-IBIS-1.5.0-
rx
imagery
steam whistle
psychospiritual approaches

definition

image: Close your eyes. Breathe in and out three times. In your imagination see yourself as a child at an amusement park. Right beside you there is a steam train just large enough for a child to ride on. Notice that you are very excited about riding on this train and that the most exciting thing about it is the steam whistle. Being a happy child, you do not hesitate to ask the person in charge of the train to let you ride next and play the whistle. Let yourself notice how carefully this person looks at you before they give you permission to ride. There is, however, one thing that you must do before you can use the whistle. The one requirement is that you must study how the whistle works until you understand it perfectly. As you let yourself agree to this condition, feel your commitment to truly follow through with your agreement. Let yourself see the whistle design clearly and discover how simple it is, especially the way the steam cuts off automatically when the whistle is not in use. Realize that if you want to, you can have a system like that in your throat and as all children do, let the thought be mother to action, and let out whistle-like blasts of air, cut off by a throat that snaps shut. This discovery is delightful and you keep it up until your voice gets tired, at which point your throat snaps itself automatically shut and you cannot breathe. For just a moment, feel the discomfort of being unable to breath, before you remember the mechanism for the steam whistle, and open your throat deliberately, not to make a sound this time but just to breath. Notice what a relief it is, to be able to breathe at will, even if your throat has snapped shut automatically, for any reason at all. Take a few minutes to contemplate just what an important discovery that is, then let your eyes open once again. (Chavez)

uses: asthma


footnotes