What is mirror work?

**Bababam** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:01)
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**SPEAKER_3** (0:30)
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**Bababam** (1:00)
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**Louise Hay** (1:14)
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**Bababam** (1:31)
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**Joseph Chance** (2:04)
What is mirror work?
Thanks for asking. It's not easy to learn to love yourself and have good self-esteem. But here's the good news, it is possible to work at it. That's the main premise behind positive psychology and personal development, at least. One particular new thought method from the United States has gained a significant following. It's known as mirror work.

**Bababam** (2:29)
Who invented mirror work, then?

**Joseph Chance** (2:31)
That would be Louise Hay, an American writer and lecturer who specialized in personal development. She made a reputation for herself in 1984 with her best-selling book You Can Heal Your Life. She told how she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer in the late 1970s, but cured herself through her own healing program, an unconfirmed claim. Hay passed away in 2017 at the age of 90, but not before leaving behind her final book entitled Mirror Work, 21 Days to Heal Your Life. She created a 21-day self-help program, which she claimed would amplify the effects of positive thought. The book is broken up into a chapter for each day, which means it can be used as a support guide while putting mirror work into practice.
What does the method consist of? Well, as you've probably guessed, you absolutely need a mirror, and preferably a large one. Participants are invited to repeat positive affirmations out loud in front of the mirror while looking right into their own eyes. These affirmations are referred to as internal dialogues. Each new day has its own theme, such as rediscovering self-esteem or freeing yourself from the past. Progress has to be made step by step. After the first week, participants congratulate themselves and then continue their practice. The next step is dialogue with one's inner child, and then the final week centers on forgiveness, which is seen as the path to inner peace. How can saying things to a mirror improve my self-confidence?
Louise Hay says that the words directly hit our subconscious. Saying them out loud allows for healing ideas to be born. But 21 days isn't enough to change everything. So the writer leaves 12 tips for taking care of and loving oneself now and forever.
Let's listen to Louise Hay herself talking up the benefits of Mirror Worker to Talk organised by Hay House in 2014

**Louise Hay** (4:30)
It's a new thing. You probably haven't done it before. But what we're really trying to do is to connect with the inner child within, who has been neglected for so very long.

**Joseph Chance** (4:42)
Are we sure it actually works? Positive psychology and personal development have their admirers and detractors. Some critics have labelled healing programmes such as Mirrorwork a sham, or a form of voluntary servitude. The success of personal development, which took off in the 1970s, may be down to the rise of individualism. Meanwhile, others swear by such methods. It's up to you to form your own opinion. You could always try Mirrorwork and see whether or not it helps you.