Thoughts on visualisation

I went to see my very skilled psychologist the other day. As always, he asked me to go into my body and tell him, where I felt the feeling - in this case sorrow. I told him that I felt it like a pressure in my sinuses and a ringing in my ears and that it was like big unending ocean. And, as always, he said that the ocean is a thought not a feeling - and let's go back to your body.
Afterwards we talked about these thoughts and images which he says are mental constructions which may in some cases be good, and in others a prevention from actually feeling what's going on. I haven't really thought about this before and I'm mighty good at visualisations and mental images
If a person is not familiar with feelings, it may be a big progress to see sorrow as an ocean (my daughter grieved over her father who died when she was 10, and in the beginning she said that the water in her body went up to here and pointed under her eyes - some months later she showed me with her finger that it was now just below her chest - thats a great image for a child). But if a person - like me - is very good at putting words on things, the images may construct a distance from the feeling.
BANG! Oh yeah..... That's why I never really FEEL myself in these images. I've stopped using images and mental constructions as of Wednesday this week! They will pop up of course and I will use them to know that I need to go into my body.
I tried it on my inner child, which I see as a very sad little girl, and when I took the step to say "I experienced this" in stead of "the little girl in me experienced this" lots of sensations kicked off in my body.
Clever clever TMS using my mental capacity to keep me from feeling the depths! Or - clever clever ME to use everything at hand to avoid the pain

 

Hi Pia,
Interesting observations you are making about visualization vs feeling. I am not so good at visualization, but I have seen others who seem to use this "defense" in order to avoid feeling. Anything which can keep us from feelings can be understood as a "compassionate act." The feelings can be so deep, and overwhelming. I am happy you are so curious about the real feelings, and have support for this work. There is a great satisfaction and intimacy when I can really allow feeling, without so much defense. Your daughter's description is so beautiful and real. I don't think I'll forget her expression.
Andy B

 

Very insightful. Thanks for sharing.

 

It's very important that you feel in your heart that you are already healed. I remember the final time I had severe pain, the light bulb went on in my mind's eye that I had been trying to journal, think, run, visualize, and pray my way out of suffering. Then suddenly, it hit me, Dr. Sarno was telling me that nothing is wrong with me, and all these things I've been doing to heal were keeping me from healing. Thus the #1 mistake made in healing is trying to heal, and why forums and pain sites are the worst places to hang out because everyone has another/better idea on how to heal. Dr. Sarno's work is effective virtually every time, but some who don't grasp it's depth often try other things that "please them." I looked at the other thread called "tms coupled with other therapy modalities" but it says I am an insufficient person to answer it, haha. What happened there? It looks like a feud of opinions must have flown, which is yet another culprit called resistance. Unt Viki Commandant was forced to step in for civility? That's good, but it must be said that Dr. Sarno's work works "virtually" every time, I see it ad infinitum.

I mention the concept of feeling in your heart that you are already healed, and Dr. Sarno's point of getting back to living without fear because people keep trying other modalities, but they all end up back to Dr. Sarno where there's nothing wrong with them. His work doesn't fail, and neither does the person, more often the need for symptoms still exists so the person wasn't ready. There's no failing.

So within drowning in the minutiae of "is this or that best" the sufferer misses Dr. Sarno's point of TMS, which is obsession, and they don't realize they're TMSing by trying to dissect the message into healing. Knowledge vs. Wisdom. Big difference.

SteveO