How to Coach Yourself and Others Better Coaching Through Visualisation | Page 47

its foot planted firmly on her chest. Uncomfortable as this image
may be, once she sees it she has the opportunity to acknowledge it
(in effect to experience it), and to make a change. Using her
imagination, she finds a key that unlocks the chains, breaks free of
the beast, and releases herself from its power. Suddenly, the beast
begins shrinking, while Sandra grows taller. As the chains fall away,
the restriction and heaviness in her chest diminish. She feels lighter,
her breathing becomes easier, and the sense of fear and
powerlessness she had been feeling is replaced by hope and clarity.
When the imagery exercise is completed, the clinician as the guide,
instructs her to breathe out and open her eyes. At this time, the
therapist asks Sandra how she feels, and asks Sandra to describe her
experience from the exercise in the present tense. She is encouraged
to try this exercise (the prescribed dose), every day for at least seven
days, up to 21 days, and to record her experiences (including night
dreams) until her next appointment.
The benefits Sandra derives from doing this exercise are far reaching
and immediate. Her imagery acts as a mirror that reveals her from
the inside out. Instantaneously, from the imagery exercise she has
learned truths about herself that until now she has overlooked, even
denied. Indeed, she is stronger, “taller,” more powerful than she ever
suspected. By freeing herself from the chains (which she sensed
were her beliefs and fears about her illness), she becomes bigger
than this disease, something she had always felt was all powerful,
too much for her to handle. In changing the image, which she does
by using the key to release herself, she has affected her beliefs,
thoughts, and feelings in a positive, and liberating way. In doing
this, she has gone beyond ordinary thinking where such things are
“impossible,” and has become her own authority, the one who is
ultimately in control of her choices in life (Shafer & Greenfield,
2002).

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