If you want to experience abundance instead of scarcity, you may need to overcome unconscious fears of prosperity. In the course of counseling many people, I have discovered 20 reasons why we struggle with money.

To help people overcome their money issues so that they can allow prosperity into their lives. I have developed a unique process I call HART: Holistic And Rapid Transformation. For example, Joan, a fifty-year-old real estate agent, had earned a large sum of money and managed to lose it all.

I have a favorite saying, "Close your eyes and see clearly." So I said, "Joan, close your eyes and say, "Money, you mean to me ___" and finish the sentence. She repeated, "Money, you mean evil to me." I continued, "Joan, go back to the time you decided that." Joan recalled a scene when she was seven years old. She was sitting in church with her family and the priest was vehemently saying, "Money is evil! Rich people are evil!"

Joan was very surprised to hear what was buried in her unconscious. She realized that she had made a decision from that childhood experience never to be rich. Joan didn't want to be evil. She began to understand why she had lost all her money.

In order to help her let go of that fear, I asked Joan if she was willing to create a new positive scene so that she could make a new positive decision about money. Joan said she was. So she visualized her priest saying, "Money is a wonderful tool. It is another way you can give and receive love and caring. You can be rich and be a very good person. Prosperity is your birthright." At that point, Joan spontaneously took a deep breath of relief as she released her negative association with money.

Another example of negative beliefs that cause us to struggle with money, I will explain with the story of Bill, a young, depressed computer salesman. He was afraid that he was going to be fired from his job. In the same therapeutic process, he said, "Money means to me responsibility."

Bill didn't like responsibility; in fact, he admitted that he was afraid of it. When I asked Bill to go back to the time he had made that negative association with money, he visualized his dad. As Bill was growing up, he noticed that his dad was always worrying about what he was going to do with his abundance. From the time he was a young boy, Bill often heard the words, "Son, you have to be very responsible with your money. Money doesn't grow on trees. You have to work very hard to earn a buck!"

Recalling his experiences with his dad, Bill realized that he had made the negative decisions: "Money is scarce; Money isn't supposed to be enjoyed; Money is a big responsibility; and Life is a struggle." These unconscious fears made Bill depressed. He now understood why he was enjoying his work for the first two years but then his childhood decisions began to haunt him and he was miserable.

To help Bill overcome his money issues, I guided him to visualize his dad in front of him and to say, "Dad, I love you, and I accept that the way you dealt with your money was your choice. Now I am an adult, and I have the freedom to do it my way. I choose to believe in the abundance of money and to enjoy it. When I feel it is becoming too much of a responsibility for me to handle, I will hire a professional to help me."

Then I encouraged Bill to visualize himself at the office filled with energy and excitement, and receiving a high salary. He imagined himself enjoying his abundance and working with a financial planner.

I have found that what you visualize is what you allow to happen in your life. Once Bill released his fears of prosperity, and visualized his future, he was able to overcome his depression and succeed in his career.

If you are ready to resolve your financial issues, then turn inward and explore your blocks to money so that you can dare to be prosperous. One effective exercise is to write, "I can't (and also won't) be prosperous because ___ (fill in your negative thought)." You have all the answers inside of you. Then change all the negative thoughts to positive ones. Throw away the sheet with the fear based thoughts and focus on your positive ones. You have the power to have what you desire, and you deserve it all. Go for it!