This may be an extreme example of that common occurrence, but it symbolizes what can happen when you ignore some irritation in your life. This is different from spiritually denying a situation, then affirming its opposite. In that case, you're recognizing what's there, but focusing on the solution. Ignoring a condition actually means that you know it's there, but you don't want to deal with it and hope it'll go away on its own. Wearing blinders doesn't make a problem disappear.

Your refusal to acknowledge that something is wrong simply gives it more energy. Keep pushing the issue away, and you expend vast amounts of mental energy that could go into healing it. Procrastination, concern, and suppressed worry feed it. Whether it's a physical symptom, trying to tell you that you need to attend to your health, or a situation in a relationship that festers, the problem will gather intensity until it's so big that you have to notice it. A molehill of frustration can grow into a mountain of trouble.

Many times, people will only acknowledge a condition when it gets too significant to deny any longer. Occasionally, they don't recognize it until it takes over their lives and they're forced to make decisions. But by that time, their options are severely limited. It's like a stone rolling down a hill. That stone, if not stopped near the top, will gather momentum until it slams something farther down the hill, resulting in catastrophe.

What a problem requires is to be quickly identified and addressed. That takes the energy away from the issue and puts it in your hands. You now have choices, where you didn't before. It's like a child tugging at the leg of their parent's pants. The child won't go away until they get their parent's attention. Once the difficulty has your attention, you can contend with it and find solutions. But until you recognize its reality, you can't even look for an answer.

Instead of allowing the situation to continue to lurk in the shadows, you need to spotlight it. Give the issue the attention it's asking for. The problem's insistence is coming from no place but deep inside you. You set it in motion by not addressing it earlier. The condition is only doing what your subconscious thinks you want.

Answer: Review how you're using the affirmation. As we use affirmations, we may start repeating them by rote, without thinking about what they mean, and because we do, they lose their punch. Remember that an affirmation only changes your mind about the situation, to accept more good in that area. And they have to be said with emotion and belief that they're actually manifesting.

If we say the affirmation, but negate it during the day, or we say it and feel that it's not working, then the subconscious mind will manifest our accumulated feeling about the situation. So make sure that your feelings that it's being done are in alignment with the affirmation.

Also, a problem can't be healed from the consciousness that created it or is experiencing the problem. You need to be able to raise your awareness above or beyond the level of the challenge to imagine the solution, or at least imagine that there is a resolution available. If you're still thinking of the problem as you say the affirmation, or feeling the tension it creates, then that will block any positive change. Affirm and think of it from the position of the answer or resolution.

This book is a classic in the area of dreams, becoming awake within them and controlling them. Everyone dreams, but you may not remember them. Dr. Garfield gives instructions on how to begin recalling your dreams. These imaginary nightly adventures contain a vast reservoir of information, wisdom, and healing for your life. The main focus of this book is to teach the reader how to become aware within their dream and what to do then. Drawing upon a multitude of cultures and thought systems, Dr. Garfield explores each one and explains how you can use them to develop your own ability to control your dreams.

The point of controlling your dreams isn't to manipulate them for fun, but to learn to confront and resolve problems, experience more understanding and power in your daily life. By becoming awake in your dreams, you can access all of your subconscious knowledge to find answers. Learning this valuable technique releases everyday creative resources, and allows you to expand your spiritual consciousness.