So last night was my latest appointment with the cognitive therapist. It was another enlightening moment and has got me deep thinking. I am thinking about the power of the mind and how we probably are not using it to its fullest potential. This guided imagery that she has me doing is just beginning to reframe negative thoughts and fears into positive thoughts and relaxation. I think if I am more at peace about permanent weight loss it will last. Our minds are central to how our body works. If I was to describe a nice tasty cheeseburger your mind mike make you salivate. If I was to talk about your worst fear your heart rate might increase. Recently scientists did brain scans of people under hypnotherapy who were told that their hand is an immovable object and then they pushed on it. The people who weren't under hypnosis and were told to pretend had a different part of the brain keeping the arm up than the people who were under hynosis.

It is like we all have this area in our brains that can make us completely pain free, completely at peace in any circumstance, if we let it and if we learn to control it. When I came into the docs office last week I had anxiety because my heartburn was acting up again. I have heartburn because I have a haital hernia and I am big and I eat acidic food. So it all compounds into chronic cough and anxiety. We proceeded to do the guided imagery and at the end I was completely relaxed. It starts with you closing your eyes and relaxing and feeling your whole body relax. Then you take all of your worries and put them in a box. Then you walk down into your valley. Then you see your inner child and have dialog with him and speak what is being said. This whole inner child dialogue I have yet to really get into. I leave him at home when I go out into the world. Then when you are finished dialoging you are told to open your eyes and you are still relaxed.

It really is meditation. I think we get so wrapped up in the world we forget to just sit and clear our minds. That is what I am taking out of this so far. The behavioral part of the therapy is her asking how I am doing on my weight loss. I have decided to do low calorie cause it worked in college and to do the treadmill to tv shows cause that's how peetey lost his weight. So far I have lost 2 pounds. The doc also want me to do pilates to strengthen my stomach which would help in heartburn. I am like, what in the world is pilates? Isn't that what women do to tighten their buns? Weird. I am still trying to figure out if this is all a waste of time or will I get some real life skills to take with me. So far it has helped me understand more about everyone's mind in general, but about my own mind, that's another story.