Story from the Inner Side: (Resolving a Physical Symptom)
Note: The following example of the Inner Image Method includes examples of questions that not as effective as when the process was more refined. The results were still effective
A Rotten Cauliflower on My Shoulder
I returned to my dormitory room after a day of classes in graduate school. I planned to relax after dinner in the cafeteria and found a note on my bed. It read “Visit Sara in room 325.”
I arrived to find Sara with two friends. She was very sick having a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I sat down for a few minutes to take in the scene and to sip on a cup of Yarrow tea offered by one of Sara’s friends. Once comfortable with the situation, I asked Sara if she would like to try an experiment. She said that she would try anything at this point.
I asked where in her body she felt the discomfort. She said it was in her belly and placed her hand there. I sat down next to her and placed my hand over the area she had indicated. I asked her to go there with her attention and to tell me what she saw.
“I see a pool of dirty brown liquid.”
“What shape is it?”
“It has no boundaries.”
“What do you need?”
“I don’t know (pause). Now, there is a column of white liquid flowing down from my head into the center of the brown pool.”
“What is happening now?”
“I am sitting beside a pool of white liquid. Around the perimeter there are a number of doors. Evil red figures are trying to break through the doors.”
“What do you want to do?”
“All I have the strength for is to sit by the edge with my feet in the pool.”
After a brief pause, I ask:
“What is happening now?”
“The scene has changed. Now I am standing in an underground sewer system. Overhead are many large sewer pipes running in every direction. The area is very large. I have a rotten cauliflower on my shoulder.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to get rid of the cauliflower.”
“Why don’t you just throw it down?” Process Note: “Why” is not generally an effective question, although it worked in this instance.
“Because it would pollute everything.”
“What do you need in order to get rid of the cauliflower?”
“I need help.”
“What sort of help do you need?” Process note: Another distracting question. It’s more effective to ask..”Is there a source of help somewhere?”
“How can you find out?”
“I can start walking.”
“What happens when you do that?”
“I see a hole in the ceiling ahead.”
“What is important about that hole?” Process note: Another distracting question.
“If I could reach it, it would be a way to get out, only it is out of reach.”
“What do you need in order to reach the hole?”
“I need help from someone.”
“How can you get help?”
“I guess I can ask, but I don’t know if anyone is around.”
“What happens when you ask?”
“Someone appears in the hole. It is a manhole. The person has a rope only the rope is all tangled up. We have to get the rope untangled. What an awful mess!”
“What is happening now?”
“I tied the cauliflower to the rope and the person on top pulled it out.”
“Now what is happening?”
“I need to get myself out. Oh! A ladder just appeared. I am afraid of heights. It is a long way up. If I am careful, though, I can climb one step at a time. It is so scary, but I can make it. Now I am on the outside. It is a beautiful spring day.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m standing on my navel.”
At this point we all felt relieved and laughed at the picture of her standing on her navel. We took her temperature. It read 99 degrees Fahrenheit. The whole journey took about twenty minutes. I realized that I we had experienced something very powerful.
This was one of many experiences with the process that opened up another key to the method.
POSTLUDE:
The above discussion, illustrations and examples provide an insight into the early applications of the Inner Image Method. This natural, elegant and powerful approach to the inner image opens doors to the underlying structures and foundations of how the inner image is connected to stored information in many dimensions of human experience and to links between the mind, soul and body.
