I used to teach that affirmations do not work. Now I am a living testimony that they do help. Why the change?

Well I started experiencing first hand, what it was like to suffer anxiety attacks. I was in the shoes of what my former philosophy would call 'victim'. I was a victim to my own thoughts snd the thoughts of others that were ruthlessly and relentlessly destroying my mental health.

There was no peace. So I had to abandon what I knew for it was actually destroying my peace. I had to empty my cup to get it refilled. This is when my perspective started to shift.

I learned that we are a mind in a body. The person residing in our heads, lives with us 24/7. That person can be programmed, depending on the program, we experience peace & harmony or turmoil and condemnation.

I found affirmations to be a simple exercise to help program the subconscious mind to remain active with a principle.

When I got nervous, I would simply repeat an affirmation that confirmed everything will be ok and it helped me to relax. It's no different to this situation, imagine you're in an exam room about to take a blood test. You're probably shaking because there's a fear involved. A doctor greets you with warmth, resting his arm on your shoulder and reassuring you that everything is going to just fine. His touch, accompanied by a friendly gesture and soothing words working harmoniously to calm your mind and so it all goes well.

It's the same concept with the mind. You can be your own comfort. Here's an example of a peace affirmation by Joseph Murphy 'I radiate peace, and it returns to me in abundance'. This simple thought can shift your expectations.

I don't believe that the same methods will work for everyone. For example, someone who was schooled in religion will find natural safety in the works of a Bible scholar because that's familiar to the program they trust. Another person who may have little religion but more knowledge of psychology may find trust in philosophy of men like maybe the Stoics.

I've learned that we all walking programs and there is no right or wrong way because faith is released according to your internal justification. People have gotten healed by their faith. Faith is subject to information and where you place your confidence.

The thing is that God is multifaceted. We may discover a few principles about God, but it is not the whole, probably just a dot in His infinite intelligence.

In my experience any system that morally condemns, shuts off the principle of life from freely flowing. Conditions are like a valve on a tap. Removing conditions have helped me. The more conditions we add, the more complicated the tap (like the one in the picture), adding to mental anxiety.

Conditions may include:

Thinking you're not living a life of integrity and objectivity leads to constant self judgement and self criticism to cause a mental complex from rigid ethical beliefs. The result =no peace

Thinking your past sins need to be paid can lead to an unforgiving mind to cause emotional turmoil to cause an expectation of insufficiency. The result= no delight

In short, our thoughts and beliefs can cause us to experience life because of their creative power.