Dance into an Inner Light - the background story
When my first child Julie was little, I looked for "tools" to keep her connected. We spend a lot of time outdoors, sat with rivers, with the Lake Starnberg and with trees. We played with horses, went to connect with our mountains...
When Julie went to school (1998), I saw a lot of "dis-connection" and corresponding symptoms in some children. At that time I worked in a group experimenting with alternative learning concepts. We also studied the effects of meditation and mindfulness exercises, "animal assisted learning" and other methods like mental imagery (click here to see a few studies on the effects of mental imagery, visualisation and mindfulness practices). As I am connected to a shamanic way of life, I personally also experimented with journeying and visualisation techniques a lot. I found a few guided imageries that I would use with students and children in children's hospitals. I observed that young children generally responded well to the guided journeys - however, something was "missing". Some children would follow the storyline of the guided imagery, some wouldn't and "drift off" on their own journeys - a few later commented that they felt somewhat annoyed and distracted by the voice and would have loved to have "their own space". This was especially true for older children (age 5+). After 2 years of experimenting, I came to the conclusion that the children needed an "empty canvas" for their own images surfacing from deep within. So I began to search for guided imageries that would guide the listener to a place of stillness deep within, allow them to stay there for a bit, and then guide them back to physical reality again. Long story short: I didn't find anything, so I started to write my own "ideal" versions.
It worked well and the feedback was great: the children loved the "free" space to dream and had amazing journeys within the safe and reliable framework of the guided story. Over time I learned how to sense the needs of the listener, e.g. how long to hold the "empty space" which I call "Self Connection Space" (SCS), and how to adjust the flow of my words and the tone of my voice to the situation and the state of mind of the children. Each child is different, and the more we tune in and sense where the child is at, the more "efficient" the journey.
Over the years I received more and more requests for a "manual" or template that parents, educators, therapists, hospitals could use. At first, I didn't want to confine the magic of an (intuitive and interactive) journey into a corset of words. I still think it is essential to tune into the listener, to sense where he/she is at and to adapt the guided imagery accordingly - live and in a personal and unique way - in order to receive best results. However, I finally got convinced that the book (and later the CD) were a good compromise and better than nothing, so I sat down and wrote Dance into an Inner Light.
From my experience, it works astonishingly well. It makes my heart sing to read all the emails of how children's symptoms of disconnection disappear (behavioural issues, eating imbalances, sleeplessness, etc.). Hospitals and therapy centres use the imageries on the wards and during treatments. They have also been used for inflight entertainment programs of airlines.
Wolfram Schulz added a special flair to the book with his beautiful illustrations (see above). And the composer and musician Peter Prestel wove a magic sound tapestry that eases the way into stillness and contemplation (alpha state).
Key factors that you can practise with Dance into an Inner Light and corresponding CD
1. Visualisation
The power of visualisation has been well-known and used since ancient times by our ancestors. Modern neuroscience and other scientific disciplines gradually discover the huge value and potential of visualisation. Nowadays, visualisation and mental imagery are not only used by shamans and indigenous peoples, but they become more and more popular and widely accepted again, from medicine, sport coaching over R & D systems and engineering to psychology. Dr. Carl Simonton, a famous American oncologist, used visualisation successfully in cancer treatment to boost the immune system, research and development departments in Silicon Valley use it as part of their development and planning processes.
Today, there are multiple studies that confirm the power of visualisation, and analyse how we are able to manifest things and influence the flow of energy on a physical level through visualisation.
Amongst other desirable "side effects", practicing your visualisation skills will enhance:
There is heaps of information available - I won't bore you here (you can email me if you want to know more).
2. Connection to Self
Humanity and other life forms are suffering from “disconnection sickness”, says Otto Scharmer (MIT, Presencing Institute). And he is not alone with this view. We are hitting the limits of symptom-focused fixes: medication (health systems), rising academic standards (educational systems), technology and science promoting infinite growth (economical & scientific systems) all increase the divide and the disconnection rather than foster connection. We can observe the consequences of disconnection within ourselves (illnesses and behavioral, mental, physical “issues” such as depression, violence, aggression, cancer, obesity, sleeplessness, etc. etc.) and around us (war, economic crisis, environmental exploitation/pollution/destruction). To connect with our Self, to establish a habit and nurture self-connection, is at the core of any positive = life-supportive or life-affirming change and transformation.
The simple tools shared in Dance into an Inner Light can ease the way, get you started and help to re-connect, or stay connected and nurture the feeling of connection (e.g. in the case of young children who, in general, are well connected).
The book helps to establish a habit of holding a space to connect with your Self on a regular basis in our busy modern-day lives which in turn leads to multiple life-supportive “side effects”:
It might sound very "cliche" and banal, but the connection to Self is at the core of natural balance and well-being and will help to address a lot, if not all modern-day issues we face as human beings.
When my first child Julie was little, I looked for "tools" to keep her connected. We spend a lot of time outdoors, sat with rivers, with the Lake Starnberg and with trees. We played with horses, went to connect with our mountains...
When Julie went to school (1998), I saw a lot of "dis-connection" and corresponding symptoms in some children. At that time I worked in a group experimenting with alternative learning concepts. We also studied the effects of meditation and mindfulness exercises, "animal assisted learning" and other methods like mental imagery (click here to see a few studies on the effects of mental imagery, visualisation and mindfulness practices). As I am connected to a shamanic way of life, I personally also experimented with journeying and visualisation techniques a lot. I found a few guided imageries that I would use with students and children in children's hospitals. I observed that young children generally responded well to the guided journeys - however, something was "missing". Some children would follow the storyline of the guided imagery, some wouldn't and "drift off" on their own journeys - a few later commented that they felt somewhat annoyed and distracted by the voice and would have loved to have "their own space". This was especially true for older children (age 5+). After 2 years of experimenting, I came to the conclusion that the children needed an "empty canvas" for their own images surfacing from deep within. So I began to search for guided imageries that would guide the listener to a place of stillness deep within, allow them to stay there for a bit, and then guide them back to physical reality again. Long story short: I didn't find anything, so I started to write my own "ideal" versions.
It worked well and the feedback was great: the children loved the "free" space to dream and had amazing journeys within the safe and reliable framework of the guided story. Over time I learned how to sense the needs of the listener, e.g. how long to hold the "empty space" which I call "Self Connection Space" (SCS), and how to adjust the flow of my words and the tone of my voice to the situation and the state of mind of the children. Each child is different, and the more we tune in and sense where the child is at, the more "efficient" the journey.
Over the years I received more and more requests for a "manual" or template that parents, educators, therapists, hospitals could use. At first, I didn't want to confine the magic of an (intuitive and interactive) journey into a corset of words. I still think it is essential to tune into the listener, to sense where he/she is at and to adapt the guided imagery accordingly - live and in a personal and unique way - in order to receive best results. However, I finally got convinced that the book (and later the CD) were a good compromise and better than nothing, so I sat down and wrote Dance into an Inner Light.
From my experience, it works astonishingly well. It makes my heart sing to read all the emails of how children's symptoms of disconnection disappear (behavioural issues, eating imbalances, sleeplessness, etc.). Hospitals and therapy centres use the imageries on the wards and during treatments. They have also been used for inflight entertainment programs of airlines.
Wolfram Schulz added a special flair to the book with his beautiful illustrations (see above). And the composer and musician Peter Prestel wove a magic sound tapestry that eases the way into stillness and contemplation (alpha state).
Key factors that you can practise with Dance into an Inner Light and corresponding CD
1. Visualisation
The power of visualisation has been well-known and used since ancient times by our ancestors. Modern neuroscience and other scientific disciplines gradually discover the huge value and potential of visualisation. Nowadays, visualisation and mental imagery are not only used by shamans and indigenous peoples, but they become more and more popular and widely accepted again, from medicine, sport coaching over R & D systems and engineering to psychology. Dr. Carl Simonton, a famous American oncologist, used visualisation successfully in cancer treatment to boost the immune system, research and development departments in Silicon Valley use it as part of their development and planning processes.
Today, there are multiple studies that confirm the power of visualisation, and analyse how we are able to manifest things and influence the flow of energy on a physical level through visualisation.
Amongst other desirable "side effects", practicing your visualisation skills will enhance:
- creativity
- brain activity & synaptic connections
- problem-solving abilities
- ability to focus and concentrate, and to influence energy in a conscious way
- motivation, mental resilience, self-confidence
- awareness of interconnectedness of all life (= ecological consciousness, empathy, social skills, relationship skills)
There is heaps of information available - I won't bore you here (you can email me if you want to know more).
2. Connection to Self
Humanity and other life forms are suffering from “disconnection sickness”, says Otto Scharmer (MIT, Presencing Institute). And he is not alone with this view. We are hitting the limits of symptom-focused fixes: medication (health systems), rising academic standards (educational systems), technology and science promoting infinite growth (economical & scientific systems) all increase the divide and the disconnection rather than foster connection. We can observe the consequences of disconnection within ourselves (illnesses and behavioral, mental, physical “issues” such as depression, violence, aggression, cancer, obesity, sleeplessness, etc. etc.) and around us (war, economic crisis, environmental exploitation/pollution/destruction). To connect with our Self, to establish a habit and nurture self-connection, is at the core of any positive = life-supportive or life-affirming change and transformation.
The simple tools shared in Dance into an Inner Light can ease the way, get you started and help to re-connect, or stay connected and nurture the feeling of connection (e.g. in the case of young children who, in general, are well connected).
The book helps to establish a habit of holding a space to connect with your Self on a regular basis in our busy modern-day lives which in turn leads to multiple life-supportive “side effects”:
- self-awareness, self-confidence, self-motivation leading to “success in life” & no more symptoms of disconnection (e.g. depression, aggression, violence, eating disorders, sleeplessness, other mental, emotional and physical imbalances/”illnesses”)
- cooperative skills/relationship skills blossomed
- overall well-being & happiness
It might sound very "cliche" and banal, but the connection to Self is at the core of natural balance and well-being and will help to address a lot, if not all modern-day issues we face as human beings.