Associated/dissociated Are you seeing as if out of
your own eyes (associated) or
can you see yourself in the
picture (dissociated)?
Now take a few simple images and experiment with them.
Think, for example, about your journey to work. You can
change your experience of this journey to make it better or worse
by experimenting with your thinking about it. Start by changing
some of the visual distinctions. For example, if it is dim turn up
the brightness. Then put it back as it was. If it is still make it into
a movie. Each time you experiment with a distinction return it to
its original form before you experiment with another. This way
you will be able to establish how a change in a specific distinction
affects your experience of the situation, in this case the journey.
You may find that your thinking about the journey becomes more
relaxed, more stressful, more interesting, or maybe more
exciting.
You may find initially that you are not aware of any pictures
in your thinking. This is not unusual. If this is the case, do the
exercise with your eyes closed and allow yourself to become
aware of what you do notice.
Volume How loud/quiet?
Speed Fast or slow?
Location Where is the source of the sound? Is it in
front of you, to one side, behind you?
Distance Is the sound close or far away?
Voice/sound Is it a voice or can you hear other sounds? If it
is a voice, whose voice and what tone is it in?
Pitch High/low/mid range?
Continuous Is the sound continuous or intermittent?
Take another memory, for example your last disagreement at
work. Experiment again, this time with the auditory distinctions.
For example, if you can recall voices make them soft and
whispery. Now give them a different accent. Make them loud
and boomy, remembering to return the memory to its original
state before experimenting with the next distinction.
Note how this experiment affects the quality of the memory.
THINKING PATTERNS 23