The symbol as a tool for change in life

Symbols are not only social and cultural phenomena: they also have a psychological facet.

Symbols are one of the most effective tools that exist to bring about real changes and improvements in life.. They can be one more tool in the psychologist's repertoire of resources and also a way of change for any person.

In this article we will see a way to use them.

The potential of the symbol in psychology

The symbol presents very specific characteristics. Its etymology (sim-bollein: to unite) indicates us that it is capable of unifying diverse elements in a very powerful way: emotions, thoughts, culture and image.. And all this in a fraction of a second.

It is well known, for example, that the lotus flower symbolizes, among other things, self-improvement, since it is a beautiful flower that emerges from the mud.

Throughout history, thousands of symbols have been used for various purposes, such as metaphors from the Bible or flags as patriotic symbols.

The use of symbols is constantly evolving.. And even more so now that our society is eminently visual.

But in this article we are going to focus on those that serve for personal improvement and change. To do this, we will take a step beyond methods such as the elaboration of NLP metaphors or the use of Jungian archetypes.

And the first thing we have to do is to set the objective: we are going to develop a technique that is suitable for both therapists and usersthat can be used both in the consulting room and in one's own life effectively.

And the first thing we have to learn is to represent the symbols with the five senses.

The representation of symbols

What we normally call visualization is in fact an active use of the imagination with the five senses.. Therefore, under ideal conditions, I usually conduct a short training with clients to develop this skill. This training is usually playful and fun, in the form of games and challenges.

A second step is to discover and use the meaningful fields of life for each person: it is not the same It is not the same to work with a "Star Wars" fanatic as it is to work with a craftsman, a very religious person or a computer programmer.

The references are important, and the symbols must be adapted to the customers and not the other way around. Above all, the symbols have to be meaningful to the person.

Another very important skill to be able to work with symbols is to know how to play with the tension and the to know how to play with tension and states of consciousness or mental waves. or mental waves.

It is important that the person learns a method of relaxation that allows the level of tension to be manageable. Here the different breathing techniques are especially effective, which achieve immediate results.

Next, the person can then learn an induction technique that suits his or her way of being, in order to reach a state in which the use of the symbol reaches its maximum effectiveness.

Although the previous paragraph sounds a little strange, the modification of states of consciousness and types of brain waves are widely supported by science.

It should be noted that once a person learns an induction technique and practices it, he or she can reach the desired state in a matter of a few minutes, without losing attention or consciousness at any time.

Finally, it should be kept in mind that a symbol is something that evolves and changes as the person changes..

Example

Let's look at a real-life example, which I tell after having asked the protagonist for permission to do so.

A young man, a bird lover, feels neglected and despised by a domineering mother and a family that imprisons him and does not allow him to evolve.

After learning to relax and visualize, the image chosen is an eagle: in this case, it is an eagle full of parasites in a dirty little cage.

Through visualization work, the eagle comes out of the cage and little by little, it cleans itself. Progressively, it spreads its wings and begins to fly.

The process I have described in the previous paragraph took more than a month, in which the visualization was accompanied by conversations in which we talked with the client about the concrete steps he could take in his life.

Little by little, the image of the eagle changed, became stronger and more nuanced.. Today, the client has become emotionally independent from his family and works in the bird world. He often comments that on bad days, it is enough for him to visualize the eagle to improve his mood.

But let's remember that the ultimate goal is for each client to acquire the skills to be able to use this tool on their own.

Learning to use the potential of symbols

If we think about it, we are continually using symbols and images that affect us. In fact, the whole world around us is a set of symbols that have an impact on us. The challenge is to learn how to use this powerful tool effectively for our improvement and evolution.

If everything we have read throughout the article is well programmed, the whole process can be fun and effective, without ever losing sight of the fact that our ultimate goal is to make it a self-manageable tool: that the person does not depend on anyone to be able to use it.