Many times, even when people are aware of the power of the mind to transform their happiness and health, they find themselves stuck. They may feel like they've exhausted all options, but they don't realize that a big part of the problem is that they have “hidden” misconceptions that are holding them back. That's why today's podcast episode is crucial. It illuminates a very common barrier that can impede transformation and provides valuable insights to overcome it.
Topics: emotional reflexes, subconscious programming, transformation, misconceptions
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Welcome to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life. My name is Brandy Gillmore. After recovering from my own life-changing injury, it’s become my mission to share with others the same discoveries that changed my health and my entire life. Our minds are truly incredible — the placebo is proof of this.
Each week, I’ll take this simple awareness to a whole new level. I even coach live callers to free themselves of physical pain using only their mind, and then provide you with a combination of practical and spiritual insights to help you master your mind, your emotions, and your energy — to heal your health, yourself, and your life.
Let’s begin.
Hello, and welcome to this week’s Quick IQ episode — where we talk about insights and questions. Today I want to share a very powerful insight about mind programming. So often, people believe they’re working with their minds correctly, but what they’re doing falls short of real transformation. They may justify, analyze, or rationalize their emotions — but justification doesn’t change programming.
To illustrate, consider something I’ve mentioned often: a person who struggles with self-harm may become subconsciously programmed to feel relief, safety, or control through the act itself. It doesn’t make logical sense, but that emotional association becomes wired in the subconscious — and can then govern their entire life.
Or think about someone who associates “feeling cool” with using drugs, or who links guilt and sadness to happiness — as we saw with our beautiful volunteer Kristen in Episode 125. She had deep emotional wounding around her father’s 18-year struggle on and off life support. When he finally passed, she felt both sadness and relief — but her mind linked those emotions together, so happiness became “sad” and “guilty.”
After that episode, several listeners wrote in asking, “But isn’t it normal for her to feel sad?” Yes — it’s understandable emotionally — but that’s not how the subconscious works. Logic and justification don’t reprogram emotional reflexes.
I often describe these as emotional reflexes. Just as your body moves instinctively if a ball flies toward you, your subconscious reacts emotionally before your conscious mind even thinks. These reflexes shape everything — your health, perception, and what you attract in life. So when old emotions are wired in, they drive your experience automatically.
Trying to justify a reflex is like explaining to your knee why it shouldn’t jerk when tapped — it doesn’t work that way. The emotional reflex must be re-patterned, not reasoned with.
Let me give you an example. A young man I worked with had been suicidal for years. As a child, he’d been laughing and playing at a bus stop when his mom yelled, “Stop it — you’ll get hit by the bus!” His mind linked the idea that being happy isn’t safe — that happiness could lead to danger or death. It wasn’t his mother’s fault; she was protecting him. But his subconscious formed a powerful link: happiness = unsafe. It controlled him for years.
Another client, Veronica, had it programmed that if she was happy, people would be mean to her — again, that happiness wasn’t safe. These emotional links become invisible walls in our lives.
I also see people say, “I’ve forgiven that person,” believing forgiveness changes their programming. But that’s only mental logic. The emotional link — the old pain — often still lives inside. It’s like keeping spoiled food in your fridge and saying, “Well, I’ve forgiven it.” The smell remains. The old emotion has to be cleared — not excused.
Real change happens when the emotion itself is gone — when it no longer triggers, no longer feels real. You can’t simply justify, “I’m sad because of this” or “I feel guilty because of that.” Justification reinforces the emotion instead of dissolving it.
And the beautiful thing is — reprogramming works. As I was recording this very insight, an email came through from Kristen, our volunteer from last week. She wrote:
“Yesterday was my father’s anniversary of passing. Typically, I’d get stuck in the poor-me’s and cry all day. But instead, I listened to the videos in the course and went for a walk. I didn’t shed one tear. Yay me!”
How incredible is that? She went from years of depression and therapy to feeling empowered and peaceful. That’s what happens when real reprogramming begins — when you stop justifying and start changing the emotional reflex itself.
So I want to invite you to look at your own mind. What’s linked to your happiness? Do you feel guilty when you’re happy? Do you feel undeserving? Do you worry others will judge you? Even small subconscious links can hold you back from real joy or health.
I sometimes hear people say, “I’m already happy; negative emotions can’t affect me.” Yet they have a chronic health issue. Often, deep inside, they feel that if life were even better, it wouldn’t be fair — or that being too happy might make others uncomfortable. That hidden guilt keeps them from full healing.
Justifying emotions — “I feel sad because …” — doesn’t clear them. You must reprogram them. Real healing requires changing what’s linked in the subconscious, so your automatic emotional reflex becomes positive, empowering, and safe.
And while many people say, “Just do what makes you happy,” if your subconscious feels guilty about happiness, then doing what makes you happy may actually trigger negative emotions. That’s why so many people stay stuck. Healing takes both releasing the negative and wiring in the new.
When I help volunteers release pain or illness, it looks easy — but that’s because of years of discovery into how the mind truly works. Real healing happens when the subconscious is reprogrammed at a deep level. It’s not just “think positive.” It’s re-linking every emotion so that happiness, love, and safety feel congruent and natural.
So today, I invite you to pause and ask yourself: How do I really feel about being happy? Does it feel safe? Fair? Deserving? If not, that awareness is your first step. Don’t rush to change it instantly — start with awareness. Notice what’s truly there. Then, little by little, begin bringing in new associations: “It’s safe to be happy. Happiness brings love and connection. My happiness uplifts others.”
Remember, true reprogramming means eradicating the old and reinforcing the new. That’s how transformation becomes permanent.
Look honestly at what’s stored in your subconscious. What’s really linked to your joy? To safety? To love? Awareness creates power, and from that power you can create a new emotional reality — one that supports your health, happiness, and success.
As always, please take a moment to share this episode with someone you love, care about, or even someone you don’t know. Imagine a world where everyone understood how to use their minds — where happiness felt safe, healing was natural, and everyone felt empowered. The more people who learn this, the more beautiful our world becomes.
Thank you for listening to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life. If this episode touched your heart or expanded your mind, please share it with others. For questions, comments, or to volunteer, visit brandygillmore.com. And if you have health issues, continue seeing your doctors — but make it your goal to blow their minds with what you’re capable of with yours.
You are truly incredible. Have a beautiful, happy, loving rest of your day — and I look forward to connecting with you on the next episode.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We understand that some may believe mind-body healing is impossible. Therefore, if you would like to see images of individuals using their minds to relieve pain, you can check out this medical journal. It includes images from some of Brandy's case studies. If you want to learn how to use your mind to heal yourself, you can check out the training on Brandy's website. Each week, Brandy publishes a volunteer episode where she coaches a volunteer to heal themselves using their own mind. In addition, Brandy shares a quick IQ episode (Insights and Questions) where she answers listener questions or delves deeper into insights on working with the mind for healing. This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for psychiatric or medical care.
If you struggle with negative thoughts, chronic pain, or chronic health issues, please continue seeing your doctor as recommended. Think of self-healing and mind-body healing as ways to partner with your doctor—keeping them informed and working as a team—so you can feel empowered in your health journey and fully embrace what’s possible through the power of your mind, emotions, and energy. Genuine change and consistent follow-through are key. Please enjoy this self-healing podcast.
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Please remember that genuine change and follow-through are key for self-healing results. If you struggle with negative thoughts or have a chronic health issue or chronic pain, please do not avoid seeing your doctor. Instead, your goal with self-healing should be to continue to see your doctor as recommended and blow their mind with what you are capable of with your mind and with the power of mind-body healing. Please enjoy this self-healing podcast.
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