The Power of Mental Movies
I'll start with a bold statement. We don’t actually live life by what’s going on in the world, we live life by what’s going on in the “Cinema of Our Mind”. Our emotions, reactions and responses to the world are a result of what’s going on in our mind, how we ‘unconsciously imagine’ the world to be.
?Here’s an example; let’s say two people are walking past a fence and on the other side a dog barks...
?What’s the difference? After all, it’s the same dog.
?Well, it’s how these two people ‘internally imagine’ the experience that makes it real for them. Basically, some people have better or more useful internal coding than others!
Here’s an exercise;
Think of something that scares or upsets you that you’d like to change your response to (spiders, a time when you felt out of control, a situation you don’t like, etc.). And think what that situation will be like when you next encounter it? Fully get into that experience. As you think of that now, what comes to mind?
?Is there a picture?
Is the picture in black & white or colour?
How bright is it?
How close or far away?
Is it moving or still?
Is there a sound track?
How loud is it?
What direction does it come from?
What are you telling yourself about it?
In what tone of voice?
What is the feeling like?
Where in your body do you feel it?
Is it heavy or light?
Is it moving or still?
Rough or smooth?
What else do you notice about it?
On a scale of 1-10 mark how bad it is with 1 being “not scary/upsetting at all” and 10 being “absolutely terrifying”
?Got that? ?
Now what’s your phone number backwards? Quickly!… Say it out loud! (...this is to break that old state)
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?OK. Now for the nice bit. Think of something you really love or enjoy (a friend or lover a much-loved pet, a really great party, an activity that you love to do, etc.). And think what that situation will be like when you next encounter it? Fully get into that experience. As you think of that now, what comes to mind?
?Is there a picture?
Is the picture in black & white or colour?
How bright is it?
How close or far away?
Is it moving or still?
Is there a sound track?
How loud is it?
What direction does it come from?
What are you telling yourself about it?
In what tone of voice?
What is the feeling like?
Where in your body do you feel it?
Is it heavy or light?
Is it moving or still?
Rough or smooth?
What else do you notice about it?
Now, what is the difference in the representational features between these two thoughts? By ‘representational features’ I don’t mean the content (not ‘what’ you are doing), but ‘how’ it is coded, i.e., is one a still picture and the other moving? Is one bright and the other dark? Is one loud and the other quiet? Is one a soft or smooth feeling and the other hard or rough? Is one close and the other further away? ?etc, etc? Just notice the differences… Write them down and contrast them.
?Now, think about that first thing (that scares or upsets) but this time change the features (colours, brightness, sounds, voices, feelings etc.) to the features of the thing you love. Take some time, do that in your mind now.
?And as you think of going into that old scary/upsetting situation with these features changed, where are you now on the 1-10 scale, has it changed?
Notice how when we change the mental movie of memories and events, we can change how that experience affects us now.
Here are some examples of other things you could change in the same way:
When you become the Conscious Editor of your internal movies you start to run your own emotions rather than have your emotions run you. You start to control your own destiny. You might say that these are just mind games, and to be honest, I agree. Life is a game, a story... What game are you playing, what story are you telling yourself?
?If you’re losing the game of life, or living from an unuseful story, drop me a line and I’ll help you update it.