ARTICLES

Laura's articles appear regularly at the Messenger newspaper in the greater L.A. area, San Dimas Community News, La Verne Community News, and at the Learning Light Foundation website.

Feel free to pass her articles to friends and other publications, please include credits at the bottom and email her if her article is to be published.

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September/October 2008

Finding Fulfillment in your Job
by Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.
Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

Have you ever found yourself wanting to change jobs or what you do because what you do is not ‘fulfilling”? maybe because you would like to do something that “makes a difference” in other people’s lives? maybe something big that would touch thousands? Many people come to see me for this exact reason and there is something beautiful in that objective. But, for most cases, there is something beautiful in what you already do. There is something beautiful in your present job. If you don’t work or are not working at the time, there is something beautiful in what you do as well.

If what you do conflicts with your Consciousness because of moral or ethical issues, let go of self judgment and/or guilt and ask for Guidance and Divine Intervention, and know, even now, that this Universe is providing the right opportunity for you to be of Service and it’s already coming to you.

Now let’s focus on Service. Yes, Service, with capital “S”. When you see what you do with different eyes, and realize that you are already “of service” to others, and when you understand and realize what this means, it will bring a great deal of joy and satisfaction to your life.

First you need to understand that there is no ‘small’ job, no small contribution to humanity or the planet. The Universe does not measure to see if you touch one person or million. Every one has a different path and a different mission, and each path and mission is greatly needed and of equal importance.

Look at the different jobs in this society and tell me why would we treasure one more than the other. We need people running the companies of all the products and services we need or desire. We also need clerks, and teachers, and peacemakers, and some stay-home-moms. We need firefighters, and we need janitors, and we need farmers as much as we need anybody else. What would we do without the caretaker or some volunteering in their communities? The list goes on and on. Let’s take pride in whatever you do and let’s appreciate every person that comes into your life to service you in one way or another.

Take satisfaction in whatever you do right now, see it as “servicing others”. Do it with pride and do it with love. Know that in that current situation, you’re being giving so many blessings. You’re giving the blessing of helping and touching others with a simple smile and with love and caring. If you would rather be doing something else, send that Intention to the Universe, knowing it’s coming. In the meantime, surrender to what is now and do it with an attitude of gratitude. Choose to smile and be joyful every day knowing you are exactly where you’re supposed to be right this moment. At the same time, appreciate everyone that services you. Know that they’re also giving you a blessing, an opportunity to be grateful, appreciative, and loving.

We are all Spiritual beings servicing one another in this big game of Life. Even with these complex society systems we have created, we can still remember that at the end, we will review our lives based on how loving, how caring, how forgiving we were toward ourselves and others. At the end we will remember that we are all One, all connected at the Source. Why not begin to remember now?

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. She studied Past Life Regression Therapy with Dr.Brian Weiss. She is also certified by Doreen Virtue, bestseller author of Healing with the Angels. Laura’s holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Life Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. To read her past articles or any other information about her practice, visit her website at www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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July/August 2008

What's Really Important?
by Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.
Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

Do a short exercise right this moment. Make a list (in paper or in your mind) of your goals or purpose in life? Goals and purposes are not necessary the same thing. For the sake of this exercise, let’s just not make it complicated. Just list whatever comes to mind when you think of your goals and also add anything that comes to mind when you think of your purpose. Do it now and once you have completed the list, which may contain many or just a handful of items, just put it aside.

Now, let’s talk about who we are. As we have discussed before, we are Spiritual Beings having this human experience. We came with beautiful missions… as extraterrestrials we came into this planet and took on a human experience. As we took into this human experience, we started to forget our missions. We began to forget why we were here and who we were. As we went through life, we forgot even more… and life became harder.

We live in these bodies and in these minds, but again, that is not who we are. We are the beings inside, the beautiful and magnificent beings inside the physical minds and the physical bodies. We are the Consciousness. We are made of Love and Light. Then, where did we go wrong forgetting our true Nature? Well, it is the Game of Life.

Through our minds. It always goes back to the mind, especially, to the subconscious mind. When we are born into these physical bodies, the mind develops and normally takes 9 to 12 years before it is truly developed. These first years of life, the mind, the subconscious mind, becomes as a sponge, absorbing from the environment. The mind learns that life is hard, or easy. The mind learns that we are good, or not good enough. The mind learns that we are smart or that we are not so smart. The mind learns and we start creating our own reality based on these beliefs. They become engrained and so rooted in our minds that the challenge, sooner or later, is to re-train that mind. Retrain the mind to what? To the Truth. To be aligned to who we really are. Beautiful and Magnificent and Abundant beings.

As we start awakening to our true Nature, we start remembering our true goals and purpose. There is nothing more important in life that to seek these goals and this true purpose. That is the only reason we came to this plane in the first plane.

Now, connect with who you truly are, right here and right now. Start breathing deeply. Move above the physical experience. With your mind’s eyes and with your heart, allow a Golden Light, the Love of this Universe, to start pouring over you. Allow to feel the sensations of this Love. This Love is always within you. From this space, tell me now, what is your purpose? Yes. We all have the same purpose. To go back to the Source. To remember we are made of Love. Tell me what are your goals? We all have the same type of goals. To become more loving, more compassionate, more forgiving, more embracing of one another, more joyful, more abundant, more peaceful. Through these goals we achieve our purpose in life: to become One with the Source. Awaken every morning and send your intention to this Universe to be free from the old beliefs and to embrace the real you, the magnificent Being that lies within you. Feel the Love and embrace everyone with that Love. There is nothing more important in Life. You may want to revisit your own list now. Be the Love that you Are. Have a beautiful Life.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. She studied Past Life Regression Therapy with Dr.Brian Weiss. She is also certified by Doreen Virtue, bestseller author of Healing with the Angels. Laura’s holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Life Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. To read her past articles or any other information about her practice, visit her website at www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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May/June 2008

Learning to Love Yourself
by Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.
Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

We are Loving beings, this is our true nature. Love is the most natural thing for us to feel and to do. Love heals our minds and it heals our bodies. Love is the most contagious and beautiful emotion there is. Only Love is real and only Love will create peace in the world. From Love we get to peace, compassion, understanding, joy, and an abundant life.

However, we have learned to block Love and to hide it deep within. The Spiritual beings that we are go dormant inside of us, and with it, love goes dormant as well. We allow the mind and its programs to take over. The opposite emotions of Love, such as anger, resentment, fears, and such are learned behaviors. They are not part of our Divine Nature. We learned those negative emotions through our environment and the upbringing. The good news is that what we learn, we can unlearn. This is our power. One way to unlearn all of these low level emotions is by uncovering the Love that is within all of us.

Having free will, we get to choose what to make of this human experience, but no matter what, we “are” Spiritual beings made of Love. We can pretend all we want, but really, we are beautiful, powerful, magnificent and abundant beings… children of this Infinite Universe… with the power to create peace, harmony and love in our lives.

We get to choose every single day if we want to be connected to the Soul, the Spirit that we are or to go through life believing little of ourselves. It is this decision, this intention that will unleash that Love within or keep it hiding.

To awaken that Love within, we need to start by loving ourselves. This is the most important step toward loving others, loving the world, and creating an abundant and peaceful life. I suggest that you start by giving yourself a break. Understand that we are having a human experience and as such, it is not supposed to be perfect. It is supposed to be fun! Even now, stop and take a deep breath. Try this more often, through your day. You need to take time to feel your body and to calm the mind. Slowing the mind means stop thinking more often. At first it’s a difficult task because the mind wants to keep racing all the time. The more you practice, the more the mind will become quiet and still.

Engage in an activity just for you. This may be as simple as taking time to go to a park by yourself. Sit quietly and pay attention to your surroundings, to the sounds, the colors, the smells, the feelings in your body. Sit quietly just enjoying yourself. Another simple activity is showering. Truly enjoy the experience of showering. Take the time to feel the sensations in the body as the water runs through your body. Allow yourself to feel your body and tell yourself how much you appreciate, honor, and love your own body, yourself. Loving yourself means connecting with your own senses, with your own feelings and embracing them. Slow down.

Make the decision to take life less seriously. Choose to smile and laugh more often, and to remain happy throughout the day. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Allow yourself to stay in the moment. No sense in rethinking the past that is gone, and no sense in worrying about tomorrow. It’s more fun to simply enjoy the moment.

As you start reconnecting to your own Self, you will feel that Love that you are awakening within. This Love is contagious and delicious. Allow yourself to feel the Love that you are. That Love will heal your body and will heal your mind. That Love will heal the World, one person at a time. Stop pretending and be the Love that you are.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. She studied Past Life Regression Therapy with Dr.Brian Weiss. She is also certified by Doreen Virtue, bestseller author of Healing with the Angels. Laura’s holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Life Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. To read her past articles or any other information about her practice, visit her website at www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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March/April 2008

Think Prosperity

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

You must first think abundant and prosperous thoughts in order for you to manifest abundance and prosperity in your life. This is how the subconscious mind works. What you think with power eventually becomes your reality.

Long ago I chose to consciously create my own reality, so with that, I decided to be in control of what enters my mind. I choose what to read, I choose who to listen to, I choose who to associate with. I stay away from negativity and welcome positive and uplifting events and people in my life. When I do hear negativity, I choose to not give it power. I ignore it. I choose to “fear no evil” because it is not real. I choose to live in absolute faith, trusting this beautiful and perfect Universe.

The subconscious mind is your darkroom. In it you create your world. What pictures do you want to develop in your darkroom? Do you want to develop pictures of poverty and despair and fears, or pictures of prosperity and abundance and happiness? It is your choice. Your mind will obey your command through the pictures you create. These pictures need be really clear in your subconscious mind for them to actually affect your reality.

There are a few things you want to keep in mind as you create a prosperity pictures in your mind:

Remember that your thoughts and your feelings are what help create these pictures in your darkroom. Therefore, worrying about “not having enough” or about “not being able to pay bills” is creating and reinforcing a picture of poverty. You may tell me, well at the moment I do not have enough, can hardly pay my bills, how can I have prosperous thoughts? And how can I not worry? My response is, how is “worrying” going to pay your bills or bring more money into your life? It does not help to worry but it is an old behavior we have learned and we need to unlearn it. I do know this is not an easy task but what are your choices? You either keep worrying and attracting more of the same, or your send an intention into your mind to change no matter what.
Every time that worries or concerns about money come into your mind, tell yourself, “Stop stop” or “Delete delete” and immediately take a deep breath, let go of those thoughts and feelings and go into your darkroom and create the picture you’re wanting to manifest in your life. See yourself surrounded by prosperity and good things in life. See yourself helping others with your riches. See yourself at peace and fulfilled. Feel peace and joy in your heart.
Have faith that this Universe is unfolding in the most beautiful and perfect ways. Know that if at the moment there are challenges, these are opportunities for strength and growth. Know there is a blessing in every experience, even if you don’t understand the blessing at the moment. Surrender. Move into “absolute” faith, knowing you are protected by this wondrous Universe and that everything will be just fine.
Resolve to always observe your thoughts very carefully, so that without realizing it, you do not go into the negative. Stay very present and alert, knowing that positive thoughts do create your reality. Expect the best every day.

Finally, remember that you are a Spiritual being having a human experience. Remember how powerful and magnificent you really are. You are One with this entire Universe. Choose to think Prosperity.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Life Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. To read her past articles or any other information about her practice, visit her website at www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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January/February 2008

Making 2008 the Best Year Ever

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

As we begin another year, we find ourselves reviewing last year and making plans for the coming year. We become disappointed for not having achieved our last year’s resolutions or we become stressed as we push ourselves for committing to new resolutions, and become even more frustrated when we find no motivation whatsoever to begin to fulfill our promises. How about if we start doing things a little different this year?

First, let’s take a deep breath right now. Hold it on top. Release slowly but firmly and as you do, let go of the past. Let go of last year. With every new breath feel the release in your entire body. Feel the lightness of letting go of regrets, of guilt, of all past experiences. Last year is over and gone. Why would we get stuck to the past? That is a function of your mind, of past conditioning. Today you’re remembering you’re so much more than your mind. Today you’re remembering your own Powers and you’re choosing to begin by letting go of the past. As with everything else, it is a choice, a choice you have the power to make. Let’s make that choice right now as you take yet another breath. Put your arms around yourself, embrace yourself right now. Tell yourself you’re forgiving yourself for the past: for what you did or didn’t do. Tell yourself how the world didn’t come to an end for what you did or didn’t do. Smile and let go. You’re starting new.

Second, in this beautiful state of relaxation, see if you’re guided to plan your coming year. If so, breath deeply and make it a fun project. Simply take a pen to write your intentions or simple write a few affirmations. Remaining calm and still breathing deeply, call on your Spirit Guides and your Angels for guidance. Feel the Golden Light pouring down from the heavens embracing you now. Write your intentions. There are no rules as to how to do this. This is your life and it is your choice what you make of it. It is a good idea though to keep them in the present tense and in the positive, and to visualize them as already achieved. So, throughout the year, keep seeing them in your mind’s eyes as already achieved, not with guilt of not having accomplished them, nor wondering when they will be fulfilled. This serves no purpose. Once you have done your list release it to the Universe, release attachment to the results.

Finally, having released attachment to the results, we move into the Now. Let’s take another deep breath and let go of the future. See yourself moving into the here and now. Having sent the intentions to the Universe, let it all go. Feel the pleasure of having let go of the past and of the future. The future, just as the past, does not exist. The future is not here and worrying about it does not make it any better. You are choosing to stay present, enjoying life as it comes. Know that every single experience has a blessing for you. Every day you will do your best and every day you will let go of what you did or didn’t do. You are remembering your Powers and your Divine Nature. You’re remembering that life is a journey and you are choosing to enjoy that journey. Take another deep breath and allow yourself to have the most beautiful, peaceful, and prosperous 2008.

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November/December 2007

Be the messenger for peace

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

The holiday season is here again and with it, the opportunity to choose what to do with it. For most people is a time of great stress and frustration as they go through the shopping for gifts, fighting heavier traffic, attending unwanted family activities, worrying about money, looking back at the year with regrets, and in general doing more and resting less.

If you are one of these people, you are behaving out of a part of the mind that mostly runs on automatic pilot. That part of the mind has learned from the environment and it does an amazing job at choosing stress and frustration as day to day emotions. What you must remember is that you are not your mind, you are a powerful being, who has all what it takes to master your mind and to choose more calm and peaceful feelings. We can all do this regardless of the ‘craziness’ of the environment.

The first thing you need to do is become aware of the Observer in you. Become the observer of your own thoughts. By observing you start to take control of the mind and of the reactions to the environment. You have all the power within you to choose peace and joy regardless of the experiences that you are being presented with. Some experiences are more challenging and will take you into some other emotions, just allow it. We are here to experience our humanity, to embrace it. I’m not suggesting we can’t or shouldn’t feel certain emotions, what I am saying is that for the most part, the powerful being in us is not doing the choosing, our old programming is. Those old tapes that keep taking us to unwanted emotions seem to be in control.

When you’re feeling those negative emotions that you definitely didn’t want to be feeling, rely on your breath. Your breath is one of the most powerful tools to go back into peace. Breathe deeply until your heart relaxes and you feel peace. Do not allow the mind to keep you running aimlessly through this myriad of emotions. You are more powerful than your mind. Your mind is your tool. You are a Spiritual being. As the mind wants to think thousand thoughts and feel thousand different emotions, bring the awareness to the moment, to your breath. The now, the present moment, is eternal and is complete with silence. Be there and you will find peace.

As you move into more peace, choose to bring peace to those around you. Here are a few ideas you could easily implement this season and throughout the next year to be the messenger for peace:

Smile. Smiling releases your own stress and brings a smile to someone else. Smile to yourself, to your family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.
Be loving. Have loving words toward everyone and everything. It is contagious.
Be compassionate. Have a heart full of compassion toward the people that are negative, angry, frustrated. You know a secret that they don’t. Do not judge, simply observe. Do not fall into the trap of the mind going into their level. Stay loving and compassionate. Have a loving word. Know to forgive every time.
Have fun. Choose to have fun while driving in that jam, while yielding that parking space to someone else. Choose to have fun sending your good energy to everyone you encounter, even to the angry coworker or the angry driver on the other car. Love them especially.
Be appreciative. Always remember to treat everyone as if it’s the last time you’re going to see them. Tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Resolve to appreciate everyone at that family reunion, to appreciate everyone at the work place. Appreciate everyone who serves you, at the postal office, at the store, at the restaurant. Appreciate this beautiful creation and every creature in it. Give thanks to this wonderful Universe.

Be a messenger for peace. Have a blessed holiday season. Stay in your power of love and peace. Remember we are all connected at the Source. We are all One.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Life Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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September/October 2007

Looking at Life as a Game

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Spiritual Counseling and Hypnotherapy

We are in! We are in this game of life and have no choice but to play it. But how can we play the game without knowing the rules? You ask. That’s right! We must know the rules.

Imagine a group of children playing basketball, skillfully applying the rules of that game. Now imagine a newcomer, another child, coming and deciding to simply “join” the game. He gets into the court but has no idea what the game is or how to play it. He runs aimlessly throughout the court until he gets so discouraged he quits and leaves the court. Well, we do not have the choice of simply ‘leaving’ life, at least, most of us will not be making that choice. So, we are in! We better learn the rules. It’s easier to learn the rules than to go through life hating it or thinking you want to exit.

Here are a few rules that can help make your game more enjoyable.

Know that this whole thing is a game. Begin by observing how you react, your thoughts patterns, your attitude. Take life lighter, enjoy the little things. Know there is a reason for every experience.
Know it was your choice to come in the first place. God allowed it and gave you free will to play this game. We just forgot it was a game as soon as we were born.
Know that you decided on the lessons we wanted to learn this lifetime.
Know that everyone around you, no exception, is giving you opportunities to practice what you wanted to learn. For example, if you decided you wanted to come and become more forgiving, the Universe will make sure you get plenty of practice in the forgiving department. When you do not know these rules, you may become bitter and angry at the abuse or neglect from others, until you realize, wait! it is a game and these people in my life are giving me the opportunity to practice forgiveness.
Know that it is a perfect, balance Universe. Every cause has an effect. What effects do you desire? Be loving, compassionate, forgiving and the Universe will have no choice but to bring them to you.
Know that we are all in it together. We are all connected to the Source, all playing roles. See everyone playing roles. Observe the roles you have been playing. You can choose to switch roles at any time. The role of “poor me” can be switched to a more empowering role. Take complete responsibility for your actions, embracing and forgiving yourself completed. No need to beat yourself up, after all it is a game.
Know that we are Spiritual Beings having a human experience, forgive your mistakes, forgive everyone else’s mistakes. Playing a human experience ensures that we will ALL make mistakes. Let’s not judge. It’s all a game. We are all trying to learn and evolve to go back to the Source.
There are more rules, you will learn them at the appropriate time.

Lastly, you may want to see the purpose of the game as “remembering”. We come forgetting our true nature, forgetting how beautiful, powerful, and magnificent we are. We forget we are all children of this Universe. But little by little, by playing the game, we start remembering. Finally we awaken and win the game. We become one with the Source.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. For one-on-one consultation, you can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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July/ August 2007

The Power of Day Dreaming
By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Einstein said, "Imagination is your preview of coming events". In other words we create our reality with our thoughts. The more positive our thoughts and outlook for life, the more peaceful and harmonious our lives will be. In many cases the problem is that we can not make ourselves think positive. The problem is not a lack of desire for positive thinking, the problem resides in our subconscious minds, it keeps sabotaging our efforts.
Let me explain. Our subconscious minds have been programmed with both negative and positive thoughts since the time we are born. Remember that we are like sponges ' absorbing from our environment, especially the first 9 to 12 years of our lives. We absorb good and bad, without judgment by the mind. If we grew up in an environment of “worries”, we become worriers. If we grew up in an environment that fostered anger,
we learn to react with anger. If all we saw was lack and limitation, we grew up knowing that life was hard and that we needed to work hard to make money, for example.

By the time we reach adulthood, we have a mind that has been programmed with many aspects we would rather eliminate from our minds. The problem then becomes the fact that our mind is very powerful and it has the power to create a reality from those old programs. When we decide to change our thinking and think positive, the subconscious mind rejects the idea. The subconscious mind rejects the idea only because it’s protecting an opposite idea. For example, if we are trying to change our programming regarding money and we use affirmations such as “Money comes easily and effortlessly” or “I am rich and abundant”, the mind rejects them because it already has a belief that says, “Life is hard” or “There is never enough money”.

So how do we access this mind and change our programming? Our way is through the power of Hypnosis. Hypnosis is a low brain frequency where our physical bodies are relaxed and the mind is in focused state. We enter light states of hypnosis throughout the day just before we fall sleep or as we are waking up in the morning. We also enter light states of hypnosis when we are absorbed reading a book or watching a movie. We can also reach this level by daydreaming. Here is a recipe for you:

1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes
2. For a few moments, focus on your breath. Feel it coming in and out as it relaxes your body.
3. Bring your eyes 30 degrees up under your eyelids, without straining your eyes, just softly bring them up a little.
4. Count yourself 5 to 0 and as you do, feel every part of your body becoming heavier and heavier, especially your extremities.
5. Daydream. This is not about hard work affirming, this is about having fun in your mind daydreaming. Fantasize. See yourself with your completed goal. This goal may be simply being happy and fulfilled with your life, it may be seeing yourself doing what you love, may be seeing yourself surrounded with all the abundance and richness you deserve.
6. Count yourself back from 0 to 5, telling yourself you’re waking up feeling full of energy and totally awake.

Do this twice or three times a day, or as often as you want. In between, keep these images in your mind. The most important part about daydreaming is feeling it in your heart and having fun while you do it. Get really into it. Believe and feel it in your heart. Feel joy and gratitude. Remember to keep it all in the “present”, that’s what daydreaming means. It means you’re transporting yourself and seeing things as if they are the reality already. When we feel with our hearts we are impressing our subconscious mind at a very deep level. Then, at this point, we trigger the law of attraction and our outer word changes and we create the outer reality we desire. As always, remember, you are a Spiritual Being having a human experience. It’s ultimately your choice to be happy by remembering your Divine nature.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in Covina and in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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May/ June 2007

The Hidden Blessings in our Lives

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

To be able to see the hidden blessings in our own life, we may need to adjust the way we look at the events and people in our lives. Of course, since we have free will, this is not a requirement, but surely, makes life so much pleasant when, by a change in attitude, we are able to only see blessings all around us, in every event, every experience, in everyone. We may not realize we have certain “attitude” or that we “behave” in certain ways because this is the only way we have known. Remember that most attitudes are actually behaviors we have picked up, when we were younger, by the environment in which we grew up. Sometimes, unless someone brings it to our attention, we don’t realize that there is a different way, an easier way to look at life and enjoy it.

First, to “see” a blessing, we must first understand that this Universe is always unfolding in the most beautiful and perfect ways. We must also know, without any doubt, that we are totally protected and guide all of the time. We must know that we are beautiful and powerful Spiritual beings and that we are here to evolve, to become more loving, more compassionate. That it is our choice what to make of life, heaven or hell. We must know this is our choice, regardless of what is happening around us, regardless of experiences that come to us.

Many times we are able to look at the blessing of a situation only after the situation is over. For example, you lose a job and you go into despair. You don’t understand why this could happen to you. You feel life is so unfair. Later, you find another job and it’s a much better opportunity. Then you realize that losing that job was a blessing in the first place, because it opened a new door. There are more subtle blessings in this example of losing a job. After having gone through that experience, you come out of it, stronger, more determined, knowing you have what it takes to get ahead and move on. These are blessings too.

Relationships often offer us with beautiful blessings we don’t recognize. Think of someone in your life that you get along real well. You may call this a blessing, this is an easy one. You call it a blessing because it brings joy or peace or support to you. Now, think of someone in your life, a family member or a coworker, that you’re not so fond of. You may not see the blessing in this situation, but there is a beautiful blessing hidden in it. Imagine that you as the Spiritual being that you are, is wanting to become more, say, forgiving. How do you think you can become more forgiving? Only if life gives you opportunities to practice, right? Try to see this person now in a new light. See this person as someone who is in your life to give you the opportunity to forgive, to become more loving, more compassionate. Remember that you can’t be hurt unless you choose to be hurt. You can’t be offended unless you choose to be offended. You don’t need to get into any argument unless you choose to. No need to try to explain your point of view, no need to offer your opinions, not - if it’s not going to bring peace and joy into your life. You can choose to observe the situation, the interaction, with new eyes, with a new understanding, knowing that in it there is a blessing. Know this person is allowing you to become stronger in your faith, more loving, more compassionate, more forgiving. You don’t take their darkness with you, you project light to them.

Again, we can either focus on the suffering in the world and suffered with it or focus on the beauty and the magnificence of this world, and in that joy, bring joy to the ones suffering. We can either live a life of lack and limitation or live an abundant life and share it with the ones who don’t have it. It’s our choice, we have the capacity and the infinite resources of this Universe at our disposal.

The secret is to know that you have the choice to turn any experience into a blessing. Then, everything in your life becomes a blessing, and life becomes the most beautiful experience. It’s all your choice. Give it a try. Have fun “blessing hunting”.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Licenced Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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March/April 2007

Peace by Connecting with Mother Earth

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

It’s Spring time again! As nature awakens one more time, let us also awaken to our true powers, let’s remember who we truly are, so that we can find peace and joy in our lives.

Life commitments can sometimes drag us down and we feel stressed, confused, unsettled. When we feel other than harmony, peace, love, joy in our lives, we need to connect back to who we are. We need to remember who we are.

We are magnificent Spiritual Beings in human bodies. We are here to learn and grow and go back to our Source. While we are here, we also need to remember that this human body “is” part of the Earth. We are supported by Mother Earth and in her, we find solace, strength. We have all experienced the healing effects of connecting with nature, whether that’s the desert, the ocean, the mountain. Our body is made of earthly elements and it feels at home when we allow this connection. To find peace we must slow down. Slowing down is a mental process and it is our choice. Here are a few ideas based on four elements of Mother Earth:

1. Air. Take a deep breath right now. Slowly inhaling and taking it all in and slowly exhaling. Feel the peace entering your body, letting go of any resistance as you exhale. Allow this wave of air slow your mind. Feel the peace and calm. Feel time stopping. Allow your mind to stop thinking, even for a moment, and enjoy this moment of silence. It is air that you are breathing, one of the elements of our Mother Earth.

2. Fire: Light a candle and calmly sit in front of it. Contemplate the flame and allow it to bring peace into your being. Feel the peace permeating your body as you let go of daily concerns. Feel the power of fire entering your mind and body and filling you with confidence and strength. Allow the fire, another element of Mother Earth, heal your mind and body.

3. Water: Take a shower or go to the ocean or the river, feeling that water cleansing you, feeling the power of connecting to another element of Mother Earth. Feel the healing power of water, let it flow through your body and mind. Imagine waves of water inside of your body, in every cell, flushing out any stress and toxics. Drink a cup of water like you’ve never done it before, slowly enjoying every sip you take, allowing it to move through your body, healing mind and body completely.

4. Earth: Walk barefooted on grass and feel how delicious it is. Allow yourself to feel it. Sit under a tree or in a garden, feel the power of earth coming up into your body. As you close your eyes and connect with the power of earth, feel supported, feel calm and relax. Know you are rooted into the earth. Know you are one with it.

It’s Spring time. Let’s awaken to who we truly are. Let’s remember how beautiful and powerful we are. Let’s take time for ourselves by communing with Nature. Let’s open to know that the Universe Loves us, let’s open to know that Mother Earth supports us. Let’s be happy, it’s our birthright. It’s our choice.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net. Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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January/February 2007

Achieving your Dreams through the Power of your Mind

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

As 2007 arrived, what did you dream for? Prosperity? Health? Harmony? Whatever you wished for, you can manifest in your life, but only if…Yes, there is an “if”… To be able to manifest anything in this world, you must first believe it in your subconscious mind. Our subconscious mind holds the key to our expressing and manifesting in this world. So, in order to create that new job or more money or getting rid of that illness, we must first access our subconscious mind and make sure that it accepts our wish. How do we do this? First, we need to understand that only because we wish something or because we think we deserve something, it does not mean that we automatically can manifest it in our lives. Nor can our dreams become reality but just praying. We must also believe it with our subconscious mind. The Universe can’t bring anything to us unless we open the doors of that mind. In other words, deep in our minds, we must hold the belief that we are worth it, that we are special, that we are children of God and that, therefore, it is our birth right to have all the abundance, the peace, and harmony in this world. Instead of seeing ourselves as deserving, beautiful and powerful beings, most of us see ourselves as not good enough, with low confidence, low self esteem. This is the part we must first change. We must begin to believe with all of our hearts the truth of who we truly are, beautiful, powerful, deserving. We must believe this with more than our conscious mind, we must believe it with our subconscious mind and with our hearts.

Our subconscious mind loves and understands images, and so a very effective way to communicate with this part of our mind is through images, or what we call, visualization. Think of your subconscious mind as a garden where we have planted many things. We have planted good beliefs, and unknownly, some not so good. Let’s call the good beliefs flowers, and let’s call the not so good, weeds. We want to feed the flowers and get rid of the weeds. Here is a good way to work with this garden in your mind. Every morning as you awaken, stay in bed for a few minutes and create an image in your mind. Imagine a garden filled with beautiful flowers. Imagine that the different variety of flowers represent different areas of your life, like prosperity, abundance, good health, good relationships, etc. Without giving much attention look at the weeds, observe them too. Come up with your own images, your own ways of removing the weeds, those areas you want to remove from your life, such as low self esteem, a life of financial difficulties, illnesses. See yourself killing these weeds, unrooting them in your own way. Now, feed the flowers knowing what they represent. Send them love, water them, give them sunshine. See the flowers become bigger and more beautiful. Feel the joy in your heart as you see the flowers grow. Do this every single morning and do the same as you fall sleep at night. If you have time, take a couple of minutes and do at noon too. There is no such a thing as too much visualization. The more you do it, the faster you will see results. Remember that it is very important to feel emotions as you visualize, to feel the joy and happiness of knowing that the garden is becoming more and more beautiful. During the day, do not give power to the weeds by thinking of the negative aspects of your life, only focus on the positive, on your blessings. Remember that your thoughts will be feeding either the flowers or the weeds. We want to make sure we starve the weeds and feed the flowers. You have the most powerful mind, have fun this year creating what you deserve. Happy gardening and many blessings to you

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Spiritual Coach and Certified Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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November/December 2006

The Holidays, Stress, and your Subconscious Mind

By Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Isn’t it interesting how the holidays – a time when we should become more peaceful – become a time where we become so agitated, angry, and stressed? Have you ever thought of the reasons for this manifestation?

The holiday season is a beautiful time for body-mind-Spirit connection. It’s a time where we could reconnect to what is important in life, where we could introspect on our life purpose. Think about this. We are Spiritual beings in a human body – an earthly body – and this earthly body is entuned with the rhythms of the seasons.

Spring brings new beginnings, new life as Nature becomes more active. Summer brings complete activity, work, and rewards. It provides longer days, more light to perform these activities. Fall comes and Nature starts the slow down process. Days become shorter hinting us to rest. The old starts dying to eventually give way to the new. In Winter, Nature rests, and the days become even shorter. Nature prepares for the new beginnings of Spring, and the process repeats, evolving and moving forward with every cycle.

Fall and Winter are the seasons when we celebrate many ‘holidays’. Again, nature slows down, many species hibernate and rest, but what do we humans do? As the holiday season arrives, there is more and more activity, we get less sleep, we speed up instead of slowing down. This is in total contradiction of what our bodies – our earthly bodies – would like for us to do. Most of us live a very busy lifestyle and it reflects on a very busy mind, with little regards for the body, and almost none for the Spirit. During this season, especially, our bodies fight for the rest it wants and needs, but with our commitments, the shopping and traveling of the holidays, we don’t “listen”. Our body wins many times by making us literally sick, as a way of saying: “you’re not listening. I must rest. I’m taking you hostage”. The more we attempt to fulfill our obligations with little rest, the more the stress builds up, because there is an internal conflict. To ease these internal conflicts and have a much joyful season, here are a few tips:

1.Be aware that fall and winter mean “slow down”. Listen to your body and try to sleep a little more. It’s normal to feel more sleepy, less active, less motivated, more sad. These are all ways of your body and mind to talk to you. Simple acknowledgement will help. Don’t fight it. Understand your body. Embrace yourself.

2. Set your intention every morning to stay calm and relax. Know that you will do what you can today, and the rest will wait for tomorrow.

3.Slow down and feel the peace of the seasons. Drive calmly and peaceful, knowing that you are part of the “crowds”. Choose to love the crowds, instead of hating them. You are them.

4.Choose to be happy today and send a blessing to all who you encounter. Remember that really, there are no strangers, we are all connected to the same Source. Yield in the freeway, send love to the one who cuts in front of you, offer the parking space to someone else, instead of fighting for it. Let the other person take that last item at the store. Be all about “giving” this season.

5. Be loving, compassionate, and forgiving, and start with yourself. That’s the reason we are all here. To learn to be better beings. To remember that we are all One.

We may not be able to “slow down” as Nature would like us to do, but we can certainly make better choices to remain calm and relax. Being stressed, angry, or worry don’t help us achieve anything any faster, it does not help getting there faster. Slow down, choose to love yourself. Smile more, choose to have fun this year.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Spiritual Counselor and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Self-Hypnosis, and on Past Live Regressions. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701. Her website is www.themindclinic.net Her email is laura@themindclinic.net

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September/October 2006

Your life is what you create in your mind
by Laura Bonilla, C.Ht.

Taking responsibility for everything that happens in our lives is the first step in changing our realities, our lives. However, we must understand that everything means everything. To most of us this is a strange concept, and it is easier to put the blame of what is happening in our lives outside of us. It is easier to believe that the problems in our lives are caused by other people, by circumstances out of our control, by a revengeful or moody god, or by bad luck. However, with this type of thinking, we have no control and therefore, how can we change things? On the other hand, if we start by accepting that everything that happens in our lives is our own creation, then we are also in control to change. This type of thinking is empowering and freeing. First, we need to understand that accepting total responsibility and control over our lives does not mean blaming ourselves either. It does not mean putting us down, being hard on ourselves, or hating ourselves. Much of what we manifest in our daily lives regarding finances, health, relationships, and every other aspect come from beliefs deep seated in our subconscious minds. It’s not so important to know how these beliefs got in there, it is more important to know how to change them to positive, life-enhancing patterns. It is also important to remember that our subconscious mind is so powerful that it attracts things and people into our lives, bases on these beliefs. For example, if there is a belief in your subconscious mind that says “I am a victim” or “poor me” or “nobody loves me”, then, your subconscious mind is going to attract situations and people that honor these beliefs. It will attract the one who victimizes you, it will attract rejections and people who will hurt you. If you have a subconscious belief that says “I am poor” or “I am not worth it”, situations and people will be attracted into your lives to honor these beliefs. Let’s take responsibility of our realities by changing our minds. Here are a few steps you can take.

1. Observe what run through your mind during the course of your day. Become the “observer” of your own life. Are your thoughts positive? Negative? American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Man is what he thinks all day long.”

2. Neutralize the negative thoughts or attitudes by making a choice that from now on, you’re choosing to be happy, to be abundant, to be confident, to be healthy, to be loving. Say to yourself “Quiet” or “Cancel”, every time a negative thought, or attitude, or reaction comes. Be consistent, this is just like training a dog, repetition is the key.

3. Give yourself positive affirmations right after neutralizing every negative thought. Tell yourself how much you love yourself, how much you love your life, how abundant you are, or how healthy you are.

4. Bring feeling into your positive affirmations. Let your heart feel the joy of who you are becoming

5. Pray knowing you are a Child of God, a Child of the Universe, and that it’s your birthright to manifest abundance, happiness, health, peace. Remember, pray believing that you already received the blessing. “Whasoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matt.” 21:22 See it in your mind. See the abundance, the health, the loving you. Don’t ask, claim. It’s your birthright. Even better, simply give thanks. Skip the asking and claiming. Give thanks knowing it’s already manifesting.

Finally and most importantly, always practice being loving, compassionate, and forgiving, toward yourself and others. The power of these God qualities will change your life.

Laura Bonilla, C.Ht. is a Spiritual Counselor and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Her holistic approach is to bring Spirit-Mind-Body into Oneness. She has her private practice in the Glendora/San Dimas area. She conducts workshops on Remembering your Purpose, Past Live Regressions, and others. You can reach her directly at 909-994-5701 or by email at laura@themindclinic.net. Her website is www.themindclinic.net.