One of the benefits of being diagnosed with cancer is that my will to live a life that is beyond amazing has led me to take inventory of how I was living before, and doing some detective work into the ways I may have been holding myself back.

After almost two years of Gerson Therapy, I feel as though I’ve done pretty much all I can to heal my body on a physical level. But I know that I need to do more. In order to be truly healed, I need to address issues brewing below the surface and have a look at how my subconscious mind may have been stuck playing a record of outdated ideas and limiting beliefs.

The Power Of The Subconscious Mind

Most people think that our conscious mind is running the show, but this is not the case. According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, leader in the field of epigenetics and author of Biology of Belief, “our subconscious mind is over a million times more powerful than our conscious mind.” Not only does it run most aspects of our physiology, from heart rate to hormone release, but the subconscious mind also stores all of our memories and beliefs.

Our beliefs make up the foundation of our lives. What we believe becomes what we think, which becomes how we act, which ultimately determines our lives. This is empowering—if we can believe it, we can achieve it.

However, the glitch in the system becomes apparent when we consider that most of our beliefs were formed when we were very young, before age seven. As children, we didn’t have a filter on information. Whatever we were told, we believed. This is notable in everything from Santa Claus to the Tooth Fairy—we didn’t even think to question their validity. We also had the same acceptance of limiting thoughts and messages imprinted on us by our parents, teachers, and other people in our lives at the time.

We grew up with stories of “little engines that could” and knew that we could achieve the things we put our minds to. But no one ever said anything about the limits we placed on ourselves becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.

If we heard someone say that we’re stupid, that we’re not good enough, or that we’re worthless, that message became a belief, which then formed the beliefs we hold about ourselves for the rest of our lives—unless we address them.

Rewriting Limiting Beliefs

With a cancer diagnosis came the wisdom to do some emotional healing work. Coming from an idyllic background with no recognisable trauma, I had no idea where to begin, but I learned that limiting beliefs and emotional blockages aren’t necessarily caused by big traumatic events.

I discovered this after having a Journey Experience (inspired by Brandon Bays’ book The Journey) and being taken on a trip into my past being led by my subconscious mind. Every memory that I brought up seemed to revolve around me feeling embarrassed or ashamed about not being good enough. The memories kept bubbling to the surface, and each one took me back to that underlying need to be special.

Where did that come from? Apparently it happened when I was very young, perhaps even when I was still in my mother’s womb, and I heard messages from my parents saying that I was a very special baby and I was going to grow up to be a very special person. My parents took eight years to have me, so to them I was beyond special. But some part of me held onto that thought and allowed it to feed my ego throughout life. I needed something to make me feel good enough—to make me “special.”

After my Journey Experience was over, I thought about it and realised I’ve always attached my personal value to whatever label I was striving for at the time. Whether it was the being the smart one, the sporty one, or the one with the awesome job. I needed that title in order to feel good enough.

What does this have to do with manifesting cancer? Well, when I had the great job and still didn’t feel good enough, it seems I created a condition in my body—a rare form of cancer—that would most definitely make me “special.” My desire to be special may have played a part in the manifestation of my disease.

Now that I have recognised this power, I can also see other areas where limiting beliefs and false messages have ruled my life. When I was younger I always thought I was a shy person and that my personality wasn’t quite up to scratch. As long as I can remember, I’ve always felt awkward meeting new people and I’ve been terrified of public speaking.

I don’t want any of this to hold me back any longer, so to rewrite these limiting beliefs I’m creating a new recording in my subconscious mind by having the following playlist on repeat:

I am good enough.
I approve of myself.
I am free to be me.
I am and will always be enough.
I love myself and who I’ve become.

At the base of all of this is the underlying belief that we are not good enough. Rewrite that and you will experience the kind of inner shifts that miracles are made of. Be crazy kind to yourself, and that kindness will not only boost your own life to previously unknown levels of happiness, but it will also turn into compassion and kindness for the world around you. Imagine how wonderful this world would be if we all accepted that responsibility.

Jess Ainscough is a writer, holistic health coach, and the creator of the health and wellness website, The Wellness Warrior. Via her e-books, daily blog posts, and videos, Jess’s goal is to empower people to take control of their health and show that the quality of our lives is directly linked to how we treat our body and mind.

For more on Jess, please visit her WEBSITE or on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.