Visualization

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.
George Bernard Shaw

Visualization is a powerful tool to add to coping skills needed for thriving.  It was one of the first ones I was taught by my counselor.  When I was a multiple the first tool that happened was switching from one personality to another one that could handle a situation.  After integration, I needed a whole new set of tools.   I am building tools that I was never taught with help from KavinCoach and now NewCounselor.  There are entire books on visualization.  Actors, musicians, artists, business people, counselors, etc. all use this powerful tool.  It can be as simple as taping a picture of the new car you want to buy on the refrigerator.  Or as complex as visualizing giving that awesome speech in front of the board of directors.  One of my alters was extremely good at it.  When I did my photography show about having cancer years ago, my mentor was astounded when he walked in the gallery and the room was just as I had described it the year before at the early planning stages.  This was a perplexing.  I could visualize art projects or computer lab room layouts but I couldn't visualize a place of peace.  So perhaps a better way to describe it, KavinCoach re-purposed a powerful tool I was already using.  He taught me to visualize myself whole without switching.  He taught me to visualize peace so when it finally happened I knew what the feeling was and realized that my vision had become my reality.  At the same time I had a photography professor at school that encouraged me not to visualize every picture I took but to let the project guide me.  This became a peculiar paradox.  Letting go of a set vision and pushing beyond my own limitations.  Visualizing myself whole pushed me to explore greater and greater possibilities.  Many of my pictures in my book at the bottom of this post are from this duality of visualizing a new way of behaving and pushing beyond into areas I have never known.  Visualization started me on my path, faith in myself and the power of controlling myself is taking me place that I never imagined at the beginning of my journey out of darkness of depression.  Start with a dream and make it your reality.   


http://healing.about.com/od/visualization/a/imagery_shafer.htm

College Graduation age 52 so much better than I imagined.