Everything about our existence is hypnotic and contagious.

Each experience we encounter and every relationship we have inputs information through mirrored feedback into our susceptible psyches. The accumulation of this data organizes as programs onto our susceptible minds. Our minds work like computers in that they simply output according to their programming. Yet we are live, energetic and magnetic beings. Just as computers contract viruses, show signs of stress when overworked and eventually diminish in capacity, our psyches also have threshold capacities that when strained affect our physical and emotional health.

This is the mind-body health phenomenon that our current day and age is now re-realizing. Since our minds are so incredibly susceptible, it is worthwhile to build our immunities to outside influences. This will protect us from the imperfect world—where other human beings may erroneously imprint inaccurate, self-defeating information into our consciousness as a result of their personal limitations and/or experiences. Everything around us has an influence on who we are. Our media channels choose what news we watch, what trends we will follow and how we are entertained.

Most people do not intentionally or maliciously imprint their limitations onto others; based on their own shortcomings, even parents may fail to provide realistic, objective feedback to their beloved children. In order to break these ignorant cycles, one must obtain truthful self-awareness. When this is obtained, outside perceptions and projections (intentional or not) will have no power to affect us.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”

Not so true. Our existence is based on the law of being. Who you tell yourself that you are, as well as what other people tell you, registers as input onto your computer brain. Otherwise psychological phenomenon such as Stockholm syndrome (falling in love with one’s captor) and the Milgram experiment (extreme authority obedience experiment) would not continue to prove true. Hopefully you were never psychologically victimized, as in these extreme examples, but we are all hypnotized to some extent or another.

Over time, you will begin attracting people and experiences based upon the hypnotic blueprint that was established in your consciousness during your early stages of development (and possibly earlier). These programs will continue attracting similar experiences as your life progresses, all the while adding new stimuli and experiences on top of those mental layers until we become Pavlov’s newest pet, living a life that we know not how to escape.

What if there was a way to stay organically true to “who you are” while living in a world that is constantly bombarding you with “who you should be”? Can our minds be cleared of undesirable conditioning? Can our mental blueprints resume their organic authenticity? Yes, the mind can absolutely be purified. The process to do so requires patience, persistence and unceasing self-awareness.

If we do not take control of our own hypnosis, we risk 1.) not utilizing our fullest potential and 2.) becoming a victim to someone else’s programming.

In this moment right now, close your eyes and listen to how your body feels. Wait as long as you need to for an organic feeling to register. Once you understand how you feel, ask yourself if this is how you would like to feel—or are you energetically bound to outside programming. For example: The emotion of stress was felt. Why do you feel stressed? Are you under pressure for your job? When did we begin equating stress to productivity? Who is to say you cannot work and be productive with your work without stress?

This example simply shows a way to become more aware of our intentions and emotions, as well as increase our ability to be more present and self-preserving. In my latest book, As I Am, I discuss the hypnotic nature of our existence and how outside forces and influences affect our personalities and development. The book includes a 21-day program, The Dharma Zone, which initiates the process of extracting any undesired, externally imposed programming running through our subconscious minds. The program initiates the process of organic self-reflection by distilling extraneous mental chatter and shining awareness on false belief systems ruling one’s perspectives. This in itself creates the essential space for one to reveal their true self. To live in alignment with this natural truth is our dharma. To take actions that align with our dharma is living a life of truth.

My greatest dream is that one day, the people of our world will unite in complete harmony with the organic, scientific reality that is—where spirituality meets reality.

“The freedom of the seed is in the attainment of its dharma, its nature and destiny of becoming a tree; it is the non-accomplishment which is its prison. The sacrifice by which a thing attains its fulfillment is not a sacrifice that ends in death; it is the casting off of chains that wins freedom.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

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Ed: Brianna Bemel