6/30 Class Recap

This image streaming class began with guided imagery to help us relax into the main exercise of dipping into our childhood bedrooms. We all took a deep breath and closed our eyes as Jon began providing detailed images for us to envision. The first was curled up in the back seat of a car as a child while your parents are driving at night. Before the time of day was introduced, I had perfectly recreated a memory of a rainy car ride to New Jersey to visit family on my last day of fifth grade as I lay in the backseat, gazing at my green flower crown from the Maypole dance I was lucky enough to be chosen for. But, when night came into the picture, I could see the yellow glow of streetlights and general stillness that nightfall brings. I could hear the “thunk” sound of the car going over sections of a bridge and the background noise of a car on the highway. Then, I could hear my parents speaking and classic rock music playing softly toward the front of the van. I could even feel the fabric of the seat on my fingertips. The next image he described was laying on an inflatable lounge chair with your feet dipped in a pool. My mind instantly went to the local pool I frequented most summers yet, for the first time ever, I had it all to myself. I could smell the chlorine and sunblock, hear children in the distance, and feel calm waters up to my ankle- just as Jon had described. Just as we were exiting this space, I recalled the prickly texture of the red rock concrete used around the pool at that time. We then entered an image of laying in a slightly swaying hammock in the Appalachian Mountains. My mind produced beautiful scenery that it must have grabbed from a film or television show since I’m not much of a camper. But, I lay in the hammock on the edge of a forest-covered mountain, peacefully watching a multicolor sunset. At my feet was a crackling fire I could see, hear, and smell. I had pictured a camp set-up that included log benches encircling the fire and a yellow tent off to the side. With the next image of being half-awake in a sleeping bag, my mind stayed in that same mountain location. However, since it was early morning, the sky changed and briskness set in. Now on the ground, I could see the embers of the campfire but, the tent and other camping gear were behind me. Jon provided a scenario of smelling and hearing a loved one or significant other cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast, knowing you can sleep in. The term “significant other” caused an almost immediate emotional reaction. I’m currently dealing with the aftermath of a break-up. With those two words, he entered my mind without my meaning him to. I never saw his face or interacted with him, I simply pictured three tents in a half-circle and him bent over the fire while cooking. I quickly refocused back to the view in front of me in an attempt to empty the image of any people but, the damage was done. It’s funny because camping is something he would like but I would never want to do and he would never have cooked for me. Overall, this experience was amazing. The images were so powerful and so easy to transport due to Jon’s attention to the senses while described them. I also found that this exercise was similar to a state I have in dreams where I know something or someone is there without seeing it in front of me. As if my mind pre-downloaded context for the dream itself!

When then moved on to dipping in our childhood bedrooms. This time, I found that when I felt my connection begin to waver, I thought of the feeling of the rug beneath my bare feet to bring me back. Jon advised we picture our dresser and zoom in on a detail to trace. I was able to see the dresser in the room and chose a silver drawer handle at my eye level. He had us zoom in in out a few times, backing up then coming closer to prepare to open the drawer. As I went to open the drawer, I could see the details, feel the wood of the dresser and cool silver of the handle, and hear the sound of pulling the drawer out. Once it was opened, we did our mad-dash dipping exercise where we speedily tag everything to keep our cognitive minds at bay. My drawer was filled with folded shirts and my mind saw them in a rainbow order with two specifically recalled from my past. Those two, the yellow Field Day shirt with writing on it and white Spice Girls shirts became my anchors, probably because they were the only ones with any details. I could see the marker on the yellow shirt from classmates’ signatures and the legs of the Spice Girls on the white shirt. Jon told me to go to the third pile of the six and remove the first two shirts of that pile. Much to my surprise and delight, my red hawk shirt from a middle school chorus concert appeared. I couldn’t make out the exact writing, but I could see the logo perfectly. I could feel the texture of the soft fabric, slight firmness of the color, and stitching on the sleeve and shoulder. Being one to connect most to the sense of smell, Jon asked me to smell the shirt. I could smell that hint of Downey fabric softener we used to use. But, really, touch is what seems to connect with me the most. I could even feel the silver handle, smooth wood of the dresser, and rougher wood inside the drawer. Interestingly, Jon had me fold the shirt back up, put it back, and close the drawer. Closing the dresser was easy enough but, it took a couple of times visualizing folding the shirt up and putting it away. This was a remarkable experience that led to pleasant surprises and provided a nice little escape from reality.

What an amazing post. You were able to detail your experience much how a writer would. That is the exact use of the process. Good for you!