Thursday, December 31, 2009

Imagery Exercise for Expressing Anger

I've been thinking a lot about the "fire" dream. I wrote that to see fire in your dream can symbolize destruction, passion, desire, illumination, transformation, enlightenment, or anger. Since anger and resentment are a common response to cancer, I'm wondering if it signifies anger? I found this imagery exercise for expressing anger that uses fire! Imagery and visualization are powerful tools. It allows you to create a mental picture that expresses the anger and allows you to experience relief from it. The exercise goes like this:
Imagine that you are building a fire. Pile up the kindling, put in some paper. If you like, take a little charcoal fluid and flame it up. See the fire burning and burning. It's becoming a huge fire. And you know that it's your anger. Experience your anger. Be the fire. Feel the fire inside you raging. What does it feel like to be the fire? What color are you? What other details do you notice? Now, throw a little water on it. It's sizzling. Throw some more water on it. It's so big you may need to bring several hoses. Finally, the fire is beginning to go out. There's still some smoldering. Put it all out. It's completely out. Now dig a hole. Scoop up all the ashes, put them in the hole, cover the hole with dirt, and plant your favorite flowers.
After you've completed the exercise, take some quiet time to think about how you felt when you were going through it, and how you feel now. You might want to write about your feelings in your journal, express them to a friend, or use them as the basis for a poem, song or picture.
I haven't tried this exercise yet, but when I do I will report back to you all!

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