Swish pattern allows you to ‘rewire’ an old response by programming in a new response to the same trigger. It re-programs the mind to respond in a new and positive way to a situation that previously resulted in unwanted thoughts, behaviors and emotions. It can be used on everything from stopping habits like nail-biting or smoking to changing perspectives on situations like cold call selling and changing behaviors like yelling at the people you love, acting like a doormat instead of standing up for yourself, or compulsively replaying old memories in your head that make you feel bad. Here’s how you do it:

1. Identify what it is that you want to change. For the example, you want to stop biting your nails.

2. Identify the Cue Picture. Since a lot of behaviors happen on ‘autopilot’ it might help to actually do whatever you do just before you start the unwanted behavior, for the example, move your hand towards your mouth just as you would if you were about to bite your nails. What do you see/hear/sense? This is your Cue picture.

3. Create a Desired Outcome picture. Create a picture of a “New” you. See yourself in the picture as though you were watching a movie and adjust the image until you feel really drawn to it. Increase the brightness, size and distance of the image and add in desirable qualities like confidence, assertiveness, inner power and kindness etc until you find it really compelling.

4. Swish the two pictures. Start with seeing the Cue Picture, big and bright. Then put a small, dark image of your Desired Outcome in the lower left corner. Now as you say ‘swish’ allow the Cue Picture to get dimmer and smaller and further away and at the same time allow the small dark picture (your Desired Outcome) to grow big and bright until it completely covers the Cue Picture and fills the screen of your mind. You do this very quickly – in less than a second – the time that it takes to say swish. Now open your eyes. Repeat this process a total of five times making sure you open your eyes in between each swish.

5. Now try and picture the Cue Picture This should be hard to do as it will tend to be replaced by your Desired Outcome picture. If the old behavior is still there, go back and swish some more and add more sensory elements to your images to make them compelling.

The Cue Picture should feel unpleasant since this is a behavior you wish to change and the Desired Outcome should feel really attractive. The keys to a successful swish are speed and correctly identifying the trigger or Cue Picture.

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