Tapping into forgotten strengths with guided imagery can help you move out of anxiety, hopelessness, sadness and fear into calmness, courage, strength and joy. Many times when you are feeling depressed or fearful you can’t remember what is was like to feel happy, strong or confident. This actually perpetuates the negative emotions because you feel like there is no way out, like you can’t change it. This is NOT the TRUTH. You have just forgotten what it feels like and need help tapping into it again.
Guided imagery can take you to a time and place when you felt confident, calm or whatever positive feeling or quality you desire to have currently. When I work with clients I help them to experience that time in their life again. I engage all 5 senses so you truly experience that feeling again through your subconscious. This brings the qualities, feelings into the conscious mind which can allow you to see present difficulties in new ways and have access to inner wisdom that had been blocked by the negative emotions.
Allow me to share a client story with you. A woman came to me stuck in grief and depression since her grandson had died at the age of 18 due to a traumatic event. It had been 10 months and she still did not want to leave the house unless absolutely necessary and then it was a struggle. She no longer walked her dog which had been a daily ritual for her. Her face was filled with sorrow. She said the rest of her family had come to terms with it and was moving on but she could not. On our third session together I did imagery and took her back to a time in her life when she was happy, felt strong physically and mentally and just loved life. She vividly described how that felt in her body and her mindset. She recalled a place a lake house where many days of fun and peace occurred. When we were finished she said she had not felt like that for a long time. I made her an audio she could use at home to revisit this place and feeling. When she returned 3 weeks later she had started walking her dog almost daily again and going out some. By the end of our 5th session she looked much brighter and her voice was stronger and happier. She was also going out more. She had definitely shifted from being stuck in grief into moving forward and being happier with her life. All of this happened because she found her strengths that had been buried by a traumatic event.
This technique can also apply to other areas of your life. It can help enhance self-esteem, creativity and provide inner support during times of stress. As you can see you can tap into your forgotten strengths and make a DIFFERENCE in your life.