Joe Dispenza’s Breaking the Habit: Transform Your Mind & Future

I'm so excited to introduce this extraordinary conversation about one of the most transformative books out there—Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Today, we have an incredible panel of thought leaders who are here to dive deep into the groundbreaking ideas that Joe presents. You’ll hear from Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Esther Hicks, Dr. Gabor Maté, and Gregg Braden, each bringing their unique perspectives on how we can break free from our old emotional patterns, harness the power of the quantum field, and transform our lives by aligning with our future selves.

Joe Dispenza has inspired millions of people around the world, showing them how to rewire their brains and create the future they desire. Get ready, because this conversation is going to be enlightening, empowering, and full of life-changing insights. Let’s dive in!

Thoughts, Reality, and Neuroplasticity

Nick Sasaki: Welcome everyone, to this exciting conversation about how our thoughts shape reality and how neuroplasticity can rewire our minds. Joe, could you start us off by sharing your insights on how our thoughts influence our reality?

Joe Dispenza: Thank you, Nick. The idea that thoughts create reality is central to my work. In my research, I’ve found that most people live by a set of hardwired thoughts and emotional patterns, often grounded in the past. These patterns create a predictable future, essentially trapping people in a cycle where nothing fundamentally changes. But we now know from neuroscience that the brain is plastic—it’s capable of reprogramming itself.

When you think a new thought, you're forming new connections in the brain. Repeating that thought strengthens the connection, and over time, it becomes automatic. This is the essence of neuroplasticity. By intentionally thinking in a new way, you can override old neural pathways, replacing them with new, more empowering ones. This concept forms the foundation for transforming personal reality. What I teach in workshops and meditations is that by consciously changing your thoughts and beliefs, you begin to align with new possibilities in the quantum field. You are no longer living by the limitations of your past. Your brain, body, and energy start to reflect your chosen future instead.

Nick Sasaki: Fascinating, Joe. Bruce, your work in The Biology of Belief touches on similar ideas. How do you see thoughts influencing not just the brain but also the biology of our cells?

Bruce Lipton: Absolutely, Nick. What Joe has said about neuroplasticity complements the concept of epigenetics, which I explore in my work. In essence, our beliefs, whether conscious or unconscious, have the power to influence our genetic expression. People often think that their genes determine their fate, but it’s not so. The environment in which cells exist—including the biochemical signals triggered by our thoughts—controls gene activity. If you’re living in constant fear or stress, you’re sending signals to your cells that reinforce survival behaviors rather than growth.

Just like how thoughts change the brain, they also change the cell's environment, affecting the proteins that build our body. When we shift our mindset to one of growth, love, or possibility, we create a biological environment where healing and transformation can occur. So, thoughts don’t just shape the mind—they shape the entire organism.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Bruce. Deepak, you've been a pioneer in bridging the mind-body connection for decades. How do you see the relationship between thoughts and the physical body?

Deepak Chopra: Thank you, Nick. Joe and Bruce have laid a strong foundation. I would add that thoughts are not just confined to the brain or even the cells. Consciousness itself is the field from which both mind and body arise. When we experience a thought, it’s not just a neurological or cellular event; it’s a ripple in the field of consciousness.

In Vedic traditions, it’s understood that the mind, body, and environment are deeply interconnected, like waves on the ocean. A shift in consciousness creates a shift in both the mind and the physical body. The brain’s neuroplasticity is just one aspect of a deeper, universal intelligence at play. If you can tap into this through meditation and mindfulness, you can transform not only your personal reality but also influence the collective consciousness.

Nick Sasaki: Amazing. Esther, how do you see the connection between thoughts and the reality we experience?

Esther Hicks: Oh, this is a conversation that is right up Abraham’s alley! From the Abraham perspective, your thoughts are your point of attraction. What you think about consistently is what you manifest in your life. So if you're dwelling on negativity or lack, that’s what will appear in your experience. But the beautiful thing is, you have the power to focus your thoughts in a different direction, and when you do that, you summon the energy of the universe to support that new reality. It’s all about aligning your thoughts and emotions with the things you desire, rather than the things you fear or resist.

Nick Sasaki: That’s powerful, Esther. Thank you all for your insights on this topic. Let's move to the next topic in a bit!

Mind-Body Connection and Healing

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, everyone, for those insightful thoughts on how our thoughts shape reality. Now let’s dive into how the mind and body are connected and how healing can occur through this relationship. Joe, could you expand on how the mind directly impacts the body’s healing process?

Joe Dispenza: Certainly, Nick. The mind-body connection is fundamental to understanding how healing works. Our bodies are constantly receiving signals from our thoughts and emotions. These signals influence everything from our immune system to the production of proteins and hormones. When people live in stress or survival mode, they produce higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which over time wear down the immune system, leading to chronic illness.

But just as negative emotions can harm the body, positive emotions can heal it. By elevating your emotional state—through gratitude, love, and joy—you change the chemistry in your body, reducing stress hormones and increasing healing hormones like oxytocin. In my research, I've seen people heal from all kinds of conditions—autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, even cancer—by shifting their mind. It's about learning to generate healing energy from within, instead of waiting for an external source to fix the problem.

Nick Sasaki: That's profound, Joe. Dr. Maté, your work has explored the role of emotions and trauma in disease. How do you see the mind-body connection in terms of illness and healing?

Dr. Gabor Maté: Thanks, Nick. Joe’s work aligns with what I’ve discovered in my research on trauma and illness. In my book When the Body Says No, I explain that many chronic illnesses—such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and even heart disease—can be traced back to unresolved emotional trauma. When people suppress their emotions, especially from childhood trauma, it manifests physically. The body keeps the score, as some say.

Healing requires more than just treating physical symptoms; it requires addressing the emotional roots of the illness. When people start to release their trauma and reframe their emotional responses, they often see remarkable physical improvements. This is why the mind-body connection is critical—healing the mind heals the body. And I believe that it’s also why modalities like meditation, therapy, and somatic work are so essential for long-term health.

Nick Sasaki: Absolutely. Bruce, you’ve spoken a lot about how thoughts affect cells at the biological level. How does this connect to healing?

Bruce Lipton: Gabor and Joe are spot on. Our cells are constantly responding to signals from our environment, and as I’ve said before, our beliefs and emotions create the internal environment that our cells experience. When you are in a state of stress or fear, your cells go into protection mode, which is the opposite of growth and healing. In protection mode, the body prioritizes short-term survival over long-term health, which is why chronic stress can lead to illness.

But when you shift to positive, loving, and peaceful states, your cells move into growth mode. In growth mode, the body repairs itself. This is the biological mechanism behind the mind-body connection: by changing your thoughts and emotions, you create the environment for healing to occur at the cellular level. Meditation, gratitude, and positive visualization are ways to reinforce this growth state and promote healing from the inside out.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Bruce. Deepak, you’ve long discussed the mind-body connection, especially in the context of healing. How do you approach this?

Deepak Chopra: I see healing as a process of returning to wholeness, and that begins in consciousness. The body is a projection of the mind, which in turn is a projection of consciousness. When there is dis-ease, it means there is a disturbance in the flow of consciousness that manifests physically. Healing, then, is not just about treating physical symptoms; it’s about restoring balance to consciousness.

Mindfulness, meditation, and yoga are practices that help align the body with the deeper intelligence of consciousness. In my experience, when people tap into this alignment, miraculous healing can happen. It’s the power of intention, awareness, and deep relaxation that allows the body’s innate healing mechanisms to kick in. The mind and body are not separate—they are two aspects of the same field of consciousness. When we understand this, we can begin to heal at a deeper, more holistic level.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Deepak. Gregg, how do you see this connection between mind, body, and healing, especially in the context of quantum potential?

Gregg Braden: What Deepak said resonates deeply with my own research. From a quantum perspective, the body is made of energy, and that energy is influenced by our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. We exist in a field of energy, and when we align our thoughts with a state of coherence—meaning our heart and brain are in harmony—we create a powerful healing environment for the body.

In my work, I’ve seen this play out in ancient wisdom traditions and modern science. Practices like breathwork, meditation, and visualization help people tap into their body’s energetic field and promote healing. The body is designed to heal itself, but it needs the right environment to do so. By changing the energy we emit, we change the energy our cells receive, and that’s where healing begins.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Gregg, and everyone for such powerful insights on the mind-body connection and healing. Let’s move to the next topic shortly.

Breaking Free from Emotional Addiction

Nick Sasaki: Thank you all for the incredible discussion on healing. Now, let’s explore how people can break free from emotional addiction—those deeply ingrained emotional patterns that keep individuals stuck. Joe, could you begin by explaining how emotional addiction affects the mind and body?

Joe Dispenza: Absolutely, Nick. Emotional addiction is a key concept in understanding why people feel stuck, unable to change despite their best efforts. When we repeatedly experience the same emotions—whether it's stress, anger, fear, or sadness—our body becomes chemically addicted to these emotional states. Emotions are, after all, biochemical events in the body, and every time we experience a specific emotion, we release corresponding chemicals, such as cortisol for stress or adrenaline for fear.

Over time, the body becomes addicted to these chemicals and starts craving them, just like a drug. This addiction keeps people locked in repetitive cycles where they unconsciously recreate situations that trigger the same emotions over and over again. The brain and body are essentially in a feedback loop. So, breaking free from emotional addiction requires becoming aware of these patterns and then consciously rewiring the brain and body to experience new emotions—such as joy, love, or gratitude. This is why I emphasize meditation and mindfulness in my work, to help people move beyond their emotional addiction and create new, empowering emotional states.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a powerful insight, Joe. Gabor, your work on trauma touches on emotional patterns as well. How does trauma play into emotional addiction?

Dr. Gabor Maté: Thanks, Nick. Joe is absolutely right in highlighting the addictive nature of emotions. From my perspective, emotional addiction often has its roots in trauma, particularly early childhood experiences. When someone experiences trauma—whether it's neglect, abuse, or emotional deprivation—the body and mind learn to cope by attaching to certain emotional states. For example, a child who experiences abandonment may grow up constantly anxious or fearful of being left alone, and this emotional state becomes their 'normal.'

The problem is that, as adults, people recreate the circumstances that perpetuate these emotional patterns, even when they are no longer in danger. For instance, someone who grew up in a chaotic household might unconsciously seek out chaotic relationships or environments because it feels familiar, even if it’s painful. The body becomes addicted to the adrenaline and cortisol that comes with these stressful emotions. Healing from trauma involves breaking this cycle—learning to recognize the emotional addiction, process the underlying trauma, and cultivate new emotional experiences, such as safety, peace, and love.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Gabor. Esther, how does Abraham view emotional addiction, and how do you think people can break free from it?

Esther Hicks: Great question, Nick. From Abraham’s perspective, the key to breaking free from emotional addiction is alignment with your inner being, your higher self. When you’re stuck in negative emotional patterns, it's because you're focusing on things that don’t align with who you really are. Your emotions are always a guide—if you’re feeling bad, it’s because you're thinking thoughts that are out of alignment with your true self, which is pure love, joy, and freedom.

Breaking free from these patterns requires shifting your focus. Instead of dwelling on the problem or reliving past trauma, you need to start focusing on what you want, on the positive aspects of life, and on the emotions that feel good. It’s about gradually moving up the emotional scale—from despair to hope, from hope to joy. Once you begin practicing better-feeling thoughts, your body will start to crave those emotions instead. And remember, it doesn’t have to happen overnight—it’s a process, but one that’s absolutely within your control.

Nick Sasaki: That’s an interesting perspective, Esther. Bruce, how do you see emotional addiction playing out on a biological level, and how can people break out of it?

Bruce Lipton: Emotional addiction is very real at the cellular level. As Joe mentioned, emotions are biochemical events. When you repeatedly experience the same emotional state, your cells adapt to receiving the chemicals associated with that emotion. Over time, the cells downregulate their sensitivity to other emotions, becoming 'addicted' to the same chemical signals, like cortisol in stress or adrenaline in fear.

Breaking free from emotional addiction requires creating new chemical environments for the cells. This is why practices like mindfulness, gratitude, and meditation are so effective—they literally change the chemistry of the body. When you start generating feelings of joy or love, your cells begin to respond to those new signals, breaking the cycle of emotional addiction. It’s all about creating a new internal environment that supports growth and healing, rather than one that perpetuates stress and fear.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Bruce. Deepak, how do you see emotional addiction and how we can free ourselves from it?

Deepak Chopra: Emotional addiction is a pattern in the field of consciousness. As long as you identify with your emotions and thoughts, you’re caught in their cycle. In Vedic traditions, it's understood that emotions are transient—they come and go, but the true self remains constant. The first step in breaking free is realizing that you are not your emotions; you are the awareness in which these emotions arise.

Mindfulness and meditation help cultivate this awareness. As you become more mindful, you start to see your emotional patterns from a detached perspective, which weakens their grip on you. When you stop identifying with emotions like fear or stress, they lose their power, and you can begin to experience the peace and joy that are inherent in your true nature. By shifting your identity from the emotional body to the awareness behind it, you liberate yourself from emotional addiction.

Nick Sasaki: Amazing insights from all of you. This exploration of emotional addiction provides so many tools for transformation. Let’s move to the next topic after a short break!

Living in the Present and Conscious Awareness

Nick Sasaki: Welcome back, everyone. Now that we've discussed emotional addiction, let’s explore the importance of living in the present moment and how conscious awareness can lead to transformation. Joe, would you begin by explaining the role of the present moment in breaking old patterns?

Joe Dispenza: Absolutely, Nick. The present moment is where all change happens. Most people are living in either the past or the future. When you’re stuck in the past, you’re replaying old emotional experiences and reinforcing the same neural pathways. Similarly, when you're constantly worrying about the future, you’re anticipating outcomes based on your past experiences, which limits your ability to create something new.

To break these patterns, you have to become fully present. In the present moment, you can observe your thoughts and emotions without being consumed by them. It’s only in this state of awareness that you can begin to change your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Meditation is a powerful tool for bringing people into the present because it helps them tune out the external world and focus on their inner world. When you enter this state of stillness, you access the infinite possibilities of the quantum field, allowing you to consciously create new experiences rather than reliving old ones.

Nick Sasaki: Thanks, Joe. Bruce, in your work, you talk about the importance of being present and conscious in creating change. Can you expand on that?

Bruce Lipton: Certainly, Nick. What Joe said resonates deeply with my own understanding of how consciousness shapes biology. When we are not present, we’re living in autopilot mode—our subconscious mind is running the show, which is mostly programming from past experiences. This programming governs about 95% of our thoughts, behaviors, and reactions, which means most of us are not consciously choosing our responses to life.

The only way to break free from this subconscious autopilot is through conscious awareness. When you become fully present, you interrupt those automatic reactions and give yourself the opportunity to choose a new response. This is where true change begins. In that moment of awareness, you can rewrite the subconscious programs that have been controlling your life for years. You start to direct your thoughts and energy toward creating a future based on conscious choice rather than past conditioning.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Bruce. Deepak, you’ve written extensively about mindfulness and living in the present. How does conscious awareness help people transform their lives?

Deepak Chopra: Living in the present moment is central to all spiritual and transformational practices. In the Vedic tradition, the present moment is the gateway to pure awareness—what we call Atman, or the true self. Most people are trapped in the fluctuations of the mind, which constantly pulls them into the past or future. These fluctuations create suffering because they disconnect us from the truth of who we are—eternal, unchanging consciousness.

When you cultivate conscious awareness, you start to witness these fluctuations rather than be consumed by them. This witnessing leads to a profound shift: you realize that you are not your thoughts, emotions, or circumstances. You are the awareness in which these experiences arise. Once you identify with this deeper self, you are no longer at the mercy of your mind’s conditioning. Instead, you have the power to choose peace, joy, and creativity in the present moment, which leads to lasting transformation.

Nick Sasaki: That’s profound, Deepak. Esther, how do Abraham’s teachings connect with the idea of being present and consciously aware?

Esther Hicks: Ah, Nick, this is where Abraham’s teachings really come alive! Abraham often says that the present moment is where your point of attraction lies. If you're not fully present, you're not deliberately creating your reality. You’re just reacting to what’s already happened or worrying about what’s to come, and that keeps you stuck in a cycle of recreating the same experiences.

To manifest the life you want, you need to be fully aware of how you’re feeling in the present. If you’re tuned into joy, love, and appreciation in this moment, then you’re attracting more of those things into your life. Conscious awareness is about choosing how you want to feel right now, no matter what has happened or what might happen in the future. When you consistently practice this, you start living as a deliberate creator rather than a reactor, and that’s when the magic happens!

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Esther. Gabor, how does living in the present moment relate to healing from trauma and emotional patterns?

Dr. Gabor Maté: Nick, living in the present is absolutely crucial for healing from trauma. Trauma keeps people stuck in the past because the mind and body continuously relive the emotional and physiological responses from the original traumatic event. People who have experienced trauma are often in a state of hypervigilance, constantly scanning the environment for threats, which keeps them from being fully present.

Healing begins when people learn to bring their awareness into the present moment. Mindfulness practices allow individuals to observe their emotional and physical responses without being triggered by them. Over time, this conscious awareness helps them to see that the trauma is not happening now, and they can start to dismantle the old emotional responses tied to it. Being present creates space for healing because it gives people the ability to respond to life as it is now, rather than reacting based on past experiences.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a powerful perspective, Gabor. Gregg, how does living in the present moment connect to quantum potential and creating new realities?

Gregg Braden: Nick, the present moment is where all potential exists. From a quantum perspective, every possibility for your life exists in the present moment. But if you’re constantly focused on the past or the future, you’re missing out on the infinite possibilities available to you right now. When you become present, you align your consciousness with the quantum field, which contains all possible outcomes.

Living in the present is about tapping into this field of possibility and consciously choosing the reality you want to experience. The more you practice mindfulness and being present, the more you align yourself with the higher frequencies of love, peace, and creativity, which are the building blocks for manifesting new realities. It’s in the present moment that we have the power to collapse quantum possibilities into actual experiences.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Gregg, and thank you all for these enlightening thoughts on conscious awareness and the power of the present moment. Let's take a short break before we move on to the final topic!

Quantum Potential and Future Self

Nick Sasaki: Welcome back, everyone. For our final topic, we’ll explore how the concept of quantum potential allows us to create new realities by aligning with our future self. Joe, could you kick off by explaining how quantum potential and the future self are central to your teachings?

Joe Dispenza: Of course, Nick. The quantum field is a vast, infinite realm of possibilities, where every potential version of your life already exists. These potential futures range from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and the key to manifesting any one of them is how we think, feel, and act in the present moment. What I teach is that by tuning into the frequency of your future self—the version of you that has already achieved the life you want—you begin to draw that reality toward you.

Think of the quantum field as a radio, with each possible future broadcasting on a different frequency. Your thoughts and emotions are the signal you send out, and when they match the frequency of a desired future, you bring that future into your experience. To create this alignment, you have to consistently think and feel as if you’re already living that future. It’s about embodying the thoughts, feelings, and actions of your future self now. When you do this, you collapse the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and the quantum field responds accordingly.

Nick Sasaki: That’s fascinating, Joe. Gregg, in your work, you’ve talked about how quantum potential is tied to human consciousness. How do you see the role of the future self in this framework?

Gregg Braden: Thanks, Nick. Joe’s description is right in line with how I see the quantum field operating. We live in a participatory universe, where our consciousness directly affects the energy around us. Every moment, we’re interacting with the quantum field, which contains countless potential outcomes for our lives. The version of you that’s successful, healthy, or fulfilled is already out there in the field—it’s up to you to connect with that version of yourself.

What’s crucial here is coherence. When your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs are coherent—that is, when they are aligned—you send a clear signal into the quantum field. That signal attracts the experiences and realities that match your state of being. So, just like Joe mentioned, if you’re embodying your future self’s thoughts and emotions now, you are actively drawing that future into your present.

It’s important to realize that this isn’t just about positive thinking. It’s about shifting your entire state of being, down to the level of your emotions and energy. You have to become the person who lives in that reality before it shows up in your life. And when you achieve that internal coherence, the quantum field responds in kind, and you begin to see evidence of that new future unfolding in your external reality.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Gregg. Esther, Abraham often discusses how we can align with our desires to create new realities. How does the idea of tuning into your future self resonate with Abraham’s teachings?

Esther Hicks: Oh, this is what Abraham talks about all the time! Your future self, the version of you that has everything you want, is already created in the vibrational realm. It’s out there, waiting for you to tune into it. But the only way you can access it is by becoming a vibrational match to that future. If you're constantly focused on what’s wrong, what you don’t have, or what you’re worried about, you’re blocking yourself from that future.

Abraham teaches that the key to aligning with your future self is to feel good now. When you feel good, you’re in the receiving mode, and that’s when all the things you want begin to flow to you. It’s really about training yourself to feel the emotions of your desired future—joy, love, abundance—right now. When you do that, you’re not just thinking about your future self, you’re living as them in this moment. The universe responds by delivering experiences that match that vibration. So, your job is simple: get happy, stay happy, and watch your future unfold!

Nick Sasaki: I love that, Esther. Bruce, how does quantum potential play into the biology of our cells and genes, and how can tuning into our future self affect our physical reality?

Bruce Lipton: That’s a great question, Nick. The concept of quantum potential isn’t just a metaphysical idea; it has biological roots. Our cells are constantly responding to the signals they receive from our thoughts and emotions. When you align with the future self that you want to become—by embodying those thoughts and feelings—you’re literally changing the biochemical environment of your cells.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is the science of epigenetics. Your genes don’t control your destiny; your environment does, and that includes the environment inside your body, which is shaped by your consciousness. When you start thinking and feeling like your future self, you’re sending new signals to your cells, activating different genes that support health, growth, and vitality. This is why people experience profound physical healing when they shift their mindset and emotions. By tuning into the quantum potential of your future self, you can actually reprogram your biology to match that new reality.

Nick Sasaki: That’s incredible, Bruce. Deepak, how do ancient spiritual traditions view the idea of aligning with the future self, and how does this relate to the concept of the quantum field?

Deepak Chopra: In many spiritual traditions, the future self is not something separate from who we are now; it’s an expression of the infinite possibilities within consciousness. In Vedic philosophy, the present, past, and future are all aspects of the same consciousness. When we live fully in the present moment, we access the field of pure potentiality, where all futures exist simultaneously.

By aligning with the qualities of our future self—whether it’s joy, peace, or abundance—we are essentially choosing that version of reality out of the infinite possibilities in the quantum field. In this state of consciousness, time becomes irrelevant because everything is happening now. The future is simply a reflection of our current state of being. This is why mindfulness, meditation, and conscious awareness are so important—they bring us into the present moment, where we can access our true creative power and shape our future from a place of stillness and clarity.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Deepak. Gabor, how do you see the connection between trauma and the ability to align with one’s future self?

Dr. Gabor Maté: Trauma can often make it difficult for people to align with their future self because trauma keeps them rooted in the past. When someone has unresolved trauma, they’re stuck in emotional and physiological patterns that are rooted in past experiences of pain or fear. This can create a mental and emotional state that makes it challenging to imagine or connect with a more positive, empowered version of themselves.

Healing trauma is about bringing awareness to these patterns and gradually releasing the hold they have on the individual. Once someone begins to process and heal from their trauma, they can start to open up to new possibilities for their future. Aligning with the future self becomes much more feasible when the emotional blocks tied to past trauma are resolved. In a sense, healing trauma is a prerequisite to fully embodying the future self because it frees the person from the emotional anchors that keep them tied to the past.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Gabor. This discussion has been incredibly rich, and each of you has added such valuable insights. Aligning with our future selves through the lens of quantum potential really emphasizes how much power we have to create the lives we want. Thank you all for being part of this enlightening conversation!

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