Heal & Transform Your Life While You Sleep!

A couple weeks ago, using the voice memo function on my iPhone, I recorded pages of affirmations I’ve written over several years. I ended up with an hour and twenty minutes of recorded affirmations. I’ve been listening to them through headphones while falling asleep at night, and again early in the morning, during receptive theta brain wave states.

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A few days into this practice, I dreamed I was trying to have a conversation with myself, but my Self wasn’t listening; instead it was spewing affirmations at me! I awakened wondering if my new practice was smart or stupid. Was I drowning out essential thoughts or ignoring some vital aspect of my Self? Was I interfering with deep nocturnal conversations? I kept these questions in mind while continuing to experiment.

I found myself looking forward to my bedtime ritual, plugging my phone into its charger and earpods, carefully arranging wires over my shoulder, to keep them out of the way, setting my phone on my night table, lying on my back, placing one hand on my heart and the other on my belly, letting go, listening and surrendering to the sound of my own voice.

I was surprised how gentle and soothing it was. I’d recorded the affirmations after meditating, so my voice was calm and steady. I spoke slowly and clearly, and I repeated each affirmation twice. That way I could hear the present affirmation, silently focus on it, and then repeat it. I was surprised, too, by the authoritative quality my voice carried—not in a bossy way, but in a deep-knowing way, as if my voice were saying to me, “Listen up. I know what I’m talking about. Trust me.”

Most nights the affirmations seemed to be speaking the truth, but one night, after I’d had a rough day, during which insecurities had been triggered, they seemed sprinkled with lies, and I wondered if I was selling myself a bill of goods. “Yeah, right,” a venomous voice hissed in response to the affirmation that said and then repeated, “I have all the time and money I need.”

This showed me I needed a recalibration; unbeknownst to me, my inner Gremlins had surfaced and taken over. I acknowledged and released my Gremlins, and then leaned into the “potential” truth those statements held by asking myself, “How might this be true in my life? In what way(s) can I stretch into this statement or make it true for me?”
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The best affirmations are those that feel at least 50% believable. You make positive “I am” statements in the present tense about what you’d like to invite into your life. By stretching into these thoughts, you begin to attract and create what you are affirming. I’ve worked with affirmations for years. One of my favorite practices has been to recite them while holding a hand mirror, looking into my own eyes, where my bullshit detector is fully present and activated. If something doesn’t ring true, I feel it—and that tells me where I need to focus healing energy and attention.

But there’s something about the sound of my own voice at night that is deeply satisfying in a whole new way. It’s as if I’m my own mother telling myself a happy and hopeful bedtime story. I am simultaneously mother and child, providing and receiving comfort. And it’s effortless. I collapse into bed and lie there. There’s nothing for me to do but listen to the wise, loving, encouraging voice telling me a brand-new story.

Another plus about my practice is that my mind, which can only focus well on one thing at a time, cannot wander or stew over problems while I listen. This cuts down on worry time. I’m not thinking about things that, in the past, may have kept me up at night; I’m thinking about all the positive things I’m calling forth into my life!

And positive things are showing up! I’m resonating deeply with my affirmations and experiencing positive outer changes, which are reflecting the inner ones. My writing feels effortless, I’ve got more people contacting me for coaching than I can take on, my relationships feel more loving, and I’m feeling more grounded and peaceful. Overall, since beginning this practice two weeks ago, I am experiencing flow in every area of my life!

I’d love to hear about your experiences with affirmations. Especially if you try recording them and listening to them as you fall asleep. For me, this has been a very powerful, supportive, and healing process! Try it and let me know what you think!