on visualization

[iamom]

A key part of The Gabriel Method deals with creative visualization. Each day, in the morning and before bed, you're supposed to spend some time visualizing yourself in an ideal body. Change the mind, the logic goes, and the body will follow

Comments

[bemused_leftist]

Why not both? Visualize oneself being healthier AND doing the actions that promote health.

If that's too many impossible things before breakfast, might start with visualizing oneself a little bit healthier and doing a little bit of healthy action. ;-)

[vyus]

I disagree with the wife. Mainly, because she's a wife and wives are to be avoided at all costs. Unless they are someone else's wife, in which case you get to make your own rules

[starskin]

Mainly, because she's a wife and wives are to be avoided at all costs.

Uh. Wow.

[vyus]

i kid :) I think DL knows i'm really teasing myself with that statement. i am fantastically bad at relationships. a little bit of black pepper humour helps counter the salt.

[iamom]

Don't worry, he's being tongue in cheek. Honest.

[vyus]

BTW

With all respect to the wife, this is your journey. I realize that you were a major player in creating the environment that you are in, and an architect of how she now reacts to you...

But if her first reaction to anything you propose is how it's not right, you're going to have to resist integration her opinions into your psyche. I love the photo idea, for example, but a critical mind might think it's hogwash and silly because you should just not eat as much and exercise more. But, in AQAL terms, that's individual-exterior thinking, and your exterior/posterior is a direct consequence of something going on individual-interior

[iamom]

Holy shit, you know about that AQAL stuff? Your breadth of interests often surprises me. I just received my first book of Ken Wilber's teachings this past Christmas but I haven't read it yet. It seems really, really technical

[starskin]

This was my problem with everyone salivating over The Secret. If you just sit and think really, really hard about becoming a millionaire, you'll be one! Just visualize being rich until you ARE rich.

Right. Visualizing yourself succeeding is vitally important to actually succeeding. But then you actually have to do, you know, work. Like, I could visualize myself in a $500,000 a year job, but if I never actually went out and tried to land that job, it's not going to happen.

[iamom]

Yeah, you're right about that. And I can't help but admit that I've been guilty of "just thinking about it" a lot in my life, and "not doing it."

Our psychology is a funny thing. So many of us have these psychological hang-ups that feel impossible to resolve, you know? But in the end, when you think about it, you can really just drop them pretty easily. All it takes is to live in the now. The hang-ups almost always have to do with hanging on to past traumas or painful experiences that are no longer part of our lives; if we acknowledge that and move on, we can start doing some good things for ourselves right now in this moment.

[starskin]

Oh we've all been guilty of doing that, really. Inertia is a very powerful force. And for someone like me, who wants to consider every possible angle and repercussion of anything I do (even though I KNOW it's not only impossible to do that, it's kinda crazy-making), it can be so much easier to just stay put.

[wraithinwings]

I agree with your wife- visualizing the 'perfect' body isn't going to get you anywhere but dissatisfied with the body youre in now. The media's portrayal of the 'perfect' body hasn't made anyone healthier; it's made them unhappy, obsessed and produced a society with rampant obesity, eating disorders, and general health problems.
But I do agree that choosing to focus on healthful behaviors will have benefits. It's been working for me. :) Cheers!
~Lauren