We are very pleased to announce the second annual Imagery International Conference
 October 22-24, 2010 at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park, CA.
 The event is co-sponsored by Beyond Ordinary Nursing and offers 11 contact hours.
 http://imageryinternational.org/annual-conference

 We will have an open membership meeting Friday evening, six outstanding
 workshops, an experiential imagery practice session, and live entertainment on Saturday night.  
 Topics are applicable for all healthcare professionals new to and trained in imagery practices.  

 
 Early registration and discount rate by September 22.
 For complete conference details and registration:

 Radio interview with Michael Ray Dresser for Juliet Rohde-Brown

I find myself reflecting, once again, on what a small world we all live in.

and other venues.

          It is quite meaningful that we were selected for this honor, particularly by “just plain folk” who have no vested interest in the commercial aspect or in marketing strategies, but just for the simple fact that they acknowledged a sense of enjoyment and healing from our work.

          To learn more about our series of guided visualization CDs, please press the icon above that says Guided Visualization CDs. It will take you go to the website for Energi Music (www.energimusic.com), where you will learn about some of Energi’s other endeavors. For instance, Shantha Sri has a Samma series with titles such as Right Mindfulness and Right Intention. I just received his new CD entitled Music for Yoga: Volume 1. It is absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend it! He uses Tibetan and Nepalese singing bowls in many of the pieces along with other traditional drone instruments and the tones and frequencies are specifically chosen for heart beat regulation and healing. We have collaborated on another CD as well. It is entitled Chakra Mountain and it is due to be released very soon.

v     Have I said something sarcastic to a friend or loved one recently?

v     What did I really want from our relationship in that moment?

v     What did I want the person to know about me? About my feelings or thoughts regarding something they said or did?

v     Did I want to express that I was disappointed about something or that I was feeling sad about something?

            With these considerations, can you imagine an alternative way that you might have behaved toward that person? How might you have behaved? What might you have said instead of the sarcastic comment? Write this out.

            You may want to keep certain reflections in a specially chosen box. Give this reflection a name. For instance, you can refer to this piece as “Sarcasm Check-In,” with the suggestion to yourself that the next time you feel the impulse toward a sarcastic remark toward a friend or loved one (or anyone, for that matter), remember this reflection and check in with yourself before reacting with a hurtful comment.

            Know that it is natural to have these different “shadow” voices within, so don’t judge yourself harshly. This reflective exercise and personal check in, is an example of treating yourself with a forgiving attitude. It is easy to see how, by extending an accepting yet forgiving attitude toward yourself by checking in with your innermost feelings, this attitude naturally begins to translate to your treatment of others as well. That is the beauty of how forgiveness works in the world.

Needless to say, you will face challenges that strain your tranquility. A few small steps can help you weather these storms.

• Watch and accept the activity as it emerges into your field of awareness, and do so without judgment.

• Name it.

• Take a deep breath.

• Allow the activity to naturally pass from your field of awareness, just as quickly as it emerged.

• Notice what else enters your field of awareness.

            One day many years ago, Pete could not stop ruminating about a man at his work place who had metaphorically stabbed him in the back and who subsequently was given a promotion that Pete had deserved. As he ruminated about this individual and all of his wrongdoings, he started remembering unkind or manipulative things that others had done to him as well. Pretty soon he was filled with anger and it was getting in the way of his functioning.

            Pete grew tired of his own repetitive reactions and the way he felt when consumed by anger and resentment. He lived near the ocean and he decided to “take a walk to the sea and do some thinking.” As he walked, he thought “You know what I should do? Get a whole bunch of rocks, write the person’s name on each rock and visualize the person, what they had said, and then let it drop in the water and go to the bottom, one rock at a time.”

            As he proceeded to do this, to write a person’s name on each rock, visualize the person and what they had said, and to let each rock drop in the water and go to the bottom, he would say to himself “I don’t need that memory anymore. Goodbye!” He would watch the rock float to the bottom and say “No need to try to float that rock again. It already sunk to the bottom. It’s gone! Nothing is going to make that rock float again. I sunk that rock!”

            He has surprised himself by realizing that even now, years later, he will imagine doing that small ritual and that “it has become a guided visualization of healing” for him. In addition, whenever the memory of one of those people resurfaces, he sees that person’s rock sinking to the bottom and says again “It’s gone! Nothing is going to make that rock float again. I sunk that rock!”

Stop for a moment of reflection to do a “grief check-in.” Ask yourself the following questions and write down and perhaps draw symbols of your responses.

 v     What do I feel I lose by letting go of anger?

 v     How do I typically experience sadness?

 v     Have I allowed myself to be aware of sadness?

 v     Have I blamed others or blamed and judged myself (or called myself weak) for feeling sad?

 v     Can I see how I may have fed my anger even more by not allowing myself to grieve over something?

Often a non-forgiving attitude toward oneself or another involves harsh judgment about loss. As you write down/draw these reflections, contemplate that the next time you begin to feel overcome by an angry attitude, you might remind yourself that you actually may be grieving over something.