The “I Am” Statement

POWERFUL, PURPOSEFUL WORDS TO SPEAK OVER YOUR LIFE

In 2020, at the advice of a functional practitioner, I purchased the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS). This course “retrains” the limbic system in the brain. In the case of chronic conditions, the body is often stuck in a stress response which enables pathways of trauma or illness to cut deep in the brain and be repeated over time. DNRS stops the stress response and cuts new pathways in the brain, disrupting the trauma loop. The “I am” statement is a foundational part of DNRS. In this post, I’d like to explain what it is, how it’s created, and how it worked for me.

“I AM” THEORY

Within the context of the DNRS program, the “I am” statement is a projection of what an individual envisions for themself, so the “I am” statement is likely not true when it’s first written. The “I am” statement is a tool with which to cut new pathways in the brain. It’s not about what has been, but what might be.

When I first purchased the DNRS program, I was recovering from years of chronic illness. My body was really good at walking pathways of trauma. Every spring, for six years, my body looped through a state of chronic disease incapacitating me for several weeks at minimum. My chronic conditions were year round, but spring time packed a serious punch. I began DNRS with the hope that I might avoid the punch of spring 2020. My natural “I am” statement would probably have sounded something like this: “I am tired, afraid, wounded, and less of a human than I used to be.”

DNRS directed me to look at what could be, not what was. I created an “I am” statement that I still reference to this day. It sounds like this: “I am healthy, strong, capable, and in love with my life.” When I wrote that statement, none of it was true. I was chronically ill, weak, devoid of dreams and goals, and afraid of my future. I did not love my present state. It traumatized me. But the “I am” statement is not about what is. It’s about what can be. The “I am” statement focuses the brain upon new pathways. It breathes vision. It creates hope. The “I am” statement is the enemy of negative self-speak.

PURPOSEFUL, POWERFUL WORDS

An “I am” statement is meant to be repeated. When I first developed my statement, I repeated it to myself probably 100 times a day. I said it while I was taking a bath or cooking dinner. The words came to me when I first woke up and before I went to bed. I spent time visualizing what my life would look like if I were truly healthy, strong, capable, and in love with my life. In my mind, I painted a picture including vivid colors, sights, emotions, and even smells. I made myself believe that my “I am” statement could be true.

The repetition cut new pathways in my brain. That spring (2020), I did not succumb to my chronic illness. I made it through the season without becoming hospitalized or bed bound. I used DNRS and the “I am” statement to finally wean off of prednisone the following fall. The words that we speak to ourselves have power. Subconsciously, I was speaking words of fear and defeat over my life. I had not voiced them to myself aloud, but they had power over my brain. They had power over my state of being.

The “I am” statement should be purposeful. Choose what you want to be. Don’t focus on what you are. Cast a positive vision over your life. Project it into being. This is not a “manifestation” as we hear about in popular culture. You’re not calling out to the universe for good health or a job promotion or a stable relationship. The “I am” statement is an attempt at purposeful authority over the subconscious voice in your mind.

WHO DOES GOD SAY THAT I AM? WHY DOES THAT MATTER?

In scripture, a Christian’s image of self is presented in context of who Christ is. Alone, the human heart is in a disastrous state. It is deceitful and desperately sick. (Jeremiah 17:9) But God, the author and creator of all things, creates within us a value we could not otherwise find within ourselves. Four “I am” statements can be spoken by a Christian.

• In Christ, I am loved.
  • “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
• In Christ, I am chosen.
  • “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1:3-4
• In Christ, I am forgiven.
  • “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
• In Christ, I am redeemed.
  • “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7

Any purposeful vision that I might cast over my own life only holds meaning because these four statements are first true. As Christians, we are not promised a life without hardship. We are not promised a pain-free existence. But as a Christian, I can always say, “In Christ, I am loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed.” You can say it too.

THE “I AM” CHALLENGE

I challenge you to craft a personal “I am” statement. Write for the person you want to be in a year, not who you are today. Choose three or four adjectives to describe your future sense of being and then begin to speak those words over yourself daily.

Start each day with the words, “In Christ, I am loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed.” Follow that with your personal “I am” statement. For example, mine is, “I am healthy, strong, capable, and in love with my life.” Each day, speak these two statements over your life at least once….many more times if you’re able.

Remember that the first statement is unconditional. It is true because God makes it true. You don’t have to convince your brain that it’s true in order to receive the benefits it offers. Speaking it aloud is merely a way to remind yourself of what is. Your repetition doesn’t make it so.

The second “I am” statement can become true. You can rewire your brain. You can cut new pathways to love your life on earth. The second “I am” statement can give birth to new dreams and goals. Your second “I am” statement has its foundation in the first. Because you are loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed, you can grow and flourish and create loving relationships in this blessed life.

DNRS DISCLAIMER

The “I Am Challenge” I recommend above does not replace the value found in taking the DNRS course. While I believe that many of my readers may find merit in the “I Am Challenge,” the DNRS course has much more content designed to serve those who need extensive brain rewiring. I will always recommend DNRS to those who are stuck in a cycle of chronic disease.