PRACTITIONER CIRCLE GROUPS Study Guide for

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by

Dr. Joe Dispenza

2013-2014

Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 3 Circle Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 4 Book Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5 October Session 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 7 December Chapters 1, 2, and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 10 February Chapters 4 and 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 14 April Chapters 6 and 7, Appendix C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 16 June Chapters 8, 9, and 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 18 August Chapters 13 and 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 21 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22 YouTube Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 24 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 25

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~ Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself ~ Mile Hi Church Practitioner Circle Groups 2013-2014 Design Team: Christine Betts, Ardy Molina, Norby Pratt, Diane Short, Mariza Vazquez This discussion guide has been designed to specifically support Practitioners at Mile Hi Church as they gather in groups to discuss and experience Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One. It will support Practitioners to deepen their understanding of the material, assist them with their personal growth and that of their clients and other members of the public interested in neuroscience-based change. Joe Dispenza’s informative YouTube’s have been added to enhance the outcome of your growth but the curriculum can stand alone and is powerful without the YouTube’s. In addition, Practitioners may also view the YouTube’s prior to class depending on the hosts’ viewing facilities. The Book Overview on pages 5 and 6 consists of thoughtful contemplative questions which could be used as part of each lesson. The design team is comprised of mostly Practitioners who have volunteered their time to design this discussion guide. In addition, the design team includes Mariza Vazquez, a member of Mile Hi Church who has been trained by Dr. Joe Dispenza to facilitate Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself to different audiences. If you would like to contact Mariza directly, you can e-mail her at [email protected]. We trust you will En-JOY the journey over the year. Watch your thoughts for they become words, Watch your words for they become actions, Watch your actions for they become habits, Watch your habits for they become your character, Watch your character for it becomes your destiny, What we think, we become. Lao Tzu

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Circle Schedule

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Joe Dispenza October 2013 Read before the October Circle from Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself Forward, pages xi-xiii; Introduction, pages xv-xxvi From the curriculum material read ~ beginning through Session 1 December 2013 Chapters 1 -3, pages 3-84 Chapter 10, pages 231-236 and Appendix A and B, for week 1 pages 305-308 for meditations February 2014 Chapters 4-5, pages 85-120, Chapter 11, pages 237-257; Appendix C week 2, pages 309-310 April 2014 Chapters 6-7, pages 123-174, Appendix C week 3, pages 311-312 June 2014 Chapters 8-9, pages 175-229 and Chapter 12, pages 259-270 Appendix C week 4, pages 312-313 August 2014 Conclusion: Chapter 13-14 pages 271-298

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Book Overview Prepared by Mariza Vazquez Chapter 1 – Introduction Our State of Being = Our Thoughts, Feelings & Actions What same thoughts are supporting my old self ? What same actions are supporting my old self ? What same feelings are supporting my old self ? What new thoughts can support my new self ? What new actions can support my new self ? What new feelings can support my new self ? Chapter 2 – Think Greater Than Your Environment How is my present environment sustaining my old self ? What people in my life are sustaining my present reality? What things in my life are sustaining my present reality? What times and places are sustaining my present reality? How can I think greater than my present environment? How can I feel greater than my present reality? How can I act greater than my present environment? Chapter 3 – Think Greater Than Your Body How is my present body and feelings sustaining my old self ? What people in my life are limiting my body’s present reality? What things in my life are limiting my body’s present reality? What times and places are limiting my body’s present reality? How can I think greater than my present body? How can I feel greater than my present reality? Chapter 4 – Think Greater Than Time How is my present perception of time sustaining my old self ? What past memories in my life are sustaining my present reality? What present thoughts in my life are sustaining my present reality? What future thoughts in my life are sustaining my present reality? How can I perceive time differently than my present environment? How can I feel greater than my present reality in relation to time? Chapter 5 – Survival versus Creation Discuss the relationship between the Prefrontal Cortex and Creation. How is my present environment sustaining Survival thoughts? What people in my life are sustaining survival thoughts in my present reality? What things in my life are sustaining survival thoughts in my present reality? How can I think greater than my present environment so I can be in Creation more often during the day? How can I feel greater than my present reality so I can be in Creation more often during the day? What actions can I take so I can be in Creation more often during the day?

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Chapter 6 – Our Three Brains What am I thinking (neocortex) that is sustaining my present reality? What am I doing (limbic brain) that is sustaining my present reality? How am I being (cerebellum) that is sustaining my present reality? What new information can I study (neocortex) to create a new personal reality? What new information can I practice (limbic) to create a new personal reality? How will I know when I am being (cerebellum) this new self in my personal reality? Chapter 7 – The Gap Discuss what layers of emotion we memorize that create the gap? Do I understand what emotional addictions are keeping me from moving forward? How do I appear to others on the outside, and how do I really feel on the inside, discuss the possible gap? How can I close the gap? Review of Chapters 1 through 7: The Process of Change How do I know when I am using my frontal lobe? How do I know when I am thinking greater than my environment, body and time? How do I know when I am in Survival or Creation? How is this group and my meditation practice supporting me? What specific other things am I doing to Break The Habit of Being My (Old) Self ? What can I do more of to support me in this change initiative? Chapter 8 – Meditation De-Mystified Discuss the Brain waves and their differences: High Beta, Mid Beta, Low Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta? Discuss the difference between a Coherent and Incoherent signal, can I think of times I have been each? Discuss the difference between the Conscious mind and the Subconscious mind and how meditation affects these? Chapter 9 – 14 Meditation Practice In my recent past, what has been my attitude about creating time for daily Meditation? Today, what is my current attitude about the value of Meditation? How can I improve my current Meditation practice? Have I reviewed all the supporting studies, articles and videos referenced in this curriculum which support the value of meditation? What positive changes in thought, actions or feelings can I now document as a result of this new practice I am embodying? Who in my life can encourage me as I share my challenges and celebrations around this new practice?

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Session 1 October 2013

Intention To explore the scientific and experiential bases of Meditation.

Quote Nerve Cells That Fire Together, Wire Together. Nerve Cells That No Longer Fire Together, No Longer Wire Together. Hebbian Law

Opening Prayer Introduction, Forward and Overview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tku3kEPavxI – 4:20 min. (Short Introduction)

We can all agree that a one day workshop or just reading a book alone cannot promote permanent change in the participant unless you are willing to practice the concepts covered in Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. The Hebbian Law of Repetition is essential to strengthen the changes you want to create in your nerve cells and your brain pathways. This discussion guide has been created to assist you in your Divine Unfoldment. Meditation is a core tool in Dr. Joe’s work given its power to change one’s mind. (Now where have we heard THAT before!) The following is a review of some of the scientific and evidence-based information supporting Meditation as a Daily Practice. Scientific Research on the Value of Meditation Much has been written on the subject and if you Google Meditation, you will find countless pages addressing the value of meditation. In Wikipedia, for example, an excerpt reads:

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“Mindfulness Meditation has now entered the health care domain because of evidence suggesting a positive correlation between the practice and emotional/physical health. Examples of such benefits include: reduction in stress, anxiety, depression, headaches, pain, elevated blood pressure, etc. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts found that those who meditated approximately half an hour per day during an eight week period reported that at the end of the period, they were better able to act in a state of awareness and observation. Respondents also said they felt non-judgmental.” (Harvard’s Women’s Health Watch, 2011) Rewire Your Brain for Happiness Neuroscience has brought new credibility to this centuries old practice. For decades, scientists believed that once we reached adulthood, our brain was incapable of any change beyond the negative alterations associated with disease and aging. We now know that the brain is incredibly dynamic, with a potentially unlimited ability to change throughout our entire lifespan. At any age, new neural pathways can be created and refined, and our gray matter can actually be thickened. The brain’s plasticity (neuroplasticity) is an infinitely precious quality that we can harness to move from habitual negative feeling states, including depression, anxiety, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to an expanded experience of emotional wellbeing and happiness in our daily lives. Meditation is one of the most powerful yet simple tools for altering the brain in many positive ways. There are numerous studies about the benefits of meditation in relieving stress and anxiety, improving sleep, and nurturing deep states of calm. Almost every week new scientific studies are coming out showing more neurological benefits of meditation. Here are just a few recent discoveries • A study led by scientists at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) found that schoolteachers who underwent a short, intensive meditation program were less depressed, anxious, and stressed, while also experiencing greater compassion and awareness of others’ feelings. The study was published in the April, 2011 issue of Emotion. • In a study released in March, researchers at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification (folding) of the brain’s cortex, specifically in the area of the insula – an area of the brain whose many vital roles include emotional awareness, attention, selfrecognition, decision making, and sensing. The researchers found a direct correlation between the number of years study participants had practiced meditation and the amount of brain change, offering further possible evidence of the brain’s plasticity. • A groundbreaking study led by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011 found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people experience decreased anxiety and greater feelings of calm; it also produced growth in the areas of the brain associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation. What happens in the brain during meditation? The emotional effects of sitting quietly and going within are profound. The deep state of rest produced by meditation triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Each of these naturally occurring brain chemicals has been linked to different aspects of happiness:

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• Dopamine plays a key role in the brain’s ability to experience pleasure, feel rewarded, and maintain focus. • Serotonin has a calming effect. It eases tension and helps us feel less stressed and more relaxed and focused. Low levels of this neurotransmitter have been linked to migraines, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, apathy, feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and insomnia. • Oxytocin (the same chemical whose levels rise during sexual arousal and breastfeeding), is a pleasure hormone. It creates feelings of calm, contentment, and security, while reducing fear and anxiety. It is the chemical responsible for tending, befriending and bonding. It enhances elevated feelings, like love and caring. • Endorphins are the chemicals that create the exhilaration commonly labeled “the runner’s high.” These neurotransmitters play many roles related to well being, including decreasing feelings of pain and reducing the side effects of stress. It has also been associated with heightened states of awareness in the brain while causing RELAXATION IN THE BODY. Releasing Emotional Toxicity Meditation is a powerful practice for regaining inner calm and equilibrium. Physical toxins can build up in our cells and we can also accumulate mental toxicity in the form of unresolved anger, fear, doubt, cravings, compulsiveness, and emotional upset. In meditation, we go beyond the domain of negative thought patterns and “stuck” emotions, into the domain of pure awareness. We enter the silence in the mind that is not imprisoned in the past or fearful about the future. This silence is the birthplace of happiness. It’s the eternal Now where all possibilities for creativity, love, and joy exist. And when you practice meditation on a regular basis, this present moment awareness expands into all your daily activities, allowing you to be a still point and remain centered even when life tries to intrude with all its inevitable ups and downs. Group Discussion Have the group discuss the variety of meditation practices they use now or have used in the past. How does meditation affect one’s daily life and long term perspectives on life? Group Meditation The circle leaders have a DVD copy of a meditation that Dr. Dispenza has ‘gifted’ to each circle for our use in a direct experience of one of his meditations. The meditation is over 30 minutes in length, so let the group get set up for being comfortable and participating for that amount of time. Note that copyright allows for the use of the meditation only by the Circle leaders for the sole purpose of guiding their Practitioner Circle in this first session. If there is not time, it can be moved to another session with the agreement that it is kept within the circle.

Closure Reading between Circles to prepare for the next session

Chapters 1 -3, pages 3-84 Chapter 10, pages 231-236 and Appendix A and B for week 1, pages 305-308 for meditations Share Prayer Requests.

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Chapters 1, 2 and 3 December 2013 Intention To move into the Mind/Body connection in order to experience the Energy of Creation.

Quote See quotes below

Opening Prayer Current practitioner business and group sharing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lbnrRqBjgE – 11:50 min. (Excellent Introductory Lecture)

A. Read the quotes below and notice how many ways the same thing has been said for centuries. Is there one particular quote that rings most true for you, or which says most accurately what you believe regarding creating your reality? How would you know which one would be most meaningful or relevant for your client(s)? 1. “It is done unto you as you believe.” Matthew 9:29 2. “We can gradually grow into any condition we desire provided we first make ourselves, in habitual mental attitude, the person who corresponds to those conditions.” Thomas Troward 3. “Science supports the fact that the first movement in nature can have come only from the applications of an immaterial Force or Will to the primary etheric particles, otherwise in a perfect state of equilibrium. It must leave to metaphysics not only an explanation of the Will that moves, but also the substance that is moved… Mind is so constituted that it must act, it must express that which it feels itself to be.” Fenwick Holmes, The Law of Mind in Action, 1939 4. “And it is a Law that the (man) who sees what he wants, regardless of what appears, will someday experience in the outer what he has so faithfully seen in the within.” Ernest Holmes, SOM page 299 5. “E=mc2” Albert Einstein Energy is in constant equilibrium with matter. This is noted as “Matter, on a subatomic level, exists as a momentary phenomenon.” Breaking the Habit, page 12 6. “Energy is the very fabric of all things material and is responsive to mind.” Breaking the Habit, Chapter 1, page 6.

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B. Notice the language of creation used by Dispenza, Holmes (Ernest and Fenwick) and the other master teachers. Dispenza sums this up on page 19: “We communicate with the quantum field primarily through our thoughts and feelings.” On page 20: “Only when subjects, in the scientific study, held both heightened emotions and clear objectives in alignment were they able to produce the intended effect.” If we wonder about the statements “Will that moves” the “substance that is moved” and how “mind is so constituted,” the following is an exercise to ‘get out of our (little) minds’ and into the “Mind” which is constituted in feelings and “synaptic connections.”(page 41) Notice I felt free to delete the limitation of “brain” synapses as more recent research clearly demonstrates that these connections are throughout the entire body and their energy reaches beyond the physical body. This was touched upon in Dr. Dispenza’s most recent workshop at Mile Hi. Process: You are invited to do the following – just for FUN. Participants will need to give themselves some room to pair up and to be able to do the process with minimal impact on the other pairs. That is – spread out a bit. The process will address a specific example of a situation in your life that you are ready to change or are at least willing to consider changing. Dr. Dispenza would define that as a State of Being where the same thoughts produce the same actions, which result in the same feelings. Or, “nerve cells that fire together, wires together.” (page 45) What is that and how do you access it to make the change? In this exercise we will explore the different ways the energy of feelings manifests for you. Dispenza notes those on page 22 as “electromagnetic signatures” a great way for explaining color, texture, sound and other senses! This can be useful to explore with your clients as they will have their own set of sensory “signatures” for storing their experience. The process is intended to bring together, as an Experience, the following concepts from Breaking the Habit. Pg. 19~~~“We communicate with the quantum field primarily through thoughts and feelings.” Pg. 22~~~ We store experiences as “electromagnetic signatures” – which encompass an infinite range of energies of which we are mostly aware through the five senses. Pg.32~~~We are also Aware that “The quantum field is a multidimensional reality that exists beyond your senses.” Pg. 41~~~In order to change, it is required to “Re-wire synaptic connections.” Pg. 20~~~“When we combine an elevated emotion with an open heart and a conscious intention with a clear thought, we signal the field to respond in amazing ways… you create a new electromagnetic field.” Pg 33~~~“Since the quantum field is nothing but immaterial probability, it is outside of time and space. As soon as we Observe one of those infinite possibilities and give it material reality, it acquires those two characteristics.” Pg 47~~~“…they all had a dream, vision, or objective that was much larger than they were.” Pg 50-51, 82 ~~“…the group who mentally rehearsed… grew nearly the same number of brain circuits as the group who physically engaged in the activity…Mental rehearsal is an important tool in breaking the habit of being ourselves…The neural hardwire is rewired to reflect the thought as the experience. This is the moment when the thought becomes the experience.” Here we go: Think of a recent experience where you were a bit uncomfortable, anxious, tense, angry, sad or similar emotion or behavior. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very mild and 10 being ‘get to your practitioner Today! Pick an emotion or experience less than 4.

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The process can now be done with the Circle leader for that day guiding and being the A person in the process. If you want to practice guiding the process, use the write up below which has people pair up and trade off. I like the pairs as the participants can go at their own speed. The advantage of the guided process is that it is less time, and sometimes the less one ‘thinks’ and the more they just notice the body messages, the more authentic the experience. Work in pairs. Pick an A and a B. A starts as the guide and B will be the participant. The script is in indented below for A, but B is asked to communicate their responses to A as they are aware of them. A asks, Are you willing to participate in a process to resolve, or at least come to greater clarity about, a response or emotion that is not working as well as you would like? B says yes if they are willing to proceed. (For those of you who know about muscle testing, you can use it as a check.) Only proceed if you have permission. A uses the following guide in working with B: Find yourself in a comfortable and relaxed position. Breathe deeply and fully into your Chest/Heart and all the way down into your belly. Breathe deeply in this manner several times...Let each breath allow you to be more and more deeply relaxed and safe. It is just fine to let your eyes close to enable you to be even more deeply present. Feel the energy of your Heart as it activates this journey. In this safe space, think of a situation where you are, or in the past were, reacting to or experiencing an emotion or behavior that seemed out of your control. It could also just be an experience that you are willing to transform. Remember specifically that experience and possibly re-live it in your mind’s eye. The fact that you can notice means that you are observing and Aware. From this place, you can identify a sensation in your body somewhere. It may start as a voice in your head, but keep your attention on this experience and really find out where it appears in your body as a sensation. This could be a tension of the shoulders, a feeling in your heart or abdomen, a kind of jittery feeling in your ‘gut’. The safer you are feeling now in this Awareness, the more you can notice any colors, temperature, density, shapes, sounds, vibrations, fragrances or it may even be that the experience takes on the appearance of a symbol. These are how you store this experience electromagnetically and it may well be different for every situation. Let’s call this a ‘part’ as we often use that language when we say ‘a part of me wants something’. Imagine inviting that part to talk with you. Make it feel Welcome! If it has a name or symbol, invite it to tell us how it wants to be recognized. {Note to A, not to be read to B.} If the part does not have a name or symbol, use the most dominant sensory sensation for the rest of the process where you reference the ‘part’. We ask ‘the part’ what its most positive Intent is for you, or what has it been trying to communicate to you through your behavior or body responses…? Take time to really Appreciate the gift of this positive Intention. If you have Now, fully and completely realized the realization of this Intent, is there anything that is even More Important to you? Let all of you embody having this Intent fulfilled and be truly grateful for the Learning. We ask one more time, Now that you have, fully and completely realized the realization of this deeper Intent, is there anything that is even more important to you? Let all of you embody having this Intent fulfilled and be truly grateful for the Learning. The Intent may come in feelings, words, symbols, colors.

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The unconscious Mind knows exactly what the core communication is. Your consciousness will get the full message as the time is Right. Honor the part and be in sacred communication with it. Listen carefully and thank it for participating each time. Really get a sense of the value of the Intention of this part for your Well Being. Now ask ‘the part’ what resources it needs from you, or what it wants you to learn, in order to fulfill its most positive Intent for you. This also may come in feelings, words, symbols, colors. The unconscious Mind knows exactly what the core communication is. Your consciousness will get the full message as the time is Right. You may be moved to invite into your Awareness another part of yourself which does have the resources at this time. Welcome that part or parts and be grateful for how totally integrated and Whole you are. Be a Neutral and Divine Observer or Witness allowing this Integration and Oneness to unfold. As this wholeness takes place, a new symbol or feeling may emerge. This is the new circuitry being laid in place, as a new energy and access to richer resources. With Sincere Appreciation, continue being in that energy of new creation. Save the new experience in a safe place in your body or Energy field that can be accessed whenever you need it. Be AWARE of moving that Energy to where ever is appropriate to establish free flowing neural networks. Honor and be grateful for the participation of the original ‘part’ and any new ‘parts’ of yourself that are bringing you into Greater Wholeness and Alignment. Take all the time you need in the next two minutes to complete the process for now and bring your awareness back into the room. You may want to journal, draw, move, sing or otherwise complete the process. Know that the completion of the process will be in Divine Right Timing and will continue to unfold over the next few days. If you are doing pairs, switch roles when B is done journaling. A and B drink a big glass of water. Keep hydrated for the next day or so to allow the biochemical changes to flow into newly established circuits.

Closure

Reading between Circles to prepare for next session: Chapters 4-5, pages 85-120 Chapter 11, pages 237-257; Appendix C week 2, pages 309-310 Share Prayer Requests.

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Chapters 4 and 5 February 2014 Quote We cannot live a choice less life. Every day, every moment, every second, there is a choice. ~SOM (p. 143)

Intention Understand time and the way it shows up in your life. To allow the creative life to flow through you.

Opening Prayer Check-in and Sharing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzaHWSx1vWU&list=PL57CF98A559560652 – 14:17 min. Rewiring Your Brain to a New Reality” 1 of 4 See YouTube’s in the reference section at the end for parts 2-4 of 4 If interested watch on your own time. Overcoming Time (Chapter 4) Think Greater Than Time How is my present perception of time sustaining my old self ? What past memories in my life are sustaining my present reality? What present thoughts in my life are sustaining my present reality? What future thoughts in my life are sustaining my present reality? How can I perceive time differently than my present environment? How can I feel greater than my present reality in relation to time? From the writings of Ernest Holmes: “The Formless takes form in what we call ‘time’. Time is the sequence of events in a unitary wholeness; it is recollection, attention and anticipation – past, present and future – simply a measure of experience.” SOM, page 101.2 Compare and contrast Holmes writing on time with those of Joe Disepnza. Additional questions How do you help a client overcome time restraints to live in the moment? page 85 How would you help the person that is going to the BBQ if they came to see you? page 92 Discuss your peak experiences/creative experiences with the group. page 94

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Survival versus Creation (Chapter 5) Discuss the relationship between Prefrontal Cortex and Creation. How is my present environment sustaining Survival thoughts? What people in my life are sustaining survival thoughts in my present reality? What things in my life are sustaining survival in my present reality? How can I think greater than my present environment so I can be in Creation more often during the day? How can I feel greater than my preset reality so I can be in Creation more often during the day? What actions can I take so I can be in Creation more often during the day? From the writings of Ernest Holmes: “The idea of a successful life will create success. This idea will find objective form in the outer world of the one who holds to it with conviction. It first must become established in the consciousness mind. It will then transmit itself into a subjective embodiment and when this happens success will become habitual.” SOM, page 400.2 Additional Questions How do you handle stress differently now that you are a practitioner? SOM, page 99 Are there areas in your life you still create stress? How do you handle it and how can that help clients? From the writings of Ernest Holmes How Habits are Acquired and Treated “What is a habit? A habit is desire objectified – the continuous character of one’s thoughts and feelings” - - desire for something that will give satisfaction. At the root of all habits is one basic thing: the desire to express life. There is an urge to express in all people, and this urge, operating through the express in all people, and this urge, operating through the channels of Creative Mind, looses energy into action, and compels the individual to do something. Back of all this desire is the impulse of Spirit to express. In man, this impulse must express at the level of his consciousness.” SOM, pages 222-223 Habit: “Any act which has become part of the subconscious mentality. Habits are formed by first consciously thinking, and then unconsciously acting. What one thinks today will tomorrow be a part of his memory; and since memory is active, what he thinks today as a conscious thought will tomorrow be a submerged but active thought… habit.” From the Glossary SOM, page 596 Now that we have completed the first section. Compare Dispenzas’ thoughts on Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself with Holmes view on How Habits are Acquired and Treated. Review the exercises from Chapter 11 - Prune away the Habit of Being Yourself.

Closure

Reading between Circles to prepare for next session: Chapters 6-7, pages 123-174, Appendix C week 3, pages 311-313 Share prayer requests.

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Chapters 6, 7, Appendix C April 2014 Intention To examine the process of change and have confidence that the process works and will work for you.

Quote I can’t go on. I go on. ~ Samuel Beckett From Seven Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo

Opening Prayer Check-in and Sharing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5y8FA-Kr1o - 2:18 min. Gaiam interview more of Think Greater Than Time Three Brains: Thinking to Doing to Being Chapter 6 - Our Three Brains What am I thinking (neocortex) that is sustaining my present reality? What am I doing (limbic brain) that is sustaining my present reality? How am I being (cerebellum) that is sustaining my present reality? What new information can I study (neocortex) to create a new personal reality? What new information can I practice (limbic) to create a new personal reality? How will I know when I am being (cerebellum) this new self in my personal reality? From the writings of Ernest Holmes: “… One finds himself impoverished. He wishes to change this condition. He knows that is not in accord with the ultimate reality, that the Spirit imposes no limitations. Therefore, he knows that his apparent limited condition has no real law to support it…” SOM, page 54 The Trinity of Being “… it is the thing, the way it works and what it Does. The Thing is Absolute Intelligence, the Way It works, is Absolute Law, and What It does, is the result – manifestation…” SOM, page 80 Compare and contrast Holmes writing on time with those of Joe Dispenza. Additional questions How do you help a client conquer the present reality? Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself page 131 How would you help the person actions and reactions so the experience leads to new feelings? BHBY, page 132 Discuss the comment: “If you can Master suffering you can Master Joy?” BHBY, page135

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Chapter 7 – The Gap Discuss what layers of emotion we memorize that creates the gap? Do I understand what emotional addictions are keeping me from moving forward? How do I appear to others on the outside, and how do I really feel on the inside, discuss the possible gap? How can I close the gap? From the writings of Ernest Holmes: “Just as we depend upon any condition, past present and future, we are creating chaos, because we are then dealing with conditions (effects) and not with causes. Could we but comprehend that there is a Power that makes things directly out Itself – by simply becoming the thing It makes – could we but grasp this greatest truth about life; and realize that we are dealing with a Principle scientifically correct and eternally present, we can accomplish whatever is possible for us to conceive. Life externalizes at the level of our thought.” SOM, page146.4 Additional Questions How can you overcome the layers of emotions we memorized that creates the Gap? BHBY, page 150 What really matters at the end? BHBY, page 159 Closing the Gap? BHBY, pages166 – 167 How do you handle it and how can that help clients? Compare Dispenzas’ thoughts on breaking the emotional addictions of being yourself with Holmes view on How Thoughts are Acquired and Treated.

Closure

Reading between Circles to prepare for next session: Chapters 8-9, pages 175-229 and Chapter 12, pages 259-270 Appendix C week 4, pages 312-313 Share Prayer Requests.

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Chapters 8, 9 and 12 June 2014 Quote Think of what you want, talk in terms of what you want, expect what you want, and act as though you had it. ~ Raymond Charles Barker

Intention How to lean in to the ideal YOU!

Begin by centering, first a few moments of silence, then deep breathing, followed by a member leading the group in a centering. Check in: reflect on the past two months, what have you observed about yourself ? How has your behavior changed? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5B3RSzDqS8 – 28:24 min. How to lose your mind and create a new one!!!! – Interview about the new book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself Activity: Read It, Write It, Talk It and Make the Change! 1. Read the example below of a person’s Less Than Ideal Self (Example) What habit do you want What are you thinking What are you feeling How are you acting, what to unlearn to become your when you do this? when you are not your is your behavior when you ideal self ? ideal self ? are not your ideal self ? Interrupting when another person is talking, finishing their sentence, not listening deeply.

That I have something to say or an experience about what they are saying. Sometimes a one up better than you implicit message.

Eager to talk, excited this takes me from deep listening of the other person and shifting the focus to me.

Obvious restlessness, no eye contact

2. Write about a habit you want to unlearn to become your ideal self ? Use the chart at the top of page 20. 3. Talk in a small group a. Share your less than ideal habit you want to unlearn. b. Identify and name the opposite of this less than ideal habit. What is your goal that will express the New Ideal Self goal? c. Complete the rest of the chart on page 20.

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Activity: Explain it in five words • Write five words that describe the new you! Commit to the new you by sharing in a small group or with the entire group. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Activity: Elaborate • Share with the group, in a sentence or two, one important take away about your Ideal Self. • Write an affirmation or journal or a question to rehearse you new goal and behavior.

Activity: Reflect and Share Think about the time you were doing so well being your Ideal Self when something triggered you to lean back into your less than Ideal Self: • How did you know when you were not in alignment with your ideal self ? • What action alerted you to the misalignment? • What were you thinking at the time? • What were you feeling and where did you feel it: head, heart, or body.

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Worksheet Less Than Ideal Self Chart What habit do you want What are you thinking to unlearn to become your when you do this? ideal self ?

How are you acting, what What are you feeling when is your behavior when you you are not your ideal self ? are not your ideal self ?

Ideal Self Chart What is my ideal “self ” goal?

What do I think when I am my ideal self ?

What do I feel when I am my ideal self ?

Closure

Reading between Circles to prepare for next session: Conclusion: Chapters 13-14 pages 271-298 Share prayer requests.

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How do I act when I am my ideal self ?

Chapters 13 and 14 August 2014 Intention To celebrate a new you and reflect on the meditative process.

Quote We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, We dance for madness, we dance for fears, We dance for hopes, we dance for screams, We are the dancers, we create the dreams. ~Albert Einstein

Begin by centering, releasing and clearing the mind of the day’s events and focusing within, being conscious and mindful of the moment and gratitude that we can be together and share from deep within our hearts and listen to one another with compassion. Check in: reflect on the past two months and share in two sentences an example of how you caught yourself doing something you wanted to change. What alerted you to this action? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6pqcS2Nli0 – 7:06 min. How Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Daughter Manifested an Unlimited Activity: Reflect on the meditative process in Appendix C, pages 309-313. Describe how this process worked for you? How was it helpful? Will the meditative process become part of your practice? Celebration Activity: Create a group reading Adapted from Seven Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo • Take turns and describe a behavior you have that is less than whole. • Take that same behavior and each person describe the opposite of it. • Next, take one phrase or image of each person’s ideal self that they shared and write the phrase on one piece of paper, do not include names. • Read aloud together your group read of the ideal self.

Closure

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Resources:

This extensive set of resources was compiled by Mariza Vazquez J.D., who has partnered with several Neuroscience based change initiatives, including a Train the Trainer by Dr. Joe Dispenza and his staff on the concepts described in his book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself www.drjoedispenza.com, and additional Neuroscience training with The Hawn Foundation www.thehawnfoundation.org. We are deeply appreciative of her work on this! The Chopra Center Newsletter http://www.chopra.com/files/newsletter/Apr12/Apr12-Meditation.html. Recent Studies on the Value of Meditation Meditation in the Workplace Decreases Stress http://www.noetic.org/noetic/issue-nineteen-february/meditating-at-work/ Institute of Noetic Sciences comprehensive article on the use of meditation in the workplace, how they have measured successful results in stress reduction, improved concentration, improved emotional intelligence, improved objective decision making, enhanced self awareness, and increased positive emotions directly benefiting the profits and performance of the participating companies.

Meditation in the Workplace Increases Profitability http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXJu14UP5qk A comprehensive blood and cancer center introduces meditation to 300 employees in the workplace to decrease stress, depression and sadness drastically improving morale, energy, team work and sustaining profits. Science-based MRI Proves Meditation Reduces Stress, Pain and Self-centeredness! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16406814 Meditation can reduce stress, depression and even chronic pain, BBC’s David Sillito learned the art of mindfulness meditation in order to find out for himself. MRI scan shows how meditation impacted his brain activity. A Neuroscientist explains to Mr. Sillito how the part of his brain which governs compassion, has increased in size and density after an 8-week meditation practice. MindUp Program, Mindfulness Improves Academic Achievement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OdBXGHwNCk At TED, actress Goldie Hawn and Dr. Daniel Siegel talked about the new evidence based MindUp program which improves academic achievement, behavioral issues, and enhances empathy and compassion in schools and communities. Meditation in Public Schools Improves Academic Achievement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9-phWL8t08&feature=player_embedded Watch a powerful 6-minute video. Surrounded by poverty and escalating violence, a San Francisco middle school, committed to peace, embraced a program of meditation that has made students feel safer, teachers more productive, and brought unity and purpose to the school. As a result of a meditation program called Quiet Time, students’ grades improved, fewer truancy and suspensions, less teacher turnover, and less violence and behavioral issues.

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Meditation in Public Schools Improves School Environment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G-UnzmbdUM&playnext=1&list=PL4F671190952E74BB&feature=resul ts_video Thorough synopsis of the benefits of meditation in a troubled middle school in San Francisco, improved student achievement, truancy, turnover, stress, and health. School Principal Endorses the Value of Meditation in Public Schools http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWlxccum5WM School Principal interviewed on the value of meditation as the most powerful program he has ever implemented in 35 years. Jon Kabat Zinn on Mindfulness Meditation hthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLQ3qkh0w0&feature=related Jon Kabat-Zinn discusses what mindfulness and meditation are really about. This was part of a talk put on by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Zinn is a pioneer on the use of meditation as a pain management technique when medication fails. Value of Meditation Before Work, Off ADHD Drugs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiCLVd08HSI Meditation has a measurable impact on the brain. Josh Goldberg took part in the study at American University and claims it has helped to get him off a cocktail of drugs he was taking to control Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). American University Students 10 Week Meditation Results http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7907242.stm Meditation increases brain function and lowered stress for these students. Fifty students took part in the trial at the American University in Washington DC and after ten weeks of meditation they reported feeling more alert and said they coped better in difficult situations. Eight Week Meditation Program, Reduces Stress, Pain, Increases Compassion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMsUGB_KV7s David Sillito tried mindfulness meditation and talks about his experience, interviewing some of the experts. Functional Brain Scans show practice reduces stress, pain, self-centeredness and increases compassion. Meditation to Increase Happiness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVnl0zd5npQ In January 2011, Action for Happiness partnered with the BBC to run a week-long “Happiness Challenge”. In Part 4 the volunteers learn how mindfulness meditation can reshape the way they think and bring great emotional, psychological and physical benefits.

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Excellent YouTube references October 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tku3kEPavxI – 4:20 min. - short introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlAXfpozq8s&list=PL62950675DE2956CE 3:49 min. snapshot from a Advanced Workshop December 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lbnrRqBjgE – 11:50 min. - Introductory Lecture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku1mUS4tR1g - 5:43 min. - Thinking, Doing and Being, Conversations with Robyn February 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzaHWSx1vWU&list=PL57CF98A559560652 – 14:17 min. Rewiring Your Brain to a New Reality” 1 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zULJFjKGY&list=PL57CF98A559560652 – 12:19 Rewiring Your Brain to a New Reality” 2 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCEqMDgfxP4&list=PL57CF98A559560652 – 13:03 min. Rewiring Your Brain to a New Reality” 3 of 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t-wes-iJac&list=PL57CF98A559560652 – 9:08 min. Rewiring Your Brain to a New Reality” 4 of 4 Movies: The Secret and What the Bleep April 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5y8FA-Kr1o - 2:18 min. Gaiam interview more of Think Greater Than Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5EOoeSwAMQ - 6:33 min. Self-Love as True Empowerment with Joe Dispenza, DC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l2nvTv9_Xw - 17:51 min. Three Brains - Thinking to Doing to Being (Joe Dispenza) June 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5B3RSzDqS8 – 28:24 min. How to loose your mind and create a new one!!!! – Interview about the new book Breaking the habit of Being Yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6pqcS2Nli0 – 7:06 min. How Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Daughter Manifested an Unlimited August 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RavoY4Dbfio 16:19 min. Dr Joe Dispenza Part 1 - Betsy Chasse talks with Dr. Joe Dispenza about Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo7t5Kg93rM 24:22 min. Dr Joe Dispenza part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0JPunoP6Io – 48:32 min. Rewiring Your Brain - Joe Dispenza

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Notes

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