Revisiting Toads and Deep Relaxation

Spadefoot Toad

 

This post was originally published in June 2009. The recent rain reminded me of it. I’ved added a current special offer at the end.

I was thinking about toads as I fell asleep the other night.  Spadefoot toads to be exact. You may be thinking: what do toads have to do with deep relaxation? Well, it started with the weather.

I woke up and it was raining. In June. In all my collective years here in the LA area (30 years) I have never seen rain in June. I was pleasantly surprised because I love rain. I lived in Tucson, Arizona for almost 20 years and the best part about that was the summer rains that desert dwellers call monsoons. These are summer lightening storms, sometimes very dramatic, always welcome and refreshing at a time when everything alive and a few things that aren’t are withering from intense heat.

The rain brought back vivid memories of  those summer rains. As I lay in my bed that night, I imagined myself back in Arizona, on the front porch of some old house, watching the rain come down in sheets. I was told once you never forget the smell of the Sonora Desert after it rains. I found this to be true  that night as once again I imagined that I smelled the wet creosote, and breathed in  the thick moistness of the warm air.

I thought about the song of the toads, awakened from their slumber by the gods of thunder. At first, I felt an aching to be back there, but suddenly this was replaced by  gratitude the likes of which I have not felt for quite some time. All the tension and stress of my life disappeared. Concern and  worry about the circumstances of my life faded.  I realized that I had been blessed with these experiences, they were mine to savor whenever I wanted to, they could not be taken away from me, and I felt supremely grateful. I found myself in my own special place as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

Special Place is a Therapeutic Imagery  tool that I use quite often in my practice with my clients. You can use it anytime you want, when you desire, peace, comfort, ease, and relaxation. Here’s how you do it:

• Simply sit or lie down and be still and take some deep breaths.
• Focusing and relaxing each part of the body can be helpful. (This is called a progressive relaxation). See if you can tap into the still place inside of you.
•  Then imagine, pretend or visualize a place that you have either been to or have seen. Or, you can create one in your mind’s eye, with the elements you desire. Make sure this is a place that  represents relaxation, peace, tranquility, serenity.
• See if you can connect with the sights and colors, shadow and light. Notice if you are sitting, standing or lying down. Check if there are any scents or smells to this place. See if you can hear the sounds.
•  Give your self suggestions along the lines of  “I am in my special place and in this place I am safe and secure, happy and in control, peaceful and relaxed.”

If you practice this a few times, soon you’ll be able to quickly create a powerful image that can be used in any situation to produce a relaxed and comfortable state.

Special Place can also be used for releasing unwanted emotions, or tapping into your “Inner Guide”. For deeper work, in which clients are bringing up images that represent fear or blocks, Special Place is a good place to be to start that kind of work

And if you should meet any spadefoot toads in there, please say hello for me.

To listen to a podcast of this blog post go to my podcast Ted in Your Head

Your Companion on the Journey to Transformation,