I spend a LOT of time trying to moderate my mental/emotional state...

Thanks to my parents / culture I grew up with a few fucked up self beliefs that I have battled against.

The ol' I'm not worthy or I'm not good enough has filtered through my head enough to become my own personal sound track.

Well...

I'm over it

I have been working to shift these beliefs for a while.
I wanted to find a way to do it

better

I put my thinking cap on ...

an here's what I discovered

Dopamine is a strong neurotransmitter that our body releases to signal pleasure.
It essentially acts as a compass and let's us know when we have done something that is conducive to our survival.
When we eat food, our body releases dopamine.
When we fuck, our body releases dopamine.

This surge of pleasure makes us more likely to repeat the activity in the future.
I wanted to see if I could harness this reward pathway to increase the rate at which I could change my personal beliefs.

The experiment is simple.
Combine self-visualization with a reward response.
My goal is more complex : create a different self perception.

How do I measure this?
I think I will have to go with generalized self reporting.

OK ... what can I accomplish in 30 days?
Fuck it, what can I accomplish in 10 ... no 5 days?

Is 5 days enough to have a noticeable response to the training?

Simple protocol:
Choose on "modifier"
excitement / optimism for the future
Apply visualization + reward response for 5 minutes per day, each day.
5 minute meditation
Record self response.
once per day for 10 days
Analyze results.
will I normalize after stopping the exercise?

First exercise is done ...
I feel STOKED about my future.
9.7/10 excitement about the future
NOTE : I should do a measurement before I start the exercise

It was very interesting.
I felt as if my chemical state was changing over the course of the exercise. I'm sure it was to some degree. I wish I could measure the moment to moment state to see which neurotransmitters I have control over.

I felt a generalized excitement and each time I reinforced the stimulus it seemed to give me another oomph of sensation ... I wonder if that is a dopamine dump :)

I also am experiencing a generalized sense of well being.
Serotonin?
With a positive outlook on the future there is no wonder that I am feeling more positive in the present ....
Excited to see where this goes