My fellow soul coaches and I keep in touch and share some of our experiences so that we all learn continually (we never violate a client's confidentiality). Lately, several of us, including me have worked with clients that come to us for a soul journey session or a past life regression session and start out by saying, "I can't do this. Its difficult for me to relax and I'm sure that I'm not going to get anything." The client may also say something like, "I want to have a real experience and I'm afraid that this is all just going to be my imagination."

I thought it might be helpful to post something about this. There are a few suggestions that I give to clients when they have these concerns:

1. Instead of saying, "I can't do this" rephrase the concern to, "I'm feeling anxious about trying something new". Give yourself permission to be unsure about what the experience will bring! This takes away a lot of performance anxiety that most people have.

2. "Its difficult for me to relax and I'm sure that I'm not going to get anything." When a client has these concerns I suggest first another rephrase about the second half of that statement. Try, "I'm willing to accept whatever comes." As for relaxing, I usually explain that everyone has a different definition of relaxing. It is true that like anything else, it takes practice to relax because we are not accustomed to allowing ourselves to do it, but when it comes to guided meditation, again, give yourself permission to get to any level of relaxation that you are comfortable with. You'll get results no matter what and if you're willing to accept whatever comes the relaxation issue becomes secondary.

3. "I want this to be a real experience and not just my imagination." It is helpful to remember that we imagine our lives every day. When we wake up in the morning and take a shower we're usually already thinking about what will happen throughout the day, but since nothing has happened yet, we're using our imagination to determine the outcome. As the day goes on we make decisions and we use our imaginations about what will happen as a result of our decisions. Do you get my meaning? Its ok to use your imagination!

Powerful, positive changes occur in your life as a result of guided meditation. Sometimes, when you begin your journey it is difficult to get started, so I remind each client to go ahead and use the imagination. It is no different than how we use it to make up our lives every day. During guided meditation, once the imagination gets going somewhere along the way something changes and it is no longer your conscious mind making up stories.

This happened with one of my recent clients. She was unsure about relaxing, worried that she wouldn't get anything and was afraid to use too much imagination. After we discussed her concerns she felt a little better and we began her soul journey. At first she kept opening her eyes to tell me that she wasn't relaxed, but after awhile, she was able to get to a place where she was comfortable. From there, all she could see in her mind was her back yard and, as her coach I encouraged her to stay there and to see what comes. It turned out that she had an amazing journey in her back yard!

My clients and I speak at length before embarking on the personal guided meditations. Its important to do this for the client as well as for me, to become aware of any concerns and to discuss them. This makes each of us more comfortable and creates a rich environment for an empowering journey! Many blessings.
Cheryl