Erasing memories

Our mind is like an expert juggler; constantly juggling about past memories and future possibilities. Thinking about future brings optimism, hopes and aspirations of how things would be. But this package comes with its own set of uncertainty and anxiety. Past on the other hand, is a nice place to visit as it brings a sense of nostalgia, it is certainly not a nice place to stay. Because sometimes, some memory of a person or an accident leaves a scar etched in the delicate fabric of our mind and it keep scratching it over and over again. This scratching which appears harmless in the beginning can cause a significant damage to our well being as the suffering it causes repeats in our mind frequently and it gets heavier with time.

Some say time is the best medicine. It can heal things, well most of the things. It help you move on and become a better, stronger person but I would like to add one technique that would really help you to get started. I have used this technique to move past some unforgettable incidents related to death or relationships that used to haunt me or interfere with my mental well being. So here it goes:

1. Sit cross legged in a quiet place where you are sure that you won't be disturb for some time. Relax by breathing deeply for which you can try the 4-4-6-2 breathing pattern i.e. breath in for 4 seconds, hold breadth for 6 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds, again hold for 2 seconds and start again. You can repeat this breathing pattern 5-6 times before moving on to the next step. Ensure that you don't have any other disturbing thought in your mind.(This step decides the effectiveness of the technique, so do it as best as you can)
2. Visualize as vividly as possible the memories you want to get rid of. Feel it happening all over again and again. Feel the person sitting in front of you, smell the air, observe the surroundings, the noises you are hearing and the most important how you are feeling at the moment. Just observe don't react. Know that all this is happening in your mind and you have control over it (This step might sound counter intuitive but you have to let it out and show yourself that it doesn't affect you any more).
3. Keep adding the details in your visualization until you are convinced that you can't do it better. For example you can add how you were feeling at that time, surroundings, temperature, what you were seeing, what was the time, what kind of clothes, how was your day before the event, etc. (You really have to be as detailed as possible to fool your mind )
4. Now comes the best step. Keep visualizing the scene but slowly start removing color from it. Picture it black and white.
5. Imagine the visualization running on a screen which is getting smaller and smaller every moment.
6. As the screen is getting smaller and smaller imagine the sounds fading in background. (you have to do this very slowly must take at least 3–5 minutes).
7. Keep doing it until the screen becomes too small for you to notice and the sound almost inaudible. If you are finding yourself relaxing at this moment then congratulations! The trick worked.

Just forget about it and carry on with your day. You will find that memory is no longer troubling you.

I HOPE THIS HELPS

Happy Visualizing :-)

I have personally tried this effective method and would love to hear about your feedback. You can mail me at [email protected] or we can connect over Instagram (pranjul.tyagi23).