Visualisation therapy

Although I am not a smoker I sometimes like to imagine myself smoking, blowing out smoke when talking to a difficult person. I like the detached "I see through you" look of the smoker often shown in movies. On the big screen a smoker is portrayed as consolidating his thoughts and trying to gain perspective of the situation whilst blowing out smoke when faced with challenging circumstances.

I imagine myself, a cigarette in my mouth, eyes squinting with a small frown on my forehead and  inhaling. Then with a slow puff I blow out smoke that forms a smoke screen blurring the difficult person's face. The smoke provides a screen, a form of distancing if you will from the pain; in short a sense of detachment which gives you more control of the situation. (In psychology when a person perceives a threat a common response is to distance oneself from it physically, mentally or emotionally).

For me , this smoky ambience helps nurture a sense of illusion/disillusion which brings about resignation. This resignation in turn leads to realising the futility of being attached to whatever that gives rise to the difficult feeling from the onset. The short film clip ends with me staring into thin air with a "heck care you" expression on my face.

In the world of counselling visualisation  is yet another sound strategy. I shall try to experiment using this visualisation to overcome challenging people.

(Further information- Sandplay therapy also has this distancing effect allowing the clients to see their issues played out in the sandtray. Distancing themselves from the problem helps them gain perspectives and often make them realise it is less daunting and frightening as when suppressed)