What would you do if every day, when you went out into your world, people either ignored you or put you down? As I've taught my classes, or worked with clients, I've received some fairly similar responses to this question: "I'd feel depressed." "I'd probably withdraw." "I wouldn't feel very good." "I'd be angry." And so on.

Why, then, would you do this to yourself? Is it not true that, when you're shaving or applying makeup, you look only at the task, not at yourself (ignoring yourself)? Or, if you do shift your focus, and actually look at yourself, do you conduct a critical appraisal of the creases, the gray or other signs of aging (putting yourself down)? Who among you takes a good close look and says something like "WOW!"? Or, silly thing to say, "I love you"?

If you are guilty of ignoring or criticizing yourself, then consider seriously the energetic impact of such self-treatment. I'll explain by describing an experiment that I've conducted many times with the same results every time. A volunteer gets up in front of the group. Baseline muscle testing is strong. Without any cue to the volunteer, the group is instructed first to send negative energy to the volunteer ("You hate this person."), then positive energy ("This is the most wonderful person in the world."). Upon receipt of the negative energy, the volunteer feels a strange sinking sensation in his stomach. When he is muscle tested, it takes only one finger to push his arm down. The positive energy has a totally different impact. His stomach flutters pleasantly and his arm holds even against the force of two hands bearing down.

Consider first that the energy sent by the class wasn't even "real". Arguably, nobody in this group of former strangers hated or loved this volunteer. Yet the cells of this man's body received the transmitted energy as though it was real. Imagine what the energetic impact would have been if the participants had actually hated, or loved, this man.

Now let's return to the opening paragraph, to the idea of ignoring or putting yourself down. What are your cells, or for that matter your soul, doing with that? How much does such behavior, performed so automatically across so many years, impact your energy, your optimism, your mood your drive, or even your success? Much more than you might believe. How much does this negative self-treatment invite the same from others, per the tried but true New Age slogan regarding your outer reality reflecting your inner reality? Inner negativity may well drive negativity from others far more than you think.

The implications of our daily energetic exchanges are staggering. In a separate article, I will discuss the energetic impact of abuse. The short version, for purposes of this article, is that early abuse establishes both a pattern of behaviors and an inner energy that function in many respects as a "self-fulfilling prophecy", often "proving" over and over again that one "deserves" the treatment that one keeps receiving. With or without early-life abuse as a trigger for negative internal energy and expectations, if a person allows negativity (from self or others) on a regular basis, then negativity is most likely what they will continue to receive. Over and over. In therapy, one of my biggest tasks is to convince my clients that, in many respects, changing one's experiences is as simple as stopping the inner negativity that assaults one both from within and from without.

If you doubt this, then consider another experiment that I conducted. I had a lot of anger toward the local drivers who would discourteously ignore my presence as, almost every morning, I tried to enter a busy street from a side street. The drivers, who were backed up past my street from the corner stoplight, worked hard at ignoring my presence. Rarely would they acknowledge my need and let me in. I fumed before I even got there. I fumed while I waited in vain for someone to give me a break. Then one morning it dawned on me that I should be practicing that which I preach. Starting that morning, as I approached my nemesis thoroughfare, I expected to be let in. As I sat there waiting for the light to change, I meditated and continued to expect that I would be let in. From one day to the next, my experience changed from 95% anger and frustration to 95% success. Simply by shifting my own energy! It was as though the drivers knew what I expected and gave me exactly that. Amazing? Not really. Just energy at work in the same way that it works every day, whether we wish to acknowledge that or not. Think about this. Better than that, start applying the principles in your every day life and enjoy the transformation that you undoubtedly will effect. (In a future article, I will discuss some of the barriers to manifesting with effectiveness).

If you have any questions, or suggestions for future article topics, please feel free to contact me at:mailto:thewiz2k@hotmail.com

J. Stephen Vizzard, Ph.D.

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