By DR. VICTOR S. SIERPINA
Let’s try a short exercise. Ask yourself a series of questions and notice how they make you feel:
“Why do I have abundant energy every day?”
“Why am I so healthy?”
“Why do I enjoy peace of mind and fulfillment every day?”
“Why am I so happy?”
“Why do I take responsibility for my health?”
“Why did I quit worrying?”
“Why do I love living a healthy, active lifestyle?”
“Why do I treat my body with love?”
“Why do I have wonderful, loving relationships in my life?”
Or alternatively:
“Why am I so tired?”
“Why am I falling apart physically?”
“Why do I have so many things that I have to worry about?”
“Why am I down and depressed?”
“Why can’t I find a pill to make me healthy and feel good?”
“Why does it always seem something bad is about to happen?”
“Why can’t I find time to be active and fit?
“Why even try to lose weight or improve my fitness? I hate my body.”
“Why is my family so dysfunctional?”
Notice your gut reaction to each of these sets of questions. Clearly, the first raises expectations, hope and even curiosity. The second set fosters a sense of defeat, negativity and hopelessness.
In my day-to-day medical practice, I am much more likely to hear some rendition of that second group of “whys” than the first. So many people coming in for medical care seem to suffer from lives of quiet desperation. They are tired, stressed, burned out, depressed — and often hopeless. Suffering from chronic pain, addictions, fears and anxieties of all sorts, financial lack, poor sleep, dissatisfaction in their careers and relationships, they seek deeper meaning and healing in life.
These are not just medical problems. They are life problems.
One approach to healing I recently discovered was the practice of asking empowering questions. This is described in “The Book of Afformations,” by Noah St. John. The term “afformation” is about forming our good whys by asking certain kinds of questions. When first experimenting with this method, I found it incredibly different and enlivening.
Rather than merely imagining or affirming a positive future state as many self-help methods propose, afformations set our subconscious mind up to appreciate our present state. This state may or may not be fully visible to us in our current consciousness. However, asking questions to ourselves in certain way can help us overcome a belief gap, change habitual ways of thinking, and ultimately affect our lives in a positive way.
If we feel stuck in some area of our life, we likely won’t get out of it by repeating the same thought patterns or actions. Albert Einstein famously said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
So if you are looking to improve your health, happiness and personal power, try “The Why…?” method. Ask questions that provoke you to think about and afform the good in your life. Don’t be scared off if it feels unfamiliar or even unreal at first. It may just be the beginning of a new, improved you.
Dr. Victor S. Sierpina is the WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine and Professor of Family Medicine at UTMB.