Affirmations are simple statements of fact or desired intent (a goal or goals) repeated on a regular basis as a form of mental programming. The Coué Method was, arguably, the first example of the use of affirmations for improvement of health using Autosuggestion (alternatively considered a form of self hypnosis). As originally formulated, the Coué Method consisted of the phrase Every day, in every respect, I am getting better and better”. It has since been revised to Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”.

In his book “Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion“, Emile Coué claims, from his own experience, that “Every illness, whatever it may be, can yield to autosuggestion … I do not say does always yield, but can yield, which is a different thing”.

Affirmations are simple generic statements, generally in the form of goals, one might find on the Internet and in many Self-Help, New Age or New Thought books. Many audio programs have been developed with such affirmations put to music. The idea is that the desires and/or goals of many people can be reduced to a number of generalized, generic statements, as follows:

• I am Successful, Rich, Healthy and Happy
• I love myself unconditionally
• I am a loving, forgiving, gentle and kind person

The following are affirmations used while at Beta in The Silva Method:

• My increasing mental faculties are for serving humanity better.
• Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.
• Positive thoughts, suggestions and images bring me benefits and advantages I desire.
• Negative thoughts, suggestions and images have no influence over me at any level of my mind.
• I have full control and complete dominion over my sensing faculties at all levels of my mind, including the outer conscious level. And this is so.
• I energize and maintain myself in a healthy way, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
• I will always maintain a perfectly healthy body, mind and immune system.

Self - Affirmations are, similarly, simple statements of fact or desired intent. They may differ from affirmations, however, in that one might formulate them for a specific circumstance or individual goal. In addition, rather than have a pre-recorded affirmation message, one speaks the affirmation(s) out loud (orally) to oneself.

Developing Your Own Affirmations

There are some general guidelines to follow when formulating one’s own, individual affirmations:

Use the PRESENT TENSE, not the future tense. The subconscious mind tries to literally bring about what it is asked of it, so one would phrase an affirmation in the form “I am rich” or “I choose to be rich”.

Be POSITIVE. Only positive statements work. The sub-conscious mind is literal and simple and cannot, therefore, understand negative affirmations. For example, if you were to use the affirmation “I am not fat”, the subconscious mind would interpret it as “I am fat”!. This, obviously, is not the intended goal.

Affirmations should be SPOKEN, WRITTEN DOWN or, ideally, BOTH. Repeat them emphatically, preferably throughout the day, at least twenty times when you first get up in the morning and twenty times in the evening just before you go to sleep.

Writing your affirmations down is a faster way of imprinting the affirmation into the subconscious mind. Napoleon Hill, in “Think and Grow Rich” suggested writing your affirmation on a 3″ x 5″ card and keeping it in your pocket. Throughout the day, whenever you get the chance, remove the card and look at it or read it. Do this several times a day. In keeping with the modern age of technology, you might want to save your affirmation in your iPhone or Blackberry.

Repetition. In order to bring about significant change in your life, affirmations must be repeated many times a day. As stated above, as a minimum, try to repeat your self affirmations twenty times a day in both the morning and evening. The objective is to get your affirmations past your conscious mind and embed them in your sub-conscious.

The technique is potentially very powerful if a program of repetition of the affirmation(s) is maintained over a period of time. The phrase “period of time” is, of course, very ambiguous. One might consider repeating the affirmation until such time as the affirmation has been realized.

For a review of the power of Affirmations (as Self-Affirmations or Auto-suggestion) in healing, refer to Emile Coue’s “Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion“.

For a wonderful example of the detailed use of affirmations, refer to The Greatest Salesman in the World

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