Mary Flanagan Gleason's Blog, page 8

Toenail Polish and Other Annoying Distractions

For St. Patrick���s Day, I had my toenails lacquered kelly green.

It���s not my color. I don���t like it on my toes. I would not wear that color sweater, so why did I put it on my toes?

You say, ���Relax, Mary. It���s only your toes.���  I know! But hey, I look at them a lot, and the feedback is, ���Yuck!���

There are a lot of little distractions like that, some of which we aren���t even aware of. Yet they niggle at us like little paper cuts. Our thoughts are chief among these energy thieves, as are loud clocks and noises your cubicle mate (or semi-retired husband) makes, like pencil tapping or mouth noises (not naming any names).

We are often unaware of the source; we can take just so much and then unleash it in all the wrong directions.

The best solution I have found is to become aware of your environment and where these things come from so you can remove them or strategize how to work with or around them. Personally, I���m getting my toenails redone ASAP. Not everything else is that readily addressed, but it���s a start. 

Then there are your thoughts. Background meditation music can be very soothing. So can addressing these thoughts head-on and moving to a more peaceful state of mind.

If you���d like to know more about how to do this, set up a time for us to talk whenever you are ready to live a more peaceful, less distracted daily life.

Mary

Always Trust Your Cape

Enjoy with the sound just right.

You���re welcome.

Mary

Breaking Generational Patterns with a Hug����������

Generational patterns of unexpressed emotions can be devastating. It���s hard to trust and to lean into another if your childhood has taught you that it is unwise.

Sometimes, it can be a matter of giving others some of what you craved as a child. If what you wished from your parents was more physical comfort, consider if you can hug those you love today.

Not too long ago, I had a client whose father came through apologizing for not being more emotionally available and how proud he was of his adult child for breaking that pattern. The adult child���s secret to success? Hugging.

That���s it.

They learned to acknowledge another���s needs for the same as well as to request a hug when needed. Multiple generations of living behind tough exteriors shattered with a hug.

We cannot change the past, but we have a lot of sway over the future. It���s easy to harbor negative or defensive feelings about what no one did for you. It���s brave to risk offering it to others, knowing it will heal you and prevent wounding others.

The key may be just a simple gesture that begins to lower that wall of protection.

How easy would it be to do better than what was done for you? Have you overcome similar barriers? If so, how? I would love to hear from you.

Mary

Nesting dolls always fascinate me

Those festively painted stacking dolls always fascinate. They start with a reasonable size doll that twists in half and reveals a smaller version, which then twists in half and continues for another three or four twists until you find a very tiny version of the larger dolls��� a journey to uncover one���s inner child.

We have heard about the inner child and its impact on us as adults. The same is true with every phase of our lives. Perhaps none calls out to us the way the baby does ��� the one that still needs our care at a visceral level, that has yet to learn that they can now fend for themself.

Each successive doll reflects the next level of growth impacting our larger self, the protective layer around all our growing up and reasoning.

The beauty of hypnotherapy is the gentle twisting and revealing of our layers. It allows us to revisit things we have padded around our most basic needs, beliefs, times of love, our fears. What happened there? Does it still serve a purpose? What does that smaller, inner self need to know to continue forward into this world?

Sometimes, hypnotherapy goes beyond the smallest version of ourselves. Sometimes it reminds us of beliefs we have brought into this lifetime that may or may not serve us well. Or unlock dormant strengths we can now call upon.

I like thinking about our spiritual journeys like unnesting, revealing ourselves down to the very core of our existence where unconditional love for self is always present.

Do you wish to have a conversation with your earlier self? Do you sometimes feel the need to wrap yourself in a warm blanket to feel safe? Let���s have a discovery call and see how you can feel your strongest, most powerful self, inviting all the lessons and strengths to consciously join you.

I hope to speak with you soon.

Mary

Why Have A Psychic Reading?

Here are just some of the responses I have heard from my clients.

            ���I feel so relieved!���

            ���It was so good to hear what I had suspected.���

            ���Today���s reading was confirmation for me. I feel more determined than ever.���

Some breathe easier, while others release guilt, shame, or anger. They can move on.

Connecting with Spirit about your future, hearing from past loved ones, and confirming your inner knowing creates a space of acceptance and grace.

Occasionally, a client will argue with me, but they are really arguing with Spirit. Regardless, a reading is always for your greatest good and highest purpose.

There aren���t many professions that offer this type of reward. I am honored to be trusted by Spirit and my clients to deliver messages that can bring spiritual healing. I guarantee that all messages are delivered in a safe and confidential space.

What might you find reassuring or healing by connecting with Spirit?

I���m here.��Let���s talk.

Mary

How to Prepare for a Psychic Mediumship Reading

This message is long overdue on my part. It is something I know but have not shared and may help you feel prepared should you consider having a reading.

Before I begin, let me clarify what a psychic mediumship reading is and is not.

A reading��is:��

An implicit agreement that allows me to channel messages from Spirit that are for your greatest good and highest purpose. I deliver the message even if I don’t understand it.
An opportunity to connect with your guides, your past loved ones, your possible future, and possible challenges.
A sometimes-uncomfortable experience because you receive the messages you most need rather than what you most want.An opportunity to find peace and assurance.

A reading��is��not:

A guarantee of hearing what you most hoped to hear or who you hoped to hear from.
A roadmap for you to follow. Because you and others have free will, a reading is “as of now.”
My subjective opinion. Arguing with what is said is arguing with Spirit.

When you come for a psychic mediumship reading, here are some things to consider.��

 What do you most want to know? Is it about love, career, money, travel?
 Have questions ready to ask.
If there is someone you want to hear from, how will you know it is them? Ask that something specific be revealed to me that will assure you. Nothing elaborate, just specific to the person or your relationship.
Be open to receiving. Neither Spirit nor I will intrude. Unfold your arms and legs. Relax. Spirit loves you.
Take notes. “Psychic amnesia” is a thing. You can hear something that doesn’t make sense but becomes clear later. It is also helpful when you later question, “Did she say this or that?”

I hope you find this helpful. I will post this on my website to help future clients prepare. Please let me know your thoughts. Perhaps I missed something you found useful in the past. I am happy to add it to my list.

Wishing you meaningful connections with Spirit.

Mary

How to Create Your Own Poltergeist

The movies and horror stories show poltergeists as ghosts that invade your space and scare the daylight out of you. It’s true, they are scary.

But unlike in the movies, they don’t invade our lives. It’s more that we create our poltergeist all on our own.

The disturbances caused by a poltergeist are a powerful reflection of what’s happening inside you.

Just yesterday, I had a call from someone whose day was downright overwhelmed. I could hear the whirlwind gaining speed, becoming a tornado, getting ready to take on patio furniture, whole trailer parks, and a few rooftops, only to have them spew everywhere.

This person was creating a poltergeist of monumental proportions!

She was creating a scenario where it would all come back at her leaving her spewed across lawns for miles. Her poltergeist was threatening to make her a victim. And that always leads to dis-ease.

Slowly, she and I unpacked which of those things happening outside her were hers to observe and how many she needed to take on. Gradually, the tornado downgraded to a mild windstorm and, eventually, a mere breeze.

We all tend to create our own poltergeist if we don’t stop to take inventory. When is something deserving of our energy, and when are we chasing things in the name of helping or supporting that we can do without owning the situation? 

There is a crazy world out there. We can’t save it all. Notice when the winds are beginning to swirl uncontrollably. Turn the power of your thoughts to your own internal needs and extend your power thoughtfully and gradually.

Wishing you a calm weather day.

Mary

Gaining Perspective

My brothers and I discuss our mother thinking we have the bigger picture. My brothers and I discuss our mother-thinking we have the bigger picture.

We do, and we don���t.

Our lens extends out further than hers. We can see more of what���s happening, cause and effect. Mom wants to be independent, and we see where that���s not possible. We may have a bigger picture of what���s happening, but we are also learning what it is about mom that is normal for people her age, in her condition, with her needs. We have been ascribing certain characteristics to Mom personally, only to find she is following a well-documented pattern. Not personal. Not stubborn. Not resistant. More sensing the loss of power and some faculties that strip away dignity.

Having knowledgeable, skilled workers like those in the hospital is so important. We are so concerned about Mom���s inability to orient to where she is and what���s happening. Definitely signs of dementia, right?

Not necessarily.

The nurses’ told us that all hospital patients become disoriented after so long. There are no familiar routines; all are in some level of crisis, and time passes too slowly to be day or night. 

Knowing that some part of this madness is unavoidably normal is comforting.

Where are the places you could use some greater perspective? Are you sure you have all the facts? Is what you believe to be true accurate?

What are you holding on to that, from a different perspective, could bring relief? Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool to help you distance yourself from a situation to gain a greater understanding.

I am a trained hypnotherapist specifically taught to help you gain that greater perspective. Please let me know if I can help.

We do, and we don���t.

Our lens extends out further than hers. We can see more of what���s happening, cause and effect. Mom wants to be independent, and we see where that���s not possible. We may have a bigger picture of what���s happening, but we are also learning what it is about mom that is normal for people her age, in her condition, with her needs. We have been ascribing certain characteristics to Mom personally, only to find she is following a well-documented pattern. Not personal. Not stubborn. Not resistant. More sensing the loss of power and some faculties that strip away dignity.

Having knowledgeable, skilled workers like those in the hospital is so important. We are so concerned about Mom���s inability to orient to where she is and what���s happening. Definitely signs of dementia, right?

Not necessarily.

The nurses’ told us that all hospital patients become disoriented after so long. There are no familiar routines; all are in some level of crisis, and time passes too slowly to be day or night. 

Knowing that some part of this madness is unavoidably normal is comforting.

Where are the places you could use some greater perspective? Are you sure you have all the facts? Is what you believe to be true accurate?

What are you holding on to that, from a different perspective, could bring relief? Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool to help you distance yourself from a situation to gain a greater understanding.

I am a trained hypnotherapist specifically taught to help you gain that greater perspective. Please let me know if I can help.

Mary

Sweet Relief

My 91-year-old mother gave us all a scare last week. She���s doing better but oh so frail.

I hopped on a plane to be with her. Finally seeing her brought such sweet relief. I fear that she will someday pass, and I won���t be with her. Of course, it is nothing I can control, but there you have it.

I have experienced that sense before, especially when my kids were young, and I didn���t know where they were. Maybe they missed curfew or took up with an unsavory character. When they finally arrived home safely, I would be so very relieved. Angry but mostly relieved.

Fears are like that. We carry them just below the surface, waiting to show themselves when something or someone you care about is in danger. I always thought I was handling them so well until the sense of relief showed me how much angst I really felt.

These circumstances are the exception, though.

Many of my clients carry their fears into daily life, allowing them to dictate which course they take to remain safe. Safety is good, except when it is a barrier to courage.

Ask yourself what guiding factors dictate your path, obvious or just below the surface. It���s amazing how often the safety issues are from when we were children, and we���ve yet to realize that we have so much more control as adults.

Hypnotherapy is a powerful and effective way to examine your motivations and limitations for moving forward. Understanding yourself better and creating an empowering future can be so freeing.

Please schedule a discovery call if you���d like to know more about how this works. Let���s see if you can find some sweet relief.

Mary

Altruism is a fallacy.

I don’t like it when the motivation for donors and volunteers is listed as altruism. I just don’t buy it.

Why would anyone do something that doesn’t benefit them in some way?

Giving away your precious resources of time, talent, and treasures should feed something you believe in and make you feel good for doing it. And feeling good is not altruism.

Giving away your resources in a way that does not align with one’s values, morals, and goals makes no sense.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in doing things others expect of us that we believe we’re doing something valuable. It’s not that we don’t, on occasion, have to do things we prefer not to, but why make a habit of it?

At the risk of sounding like Marie Kondo, ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” A sense of positive contribution? Is it aligned with how I want to serve? A cause that moves my life forward?

A few months ago, I wrote about being selfish, and boy, did people respond! The idea seemed so upsetting, especially to women. (recap: It’s okay not to make or buy brownies for the school bake sale.)

Ask yourself how you are spending your resources, and then ask why. If the answer is because it is an expectation, then the question becomes who expects it of you, and is that okay with you?

Take stock and, if necessary, realign your resources to match your true self. A happier life is listening to one’s heart and desires and ensuring they are on the priority list.

One’s motivation can be tricky to decipher since we are often programmed to please others. That is a frequent conversation I have with my hypnotherapy clients. “Where did the idea come from, and do I still feel aligned with it?”

If you question why you do what you do and wish to change it, consider using hypnotherapy to unlock your motivations and true passions.

It’s my passion to help you do that.

Mary