Recently, I came across the following statement in an article on the power of positive thinking on a nursing website: “It is said that the average person has 40,000 thoughts per day, of which 80% are negative. Every time you have a negative thought, your brain releases negative chemicals that make your body feel bad.”
Imagine what would happen if you reduced the amount of negative thoughts per day by replacing them with more positive thoughts? You will increase positive chemical reactions and align yourself mentally and energetically to receive and manifest more things of a positive nature. It is well-known that having a positive mindset aids in recovery from serious illnesses and diseases such as cancer.
Both my Reiki practice and my life coaching practice involve working with affirmations. In Reiki treatment, practitioners are taught to facilitate mental/emotional healing that combines Reiki energy with the use of specific statements for releasing old habits, behaviors and thinking and reprogramming the mind to accept new ones. During the coaching process, I work with the client to define one or more affirmations to be repeated at regular intervals daily to align with personal goals. The language of the affirmations reflects the desired outcome in the present tense. An example of an affirmation might be: “I am experiencing financial abundance. I can pay my bills with ease.”
The practice of affirmations is simple, positive action anyone can take – and yet, why do so many people resist it? I have been told by people that they don’t believe that affirmations work, or that it’s not realistic to trick the mind into believing in a reality that doesn’t (yet) exist. I suspect that lack of faith in the process and poor self-esteem (“I don’t really deserve to be happy/financially stable/in love/living the life of my dreams”) play a role in the refusal to explore practicing the use of affirmations for manifestation and goal-setting.
Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki Ryoho, believed that if the mind was properly aligned, the body would naturally follow:
Firstly the mind must be healed, and secondly,
the body must be made sound.
If the mind is healthy, conforming to a path of integrity,
then the body becomes sturdy of its own accord.
We heal the mind through positive thinking, and in more spiritual terms, what the Buddhists refer to as “right thought.” If we persist in negative thinking by saying, “I can’t” or “this is impossible”, we are limiting our own ability connect with our Divine nature and raise our energetic vibration.
Like attracts like, meaning, if your thoughts are positive, you are more likely to attract positive people, good health and other outcomes in accordance with your highest good. Affirmations are not “Pollyanna thinking.” Through the use of affirmations, you deliberately and thoughtfully taking responsibility for your life by aligning your thoughts with your goals and energy.
As with any other practice, working with affirmations requires time, commitment and awareness. Spend a day observing your thoughts. How many times do negative thoughts arise? How do you feel – angry, frustrated, or powerless? Then practice replacing some of those thoughts when they arise with positive ones, without getting down on or judging yourself. Did you feel your mood lift? Did it give you inspiration for something you could perhaps do differently?
Continue this daily and you may notice subtle changes occurring – something unexpectedly good comes your way or you suddenly have motivation to take a new direction where you previously felt stuck. You may feel lighter and more energetic too. Positive energy is cumulative and the more you accumulate, the more energy you have to draw from to buoy you through challenging times.
Words have power, but we also need to learn how to use them properly to experience their positive benefit. Two terrific resources I recommend for learning to work with affirmations are Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Meditations for Manifesting (I actually have this on my iPod and play it on the car in the morning) and the queen of affirmations, Louise Hay.
(Photo credit: Bark on Flickr)
Dana Young | 
08 21st, 2011| 
Here are some recent news articles that are specifically about, or mention the benefits of Reiki for health and well-being. Notice the wide range of issues being addressed with Reiki treatment, as well as the increased integration of this practice into military and consumer health care settings.
