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Overcome the Law of Reversed Effort
by Linda-Ann Stewart
“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.” Aldous Huxley
Have you ever tried to force yourself to go to sleep? What about willing yourself to relax or meditate? Usually, the harder you try to do any of these the opposite happened. The more tense or more awake you got. This is called "The Law of Reversed Effort," popularized by Aldous Huxley, or "The Law of Reverse Effect," first described by Emile Coue.
Willpower Alone Can Sabotage You
Whenever you try to compel yourself to do some action, you create stress, tension and anxiety. Tension shuts down your creative flow. Stress sabotages your automatic mental and muscle memory, much like an athlete who thinks too hard about their next move. Stress blocks your progress.
Have you ever tried to change a habit with sheer willpower? It's like trying to hold water in your fist. There's no room for the water in your fist, and it slips away. Putting more energy into pressuring yourself to do something stirs up resistance to accomplishing it. And the more effort you put into trying to push through, the more resistance there is.
As a result, you start to think negatively, which just makes things worse, and more difficult. It doesn't matter if it's trying to balance your checkbook, complete a project, or change a habit. The more you try to force an outcome, the less success you'll have.
How to Make Progress
Instead, you have to lighten up. Open up and relax your fist, and use it as a cup to gather water. Take a step back, and let your subconscious work on a better way of achieving your next step. Often, when I've hit a snag with a creative venture, like writing or weaving, I take a break. When I come back to it, the answer is there or the activity flows more smoothly. For instance, to go to sleep you have to allow drowsiness to creep through you.
Other ways to make progress are to take small steps. This results in small successes, which triggers your reward center, and gains the attention of your subconscious mind. You could also focus more on your process, the steps you're taking, rather than your ultimate goal or vision. This reduces some of the pressure, and is a valuable technique when you're struggling to get something done.
"When the imagination and will power are in conflict, are antagonistic, it is always the imagination which wins, without any exception." Emile Coue
Emile Coue was a psychologist and originated the Law of Reverse Effect concept in the late 1800's. He studied under hypnotists of the time, and noticed that whenever your conscious mind (will power) and subconscious mind (imagination) are at odds, your subconscious will always win. Essentially, when you try to will yourself to do something that your subconscious mind objects to, you're unlikely to succeed.
Your Subconscious Is Trying to Help
For instance, suppose you want to lose weight, but you want the piece of cake in front of you more. Trying to force your subconscious to comply, and resist the cake, will cause it to rebel. The cake is a more immediate pleasure. For you to be successful, your conscious mind and subconscious minds must align, and be in agreement, otherwise your subconscious will sabotage you.
Your subconscious was programmed with beliefs and ideas when you were younger, and it's simply following its programming. It doesn't realize that your life, needs and desires have changed. Your subconscious is trying to help you by resisting new ideas from your conscious mind. Your subconscious needs reassurance and convincing that it's safe to accept what your conscious mind wants.
How to Overcome Subconscious Resistance
From his observation of hypnosis, Emile Coue developed the auto-suggestion method. He's famous for formulating the phrase, "Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better," and instructed his followers to say it while relaxed. In this way, he helped them overcome their subconscious resistance to change.
You can use this same auto-suggestion method, or the similar self-talk or affirmation concepts, to persuade your subconscious mind. Repeating general suggestions, like "Day by day…," to gently gain your subconscious mind's cooperation are useful to begin with. Once your subconscious mind's resistance has reduced, you can use more specific suggestions about your goal.
Understanding how and why this Law works explains why you may have been blocked from succeeding in the past. With this knowledge, you now have the ability to overcome the Law, empowering you to improve your life and achieve your goals and dreams.
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