Images and Symbols: The Glue of Habit, The Lubricant of Change

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Turning Images Into Action

BY ARLENE F. HARDER, MA, MFT

Chapter - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13

As I mentioned in the first chapter, the purpose of mindfulness meditation is to simply sit quietly by yourself, for however long you chose to sit, and notice how thoughts come into and then go out of your mind. All you may want from that experience may be the realization that you took time to sit calmly and quietly in the midst of a busy life. Similarly, when you finish an imagery exercise, you may be satisfied with the warm glow that comes from visiting a part of yourself you didn’t know you had.

However, perhaps during the exercise you came up with an insight of something you could do to solve a problem. So before you jump from wherever you’re doing imagery and plunge into your next activity, extend the benefits of your imagery session by taking a few more moments to bridge your inner experience and your outer life. This process is often called "grounding" and has something to do with an interesting word not frequently used in daily conversation: transduce.

The definition of transduce is to convert energy from one form to another. Thus a transducer is a substance or device that converts input energy of one form into output energy of another. An example of a transducer would be the blades of a windmill that transform wind energy into mechanical energy eventually becomes the energy of light.

Grounding Your Imagery Experience

You might think of symbols and images you experience during an imagery session as transducers that can transform their energy into behavioral and physiological change. You can begin this process at the end of an imagery session, as you are about to move into a more wakeful state, by taking a few energizing breaths and stretching. Then, as you continue to sit in silence for a few moments, here are some suggestions for grounding your experience, depending on what you wanted from that particular imagery session:

If the purpose of setting aside a few moments in your busy day was to reduce muscle tension and anxiety, as you begin to turn your attention to the "doing" of your life, deliberately letting your body move slowly and calmly, continuing to carry the feeling of calm and peace you felt during the session.

If the purpose of imagery was to meditate on a problem with which you have been struggling, take a moment to imagine what it will be like when you have acted on one of the insights that arose during the session. Allow a feeling of accomplishment to flow throughout your body, strengthening your resolve to put your intention into action. Then ask yourself this simple question: What is the first step I need to do to move toward my goal? (See below for a discussion of small steps.)

If the purpose of the imagery experience was to bring into your awareness a new quality you want to express (such as patience, love, creativity, courage), choose a symbol that can remind you of that quality. Imagine, for example, that you want to confront a person who has been able to intimidate you in the past. You sense that resolving conflicts is difficult only because you back down in the face of challenge. Wanting courage, you decide that a lion could symbolize your intention to stand up for yourself. You might then buy a figurine or picture of a lion and keep it on your desk. Drawing a picture of the lion can also bring your inner resolve into the outer world. (See Part Four for other ideas on using symbols.)

You may want to keep crayons and colored markers next to your imagery chair and ground your imagery experience by drawing or writing about it. Particularly if this is done right after you open your eyes and are still feeling calm and relaxed, you can often discover additional insights that build upon your imagery experience. (If your artistic critic looks over your shoulder, just tell her that she can't comment on your drawing unless you plan to sell it.)

Techniques for Creating Daily Reminders

When I am coming to the finish of the time I have set aside of meditation or reflective imagery, I will take a few moments to ask my intuition what it is I need to pay attention to that particular day — and how I can remind myself to do that. For example, one day I might come up with the idea that every time I turn on the water to get a drink or to wash something, I will consider how my life will be more calm and centered if I go with "the flow." The next day, I may remind myself to stay focused on the present each time I look at my watch. And if I have some article to write that day, I may decide that when sitting at the computer I will look at my hands and relax, using this as a trigger to allow my thoughts to flow from my head and my heart to the words that come through my fingers onto the computer's keyboard.

By deliberately choosing a different technique each day, you will likely find that a fresh technique is more potent than it would be if you did it all the time. Besides, remember that every day you have new problems to solve and changing circumstances. Why shouldn't you approach each day differently?

End With Four Questions

Too often we have an experience in a workshop, or in a session with a therapist or coach, that seems to mean a great deal at the time, but there isn’t a way to bridge that experience to the rest of our lives. That is why at the end of each imagery experience I suggest you take a few moments to ask yourself four questions. They can help turn inner images into outer action.

What symbol can remind me of what I learned in this exercise?

What affirmation, quotation, scripture verse, or spiritual practice can reinforce my intention to follow make use of this exercise?

What can I take out, or keep in, my “backpack” to make this goal possible?

What small “Kaizen” step will I take to work toward my goal?

Note, the term Kaizen comes from Japan and is based on the concept that reaching our goals is a process of making small increments in the direction of our goal, rather than having a giant leap of inspiration. Confucius was right when he noted that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Great ideas and inventions don’t spontaneously pop out of fertile minds, even though it sometimes seems as though that is how success comes to others.

© Copyright 2008, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT