Authors: Eldon Taylor

Choices and Illusions (3 page)

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Exploring Mind, Meaning,

and Mysteries*

WHAT IF? The Challenge of Self-Realization*

WELLNESS: Just a State of Mind?

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CHOICES

AND

ILLUSIONS

How Did I Get Where I Am,

and How Do I Get Where I Want to Be?

Eldon Taylor

HAY HOUSE, INC.

Carlsbad, California • new York City

london • Sydney • Johannesburg

Vancouver • Hong Kong • new delhi

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Published and distributed in the United States by:
Hay House, Inc.: www.hay house.com® •
Published and distributed in Australia by:
Hay House Australia Pty. ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au •
Published and distributed in the United King-

dom by:
Hay House UK, ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk •
Published and distributed

in the Republic of South Africa by:
Hay House SA (Pty), ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za

•
Distributed in Canada by:
Raincoast: www.raincoast.com •
Published in India

by:
Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design:
Julie davison •
Interior design:
nick C. Welch All rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taylor, Eldon.

Choices and illusions : how did I get where I am, and how do I get where I want to be? / Eldon Taylor.

pages cm

ISBn 978-1-4019-4338-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Success--Psychic aspects.

2. Choice (Psychology) 3. Self-perception. I. Title.

BF1045.S83T38 2013

158.1--dc23

2013013819

Hardcover ISBN:
978-1-4019-4338-7

16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1

1st printing, revised edition, September 2013

Printed in the United States of America

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To the One Source, which created all and

with which we are intricately interconnected—

which includes you. And to three special

aspects of that One Source:

Roy, the wind beneath my wings;

Lois, who made sure the dream lived on;

and Ravinder, who taught me the meaning of love.

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CONtENtS

Foreword by Cristian Enescu, M.D
. ............................................................xiii
Preface
....................................................................................................... xv
Introduction to the First Edition
................................................................xvii
Introduction to the Second Edition
.............................................................xix Chapter 1:
Choices and Illusions ..............................................................1

Chapter 2:
Engineering Belief ................................................................ 13

Chapter 3:
The Full Power of Your Beliefs .............................................. 17

Chapter 4:
Creating Self.......................................................................... 21

Chapter 5:
What We Perceive and Fail to Perceive ................................ 31

Chapter 6:
Psychological defense Mechanisms ..................................... 51

Chapter 7:
Who Owns Your Thoughts Anyway? ...................................65

Chapter 8:
Information Processing Without Awareness ........................ 73

Chapter 9:
A Simple Model of Mind and Behavior ................................85

Chapter 10:
The nature of Controversy ................................................. 109

Chapter 11:
Practical Hypnosis .............................................................. 121

Chapter 12:
Mind Is not a local Event .................................................. 127

Chapter 13:
The Subtraction Game ........................................................ 141

Chapter 14:
The Courage to Challenge Yourself .................................... 149

Chapter 15:
Breaking the Trance ............................................................ 159

Chapter 16:
The Kingdom Within ......................................................... 165

Chapter 17:
Change ................................................................................ 173

Chapter 18:
Conclusion .......................................................................... 197

Epilogue
................................................................................................... 207

Appendix A: Science of InnerTalk
® ............................................................209

Appendix B: Utah Prison Study
................................................................. 213

Appendix C: Personal-Empowerment Stories
............................................. 215

Appendix D: Affirmations for Unlimited Personal Power
........................... 229

Recommended Resources
........................................................................... 231

Endnotes
.................................................................................................. 233

Acknowledgments
.................................................................................... 237

About the Author
.....................................................................................238

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FOrE wOrd

I lay back on the couch after finishing this book, and I closed

my eyes.

At first I did not know why I had such a strong desire to

read it again and to keep it on the nightstand close to me. Then

I understood.

What every cell of my body was now experiencing was a new,

powerful energy—revitalizing, rejuvenating, and inviting me to

start taking action immediately. It was the energy that only hope

can bring.

Yes, what this book brings to the reader is hope. It represents

the life-saving ring thrown from an unexpected boat in the middle

of the ocean to an exhausted swimmer who has lost hope of reach-

ing the shore. It is the road back to the civilized world that an

explorer, lost in an unfriendly jungle, suddenly discovers. It is the island with a landing field that a pilot of a plane almost out of fuel suddenly sees through the clouds above a rough ocean.

This book offers the reader not only a powerful insight into

how the subconscious mind is dictating human behavior, but also

the solution to regaining control of our existence on this planet.

And this is where the book stands out. We are finally able to

acquire an understanding of why different things happen to us in

our lifetime and also how to start changing our destiny, no matter

how far away we are from this knowing.

It is a book for all, the initiated as well as those still under the power of the illusions of this life.

It is a book designed to awaken the human consciousness.

What a wonderful relief to know that it is never too late to start

changing, and also to know that we are always in full control of

this process!

In my career as a neurologist, nothing produced a more dra-

matic effect on my patients’ state of mind and their ability to

recover from any condition than the sudden realization that they

xiii

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

are themselves capable of influencing their own health, that they

themselves are in the driver’s seat, not the doctor.

After reading this book, the spiritualists will definitely claim

dr. Eldon Taylor as one of their own.

At the same time, the numerous scientific studies proving the

validity of his approach in mind training with InnerTalk, done by

reputable researchers, will place dr. Taylor among scientists.

So, the only possible conclusion is that dr. Taylor is both a

scientist and a spiritualist.

By bridging these fields, he becomes a pioneer in what I believe

could be considered the science of spirituality.

last but definitely not least, dr. Taylor is a humanitarian.

Those who have become acquainted with his work over the years

easily realize that it is inspired by love, an unconditional love for a human race at a crossroads and desperately needing to redefine

itself in order to survive. His entire work and life are dedicated to this purpose.

I am firmly convinced that as long as people like dr. Taylor

exist, there is still hope for our planet to be saved and for our civilization to continue its progress toward enlightenment.

—
Cristian Enescu, M.D.

xiv

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PrEFaCE
There is only one purpose to this work. This became very clear

to me the other morning while I was acknowledging and giving

thanks for all the blessings in my life. As I thought of many just

from the day before, I remembered two small house martins play-

ing with me while I watered the family’s strawberry bed. One of the birds actually landed on the coffee cup in my left hand. The other

bird sat less than six inches directly above my head on a branch of the elm tree that overhangs this garden. As if teasing me, they both then darted in and out of the stream of water from the garden hose

held in my other hand. The entire scene was simply magical. The

two birds apparently had no fear of me. I enjoyed their frolic and

returned their teasing with an occasional movement of the stream

of water as they flew through it to land on a low-hanging branch.

For a few moments the birds and I knew no boundaries in terms

of the traditional fear-laden relationship that all too often abides between man and nature. I even mused that it would have been

something like this if the story of the Garden of Eden were to be

drawn out in detail. There was a special sort of oneness—oneness

from the One Source, the oneness that goes beyond the common

denominator of atoms and molecules shared by all; it was the

oneness of consciousness that abides in peace, balance, and har-

mony—harmony with all.