Visualizing yourself accomplishing what you want is proven to be effective in reaching your goals. Visualizing how you want to think and feel about yourself is as effective. In this technique we use the imagination, because we are communicating with the right hemisphere of the brain, that takes care of automatic bodily functions. This part of the brain does not deal with logic or understand words, it takes it’s orders in the form of symbols and it uses the imagination to create the results you want. That is why visualization works so well. In the following visualization be as creative as possible, add as many details as you want, make it fun and personal. You can change anything, symbolize the war going on your body however you want to. This is an example of how you can do it, feel free to use this image or make up your own.
The hypersensitive general
Take a moment to get comfortable, take three deep breaths and close your eyes.
Imagine your immune system as the General of your armed forces and yourself as the Commander in Chief. This hypersensitive and sometimes paranoid General has, in an effort to keep your nation (body) safe, launched an unauthorized attack on some region (organ) of your body. Imagine yourself having a conversation with your general to appease him. He is after all, trying to protect your nation.
-Mr. President! I have ordered an attack on the Islands of Hawaii (kidneys)
-My dear General, why have you attacked the Hawaiian Islands? They are not the enemy, they are a a peace loving people that are only minding their business.
-No Mr. President, I noticed irregular activity and felt it was threatening National Security, they are being bombed as we speak!
-Calm down General, they were probably just celebrating a cultural holiday that you were unaware of, let’s go there and see for ourselves what is really going on.
- No Mr. president, I am scared for your safety, it is after all a war zone at the moment! Le me end the enemy and then you can go.
- General, I am the Commander in Chief, and it is up to me with whom we have a war, let’s fly over the zone and see what is happenning.
Imagine yourself overflying the Hawaiian Islands, where the peaceful islanders are under attack from the armed forces, let the General see first hand that they are not the enemy and then talk him down.
- You see general, they pose no threat to us. Call down the forces, let the soldiers enjoy the beaches and sunshine instead.
Watch as the General calls off the attack and gives the soldiers a day off to enjoy the beach.
- Now General, we will land on the Islands and take a moment to relax, to enjoy them, and to get to know the people who inhabit the Islands.
Imagine yourself and your General looking around, taking in the sunshine, the quiet, the breeze and sit with him on the beach to enjoy a coconut and the sound of the waves. Stay there a moment, enjoying the peace and quiet of a day at the beach. Let yourself be filled with that feeling of peace and enjoyment. Imagine that feeling going to every cell and organ in your body, and bringing that pleasurable feeling with you to this moment, open your eyes.
You can do this same excercise changing the location for each organ in your body, the conversation with the General, all the details. Use your imagination. Only remember it’s purpuse is to appease the general, get to know that area with him telling him it’s not the enemy, and feel pleasure and enjoyment in that area. It’s important that the location you choose for a particular organ has foy you some relation to that organ, wether in shape, color, function, etc. If it makes sense to you, it will make sense to your unconcious mind.