Finding Serenity!

One of my favorite moments in life is sitting in the "Florida Room" in my Mom's home up in Wautoma,Wisconsin. Early in the morning I love to go out to the room with a mug of hot decaffeinated coffee and sit in the silence. There are always deer and exotic birds that entertain me as I sit and look out. I like to think of this room as the "meditation" room. A place where I can get quiet with my thoughts. A place where I can be in prayer. A place to self-hypnotize.

Yes, I did say self-hypnotize. I find self-hypnosis to be one of the most powerful tools every person has access to. The mind is powerful. I can close my eyes right here in South Florida as I type this piece and go to the "Florida Room" in Wautoma and see those very same deer grazing and walking through the morning dew. It was a glorious day! I felt so serene just looking out. It was that very day I meditated with the morning glory and visualized where I wanted to be years from now. I imagined earning my doctorate in psychology, teaching at a university, and bringing my work to the Internet in a way that could reach everyone. And I did all of the above! Today, I am able to create magical self-hypnosis CD's for those who can not come to my office. It is affordable and easy to do.

I had a patient ask me the other day if I thought anyone could be hypnotized. As I pondered the question for a moment I answered yes, as long as the person is not suffering from brain damage or severe mental illness. I think the big misunderstanding is that hypnosis is losing control over your mind, when in fact it is actually the opposite. Rather, hypnosis is the training of your mind. To be able to get to a relaxed state and redirect your thinking. Over my near decade and a half of conducting hypnotherapy I have seen remarkable results. The mind is an amazing thing...and it will take you wherever you want it to go with a little imagination and creativity.

Often when a patient comes to me for self-hypnosis I ask them to find a place in their mind that brings them serenity. A place that is peaceful and safe. It could be as warm and fuzzy as walking through a field of flowers, or strolling barefoot on the beach feeling the warm sand between your toes, or curled up on a couch reading a good book near the fireplace with a crackling fire warming your feet, or playing with puppies. Everyone has a place or two that brings such joy. Another place for me as a child was taking a nap on the back porch in Chicago with my dog Cuddles. I can remember the smell of the closed in porch and feel the breeze on my skin from the opened windows on a beautiful Chicago summer day. Those were magical moments.

We all have a special place that allows us to embrace pure peace and harmony. And if you can't fine one make it up! You can conjure one up from a picture in a magazine or a place you saw on television. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and pretend. It is for this reason you can imagine yourself thin and free of your eating disorder (or whatever concerns you have) and the mind will grab the image, even if it is not real...yet. Dream big!

I knew that magical morning in the "Florida Room" my life was going to evolve even greater than it was. I knew I was going to grow my practice beyond South Florida. Just planting the seed and believing in my work set the wheels in motion. Today, I have realized my dreams and continue to each and every day. Life is magical and promising. I feel as serene as the deer in the woods...living in the now...enjoying the moment. When my day is filled with busyness (and it often is), I close my eyes and go where ever I want my mind to take me. And of course one of my "getaways" is looking out at the wildlife from the "Florida Room" in Wautoma, Wisconsin.

Photo taken by: Dr. Lisa Ortigara Crego

Patience

Patience was never one of my strong suits. Two years ago when I was up at my sisters cottages, which have been in my family for many generations, I commented on the beauty of Great Grandma's (Baba) lilies that are sprinkled about and how they are still going even though she has long passed.


My brother-in-law over hearing my enthusiasm and gratitude over Baba's flowers, surprised me the day I was flying home with 6 plants he uprooted for me to take back to Florida. Everyone scoffed at the idea saying these lilies could never grow in Florida soil.


Ignoring the nay sayers, my husband and I got busy and planted all 6 in the ground as soon as I landed and we returned to our Florida home. And...they all died! And then a strange thing happened. A few months after their death green foliage sprouted, but nothing more. Years passed. And today, to my glee I walked by and spotted this orange flower swinging to the breeze.


What a lesson in patience! I am so glad we did not give up and dig the plants out. Releasing weight and recovering from an eating disorder works the same way. Often you want to throw in the towel and just give up, especially if your are worshipping the scale. I know I never had patience to lose weight. I was jumping on and off the scale on a daily basis. Then one day (many years ago) a very wise friend of mine suggested I trust my food plan and turn the rest over to God. Wow...that was a bit much for me. First off, I never thought of my food and weight a God thing. I always thought about it as a lack of will power on my part. But, I thought with a hundred extra pounds hanging on my body what did I have to lose? Okay...I stepped into that one: 100 pounds!!!


I learned a profound lesson. I stopped worshipping the scales and trusted a power greater than me. I put all my attention on what I was eating: weighing and measuring it. I let go of sugar, flour and wheat and turned the rest over to this power bigger and grander than little ole me. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing. A little like Baba's orange lily. I was barely losing a pound every few weeks. I decided to let go of the daily ritual and worship of weighing my body and instead turned to once a month and trusted my plan would work. Some months I dropped a pound. Some months nothing. Other months I got a hand full of pounds off. But I stuck to leaving the scale to the power greater than me. Slowly and steadily my body changed, my spirituality strengthened, and my confidence soared. I like to think of it like healing. My body, mind, and spirit were healing.

My little flower could not have come at a better time. Today, 11 years ago, April 11, 1998, my Mom had a massive stroke at 4:00 a.m. I got the call from my Dad and by 8:00 a.m. I was in the car headed to Madeira Beach. We were suppose to have a lovely Easter Sunday together; all the preparations were waiting in the kitchen, even the little basket for Benjamin who was then 8 years of age. Life changed in that moment I received the call. I believe my Mom would be here today if she had understood eating disorders and obesity. My mission is to carry the news to those living and suffering from eating disorders...


So, here I am today reflecting on patience. I attach my weight loss success and my peace with my addictive foods to patience. Just like my little orange flower, blowing in the wind, I have sprouted my own pedals. I too needed a little soil, watering, sun, and love. I am grateful to have a piece of Wautoma, Wisconsin (Baba) in my back yard. It was worth the wait just as letting go of 100 pounds was worth the years it took. Today, I am at a healthy normal weight...never worried about what to wear or what to eat, just sticking to weighing and measuring my food, not eating sugar, flour, or wheat, and turning everything over to a power greather than me. Life is good.

Photos by: Dr. Lisa Ortigara Crego