Imagination: Images of the Soul as a Source of Power
By Ulrich Kusche, Göttingen
Revised version of a Lecture in Frankfurt on the 3rd of May 2008.
Translated by Tom Edmondson for meaninginministry.com
Translation note: This paper describes the author’s use of a technique called wertorientierte imagination in German. The word “imagination” here has a unique meaning. It does not refer to a faculty of the mind or fantasy. Rather, it refers to a technique of bringing a conscious client into his or her subconscious and waiting for the images that the subconscious produces to appear. The client does not produce the images, rather, the images appear on their own. Wertorientierte imagination is a technique that was developed by Uwe Böschemeyer, a student of Viktor Frankl. It is widely practiced in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but little known outside of the German speaking world. In this paper wertorientierte imagination will be translated into English as Value-oriented Imagination with the word imagination in italics to remind the reader of its special meaning in this context. This also applies to other iterations such as imaginary, imaginand, and imagination.
Let's start with an example of the strengthening effect of inner images. A young man is quite unsure how his path should continue. I ask him if he feels his strength somewhere in his body. Yes, he answers, closing his eyes all by himself. There is a green core in my belly, the size of an apple. It wants to get it out, he says, wants to pour into my body. But a gray, infinitely large mass surrounds it, preventing the energy from escaping. Finally, he finds a hole in the middle of this mass, and when he can move through it, a bright, beautiful landscape opens up. He is standing at a fork in the road. He takes one of the two possible paths, comes to a mountain. When he feels alone there, he looks for help. There comes a big bird. It carries him across fields and forests, finally setting him down at an observation tower. They arrange to meet again. The big bird leaves the young man a feather that he puts in his hair.
Allowing inner pictures, visions, and imagination, to arise are universal ways of gaining access to the deeper layers of the individual, to the levels from which the powers and possibilities of human existence, indeed of life in general, arise. Like the dream, the unexpected or the sought-after vision serve in all shamanic traditions as a guide for one's own life, or the healing of the other. The astonishing account of Malidoma Somé (1) about his initiation into the tradition of the West African Dagara makes it clear that shamanic experiences are of primeval power even in our time. The expectation of heavenly signs and images in meditative exercises of various kinds has remained alive in the various religious traditions of our earth. They often mark the beginning of a step towards greater wholeness and healing, which occurs in an astonishingly similar manner and intensity, regardless of the differences in the images and their interpretations.
In modern psychology, Sigmund Freud emphasized the importance of dreams, taking up suggestions from his predecessors. Carl Gustav Jung paved the way for the active imagination. In taking up Viktor Frankl's theoretical insights into the power of the unconscious mind, Uwe Böschemeyer developed the practice of value-oriented imagination. (2) Ahead of his time, Hans-Carl Leuner's (3) discoveries with the katathymic imagery and Klaus Lange's suggestions for dialogue with one's own heart and every inner feeling. (4) O. Carl Simonton (5) introduced imaginative methods to the work with cancer patients; Luise Reddemann (6) established imagination as a particularly effective tool in the clinical work with severely traumatized patients, especially women.
In NLP, in self-awareness with so-called fantasy journeys, in the processes developed by Brandon Bays (7), imaginative methods are used even for children to resolve unconscious or repressed conflicts, but in very different ways. Mental training unlocks the power of imaginative methods for athletes and power coaching and similar methods for business leaders. The latest version of imaginative work is emotional body therapy (8), a way of getting close to inner answers through four questions, even if it is not accompanied.
Those who are interested in the self-determination and unique individuality of the people entrusted to them will, however, avoid schematic guidelines and suggested solutions from the therapist as far as possible and leave it to the inner forces of the client to decide which conflicts are at hand and which solutions are achievable in each case. The fact that unexpected powers and surprising possible solutions lie within oneself, in deep layers of consciousness, in the soul, is the first and common experience of the methods mentioned when allowing inner images. This discovery alone often has a liberating effect. Uwe Böschemeyer, in whose value imagination I am trained and from which experiences I can speak directly, characterizes the saving potential inherent in every human soul with the title of his fundamental book: Our Depths are Bright. There is light in our depths. This is both comforting and challenging: each of us is more than our problem, deficit, or illness. Hidden in this are ways out and new tasks, salvation and healing. In order to do justice to this promising message, it is important to deal with inner imagery experiences carefully and responsibly.
Let me illustrate the different ways of dealing with inner potential with the help of this overview by Professor Armin Pfau. (9) From the point of view of control, the transitions from dream to vision and suggestion are, in my opinion, plausibly presented.
With the exception of lucid dreams, dream images that can hardly be influenced enter our consciousness. Depending on whether the dream images are touching or frightening, the existential significance of the dream content for the dreamer can be revealed immediately or they remain enigmatic, return threateningly, or retain their enticing appeal for a long time.
Unexplained dream elements, like any other topic, are ideally suited to being processed through imagination. In a state of as deep relaxation as possible, in a light trance, and with clear waking consciousness, we can allow inner images to emerge from the depths of the unconscious and bring them from the infinite expanse of the superconscious. Professor Pfau has described this aptly here: Deep, authentic imagination occurs in the conscious acceptance of the messages that emerge from the unconscious. These offer the opportunity and the challenge to take a personal stand and aim to implement them in one's own life.
Of course, conscious intentions of the individual or a companion can also be clothed in images, which are then offered to the deeper layers of the overall consciousness. So-called guided imaginations accompanied or imitated fantasy journeys, suggestive procedures through to self-hypnosis and hypnosis of others takes place in this area of consciously controlled experiences. (8)
However, the effectiveness of the inner images or suggestive ideas depends decisively on the extent to which they reach and transform the deep feelings of the person concerned. Here, Uwe Böschemeyer's insights agree with the findings of other therapists and probably also with your own experiences. This also explains the repeatedly experienced ineffectiveness of the so widely praised positive thinking. Problematic memories are usually associated with deep feelings. If positive counter-clauses remain on the level of conscious desire or are even associated with secret doubts, the deeper feelings of being hurt or of inferiority retain their power unbroken.
The messages of the deep layers of human consciousness appear as images that are often very plastic and can be experienced with all the senses. The sun warms the skin, the surf of the turbulent sea is audible, the scent of the lilies is beguiling, and touch goes deep into the heart. As much as the motifs that we know from the fairy tales and mythical tales of world cultures are similar, such as the garden and the high mountain, the golden carriage and the royal castle, the bright figure and the old sage, their design is highly individual. The more the inner power expresses itself in a very personally designed image, the more direct the contact between the conscious and the unconscious can become, the greater the chance of transforming the deep feelings. That is why, in my experience, it is so important to leave freedom and space for individual acceptance and design, even for redesign by each individual.
I am convinced that this also applies to imaginations used in training. This is especially true for the steps in NLP or journey work processes. There is no scheme of inner development that is equally valid for every person and can therefore be adopted. Everyone goes their own way, especially when it comes to resolving serious conflicts. Therefore, it is much less important than some people think that certain predetermined process steps are necessary. Rather, the unmistakable sign of genuine experience and inner transformation is the liberated, redeemed expression on the face and eyes of the imaginand, which is often reflected in a significantly changed posture.
In this sense, imagination is a universal path of knowledge that is suitable for all topics, and at the same time, of empowerment to change thinking and acting. In one respect, Uwe Böschemeyer's value imagination has led to a significant expansion and enrichment of imaginative work. All specifically human qualities are accessible with their liberating and transforming potential in the depth of human consciousness: trust and joy, creativity, and healing knowledge. That is the old, ancient experience. If we allow and, if necessary, specifically look for these valuable qualities to appear to us as shapes, it is easier for us as human beings to get in touch with and exchange with the forces they represent. As humans, we experience connections particularly intensely when we let ourselves be held by the hand, when we are allowed to lean on each other and look into the eyes.
To this day, I remember the first imagination I accompanied. A woman I had counseled for a while, then 44 years old, was first plagued by severe compulsions, later by excesses. At her insistence, I dared to make a cautious attempt with her. When I asked her--after a short introductory relaxation--in which landscape she was, she said after a moment of silence, quite surprised:
It's like in Tuscany. There are pine trees. It is pleasantly warm. A beautiful landscape, but somehow dead. No one is to be seen.
Take your time, I say. Look around you, look at the horizon.
There is none, only something dark black. A dark figure, with a black cowl and black hood. Oh my goodness, I am frightened.
The first thing she encounters is her fear.
Will we be able to do that now?
I quickly hear myself say: Leave the figure where it is for the time being. What else do you see?
The imaginand answers, evidently without alarm: I see an old house, but quite nice, with a large old garden. There is a wall around the property. The main door is ajar. A small cat that strokes her, although she usually does not like cats, and helps her enter the house. After a long exploration of both floors, she notices a large mirror in the entrance hallway. When I ask her to look in the middle of this mirror, she says: I see a young woman in a loose dress. And then quite surprised: That's me, but completely changed, with long hair. I actually look quite nice. The eyes are big and clear. I am very calm and composed.
After she has familiarized herself a little more with this young woman in the mirror, I ask her what might happen now.
The imaginand says very happily: She steps out of the mirror and takes me by the hand.
The young woman goes to the sea with the imaginand. They sit next to each other on stones on the shore, their thighs touching. They look at the restless waves, in which a deep harmony vibrates. At least that's how the imaginary learns it from their shared perception. A lot of energy and strength comes from there, she says.
After a while, she recognizes in the young woman the power of life and the affirmation of life. When they say goodbye, she receives a gift, a staff with a small star at the top. This staff will subsequently serve her well in everyday life whenever she feels insecure and weak.
This client, who also had somatic complaints and a traumatic background, has since remained close to her young woman, the representative of life affirmation, which Uwe Böschemeyer calls an “ally”. After a long period of independent progress with only occasional imaginings, she recently showed interest in setting off on an accompanied encounter with the dark figure, the figure she first perceived at the time, the figure with the black cowl and black hood.
In countless imaginations, people have experienced that even encounters with dark figures can be dared if the imaginands trust that the figures from the shadow realm also have an important message for them. It helps frightened clients to dare to place this trust and to persevere if they are directly accompanied by a value figure, the ally or allies, by their inner “Indian” or their inner healers. This is why Uwe Böschemeyer generally advises clients to first establish contact with the helpful figures in their imagination work. At the most difficult stages of the inner journey, technical aids are then just as dispensable as external interventions from the therapist. Unlike the best therapist, the inner guides always know the appropriate solution.
However, it can happen that an inner figure is shadowed and has only limited access to its typical resources. Then the fear of the imaginand has cast a shadow on the value-form, and it is necessary to help the value-form itself to regain its full power. Often the opposite-sex figure of the same force is particularly helpful for this. We often find it easier to make contact with the gender that strengthened us in the respective specific quality in the previous life and was a role model.
An insight from the practice of value imagination is also of great philosophical importance and it may have an impact on our self-image and the way we deal with the people who confide in us. When we consider the question of what we are dealing with in terms of the forces from the depths and from above, and set off imaginatively to the home of the value figures in search of an answer, then deeply religious images regularly appear, regardless of the ideological view and personal beliefs of the imaginand:
Deeply insecure people find themselves in a net that carries them unconditionally, those who are severely frightened feel wonderfully cared for in a big hand. Great angels touch a heart, heavenly sounds emanate from a mighty throne as well as an enveloping, infinitely strong stream of love. And it is always the strong, warm light that shines in the value figures and surrounds them, that fills the cosmos and the whole universe. Here it becomes palpable, the source of all knowledge and wisdom, all grace, all salvation. From such a deep experience with the traces of God, to borrow the title of Uwe Böschemeyer's latest book, new trust and unusual courage grow in a highly intense way.
What can those working in the healing professions take from the experiences of value imagination for themselves, even if they do not want to start any further training? The possibilities are manifold and can be carefully tried out and developed by anyone interested. For example, those working in counseling or caring can looking imaginatively at the person entrusted to them before the arranged session and let their hands, eyes, and heart give them a first impression. If you need to perceive more precisely, it can be very revealing to look at the client through the eyes of your own inner healer or therapist.
If there is strain in the relationship, therapists can look into the space between themselves and the client. They can also ask the client to come up with a figure that stands for the problem that is not yet understood or for an affected organ. In this way, a completely different kind of organ language can emerge such as that developed and published by Horst Krohne. (10)
In my experience, more important than practical sophistication is the deep trust of the wise companion waiting inside the person being accompanied, which is rooted deeper than in the unconscious of the individual. Stanislav Grof, a psychiatrist from Czechoslovakia and later co-founder of transpersonal psychology, convinced himself of the limitless access possibilities of human consciousness in his decades of work with people, partly under the dosed administration of LSD, partly using holotropic breathing. His experiences, which he recently summarized once again, confirm the insights of imaginative work. (11)
A short sequence may illustrate the cosmic dimension of deep imaginations. In an unaccompanied imagination in a small group, a woman sees many, many sheep in an archaic landscape and a shepherd with an impressive figure. When she has gazed at the shepherd for a long time and then moves closer to him, she clearly perceives his staff. All at once, this staff is taken up by her body. A very strong feeling of being protected and of well-being flows through the imaginary woman. She describes this as a heavenly feeling in her report to the group after she has written down the imagination.
Then night falls. The stars twinkle as if in a spell. The sheep are sleeping. The great shepherd climbs the ladder to heaven. He goes to heaven and is on earth at the same time. Angels fly in the night sky, smiling at me. All of a sudden, the shepherd's staff becomes huge. It reaches up to the sky. And when I look closer, I discover that the rod is holding the globe that revolves around it. I see different continents and sheep everywhere. I feel intensely connected to the shepherd. I feel a feeling of security and home. I am at home near him.
Perhaps the language of inner images is the only one that allows members of different religions, cultures and therapeutic directions to really talk about their traditions and experiences and to agree on common steps in our often-divided world. Promising prospects could open up!
Literatur (German first, then English):
(1) Malidoma Patrice Somé: Vom Geist Afrikas. Das Leben eines afrikanischen Schamanen, München
2004.
Somé, M. P. (1999). The Healing Wisdom of Africa. New York: Penguin.
(2) Uwe Böschemeyer: Unsere Tiefe ist hell. Wertimagination- ein Schlüssel zur inneren Welt, München
2005. (No English translation available).
Uwe Böschemeye: Gottesleuchten. Begegnungen mit dem unbewussten Gott in unserer Seele,
München 2007. (No English translation available).
Monika Meyer-Prentice (2013). Logotherapy and Imagery Work: The Contribution of Boeschemeyer’s
“Wertimagination.” Duren. Shaker.
(3) Hans Carl Leuner / Eberhard Wilke: Katathym-Imaginative Psychotherapie, Stuttgart 2004.
Ulrich Bahrke and Karin Nohr (2023). Katathym Imaginative Psychotherapy: Textbook of Working with
Imaginations in Psychodynamic Psychotherapies. Heidelberg: Springer.
(4) Klaus Lange: Herz was sagst du mir? Selbstvertrauen durch innere Erfahrungen, Stuttgart 2001.
(No English translation available).
(5) O. Carl Simonton: Wieder gesund werden. Eine Anleitung zur Aktivierung der Selbstheilungskräfte für
Krebspatienten und ihre Angehörigen, Hamburg 2007
Simonton, O. C., Creighton, J., Simonton, S. M. (2009). Getting Well Again: The Bestselling Classic
About the Simontons' Revolutionary Lifesaving Self-Awareness Techniques. United Kingdom: Random
House Publishing Group.
Jeanne Achterberg: Gedanken heilen. Die Kraft der Imagination. Grundlagen einer neuen Medizin,
Hamburg 2004
I cannot find an exact match, but here is one to consider:
Achterberg, J. (2002). Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine. United States: Shambhala.
(6) Luise Reddemann: Psychodynamisch-Imaginative Traumatherapie, Klett 2007
Her only book in English is:
Reddemann, L. (2020). Who You Were Before Trauma: The Healing Power of Imagination for Trauma
Survivors. United States: The Experiment.
(7) Brandon Bays: The Journey. Der Highway zur Seele, Berlin 2004
Bays, B. (2012). The Journey: A Practical Guide to Healing Your Life and Setting Yourself Free. United
States: Atria Books.
(8) Susanna Lübcke/Anne Söller: Emotionalkörpertherapie. Ganzheitliche Heilung durch das liebevolle
Annehmen aller Gefühle, München 2019
Luebcke, S. (2010). Emotional Body Healing: Touches Your Heart Changes Your Life. United
States: Xlibris US.
(9) Armin Pfau (2003). „Zur Wahrnehmung innerer Bilder aus psychologischer Sicht,“ in Existenz un
Logos, 2003, pp. 43-80.
(10)Horst Krohne: Organsprache-Therapie. Neue Methoden der Geistheilung, München 2006
No books available in English.
(11)Stanislav Grof, Impossible - Wenn Unglaubliches passiert. Das Abenteuer außergewöhnlicher
Bewusstseinserfahrungen, München 2008
Grof, S. (2009). When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary
Realities. Canada: ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited.
© Dr. Ulrich Kusche, Göttingen 2024