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A Visualization to Get Perspective on a Problem

Published on: 4th March, 2022

Please enjoy this visualization by Diana Hill based on the ACT principle of perspective-taking to help you get perspective on a problem.

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Transcript
Dr. Diana Hill:

This meditation is a practice in perspective taking, which

Dr. Diana Hill:

I'm Dr.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Diana Hill, and I'm going to be guiding you through this practice

Dr. Diana Hill:

Story connect with the greater whole and take a different

Dr. Diana Hill:

Go ahead and find a comfortable position with your eyes closed.

Dr. Diana Hill:

You can lie down for this exercise.

Dr. Diana Hill:

You can sit up against a wall or you can be in a formal meditation practice.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Whatever is most comfortable for you

Dr. Diana Hill:

Begin by bringing awareness to you right now, here in the present moment.

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And we can bring awareness from the outside, moving in.

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So start by noticing sounds in the room around you or sounds outside of the room.

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Move to other senses like temperature and touch.

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Notice the temperature of the air on your skin

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And notice where your body is making contact with your clothes, the floor, or.

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And moving from the outside to the inside, bring awareness to

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In this present moment, we can bring awareness to the movement

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Noticing where it initiates from what parts of your

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And allow your breath to be like this landing pad that brings

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Right here.

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Right now.

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You can also bring awareness to other aspects of your inner experience,

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Noticing any areas that feel relaxed.

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Noticing any areas that feel expansive.

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Just bring awareness to this inner landscape, this

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And you also have inside of your body a mind, a mind that may

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Maybe still caught up on what happened right before this moment.

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Maybe thinking about this very exercise and just notice the

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Does it feel expansive?

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What is it's speed?

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And what are some of its problems?

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So oftentimes we have problems that are looping around in our mind that

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And we do all sorts of things to try and solve these problems of the mind.

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Solve the problems of our experience.

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We avoid them.

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We ruminate on them.

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We numb them.

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But what I'd like for you to do right now is allow one of those problems to be

Dr. Diana Hill:

What's up for you?

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What's a problem that you've been trying to solve or get rid of or avoid?

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And allow yourself and your mind to start to describe that problem.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Sometimes it can feel like a well-worn road.

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This problem feels so familiar

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And it may have some feelings associated with it, some imagery, some thoughts.

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And I'd like for you, if you can, imagine that you're sitting

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You're on the X marks the spot of right here right now in this moment with this

Dr. Diana Hill:

This hard thing.

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Feel the weight of the hard thing in this moment and how present it is for you.

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And I'd like for you to imagine that on this X marks the spot line of your

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This timeline.

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And to the right of you, it travels all the way forward in time to past

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So here you are at X marks the spot.

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And this problem feels big and it feels relevant and it feels important.

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It has a weight.

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It has a shape.

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It resides in your body in a certain way.

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And it shows up for you in your life right now.

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And I'd like for you to imagine that you could get up and walk along the

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Another time when there was something that was difficult for you.

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Maybe you were younger.

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You were a child.

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And there's probably lots of times that you could think of, but maybe

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Like this problem is old, most likely.

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And maybe there was a time where you felt something similar to this.

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It had a similar flavor to it.

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For some people, it may be a flavor of not good enough.

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Or being left out.

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Not belonging.

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Worry.

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But choose a time back in time when you had a problem and it was hard for you.

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And what I'd like for you to do is imagine that version of you at that

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Imagine them, wherever they were at that point in their life, what were they doing?

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How were they dressed?

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See if you can bring up as much detail about them as you can, as if

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Where would they be located?

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And walk back in time as if you were walking back to that version of you.

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And as you walk back to that version of you, you start to see that

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How hard it was to be you.

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And how entangled you were in it.

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And as you look back on that version of you, I want you to imagine that you

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And when they see you, they look in your eyes and they can tell that you know.

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You know what it's like to be them unlike anyone else would ever know.

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So you look at them and they see you and you see them and you see them

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In the thing that is hard.

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And as you look at them, notice just what it feels like in your body

Dr. Diana Hill:

And you can say, I know, I know.

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And breathe.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And you sit down right next to them.

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Or maybe reach out and hold their hand.

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Or maybe put your hand on their cheek or their head or wherever feels just right.

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And you give them some words.

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You say some things to them about what it is that, you know now,

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And breathe

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And you take their hand.

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Feel it in yours.

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Feel the connection.

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And you travel with them back along the timeline.

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Back along the timeline.

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Back to the X marks the spot.

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And you have a seat and they sit down right up next to you.

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You feel their presence on your left side

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And with their presence on their left side you come back into your problem.

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Your struggle.

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In the here and now.

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Knowing that this is potentially old for you, it's been around for a while,

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And having your younger self with you at your side.

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Noticing what that feels like, how it may feel a little different having

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And as you sit here, you look off to the right to the timeline of your life.

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And you begin to notice that walking towards you is an

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20 years down the road.

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And you can notice how they walk.

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Notice their hair and their skin that's been seasoned by life.

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Notice what they're wearing.

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And notice what it feels like when they catch you in the eyes.

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They know.

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And only they know what it's like to be you and the struggles

Dr. Diana Hill:

So as they walk towards you, as they come up, you can feel that presence

Dr. Diana Hill:

And when they get up close, they look at you and say, I know.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And breathe.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And take it in.

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And maybe they put out their hand into your hand or touch

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And they sit down right up next to you and they tell you a few

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And listen.

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And breathe.

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And drink it in.

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So that here you sit, X marks the spot.

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You and your life right now with the things that are hard.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And right up next to you sits your past, for which you have compassion

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Feel that presence of your past and everything that

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And right up next to you on the other side is your future.

Dr. Diana Hill:

A future self that has compassion for you now.

Dr. Diana Hill:

That cares for you.

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That wants the best for you.

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And that understands.

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And here you are in the present moment with more perspective.

Dr. Diana Hill:

More compassion.

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And you can tell yourself.

Dr. Diana Hill:

I know.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Taking in your deepest breath.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Feeling that wisdom from the inside, fill you up as you inhale.

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Feeling that wisdom and circle you like a cocoon as you exhale.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Feeling compassion from the left.

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Compassion from the right.

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Compassion from the inside out and from the outside in.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Breathe in compassion.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Breathe out compassion.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And as this meditation and visualization comes to an end, I encourage you to

Dr. Diana Hill:

use these allies, the ally of your past and the ally of your future, to remind

Dr. Diana Hill:

Take perspective.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And trust the wisdom that you already have.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Expanding your awareness to sensations in your body and your breath.

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Just that simple movement of the breath.

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Expanding your awareness to temperature in the room and sounds.

Dr. Diana Hill:

And when you're ready, you expand your awareness by gently opening your eyes.

Dr. Diana Hill:

Eyes wide open with greater perspective, greater self-awareness and compassion and

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    Wise Effort
    The Science and Practice of Putting Your Energy Where It Matters Most
    Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill is a show about how to live wisely.

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    About your host

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    Diana Hill

    Diana Hill, PhD is a clinical psychologist, international trainer and sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion. Host of the podcast Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill and author of The Self-Compassion Daily Journal, The ACT Daily Journal, and the upcoming book Wise Effort, Diana works with organizations and individuals to develop psychological flexibility so that they can grow fulfilling and impactful lives.

    Integrating her over 20 years of meditation experience with yoga and psychological training, Diana guest teaches at InsightLA, Blue Spirit Costa Rica, PESI, Praxis Continuing Education, Yoga Soup and Insight Timer Meditation. She is on the board for the Institute for Better Health, and blogs for Psychology Today and Mindful.org. Diana practices what she preaches in her daily life as a mom of two boys and bee guardian. Go to drdianahill.com or her channels on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (@drdianahill) to learn more.