat this affirmation for about 3 minutes out loud.
- Repeat this affirmation for 3 about minutes as a whisper.
- Repeat this affirmation for 3 about minutes mentally.
- You can extend this exercise for longer if you want to and conclude when the process feels complete.
- End the exercise with just normal conscious breathing and by gently moving and tensing the muscles in order to ground you.
