Hi friend,
So glad you're here.
I'm Hanna,
I'm a neuroscientist and a therapeutic photographer and I work with the felt sense to shift the nervous system back to a state of safety for people who have experienced trauma or suffering from addiction.
And today we're going to do another visualization and kind of imaginative meditation where we're gonna redefine the relationship with alcohol and just gonna look into this a little bit deeper.
So to start with I invite you to find a relaxed pose,
Maybe you'd like to lie down or to sit comfortably and if it feels right to you right now you can close your eyes.
Alternatively you can just also soften your gaze and listen to my words.
Take a few deep nourishing breaths,
Really deep in and out.
One more time and try to make the exhale a little bit longer this time.
Activating the vagus nerve,
Our healing place,
The dorsal part of our vagus nerve.
And to start with just arrive here in the moment.
Imagine you're sitting at a table,
At a place where you feel safe and comfortable.
It might be a beautiful garden,
Somewhere at the beach,
A home or maybe a cafe around the corner that you like to go to.
Now imagine that opposite you on the other side of the table there is a person sitting and that person is alcohol.
Just look at that person.
Is that person male or female?
How's the hairstyle,
The clothes,
The expression in the face,
The body language?
How do you feel when you look at that person?
Do you feel it looks to you more like a friend?
Are you feeling affection or do you feel like you need to create more space?
Just know that today you've met with that person to share your experiences and your thoughts and ideas and maybe even some boundaries.
And to start the conversation you can just tell that person all the things you're grateful for,
That that person brought into your life.
All the fun you had together,
How that person made you feel more confident,
More calm,
How it supported you through some really hard times in your life and difficult emotions.
And if you like you can speak those things out loud or just in your head and imagine them.
Just try and feel grateful.
Just really say thank you.
Thank you for supporting me.
Imagine that person receiving those words and smiling and just saying you are so welcome.
I love supporting you.
And now is your time to set some boundaries and also share with that person how things are going now and how you're feeling now.
Because you know although initially that person supported you and helped you to get through some difficult times,
Now the relationship became a little bit toxic.
It doesn't feel healthy anymore.
And that's okay.
And sometimes it's important to say those things out loud,
To state them clear where you don't feel well and supported anymore by that person.
You can say those things out loud again or you can just keep them in your mind.
Just share all the things how it's impacting you right now.
How you're feeling,
How you can't think clear,
How you don't feel maybe in your own control,
Dependent,
Feeling like you cannot do difficult things in your life anymore without that person.
But you want to be your own person.
You want to be in charge.
You feel manipulated maybe sometimes.
Imagine that person receiving your words,
Looking a little bit concerned or maybe not.
Maybe not believing you.
And you're understanding that the relationship maybe did become quite toxic.
And it's time for you to set a boundary to not see that friend as often anymore or to say goodbye for good.
So think about what you want to do as a next step and what you believe is the best for this relationship.
Know that every goodbye comes with grief.
Every goodbye,
No matter if it was toxic or wonderful,
Is sad.
And you're allowed to be sad about that.
Imagine how you're telling that friend,
That person,
How you want to continue that relationship and really clearly say whether you want to see that person less frequently or only rarely or not at all for some time anymore or maybe forever.
Tell that person,
I thank you so much for your time.
I thank you for our time together.
But now I can take care of myself.
I can support myself.
And I will learn how to support myself even better.
If you like,
You can give that person a hug,
A good farewell,
A good goodbye.
And then you can imagine how that person is just slowly dissolving into thin air.
Until it's not there anymore.
Look around you,
Your safe place.
See all the resources you have,
All the beautiful things around you.
And just know that you're going to be okay.
You are safe.
You are safe.
And as we begin to round this up,
You can slowly come back to the present moment.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Maybe open your eyes.
Put a little smile on your face.
Just know you can do that.
You're going to be okay.
If you enjoyed the session,
Please,
Please do leave me a review or comment.
I love to hear about your journey.
And if you know someone who might benefit from this,
Please forward it.
I'm Hannah.
I'm a neuroscientist and I work with people suffering from trauma and addiction.
And I just love to be part of the journey of someone and moving the nervous system back to a place of safety.
Hope you have a great rest of your day.
