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Some Thoughts on Imagery
When I first started working with imagery eight years ago, I didn't have much faith in what I was doing. But I put my skepticism on hold and stuck to my daily exercises in spite of my doubts. Gradually, after weeks of practice something inside me started shifting. Each day the experience of the images became more and more real. My imagery work became part of my self-prescribed healing regime which I followed as strictly as I had once followed a course of antibiotics.
For the last eight years I have created a number of imagery exercises for my personal needs as well as facilitated imagery work for the women and men I work with in my workshops and support groups. Some of their stories are posted in the "Letters from the Front" section of Fertile Heart.
Imagery, as a healing tool is based on the idea that by repeatedly calling up images in your mind you rewire the circuits of your mind toward a realization of those images. One of the affects of imagery work is that it can be accompanied by physiological changes.
The best time to do imagery is in the morning as soon as we wake up, and in the evening just before we go to bed.
For a more in depth description of this work see "Harnessing the Imagination" in the Fertileheart Archive, "An Inside Job," a chapter in Inconceivable where I talk about my own imagery work after the diagnosis, or Dr. Gerald Epstein's book Healing Visualizations (check the Fertileheart bookshelf.)
The following imagery exercises were inspired by my work with individuals who were grappling with specific issues. (Some of the exercises were created by my teachers or my clients and I give them credit whenever applicable)
Some suggestions for your imagery practice:
In this particular form of imagery, we begin by articulating an intention, which helps the mind focus on the task at hand. The next step is to reverse our habitual way of breathing, (start with an exhalations), to give ourselves a further signal that we are leaving our habitual reality and creating a new one. It is recommended that we begin our work with a cleansing exercise, in order to make space for new images. Begin each exercise with three exhalations:
The following cleansing exercise was created by Dr. Gerald Epstein:
Cleansing
Intention:
To get a fresh start, to create space for something new to take place.
See yourself at the seashore, fully clothed heading toward the water. As you go you are removing your garments one at a time, you empty your pockets, bag or purse, keeping only what is indispensable. When you are naked, make an abrasive compound from sand and water and clean yourself thoroughly on the
outside. When you are clean on the outside, clean yourself inside of gloom, pessimism, confusion, guilt. Dive into the sea, cleaning off any residue left. When you are done, come out, let the sun dry you off for a moment and find a brand new set of clothing.
The Sacred Circle
Intention:
To strengthen your faith in yourself and to begin to see yourself as an authority.
Create a circle of friends, sages, healers. Bring in anyone whose opinion you value. It can be someone real, a historical figure, a scientist, an author, etc. Sit in the circle, as an equal , listen to what is being said, or be with your allies in any manner that serves you.
Greeting the Children
Intention:
To experience being with your child.
See yourself walking up a steep hill through a dark wooded area. In a distance you see a clearing bathed in luminous light. Feel and sense yourself walking toward it and in the middle of the clearing see a group of children of all ages. Some are just babies crawling around in the soft grass, some are teenagers reading, some four five six year olds at play. You recognize your child he or she looks up and recognizes you. You greet them in a way that feels most comfortable.
Intention:
To release a feeling of constriction in the abdomen:
See, sense and feel a white flower of your choice in the middle of your uterus. Feel it slowly open its petals until it^Òs in full bloom. See, sense and feel your uterus filled with the life, and light of the flower. Breathe out and open your eyes. You may want to do the same exercise placing the flower in your heart, in your ovaries or in any other part of your body where you need to feel spaciousness, and light..
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