Depending upon your school of thought, this exercise can be a remembrance of lives past or simply an exercise in thoughtful fantasy.
It is not hypnotic and it ordinarily conjures up images that heretofore you had no conscious awareness of.
Whatever your philosophy, it surely is interesting.
Have a partner assume a relaxed, prone position on a couch or bed.
Guide your partner in some deep, rhythmic breathing (review the breathing exercises.
) With his eyes closed, have him relax his whole body from his toes to his head (review "Exercise -- Relaxation For Improved Awareness").
Now have your partner partici- pate in the following mind-expanding visualizations.
First, have him imagine that he is blowing up like a balloon -- larger and larger, while feeling himself getting bloated and round.
Let him feel himself getting as big as the room, as big as the house or as big as he can imagine and let him tell you when he is at that maximum point of feeling big by saying, "OK.
" Now tell your partner to reduce his size gradually down to normal size again.
Next, have your partner visualize himself getting smaller and smaller like a shrinking man.
Let him feel the shrinking process as he grows smaller and smaller until he is as small as he can imagine.
Then let him acknowledge this maximum point by saying, "OK.
" Afterwards, slowly return him to normal size again.
Now let him imagine that he is growing tall and large like a giant -- becoming taller and taller until he reaches the maximum height he can imagine for himself.
Let him indicate at this point by saying, "OK.
" Then bring him slowly back to normal size again.
Afterwards, let him visualize that he is growing squatter and squatter -- like a great weight is pressing on his head down to his feet and squashing him like a pancake.
Guide him in this process and when he has become as squat as he can imagine, let him indicate by saying, "OK.
" Now guide him back to normal size again.
Now let him imagine that he is extending himself out like an elastic man.
His head and chest are stretching in one direction and his feet and legs are stretching out in the other direction -- further and further until he has stretched himself out as far as he can imagine.
Let him acknowledge this maximum point by saying, "OK".
This time, tell him to snap back sharply like a rubber band to normal size again.
Now let him imagine himself zooming up out of the room and above the building, hovering there for a moment then zooming higher and higher -- way above the city into the stratosphere.
Suggest the following to him: "Hover at this point and look around you and beneath you.
Everything looks so distant.
See the stars, moon and sun in the distance.
See the clouds, oceans, and continents below you.
Now come back very quickly to earth with a sudden thud.
Proceed with the following queries and allow him time for any responses: "Describe now what is at your feet".
What are you wearing?
Look at the rest of your body.
What kind of clothes do you have on?
Look around you.
Are there any animals, plants, people or buildings nearby?
Describe them.
Go to where you live.
How old are you?
Are you married?
Do you have any children?
What do you do for a living?
Continue with these or similar questions for a thorough description of that time period.
Then have your partner zoom back up into the stratosphere and come down quickly in a similar fashion for as many "lifetimes" as you wish to review.
You can even suggest that he come down into a lifetime that has the most influence on his current incarnation, and ask him what he did then that is affecting him now.
After reviewing the episode, a 'clearing' effect is often the result.
To terminate this session, have him go up into the stratosphere once again and then gently come down into the present body and time period and slowly open his eyes.