What Does Your Mouth Have to Do With Making $1 Million?

In this world full of hacks and “seven ways to do this or that,” we are often tempted to confuse clarity with the truth and to label obscure ideas as “impractical.” Yet in psychotherapy and deep coaching sessions, it is often such ambiguous realizations that truly move people to change their lives.

One such realization is the mind-body connection, a deeply meaningful and complex relationship that can stand in the way of your goals, even when your goal is as concrete as a making $1 million.

The mind is defined as “responsible for one’s thoughts and feelings,” and it is directly associated with the brain. Furthermore, the brain plays a role in the functioning of your entire body, from movement to breathing and beyond. In fact, the connection goes both ways: The brain sends messages to the body, and the body sends messages to the brain.

In turn, your goals are thoughts that arise in your brain, and because your body sends signals to your brain, your body can have quite a profound impact on your goals. Now, your mouth is part of your body, and, in theory, it can impact your brain and thoughts, too.

The Psychoanalytic Mouth

The mouth is associated with a characteristic we call “oral,” and we use this to describe “oral character,” or how the ingestive functions of the mouth are associated with the development of the self. These oral preferences—talking, eating, etc.—can have much deeper ramifications for one’s psyche and, therefore, one's goals.

The psychiatrist Sigmund Freud believed that we develop our sexual drives and instincts when we are young, and depending on our experiences, we may or may not resolve conflicts at each stage adequately. When we do not resolve conflicts, this results in a non-resolution or fixation on specific bodily functions (e.g., oral fixation), which can turn into powerful unconscious influences that create barriers to our goals.

4 Ways Your Orality Can Help You Achieve Goals

In my work with patients, I have seen the possible connections described by Freud and other theorists on orality and behavior. To take advantage of insights about your orality and to use them to attain goals, consider the following framework:

1. Identify your habits.

Discern whether you eat, drink, smoke, bite your nails, emphasize oral sexual gratification, or grind your teeth. Look for signals that orality is part of your makeup, and then attempt to limit...

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