Video Games and Healing

Using our imagination to “think” ourselves healthy is a good thing. The only problem is that most adults have a very limited imagination. This is usually because we spend our time with the day to day necessities of life. We have forgotten how to play.

When I watch a child play they are in their own little world. They make up the rules for their play as they go along. They are in control of what happens in their world. Even when faced with a debilitating illness they find a way to play. With encouragement they even use their imagination to be the hero in their own fight to beat their illness.

After being diagnosed with cancer I wanted to do more than just follow doctors orders. I wanted to be at the center of making myself healthy once again. I remembered an old article that I had read many years ago about children that were encouraged to see themselves and their own immune system as heroes. These heroes then would do battle with the disease. The study recognized that the children who had been encouraged to become the heroes in their recovery were quicker to recover than those children who had not been encouraged to be their own heroes.

Knowing that my own thought processes and imagination were hampered by the chemo therapy I decided to use video games to boost my imagination. I found a game where I could create my own character, and become the hero of the game. For every villain, bandit, necromancer, vampire, werewolf, and dragon that I killed it was one more cancer cell that died never to return. I believe that between the chemo therapy and the video game I was able to beat cancer.

In my play through while under going treatment my character is a nord with a two-handed battle ax. This character is now strong enough to knock the legs out from under the opponent before striking them on the head for the death blow. The name of my character is a German word for death.

Video games can be a waste of time, especially if playing them comes before everything else that needs to be done. Yet, when you can't go anywhere, see anyone, or do anything, they are a great escape. When you use it as a supplement to your imagination to beat an illness, no matter what it is, they are a very good thing indeed. The video games help to focus the attention thereby keeping the imagination engaged.

Palm Tree of Despair

I found the interview with the cancer I had very interesting, and freeing. Even though the concerns I had were in a way concerns of the cancer, they were seen from a different perspective. Giving me the freedom to be me.

1) What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?

1)  Growing a business

2)  Being able to meet my own expectations I have set for myself

3)  Paying for my portion of the bills

2) The cancer or disease I have or had is…. 

A) Cervical Cancer

3) What feelings come up when you think about the cancer or disease?

A) Disappointment

4) If that feeling or feelings had a color, what color would it be?

A) Grey

5)  Imagine that color filling the space in front of you so that it has depth, height, width, and aliveness.  

Now watch that color swirl, congeal, and condense into a shape. Don’t make it take a shape, just watch it and say the first thing that you see or that comes to your mind: An animal? Object? Plant? What? 

A) Palm tree

Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor?  It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the _____ and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind.  If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering - that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!

6) (Character,) would you please tell me what you look like and what you are doing?

A) I am tall and slender with a few palm fronds on the top, I’m swaying in the breeze

7) (Character,) What do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?

A) I am tall and I move to the breeze

8) (Character,) What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses?  What are they?

A) That I am tall and very thin and I could be easily blown over if the wind was strong enough

9) (Character), you are in this person’s life experience, correct?  They created you, right?_____  (Character), what aspect of this person do you represent or most closely personify?

A)  Yes, yes, despair

10) (Character,) if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change?  If so, how?

A) no

(Continue, answering as the transformed object, if it chose to change.)

11) (Character), how would you score yourself 0-10, in confidence, compassion, wisdom, acceptance, peace of mind, and witnessing?  Why?

Confidence: 4, because I can be blown over

Compassion: 5, I know what it’s like to be swayed easily, yet it’s too easy to forget about taking care of my own needs

Wisdom: 10, I know what I know and I practice what I’ve learned through life

Acceptance: 7, there are parts of my self that I’m not proud of

Inner Peace: 3, There are times when I am very sad about where I’m at in life and what it is that I am doing

Witnessing: 2, I get involved with life to easily, I can’t seem to keep my nose out of other peoples business, and I’m not really helping at all

12) (Character,) if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different?  If so, how?

A) Yes, I would be stronger, and would be able to use my height as way of watching the world go by.

13) (Character How would ______’s life be different if  he/she naturally scored like you do in all six of these qualities all the time?

A) she wouldn’t be so worried about what goes on around her and what others think about what she says or does, those that approve will stick around, those that don’t like it will drop away, and she will be better for letting them drop away

14) (Character If you could live ______’s life for him/her, how would you live it differently?

A) I would be bolder and stronger, and fearless

15) (Character,) If you could live  ______’s waking life for him/her today, would you handle  ______'s three life issues differently?  If so, how?

A) They wouldn’t be issues because she wouldn’t be worrying about these things, she would know that life will support her

16) (Character,) What three life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of  ______'s life?

1) Writing for fun as well as for business, I wouldn’t worry about it but I would be mindful of them

2) Networking more because that is how she will meet the people that can help her the most

3)  Finding more places to run workshops and seminars

17) (Character,) In what life situations would it be most beneficial for ____ to imagine that  ______ is you and act as you would? 

A) When she gets fearful about what others think, and that writing is like giving birth, it can be painful yet it is beautiful  

18) (Character,) do you do drama?  If not, why not?

A) No, it’s not worth the trouble because it always blows up in your face

19) (Character,) What is your secret for staying out of drama?

A)  By taking a step back and looking at the person or situation from more than one side or angle, when you have a better perspective of a problem the answer becomes clearer even if that answer is to just stand back and do nothing

20) (Character,) Why do you think that you are in ______’s life? 

A) To remind her to stand tall for her ideas and convictions

21) (Character,) How is  ______ most likely to ignore what you are saying to them?

A) By thinking of herself as being small and unimportant, everyone is important and what they say and do is important

22) (Character,) What would you recommend that they do about that?

A) Take a deep breath, say I am Important and I do matter

23) (Dreamer,) What have you heard yourself say?

A) That I am important, that I do matter, and that what I say or do will get rid of the chaff and keep the wheat. I will keep the people that understand me and want my help

24) (Dreamer,) If this experience were a wake-up call from your soul, what do you think it would be saying to you?

A)  Quit sniveling, be strong and tall, and stand your ground

Integral Deep Listening Interview

What follows is an interview in Integral Deep Listening. It shows how our subconscious mind is sending messages to us, this is a great way to find out what it is trying to tell us. Not only can dreams be interviewed, also physical symptoms, and life issues themselves.

Interviewing a Dream

What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?

1) Rejection

2) Graduation

3) Business

Tell me a dream you remember.  It can be an old one, a repetitive dream, a nightmare, or one that you sure you understand. 

A) My husband and I are shopping in Mexico. In a shop I find a wooden butterfly, it has iridescent, shiny colors. Unfortunately we can’t afford to buy it. A few years later we are at a gas station that is run by the son of the woman who had made the butterfly. The son has a beautiful blue, sparkly blanket that his mother had made. We go outside next to the gas station to take a picture of the blanket, the son, and me. His mother made the blanket for him to give to me if I ever found him; the son didn’t want to give it to me though. His father told him that is what his mother wanted. He gave the blanket to me.

Why do you think that you had this dream?

A) Not to wait to have the beautiful things in life.

If it were playing at a theater, what name would be on the marquee? 

A) Butterfly Dreams

These are the characters in the dream…

A) My husband, me, the wooden butterfly, the son, his father, the mother, the blanket, the gas station, camera

If one character had something especially important to tell you, which would it be?

A) The wooden butterfly

Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor?  It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the _____ and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind.  If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering - that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!

 (Now proceed to interview the character using the steps of the Interviewing process, starting with the question, 

“Would you please tell me what you look like and what you are doing?

A) I am made of wooden slats that are beautifully painted with iridescent and shiny paints in a large variety of colors. Because I’m made of slats I can move quite easily.

What do you like most about yourself in this experience? What are your strengths?

A) That I can move easily and that I am very colorful. That I can move when I need to.

What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses?  What are they?

A) That she didn’t pick me up when she had the chance. No weaknesses.

(Character), what aspect of this person do you represent or most closely personify?

A) Her inner beauty and outer strength.

(Character), you are in this person’s dream or life experience, correct?  They created you, right?

A) Yes, yes

 (Character,) if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change?  If so, how?

A) no

(Continue, answering as the transformed object, if it chose to change.)

(Character), how would you score yourself 0-10, in

 Confidence, A) 10

Compassion, A) 10

Wisdom, A) 10

Acceptance, A) 10

 Peace of mind, A) 10

and witnessing? A) 10 

(And why?)

(Character,) if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different?  If so, how?

A) I have already scored 10 in all of them because I have been a part of hr from the beginning.

How would this person’s life be different if he/she naturally scored high in all six of these qualities all the time?

A) She would have more confidence in every part of her life. She would see her own beauty shining out for all to see.

If you could live this person’s waking life for him/her, how would you live it differently?

A) I wouldn’t be afraid to do anything/ I would be out there where everyone could see me.

If you could live this person’s waking life for him/her today, would you handle his/her three life issues differently?  If so, how?

A) Those would not be issues for me. Everyone who meets me would be able to see that I only want to be of service to them when they are ready for my help.

What three life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of his/her life?

A) Putting into practice what she has learned, becoming wiser because of it.

In what life situations would it be most beneficial for this person to imagine that they are you and act as you would? 

A) Whenever she is talking to people, whether in person, on the phone, or on the internet.

Why do you think that you are in this person’s life experience (or dream)? 

A) She has forgotten how beautiful she truly is.

How is this person most likely to ignore what you are saying to them?

A) Because she doesn’t see her own inner beauty

(Dreamer,) what have you heard yourself say?

A) That I am beautiful, that those who meet me will know that I want to be of service and will ask when they are ready, and to quit sweating the small stuff.

(Dreamer,) if this experience were a wake-up call from your soul, what do you think it would be saying to you?

A) To quite worrying about what life will bring me