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    Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image
    Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image
    Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image
    Ebook92 pages48 minutes

    Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image

    By Dr. Michele Fleming

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    About this ebook

    Four Mirrors That Direct Your Identity

    •The mirror on the wall is where you view your reflection, which summarizes who you are as a person. It is your own personal perception.

    •The mirror of other people’s opinions is what reflects back to you; it is how other people see you. It is how they perceive you from the outside.

    •The blackened mirror is like a black hole that you peer into, and what is hidden within is not visible. It contains the wounds, pain, and rejection messages that have defined your identity. They are hidden inside of you where no one, not even you, can see them; however, they control how you view yourself.

    •The mirror on the ceiling is God’s perspective reflected back to you. It shows your true identity, worth, and your perfect design created by God.

    From the day you were born, you have received millions of messages that put labels on you and built your current belief system. Your identity and perception of self, your value and capabilities, and your expectations or willingness to settle for less was formed through the messages that developed into core beliefs or mental strongholds. Your life experiences have influenced how you see yourself and have shaped your beliefs that form your choices and behaviors today.

    When you believe something to be true, your mind sifts through all the information that you have received daily, and everything is sent through this filter to form a perception. You hold fast to messages that agree with that belief, and reject messages that do not. The belief then becomes more and more embedded in how you perceive yourself. Day after day and year after year, you develop the original message into a massive cognitive distortion, or mental stronghold. At the center of these messages are the faulty core beliefs that must be identified and torn down so that you do not respond in agreement to them daily.

    Your identity and perception of self are often the root factor in emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, and anger. Your perception of self promotes unhealthy habits like abusing alcohol, or other substances or events, in an attempt to meet your needs and mask how you feel about self. Sometimes you feel victimized by your past, and define your personal identity as a victim. This is quite contrary to the biblical image of an over comer.
    When you begin to evaluate the messages you’ve received from your experiences, you will see how they helped to shape your identity. You will discover messages that you have embraced unknowingly. They may have been messages about what to expect in relationships, what life taught you in regard to coping and communication skills, or what appropriate boundaries look like, to name just a few.

    It may be in a few or many areas that your perspective of self was harmed, but you can transform the marred portrait of faulty identity. Many of you have distorted self-images that developed from childhood. Your agreements with your life experiences have colored your inner self portrait; however, the inaccurate picture you inherited from negative influences in your life can be changed! Although your identity may be deeply rooted in your subconscious mind, there is hope that you can receive a new, true identity.
    The world preaches messages to you from all forms of media. Culture defines your value by wealth, beauty, your weight, education, and accomplishments. Your great value with all of your shortcomings can be summed up in Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”3 So what messages have you heard and embraced?

    You can improve your perception of self and choose to believe good things, even if those were not the messages you received from family, community, or peers. Challenge negative expectations by re-framing your thinking to perceive yourself differently. These thoughts and beliefs will change the way you interact with the world, yo

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDr. Michele Fleming
    Release dateNov 7, 2013
    ISBN9781311712127
    Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image
    Author

    Dr. Michele Fleming

    Dr. Michele is a Clinical Christian Counselor, speaker, and author. For over 12 years she has provided people with “Empowering Solutions For A More Fulfilling Life.” Life experiences have left many people with unmet needs and wounds that hinder you from experiencing the abundant life. They affect your emotions and relationships. These experiences have formed strongholds that do not allow you to live your life to the fullest...the life which God meant for you.Dr. Michele believes that many Christians receive the gospel, know what the Bible says and intellectually agree, but fall short of experiencing the gospel and applying it in their thinking, life, and relationship skills. Dr. Michele believes in the integration of sound Christian psychology, counseling tools for successful daily living, and the application of the Word of God to the whole person -- body, soul, and spirit.Dr. Michele has a Ph.D. in Christian Psychology, a M.A. in Clinical Christian Counseling with a minor in Christian Education, a B.A. in Christian Counseling, and an A.A. in Biblical Studies. She has earned six board certifications in Integrated Marriage and Family Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Sexual Therapy, Group Therapy, as a Clinical Supervisor, and also is certified through the Grief Recovery Institute of America in Grief Recovery.Dr. Michele is licensed by the National Christian Counselors Association as a Clinical Christian Counselor and is an Ordained Minister of the Gospel through the National Conservative Christian Church. Dr. Michele has three grown children and lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Nathan, and their beloved dogs, and cats.

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      Book preview

      Identity Theft - Dr. Michele Fleming

      Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image

      By

      Michele Fleming Ph.D.

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 by Michele Fleming Ph.D.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Copyright

      About the Ministry:

      About the Author:

      Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image

      What is a tool?

      The definition of skills:

      Evaluation Of Essential Needs

      Evaluating The Messages

      Looking At The Messages

      Memories

      Messages

      Core Beliefs

      Core Beliefs About Identity

      Debbie’s Story

      Skill Building Tools - Use Your Tools With Skill

      Transformation Exercises

      Replace And Restore

      About the Ministry:

      Life Renewal Inc. is a faith based, non-profit corporation. We help you obtain tangible tools and practical skills before challenges occur, or provide solutions right where you presently find yourself. We provide "Empowering Solutions For A More Fulfilling Life."

      Dr. Michele is an international speaker and is the author of four books. She speaks on various topics that provide a bridge between counseling information, such as thinking and life skills, and connects them to biblical principles and application. Life Renewal Inc. offers Christ-centered counseling through on-site services, phone, and Skype.

      We give you the How To be transformed by identifying and improving thinking skills, help you develop healthy life skills, and relationship skills. We give you tools to identify and discern all of life’s challenges. Our website, www.DrMichele.org has many FREE resources including TV interviews, radio shows, webinars, videos, podcasts, blogs, audio teachings, Q and A, Bible studies, and written materials.

      About the Author:

      Dr. Michele is a Clinical Christian Counselor, speaker, and author. For over 12 years she has provided people with Empowering Solutions For A More Fulfilling Life. Life experiences have left many people with unmet needs and wounds that hinder you from experiencing the abundant life. They affect your emotions and relationships. These experiences have formed strongholds that do not allow you to live your life to the fullest…the life which God meant for you.

      Dr. Michele believes that many Christians receive the gospel, know what the Bible says and intellectually agree, but fall short of experiencing the gospel and applying it in their thinking, life, and relationship skills. Dr. Michele believes in the integration of sound Christian psychology, counseling tools for successful daily living, and the application of the Word of God to the whole person -- body, soul, and spirit.

      Dr. Michele has a Ph.D. in Christian Psychology, a M.A. in Clinical Christian Counseling with a minor in Christian Education, a B.A. in Christian Counseling, and an A.A. in Biblical Studies. She has earned six board certifications in Integrated Marriage and Family Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Sexual Therapy, Group Therapy, as a Clinical Supervisor, and also is certified through the Grief Recovery Institute of America in Grief Recovery.

      Dr. Michele is licensed by the National Christian Counselors Association as a Clinical Christian Counselor and is an Ordained Minister of the Gospel through the National Conservative Christian Church. Dr. Michele has three grown children and lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Nathan, and their beloved dogs, and cats.

      Identity Theft: How To Restore Your True Self-Image

      Sara came to me after leaving a verbally and emotionally abusive marriage. She felt wounded and was hurting; she needed answers. How did she get into this destructive relationship, and what kept her in it for so long? She wasn’t abused by her parents, and she wondered how she could have missed all of the red flags. She wanted to have peace and be happy again. She had a deep concern that if she didn’t know how she got into this type of relationship, then what would stop her from repeating the pattern and choosing the same type of abusive relationship again.

      She told me more about her family dynamics as we talked. She described her family as loving and her life as relatively normal with a mom, a dad, and a step dad who were all interested in her life. Her mother and stepfather had professional jobs. She was close to both of them. Her father lived with

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