“Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.”
The vast majority of people are unaware of the potential for improving their lives through the power of words. The words you choose can either give you or take away your power.
There is more to words than just syllables and tones. Emotions are contained in the tone, energy, and vibration of words. They have the power to radically alter the neurons in your brain.
Do you feel happy when someone paid you a compliment? And how do you feel after hearing someone make a derogatory comment about you?
Words create energy and transmit vibrational frequencies. The frequent repetition of a word causes your mind to absorb and retain it.
Although words cannot alter reality, they can influence your perception of it. It also has the power to infiltrate your subconscious mind and change your thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
This is known as the priming effect. Priming occurs when one stimulus influences how people react to a subsequent stimulus. And without them being aware of the relationship between the stimuli.
These stimuli are frequently connected to words or pictures that people view on a daily basis. A study conducted by clinical psychologists Yiwei Chen and John Wryobeck offers the best example of this psychological phenomenon.
In this study, the researchers sought to subconsciously encourage healthy behaviors among students in their study environment. Participants were instructed to use phrases (such as ‘fit,’ ‘lean,’ and ‘active’) that emphasized living a healthy and active lifestyle.
Primed by sentences related to a healthy attitude, these students were found to use the stairs more frequently. The majority of the other students who were not primed, however, chose to use the elevator.
Yale psychologist John Bargh did a similar experiment using the power of words to influence behavior. In the experiment, he had three groups of participants.
The first group was tasked with deciphering a set of harsh phrases, including “bold,” “assertive”, and “disrupt.” For the second group, a series of polite terms, including patience, respect, and respectful, were used.
The third group (known as “neutral condition”) had phrases that fell somewhere in between. After they had finished processing the words, the participants were to walk down the corridor and notify the researcher.
When a participant approached, the researcher deliberately got into a lengthy conversation with another researcher. The objective was to ascertain how long it would take before a participant interrupted the researcher.
In the first ten minutes, only 40% of the neutral group and 20% of the “polite words” group intervened. As for the first group, 60% of them interrupted within the first ten minutes.
The two aforementioned experiments demonstrate how words act as lenses through which people see their surroundings. Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and communications expert Mark Waldman described in their ground-breaking book “Words Can Change Your Brain” that:
“A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.”
So, remember this: words have an impact on both your thoughts and actions. How you think and behave is influenced by the words you choose.
Author and keynote speaker Ryan Foland made a poignant point about the power of words with his analogy about driving:
“If you are driving and think to yourself, ‘I am running late.’ your brain will instinctively look for signals that reinforce your thoughts to create the reality of you running late.
This will manifest into the world in various ways. You may start to switch lanes to find a faster route. Overreact when the traffic slows down.
Become agitated by other driver’s behaviors. Speed more than you normally would to make up time that you think you need to make up et cetera, et cetera…
If thinking and saying that you’re going to be late makes your brain look for reasons that you are going to be late and eventually causes you to be late.”
Each word you use contains an intention. When you think, speak, or write, you make your intentions clear with each word you use. Your life is significantly impacted by the words you use every day.
Words are not only powerful. They are also hypnotic. Words can take control of your subconscious mind and shift the direction of your life.
As we have learned so far, words can alter your perception of reality. This means that you can create your own reality using words.
The simplest method to change your reality if you are unhappy with it is to modify your vocabulary. Your subconscious mind collects information coming in from your five senses.
When words enter your subconscious mind, they get filtered and processed, and a “program” is created.
So, when you communicate with yourself, you are programing your subconscious mind. Your mind is the most potent tool that you possess. And you are completely free to choose what you want to believe.
Just imagine this scenario:
You are feeling a slight discomfort in your body, and you think to yourself, “I’m not feeling too good. I feel like I’m under the weather and I’m going to get sick.”
The moment that your subconscious gets the “I’m going to get sick” message, a new program kicks in. And soon enough, you will begin to get sick.
Your mind and your body are connected. Whatever words and thoughts you feed your mind will manifest themselves in your body and environment.
Words are converted into thoughts, and then the mind continuously transfers those thoughts to all the cells in your body. If it plays such an influential role, how can you use the power of words to elevate your life?
In my profession, we employ specific phrases and words to help clients shift mindsets to enhance their lives. Although they are widely used in the area of hypnotherapy, they are less common among non-practitioners.
Here are 3 tips for enhancing your life using the hypnotic power of words:
In order to fully appreciate the hypnotic power of language, you must first comprehend this:
Your subconscious mind only works with positive words. It will ignore words such as “no,” “not,” and “don’t.”
In my hypnotherapy sessions, only positive phrases are used. Because the subconscious mind simply cannot recognize negative words.
Because, when you don’t want to think about something, you do. Try this little experiment: Don’t think of a blue car.
What are you thinking of? I assumed that you just thought about a blue car.
If you want to lose weight, avoid saying things like, “I don’t want to be overweight.” Put a positive spin on it by rephrasing it as “I want to be fit and slim.”
In the process of thinking, you are actually sending messages to your subconscious mind. These are the moments when you have to choose your words very carefully.
Whether you are in deep thought, daily conversation, or self-talk, your subconscious mind is constantly listening. Therefore, it is essential to make it a habit to regularly use positive language in all of your interactions.
Now that you are aware that negative words cannot be processed by the subconscious, what are you prepared to do?
Being positive or using positive words might not be something you are born with. To become optimistic or use positive language, it takes practice. Just like when you learn a new sport or musical instrument, you get better with practice.
Perhaps a good place to start is by analyzing the quality of your self-talk…
Whether we realize it or not, we frequently engage in self-talk. This is the never-ending stream of unspoken thoughts you experience each day.
Once you realize that words could potentially change energy frequency, you’ll be more conscious of the words that enter your mind. Quantum physics has established that everything is merely energy in various vibrational states.
Physical stuff doesn’t actually exist.
Commonly known as “internal dialogue,” self-talk (the positive kind) boosts an array of health benefits. This is truly the hypnotic power of words at work.
When you think of something uplifting and optimistic, the region in your brain connected to language is activated. This is linked to the motor cortex, which is what propels you into action.
The more you concentrate on speaking positively, the more you begin to influence other areas of your brain. According to the Mayo Clinic, positive self-talk may lead to:
While positive internal dialogue promotes many health benefits, the opposite is also true. Students claimed, for instance, that their negative internal dialogue during test preparation increased their test anxiety.
Studies have also connected negative self-talk to anxiety in children. If you don’t deal with your inner critic while you’re young, it can follow you into adulthood.
Because of this, it’s important to assess your self-talk and make the appropriate adjustments. Once this is done, you can choose the appropriate words to feed your subconscious.
You can construct empowering sentences to use frequently to impact your subconscious. Repeated words build strength through repetition and become imprinted in the subconscious mind.
When words are repeated in the forefront of your mind, the message is likely to stick in your memory. That is why affirmations are so powerful.
These positive snippets have the power to alter the way you think and feel about yourself. Have you ever paused to think about the reasons behind the power of affirmations?
Repeated words frequently acquire power by permeating your subconscious mind. It then influences your thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
In the end, it changes your way of thinking, which eventually transforms your life. The fact that words can alter our lives by changing our vibrational frequency is nothing new.
In the 1990s, Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto did a series of experiments on the effect that words have on energy. A detailed account of his experiments with the power of words is found in his book, “The Miracle of Water.”
When frozen water free of impurities is examined under a microscope, crystallized ice that resembles snowflakes can be seen. In his experiment, Emoto poured pure water into vials marked with negative words like “you disgust me” or “fear.”
Twenty-four hours later, misshapen clusters are seen under the microscope. In contrast, a vial of contaminated water marked with phrases like “love” or “peace” gave rise to brilliant crystals.
The results of Emoto’s tests show that the condition of the water molecules can be changed by words. Given that the human body is composed of 70% water, just consider the impact that words can have on us.
Based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, words have the ability to rewire your brain. Here are a few examples of positive affirmations that you can use to improve your life:
“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.”
“I speak with confidence and self-assurance.”
“I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.”
With repetition, these affirmations will become part of your life, and they will lead to amazing transformations in your life. Because your mind interprets what you say literally, positive affirmations can be essential for overcoming negative thoughts.
Another effective way to reprogram your subconscious mind is through positive affirmations. According to psychologist and motivation expert Jonathan Fader, PhD, founder of the Union Square Practice in New York City:
“There’s a little bit of implicit coaching that’s happening when you’re reading it. It’s building that self-efficacy in that kind of dialogue that you’re having with yourself.”
Self-efficacy. Isn’t it something we all need?
Choose your words carefully. Whether they are internalized as thoughts or spoken in a conversation, the quality of your life is dependent upon them.
Words are hypnotic. They are prime directives of your subconscious mind.
Scientific studies have proven that words not only have a profound psychological impact on us. They also significantly influence on how our lives turn out.
The power of words is hypnotic, and its potency is not to be taken lightly.
DISCLOSURE: In my article, I’ve mentioned a few products and services, all in a valiant attempt to turbocharge your life. Some of them are affiliate links. This is basically my not-so-secret way of saying, “Hey, be a superhero and click on these links.” When you joyfully tap and spend, I’ll be showered with some shiny coins, and the best part? It won’t cost you an extra dime, not even a single chocolate chip. Your kind support through these affiliate escapades ensures I can keep publishing these useful (and did I mention free?) articles for you in the future.
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