Mind Hacking: Introduction to Mind Movies
A friend had a bad fall at a major figure skating competition. She reached out asking for advice on how to not let this affect her mental state. I’m sharing how I overcame two scary accidents on the ice that resulted in broken bones. This approach is useful whether you are an athlete or if you are simply trying to reach a goal. This strategy is MORE effective than vision boards. Therefore, be very careful when putting a mind movie together.
Background: In 2020, I broke my leg landing an axel jump running my program. An axel is 1.5 revolutions. It is not particularly difficult to do, but it is a forward take-off that feels like you are jumping off a cliff. I broke part of my ankle and my fibula. I wore a hard cast for six weeks. I could not place any weight on my foot during this time. I did not skate for 10 weeks. A few months into my rehab, I broke my wrist and required surgery. I was off the ice for another 4 weeks.
Inspiration: While injured, I listened to three of Joe Dispenza’s books and he talks about mind movies in “Becoming Supernatural”. If you are not familiar with Joe Dispenza, he is a leading mind-body researcher. I’ve done a lot of research lately on chronic pain, and his work and approach is spot on. You really do not need to look further than Joe’s work if you want to transform your life.
How Mind Movies Work: Mind movies are visual images and audio that trigger an associative memory. The experience is similar to when you hear a song on the radio that reminds you of your past. For example, when Taylor Swift released her “All Too Well” 10 minute song, every woman I knew was had a meltdown. The song flooded our minds with memories that in some cases elicited feelings of sadness, anger and shame. Also, it’s also the day that Jake Gyllenhaal became Hollywood’s most unemployable actor. (for those who don’t know, the song is about him).
Mind movies work in a similar fashion except you want to connect your visual images and audio to outcomes you want to happen in the future. It is important that you create visuals (photos or videos) that truly move you and that you pair this ‘visual movie’ with an audio track that stirs you emotionally. This helps awaken your subconscious. Your subconscious is responsible for so much of what holds you back, from reaching your highest potential. There is a quote I love from Susan Jeffers that says:
“The Conscious Mind sends orders to the Subconscious Mind based on the information it gets from either the Higher Self or the Chatterbox. We can train it to choose from either.”
The mind movie is a way to send your subconscious mind the information you want it to get.
What is a Mind Movie? I created a six-minute video (aim for at least 3 minutes) of clips from my best jumping passes. I added audio of a motivational speech I found on YouTube. I saved the video on my phone and watched the video at least 3 times a day. This helped reprogram my brain to dissociate from the fear and embody the confidence I needed to do the good jumps.
Did it work? Yes, I immediately got my axel back on the first attempt after the accident. I was not scared (although I sometimes have set-backs when I start to change my technique or feeling going into the jump). Mind movies are a simple way to turn any goal into reality.
What tools do you need?
- You need a video editing tool. I use Apple iMovie. You can use Splice or other types of tools.
- Create a collection of videos or images that you aspire to become. This can be of you or someone else that is living the life you want. For example, in my mind movie I also have some videos of skaters that I admire that inspire me.
- Find an audio clip that really moves you. One tip for getting audio from YouTube (if you choose a motivational speech), is I screen record the clip you want. Then add the clip to the audio portion of the video. I can hear Muhammad Ali say, “I’ll show you how great I am” a thousand times in a row. Another one I love is Rocky Balboa’s inspirational speech, “It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward.” You can pair up different sounds that inspire you.
You should see results in how you feel in a few weeks of doing this consistently. I hope this helps you overcome your fears or better yet, create the life you always imagined.
