EMDR, ART and Kaleidoscope Meditation
Much like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy which is also a form of psychotherapy used to treat individuals with traumatic experiences, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. The therapy is based on the concept that traumatic experiences can cause unprocessed memories or shadows to become stored in the brain, leading to symptoms such as anxiety and depression and of course these lead to personality traits that become our personal realities! Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a unique approach to psychotherapy. ART is unique because the ART Therapist guides the client to replace the negative images in the mind that cause the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress with positive images of the client’s choosing. And this is done quickly, most often within one session! Once the negative images have been replaced by positive ones, the triggers will be gone. Nightmares and repeated intrusive thoughts will stop. Our Kaleidoscope Meditations are designed to mimic EMDR, and ART therapies best attributes and also bring a calming, flow state to the person. The visual results are so-called “fractals,” or infinite symmetrical repetitions of patterns. The predictable moving patterns of mandalas have a particularly soothing effect on the brain, and especially when the patterns have warm colors, they can even arouse emotions. Just think of the effect of color therapy. EMDR, ART and Kaleidoscope Meditation are all similar in many ways and so are our 10 benefits of Kaleidoscope Meditation. What we love about KM is, we love the easy access of the meditations as well as the adaptability of how we can use them with virtual reality and the Oculus for therapy.
Throughout the therapy process, the client is encouraged to report any thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise, they address and challenge negative beliefs and after several EMDR therapy sessions as it is with a good guided Kaleidoscope Meditation, it is common for clients to experience a decrease in symptoms, improved mood, and increased overall functioning.
We use the colors and patterns to focus / de-focus which are symbols of change and growth. Even the symmetry of the patterns is a representation of balance and harmony and kaleidoscopes are tools for meditation and self-reflection much like EMDR is today as a mental health treatment technique. We gaze into geometric patterns that unlock the door between the conscious mind and subconscious mind to go beyond the minds static boundaries.
The strange-looking word kaleidoscope originates from the Greek words “kalos,” meaning beautiful, and “eidos,” which means form or shape. The Kaleidoscope is a great symbol and analogy of the mind portraying thoughts and emotions on and into itself. Feelings, words, moods and environments all processed, projected and reflected causing the dancing and reeling of light and colors and shapes. kaleidoscope fosters calmness and balance, helps us focus, enhances creativity, raises our spirits, helps us relax, and reduces stress. That is just for starters. Our 3D healing meditations seldom leave anyone without a profound experience which is saying a lot for the technique.
They seem to open that doorway where you are most suggestible (suggestibility is your ability to accept, believe, and surrender to information without analysing it), and it’s that process that changes your brain waves from beta to alpha and theta with your eyes open. The reason we use the kaleidoscope is because, when you gaze into the kaleidoscope, it bypasses the perceptual networks that are associated with stored “known” information in the brain. If we can then begin to drop a little seed right in the subconscious, the brain can grab the image, animate it, and turn it into a mystical moment.
What is a kaleidoscope some people may ask? A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflective surfaces tilted at an angle to represent part of a visual object. When this object is set in motion, a repeated reflection is observable as a regular symmetrical pattern when viewed from the other end.
The powerful flow meditation below is an example of a short healing, guided Kaleidoscope Meditation that is specifically designed to help you shift your energy to make changes in the body that in turn shift energy upwards to open the heart. A whole library of examples are available on the YouTube channel for you to begin the practice. Mark L Lockwood says that “Once we become relaxed, non-defensive and open, we are guided by empathy and self love we are able to move into the creative centres of the brain where we can open up to new possibilities.” Practice much like anything else makes the experience more powerful as you progress through the work. These meditation practices help you connect body-heart-mind together much like ‘yoga’ which means union.
Why Kaleidoscope Meditation works so well?
Meditation is not only mystical and powerful but also helps you practically to create the following: Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations. Building skills to manage your stress. Increasing self-awareness. Focusing on the present. Reducing negative emotions. Increasing imagination and creativity. Increasing patience and tolerance. The reason we use the kaleidoscope is because, when you gaze into the kaleidoscope, it bypasses the perceptual networks that are associated with stored “memory” information in the brain. Whatever holds you back, realise that you are an overcomer, as a seeker, you are a creator and with that awareness understand that you can create something new for yourself. Something marvellous and wonderful.
These meditations work so well because you make neurological connections through association which become stronger with practice. Remember that Your body does not know the difference between an imagined or a truly experienced emotion. So we create calm states that help us focus at the same time. This is different than our normal cognitive experience. Change comes from creating different neural networks through conditioning that comes from our 5 senses. Engage these five senses with enough energy and change is coming. Make no mistake. This is how we start to cause effect for ourselves and heal our own lives.
10 therapeutic benefits of Kaleidoscope Meditation
- Looking through the kaleidoscope engages both right and left sides of the brain which also aids in problem solving. It also engages two eyes, two ears and a whole lot of extra neural networks.
- When the mind is unable to focus on past or future it comes right into the present moment. This means that you don’t have to get lost in thoughts of distraction in order to find relief from current symptoms.
- A Kaleidoscope Meditation can provide relief from symptoms relatively quickly. It is non-evasive, easily accessible, and can be used to instantly get someone out of an anxious or negative mindset. It encompasses a lot of attention which is a good thing. Where focus goes energy flows.
- Number 4 of our 10 benefits of Kaleidoscope Meditation article is that it’s great for people with ADHD, OCD and Anxiety disorders and helps with executive function, inhibitory control, hyperactivity, impulsivity, attention, and management of emotions.
- Kaleidoscope Meditation or visual and auditory meditation over time and with practice thickens your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that’s involved in focus, planning, and impulse control. It also raises your brain’s level of dopamine, which is in short supply in ADHD brains.
- Kaleidoscope Meditation can make memory more accessible. Memories and an active dream states stimulating access to vividly detailed memory recall can be woken up through the eye movements and Kaleidoscope Meditation practice.
- The mind does not differentiate between imagination and what is happening in realtime. We can essentially cause effect through using our imagination for example with the law of attraction. Dreams may seem more real and often people tap into memories of relationships and experiences far more easily when using Kaleidoscope Meditation.
- Kaleidoscope Meditation gets you to a place of inner observance and accurate perspective that talk therapy cannot achieve for many people making it a very valuable tool for many.
- Practice enhances positive self-esteem and increases resilience. It has been known to improve sleep. We imagine due to the dream like nature of the work.
- It helps people in gaining a new perspective on stressful situations, in building skills to manage your stress and increasing self-awareness while we are focusing on the present.
For more information about the 10 benefits of Kaleidoscope Meditation or to come to our Healing Center in South Africa or do our courses online for healing and life transformation get in touch.
