Imagining Forgiveness

On this international day of peace, let’s imagine forgiveness together.

I~Imagine considering forgiveness
M~Metta and mindfulness foster heart-centeredness and awareness
A~Activate forgiveness through our deep feelings (not moods)
G~Ground forgiveness in our bodies (breathe)
I~Invent a more joyful future together with imagery (www.imageryinternational.org)
N~Nurture intention through ceremony (daily practice with intention)
E~Engage in global neighborliness

Many spiritual traditions of the world have times during the year when the focus is particularly on forgiveness. Today, Rosh Hashanah begins. Even if we embrace a different spiritual ideology, we can all certainly benefit from taking to heart the suggestions to reflect on whether we have been living from our core values. We can seek and offer forgiveness to ourselves and others, even those who have passed, and we can celebrate that we can always renew ourselves with a new chapter, a more joyful and compassionate way of being in this life together. We can take some time to sit quietly, to notice our breath, center it in our bellies, focus on our heart-center and offer lovingkindness.

                      IMAGERY FOR THE FUTURE: ILLUMINATING LIVES

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:

Tags: Imagery Conference, Imagery International

Tonight, a brief interview I did with Michael Ray Dresser was presented on his online radio show Dresser After Dark. I enjoyed speaking with him. He asked me questions about imagery, particularly in the context of hypnosis.

 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.

Available at www.amazon.com           www.barnesandnoble.com                   www.iuniverse.com

and other venues.

I happen to be on the island of Oahu right now. As I was walking this morning, I came across this beautiful statue of Gandhi that I would like to share with you. I happened to have my cell phone (with camera) in my pocket and I was fortunate to be able to catch this special moment with the sunlight streaming through the trees. Life is full of small blessings.

Metta,

Juliet

Tags: Gandhi

A Cherokee Prayer for the Coming Year:

May the warm winds and heaven

Blow softly upon your house

May the great spirits bless

All who enter there

May your moccasins make

Happy tracks in many snows

And may the rainbow

Always touch your shoulder

In fact all three CDs, Feel Welcome Now, Feel Forgiveness Now, and Chakra Mountain are available at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DrJulietRohdeBrownwithShantha1

           There is growing evidence that when an elder is welcomed to share his or her story, there are measurable healing effects. This is referred to as Reminiscence Therapy and it is gaining ground for helping with healing depression and building a sense of meaning and purpose for our elders. While most of the studies assert that this type of therapy is best used with elderly individuals suffering from dementia or other brain conditions, I believe that it does not need to be as confined to these groups as it currently is.

          Once at a Rehab hospital, I was sitting with an elderly woman who had lost most of her motor functioning due to a stroke. For a moment, I saw that she was distracted and looking off to her right. I turned and saw an individual who had obviously suffered a stroke or some kind of brain injury that left him stooped over, drooling, and seemingly unaware of who or where he was. She turned to me with great empathy for the man. With tears in her eyes, she struggled to form her lips into words. She was just beginning to gain back some of her ability to speak with the help of a speech therapist. Sitting in her wheelchair facing me, it took her several moments to form her mouth into the words she wanted to speak and I could tell that this took quite some effort. What she felt compelled to communicate to me after observing the other person’s plight, was “There but for the grace of God go I!”

             This woman, after having lost her ability to walk or speak easily, was not focusing on herself in a despairing manner. She was experiencing great compassion for a fellow human being and she was counting her blessings. I was moved to tears. She is yet another example of an elder who can teach us much about how to live.

            The late psychologist, Erik Erikson, in his model of psychosocial development, spoke about the last years of life as years that can lead to either despair or wisdom, depending on how one directs their attention.  There is much to learn from those who have lived long lives, with all of the sufferings and joys that a life contains.

          In families, the intergenerational bond grows stronger when we take time to share stories. My personal experience of having sat with my own parents during their final days and having received the gift of my father’s autobiography leads me to reflect on the power of stories to open the heart and to heal intergenerational wounds within families. I am often saddened by the lack of time and respect our culture as a whole gives to the elderly and their stories, when it is clear that throughout history, in all of the tribes, villages, and households of our ancestry, the sharing of elder’s stories has been a rich and valuable tradition.

          I believe that the sharing of stories can open the pathway to self-forgiveness and the forgiveness of others.  As a writer and researcher on forgiveness, I am considering elder storytelling as a particular type of forgiveness process within families, particularly when sacred time is set aside in a deliberate and formal way for this endeavor and when it is done in the natural environment.       

1)  A recent edition of the journal American Psychologist (May-June 2009, vol. 64, no.4) has an article entitled Can Imagined Interactions Produce Positive Perceptions? Reducing Prejudice Through Simulated Social Contact by R. J. Crisp & R. N. Turner.

2) A recent edition of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 95, No. 5) has an article entitled Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Lovingkindness Meditation Build Consequential Personal Resources.

 3) A recent edition of the jounal The Humanistic Psychologist (Volume 37, No. 2) has an article entitled Mindful Awareness, Mindsight, and Neural Integration written by one of my favorites, Daniel Siegel.

3) For more on imagination, see my youngest brother’s website www.the-future.com and an article entitled The Past and the Future of the Universe.