Healthcare Training Institute - Quality Education since 1979
Psychologist, Social Worker, Counselor, & MFT!!

Section 30
Creating a Sanctuary to Heal Memories

Question 30 found at the bottom of this page
Test | Table of Contents

Be easier on yourself, on everyone and everything. As much as you can, suspend your judgement of the way things “should be,” “must” be and “ought to” be. Suspending these judgements gives you greater ease. Do things that bring you ease-- quiet walks, resting, hot baths, being with friends, meditating, contemplating, reading, writing.

Approach life with new attitudes. acceptance, patience, flowing, giving, grace, effortlessness, simplicity, allowing, acquiescing, permitting, forgiving. Write these words-- and others like them-- on separate cards and put them in places you will see them. Pick one of these attitudes each day and, all day, no matter what happens, meet it with that attitude.

A sanctuary is a place you build in your imagination. It’s an inner place for you to go to visualize, contemplate, meditate, affirm, do spiritual exercises, solve problems, get advice, heal yourself, relax, have fun, hang out, and communicate with yourself and others.

We call it a sanctuary because the words seems to incorporate the qualities of preciousness, retreat, getting away from it all, safety and refuge. You can call your inner place whatever you choose. Some call it a workshop; others, a shrine or an inner sanctum. The name is not important. Building and using it is.

You build a sanctuary in your imagination. The nice thing about building in your imagination is that the time between design and construction is almost nonexistent. You can try something out, see how you like it, change it, see how you like that, and change your changes, all in a very short time.

The Healing of Memories
Most of us have memories of past hurts, disappointments and fears that keep returning, causing pain, resentment, guilt or fear. These situations may be from hours ago or years ago. When this happens, we’re letting a memory of something then negatively affect us now. Fortunately, memories-- like any other part of our being-- can be healed.

Here’s a simple technique for the healing of memories. Go into your sanctuary, making sure you pass through the white light at the entry way. Have a seat in front of your video screen. You may want to ask your Master Teacher to join you. If so, stop by the people mover and pick up you MT on the way.

Let the white light surrounding the screen be off. On the screen, see the situation you feel upset about. Let it play itself out, and watch it as you would a movie. After it’s over, go back and freeze-frame a moment you found particularly upsetting. Imagine you have a large paintbrush full of black pain in your hand. Take the paintbrush and make a large, black X across the upsetting image on the screen. Let the image and the paint fade.

Now, illuminate the white light around the edges of the video screen. See the situation again, but this time, let it happen exactly the way you would have liked it to have happened. (Remember, neve lose in your imagination.) This process actually replaces the painful or fearful memory with a joyful, contented one. For some situations, you may need to repeat it a few times; in other cases, once will do.

“Personal Reflection” Journaling Activity #10
The preceding section was creating a sanctuary. Write three case study examples regarding how you might use the content of this section of the Manual or the “Positive Reinforcement” section of the audio tape in your practice.

QUESTION 30:
What is the effect of letting memories of past hurts, disappointments and fears cause pain, resentment, guilt, or fear?