questions on meditations and affirmations

[gib65]

Hello,

I haven't been to this forum in a while. I've returned because I'm looking for some guidance on how to practice meditation and visualizations for various life improvement goals.

I'm seeing a therapist who recommended an app called Relax. It guides you through some breathing exercises and an 8 minute or 13 minute meditation in which you focus on various parts of the body. At one point in the meditation, it asks you to tell yourself an affirmation like "I will have more energy today," or "I will focus on the good in people, not the bad." The idea is that while in the meditative state, your unconscious is especially susceptible to these affirmations, and will more readily move you towards realizing your affirmations.

I have many questions about this, but I'd like to start with this: how does this work? I guess it seems a little like magic to me at this point. How does the unconscious carry out the realization of affirmations? What is it about the meditative state that makes the unconscious more susceptible to affirmations?

Also, what are the limits of affirmations? I could probably go to ridiculous extremes, like saying "I will gain supernatural powers," but I'm sure even the unconscious isn't that powerful. But what CAN be done with affirmations?

Thanks for any feedback.