Struggling in the present to deal with a recent traumatic event or emotional distress can feel like it’s never going to change. In this pattern, we use the wisdom of old age and recruit the capabilities of the future self to bring relief to the present.
Step 1: Think about a recent situation or incident in which you had an emotional reaction and are still feeling pain, anger, or guilt. #
Create a visual symbol (VS1) to represent this feeling. Give it a dark color (suggestion: make it a color you don’t particularly enjoy or like).
Step 2: Initiate a state of downtime. #
Step 3: Enter your timeline, stretching forward and backward, with the future ahead of you in the distance. #
Step 4: Dissociate from the situation. #
- Float above your timeline for a few moments, and look at the stressful incident from above (4th perceptual position). Notice the interaction between the people involved and how it affects the ecology of your present.
Step 5: Shrink the representation image of that situation and transform it into the symbol from step 1. #
Step 6: Look ahead on your timeline and choose a date that is at least 10 to 15 years from now. #
Ignite your ride on the timeline and fast forward to that day.
Step 7: Associate with your future self on that date in the future, and turn around the timeline so that your past is in front of you. #
Now you’re looking at the present day from the vantage point of the future, associated with your future self.
Step 8: Given it’s been more than a decade after that situation occurred, you, as the future self, have already figured out how to deal with that stressful event and reconciled your emotional distress, anger, or guilty conscience. #
At that moment in time, all is well and there are no residues or hard feelings in that moment.
Step 9: As you experience this bliss and peace of mind, create a visual symbol (VS2) to represent that feeling. #
Give it a bright and delightful color (suggestion: select a color that you really like and makes you happy).
Step 10: Place VS1 in your right hand’s palm. #
Keep your hand open.
Step 11: Use your left hand to hold VS2. #
Step 12: Take a deep breath, look towards the past (towards the current day), and cover your right hand with your left hand, combining the two symbols. #
Step 13: Still in the associated state, as your future self, tell your present self (dissociated, as in step 4), that soon enough the essential learning from that event is going to overtake the hurt feelings. #
Nothing lasts forever.
Step 14: Dissociate Keep holding the symbols together, and float above the timeline. #
Ride the timeline forward back to the present day. Return to your present self and flip the timeline so that the future is in front of you and the past is far behind you.
Step 15: From the present vantage point, shout a thank you to your future self, open your hand and look at the combined two symbols. #
The brightness and lifelike color of the second symbol outshine the dullness of the first one.
Step 16: Take a deep breath and exit the timeline. #
Step 17: Test Think about the original event again. #
How do you feel about the near future?