Some things are not so easy to look at, and for many, death is certainly high on the list. The idea of death, and especially our own is often shrouded in fear, with much time and effort dedicated to keeping it locked in the closet, out of site. Supposedly, out of sight, out of mind, but as with any emotional state, and especially fear, this is far from the truth. Whenever we attempt to lock away emotions, our quality of life is compromised in some way. Learning to be aware of emotions that hinder us, and then to work on releasing them is healing work. Emotions are pure energy, some being more highly charged than others, and certainly fear of death falls into this category for most of us. As we learn to transmute emotional energy during our releasing work, we can then attach it to other worthwhile goal pictures.

Often fear of death begins early in life, especially if a parent or close relative died. It is closely tied to other emotional states, most of them fear-related as well. The longer these fears are kept locked in the closet, the more powerful and controlling they become. The actual fear of death, with it’s emotional partners, is very different from the idea of death, and as we learn to diminish the fears, the idea of death can become beautifully enhanced and powerful. We find we can have full control over the idea of death, and actually design it to suit ourselves, like the director of any production.

Working with emotions is broken into three steps, the first being awareness. We begin to notice when the emotion is present. In my work we work with emotional states through imagery, and actually see the emotion as a child wearing a tee-shirt with it’s name imprinted on it. So, taking "Fear of Death" as a working example, each and every time we were to notice this emotion hanging around, we would simply be aware, and then utilize our breath and other self-hypnotic tools to diminish it’s emotional charge. These awareness meditative tools allow the brain waves to slow, thereby releasing the stored stress chemicals of that particular emotional state. Each time the emotion is diminished in this way, it is then stored in the subconscious mind in it’s new form. While this appears rather simplistic on the surface, it is a very powerful tool for diminishing any emotion, and certainly the high-energy emotional states. This is how we gain self-control, and through this build self-confidence in our ability to be in charge of our emotions and outcomes.

Within the actual moment of emotional awareness and release, there is the opportunity to transmute this released energy, and attach it to another goal. I call this work "interactive self-hypnosis." As the brain waves slow from beta to alpha in the meditative release moment, we are able to enter the door of the subconscious mind. This is a very valuable moment, as we can now aim this released energy in any direction we choose. We learn to tilt our eyes up slightly at this very moment, and image the goal to which we would like to attach the energy. The goal does not have to be related to the released emotion, but it certainly can be. So, working again with our example, Fear of Death, as we become aware and release, we image our death as we wish it to be, perhaps peaceful, full of light, surrounded by those who we love. This type of imagery builds new files in the subconscious mind, and further neutralizes the presenting fear.

There are many other ways to utilize powerful imagery related to our death issues. In hypnosis we have the ability to visit with ourselves at our deathbed, and to gain insights from that wise person. We also have the ability to re-direct the actual happenings. Working with imagery in this way also diminishes earlier stored fears. We are now in charge, and also knowing that everything turned out just right. We can look back into our "future" and view the unfolding as it happened. We can also walk back on that path, and make any adjustments. This is called future-pacing and is a powerful inner exercise.

Keep in mind the power held in your "idea of death experience", and learn to apply this energy in your life as it unfolds . By diminishing and healing locked up fears, taking back control from immature emotional states, and programming for what you desire, you will enhance not only the quality of your own life , but also the life of those who intersect your path.