Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One (2012) is a self-help book by Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor and motivational speaker and author. Throughout the work, Dispenza integrates neuroscience, quantum physics, and mindfulness to guide readers toward personal transformation. With a focus on the brain’s ability to rewire itself through neuroplasticity and the influence of epigenetics on behavior, the book provides actionable techniques for reprogramming limiting beliefs and achieving alignment between thoughts, emotions, and desired outcomes.

Dispenza presents a step-by-step approach, blending scientific principles with practical meditation practices to empower individuals to break free from habitual patterns, thereby creating a more intentional, fulfilling reality. The book explores key themes, including The Power of Thought and Belief in Shaping Reality, The Potential for Reprogramming Through Meditation and Mindfulness, and Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs to Achieve Transformation. 

Dispenza is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller, You Are the Placebo (2015). While his books have achieved commercial success, many of his claims regarding the potential healing powers of the mind and his invocation of concepts from neuroscience and quantum physics are controversial, and have attracted criticism from some medical and scientific commentators. 

This guide uses the 2012 edition by Hay House publishers, USA.

Summary

The book begins with a Foreword by Dr. Daniel G. Amen, a psychiatrist and brain imaging expert, who emphasizes the critical connection between brain health and overall well-being. Drawing from decades of research and over 70,000 SPECT scans, Dr. Amen highlights how trauma, negative beliefs, and unhealthy habits shape the brain’s functionality and, by extension, our lives. He praises Joe Dispenza’s work for offering practical strategies rooted in scientific evidence to rewire the brain and promote mental and emotional healing. 

In the Introduction, Dispenza discusses the potential of harnessing neuroplasticity, meditation, and emotional reconditioning as tools to break free from self-limiting habits and shape a more intentional and empowered reality. The Introduction establishes the book’s structure and mission, combining cutting-edge science with actionable tools to help readers transform their lives by aligning thoughts, emotions, and behaviors with their desired outcomes.

In Part 1, Dispenza explores the foundational principles of personal transformation by connecting quantum physics, neuroscience, and human behavior. He begins by challenging the traditional separation of mind and matter, introducing the concept of “the quantum field,” where thoughts and emotions actively shape reality. This principle is illustrated through the “observer effect,” which demonstrates that consciousness influences material outcomes. Dispenza emphasizes the importance of aligning coherent thoughts and emotions to broadcast an electromagnetic signature capable of manifesting desired realities. 

He further explains how habitual thoughts and feelings, tied to one’s environment and past, keep individuals trapped in predictable patterns, limiting their potential for change. By mentally rehearsing new behaviors and emotionally embracing future possibilities, individuals can rewire their brains, transcend their current limitations, and align with their ideal futures. Additionally, Dispenza delves into the science of neuroplasticity and epigenetics, showing how thought and emotion influence neural pathways and even gene expression. He contrasts the survival-based stress responses that dominate modern lives with a creative state of being that allows access to the quantum field of infinite possibilities. By engaging the brain’s creative center, the frontal lobe, and embracing meditative practices, individuals can overcome addictive emotional patterns, recondition their bodies, and create a more intentional reality.

In Part 2, Dispenza delves into the power of meditation and self-awareness as tools for personal transformation. He introduces the concept of the “three brains”—the neocortex, limbic brain, and cerebellum—explaining how they work together to move individuals from thinking to doing and, ultimately, to being. By integrating knowledge, emotional experiences, and repeated practice, individuals can create lasting change by rewiring their brains and reconditioning their bodies. 

Dispenza emphasizes the importance of recognizing the gap between one’s external persona and true self, as he urges readers to confront unresolved emotions and release reliance on external validation. Meditation is presented as a critical practice for breaking free from subconscious patterns and cultivating a coherent, empowered state of mind. Through practical examples, Dispenza demonstrates how meditation allows individuals to access slower brain wave states, which enables them to reprogram limiting beliefs, align their thoughts and emotions with their desired future, and create a new personal reality.

In Part 3, Dispenza focuses on guiding readers through creating a new reality by integrating meditation, mental rehearsal, and the embodiment of change into daily life. He introduces a structured, four-week meditation program designed to help individuals move beyond old patterns and establish a coherent connection between their thoughts, emotions, and actions. Beginning with foundational techniques to quiet the analytical mind and access the subconscious, Dispenza builds toward dismantling the habits and memories of the old self, as he encourages readers to consciously redirect their behaviors and cultivate a new identity. He emphasizes the importance of envisioning and emotionally rehearsing the ideal self, reinforcing these changes until they become automatic and ingrained. 

Dispenza also highlights the feedback loop between personal change and environmental responses, where synchronicities and opportunities affirm the power of intentional thought and elevated emotions. Through consistent practice, he invites readers to align with a higher consciousness, experience empowerment, and create a life that reflects their deepest aspirations.

The book concludes with an Afterword, where Dispenza emphasizes reconnecting with one’s authentic self by moving beyond external validations and negative emotional patterns. He encourages readers to embrace inner growth, cultivate positive qualities like compassion and creativity, and realize their potential as creators of their reality.