Comments on: Are Affirmations Useless?

By: Musa

Musa — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:18:51 +0000

If from the on set you do not want to change how you think about yourself, as in if you don’t really want to change, then no amount of self help techniques can help you.

It is no point pull in one direction while you are head strong in pulling in the other.

You will not go any where resulting in you blaming self help tools for their inefficiency.

Lovely update.

Thank you.

- Musa
Musa´s last [type] .."Our Deepest Fear" by Marianne Williamson – Sometimes Incorrectly Credited To Our Nelson Mandela

By: William Moore

William Moore — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:38:05 +0000

Oh, Balderdash and Horse Pucky!
Where affirmations fail is when the person using them is not employing them effectively. To be effective and to work (even for one who has low self-esteem) an affirmation must be repeated with FEELING, and preferably while also conjuring up sounds as well as imagery.

They must be stated in the positive, be personal (not about someone else) and be in the present tense, to over-ride old automatic negative thoughts and negative self-talk thoughts. So it’s PPP and with feeling, since “feckless feelings forment the failure you forecast” here!

Aside: when cartoon character “Bart Simpson” writes on the chalkboard “I will not misbehave” he is actually programming “I misbehave” and so he does. The subconscious does not comprehend the future tense (will) nor the negative (not), each cancels out and all’s left is “I misbehave.”

There is a famous story about Warren Spahn, an American baseball pitcher whose coach told him at a crucial point in a game: “whaddever ya do, don’t throw ‘im a low, inside pitch.” Spahn had to think about its opposite ( “throw a high outside [home plate] pitch”) but too late! His subconscious mind like a neon marquee had processed “low, inside” and that’s what his muscle memory responded with when pitching the ball. The batter hit the ball perfectly “out of the park” and thus scoring several runs with his own “home run.” So, Spahn lost this crucial, outcome-determinative World Series game. (To put it in context for England, image telling your best batsman during a Test Match, ” whatever you do, don’t do LBW!” What do you think will happen? That’s just not Cricket but it’s life. ) To his last days, Spahn said: “why would anyone want to motivate themself, or anyone else, with the reverse of an idea?” That’s why you tell your children “remember to…” (never “don’t forget..”)

Words like always and never may be too perfectionistic rather than guide excellence. Affirm: “I like myself! I can do it! I’m responsible” and the mind will comply. Affirm: “I reinforce my successes and correct for errors” and the mind follows the command.

By: self confidence is hard work

self confidence is hard work — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:36:01 +0000

[...] my post “Are affirmations useless?” I discussed one of the founders of personal development, Samuel Smiles. In the 19th century [...]

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:49:13 +0000

I am reading Brooks’ book “The Social Animal” . He points out research that we tend to inflate our beliefs – if we believe we are good, we tend to think we are much better than we are and conversely, if we think we are bad we think we are much worse than we really are. This appears to be a genetic mechanism and has some use in survival. For us now, it appears that Epistomological Modesty or acknowledging how little we know or can know is a good attitude that acknowledges there is more than one way to solve a problem and that we just have to be good enough. It takes away the pressure to be “great” or the best. Affirming that I am good enough to solve my problems successfully may be the affirmation more of us need to repeat confident or not.
Bruce´s last [type] ..Answers to Pre-PA Questions 9

By: David

David — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:18:06 +0000

Stan
Thanks for your informative comment. I’ve never read Harv Eker and this has given me a very good reason to do so. I do feel affirmations have a place if used sensibly and I will look up more on the different types you describe.
David

By: Stan Pontiere

Stan Pontiere — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:33:13 +0000

I have done substantial personal research and have followed much of the scientific research into affirmations and visualization and have concluded that these tools can be highly effective if used properly. Unfortunately, most gurus teach end-results affirmations and visualization which can have a highly negative effect. However, the use of process affirmations and visualization and clearing affirmations are highly effective. These tools encourage action as opposed to the traditional approach which inhibits action. Harv Ekers work with what he calls declarations are just another name for process affirmations and they can be highly effective.
Stan Pontiere´s last [type] ..The Power of Negative Thinking

By: fabulous self esteem review

fabulous self esteem review — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:02:03 +0000

[...] their effectiveness for people with low self esteem is debatable. In my post on the topic, "Are Affirmations Useless?" I quoted from research that states getting people to repeat positive self statements they [...]

By: carol

carol — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:41:32 +0000

I am trying to feel better but recently as I have tried affirmations I have overwhelming dark moods out of the blue. dark moods about things I didn’t do in the past, for ex. I just finished making a baby blanket for my daughter. my sister asked did you make a blanket for M, (that would have been 6 years ago) no I didn’t because her mother was better at doing this than I. I didn’t want to be embaressed. Now I feel terrible. I let other people’s remarks lead my life. I am on celexa. I want to be upbeat, I want to enjoy life, I want to feel — what, I don’t know.

By: Mitch’s Blog » Blog Archive » Affirmations Do Work; What Do Researchers Know Anyway?

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:20:57 +0000

[...] was reading a blog post earlier called Are Affirmations Useless on a blog called How To Have Great Self Confidence And Self Esteem by David Rogers. The premise of [...]

By: Mitch

Mitch — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:52:07 +0000

I sometimes think scientists need to have some reason to get more research money, and controversy sells. I tend to believe that affirmations do work, at least as far as keeping people moving forward and staying positive. And, if one really believes it, they will find a way to success. Now, it might not be the success they were shooting for, but any success is a step in the right direction. .-= Mitch´s last blog ..Is Common Courtesy Dead? =-.