Learning in Practice by Onlinevents: Supporting the Helping Professions
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Learning in Practice by Onlinevents: Supporting the Helping Professions
Unlock the Power of Your Inner Images: An 11-Hour Transformational Journey with Dr. Dina Glouberman
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What if the most powerful therapeutic tool isn't found in dialogue, but in the rich landscape of internal images? Dr Dina Glauberman's transformative approach to image work goes beyond traditional visualization techniques, opening doorways to profound healing and self-discovery.
The distinction between "visualization" and "image work" isn't merely semantic—it fundamentally shifts how we engage with our inner world. While visualization suggests perfect mental pictures, image work embraces whatever form our internal impressions take: feelings, sounds, bodily sensations, or visual elements. This inclusive approach creates space for everyone, regardless of how they process internal experience.
At the heart of this methodology lies surrender—the willingness to relinquish control and allow wisdom to emerge from what Glauberman calls "the many rooms of consciousness." Like "dreaming together," practitioner and client access rich symbolic realms that offer perspectives logical thinking alone cannot reach. By becoming the image rather than just observing it, we gain insights that transform our understanding of ourselves and our relationships.
The course explores powerful experiential practices including the relationship exercise, where participants dialogue with an image using unfinished sentences before introducing a "wise being" who can love and understand both parties. The future-proofing exercise takes participants on a journey to contrasting futures—one where they've betrayed their authentic self and another where they've honored it—creating powerful clarity about current choices and patterns.
For helping professionals, these techniques offer valuable additions to our therapeutic toolkit, bypassing intellectual defenses to reach emotional cores. Whether working with relationship patterns, life direction uncertainties, or decision-making challenges, image work provides access to experiences beyond what clients can easily articulate in words.
Discover this 11-hour transformational journey in the Online Events Learning Library and explore how your clients' inner images might hold keys to doors you've yet to unlock. What hidden wisdom awaits in the unexplored rooms of consciousness?
Unlock the Power of Your Inner Images course link https://onlinevents.co.uk/courses/introduction-to-imagework-course-glouberman/
Introduction to Image Work
Speaker 1Welcome to Learning in Practice by Online Events Supporting the Helping Professions . We're really glad you could join us for this deep dive .
Speaker 2We are , and today , well , we're getting into a really fascinating resource from the Online Events Learning Library . It's the course called Unlock the Power of your Inner Images an 11-hour transformational journey with Dr Dina Globerman .
Speaker 1Yes , and what we want to do really is spend some time reflecting on , you know , some of the key ideas and also the experiential practices that Dina Glauberman takes us through in this quite comprehensive course .
Speaker 2Looking at her unique approach to image work and , maybe most importantly , what its value is for us , you know , is helping professionals .
Speaker 1Exactly , it's a course . We've both spent some time with looking back at our notes and the modules there in the library .
Speaker 2And it's well . It's just one example , isn't it , of the thousands of hours of training curated right there for colleagues in counseling , psychotherapy , coaching , all sorts of related fields . Really accessible CPD .
Speaker 1OK , so let's dive in , then . One of the first things Dina does is make this very specific point about calling it image work , not visualization . What did you make of that ?
Speaker 2Oh , that struck me straight away too . She actually shares in one of the modules that it's quite personal for her . She doesn't see herself as particularly visual .
Speaker 1Ah , okay .
Speaker 2So the word visualization , you know it can put pressure on people , make them think they have to see perfect pictures .
Speaker 1Right , like a movie in your head or something .
Speaker 2Exactly , but calling it image work ? Well , it just opens it right up , doesn't it ? It welcomes feelings , sounds that felt , bodily sensations , as well as any visual stuff that might come up .
Speaker 1So it's about whatever shape that internal impression , I guess , takes for you personally . Much more inclusive .
Speaker 2Yeah , totally , and she connects us to another idea . I found really interesting that these images , while they're not really real in the outside world , sense but the power she suggests comes when we learn to experience them as if they were real internally .
Speaker 1Okay , that feels a bit like a paradox Not externally real , but we treat them as if they were real internally . Okay , that feels a bit like a paradox Not externally real , but we treat them as internally real .
Core Principles of Image Work
Speaker 1How does that work ?
Speaker 2Well , I think it works because it taps into parts of us that aren't just like logical thinking . Dina mentions it's almost like dreaming together , especially when you're working with someone else , a client , or in a group .
Speaker 1Dreaming together .
Speaker 2You're accessing this really rich symbolic internal world . Yeah , and by sort of giving it reality within the exercise , it gains real weight , real power to shift things .
Speaker 1That makes sense , dreaming together . It gives a sense of shared exploration , doesn't it ? Even if it's not , you know , tangible out here .
Speaker 2Exactly , and that leads quite nicely into some of the core principles that kind of hold up this image work . One that really stood out for me and Dina brings it up again and again is surrender .
Speaker 1Surrender Okay , that sounds significant , especially , you know , in therapy where people often come wanting to fix things , to get control .
Speaker 2It really is . Dina emphasizes that with image work you well . You don't start out knowing exactly where you want to end up . You don't have the right answer already figured out . The whole point , she says , is basically saying OK , I'm willing to find out , I'm curious , and that willingness to just surrender to whatever comes up from the image without trying to steer it , that's what makes it , as she puts it , an enlightening experience .
Speaker 1So you're letting the image teach you something , rather than telling the image what it ought to be .
Speaker 2Precisely , it's about being open to the wisdom that might already be there , maybe tucked away in those less conscious corners of ourselves , which actually connects to another principle she talks about . Our consciousness has many rooms .
Speaker 1Many rooms . I like that metaphor . What do you take that to mean in this context ?
Speaker 2Well , I think it suggests our awareness isn't just this one room . You know the rational , everyday viewpoint we usually hang out in . There are other spaces , other perspectives inside us , maybe holding intuition or , you know , buried emotions , forgotten stuff , parts of ourselves we've kind of lost touch with . Image work is like a key to those rooms .
Speaker 1And I was really struck by how she describes needing to actually become an image being in some exercises Not just looking at the image but stepping right into it .
Speaker 2Yes , that's a really powerful bit . It asks you to leave your own perceptions , your usual way of seeing things , and move into someone else's perceptions .
Speaker 1Someone else's meaning .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1The image itself .
Speaker 2Yeah , or a figure within the image . And why is that so important ? Because you get insights you just wouldn't get from your normal viewpoint . Looking at it from the outside Right , you experience it from that other place , whether it's an image of a person or maybe a feeling , or even like an object sometimes .
Speaker 1Hmm , that willingness to shift perspective , to step into another room and become that image being . It feels like it needs that surrender you mentioned Bit of a leap .
Speaker 2It absolutely does . It's pretty fundamental , I think , for getting those deeper understandings . And you really see these principles in action in the exercises Dina guides us through .
Speaker 1Speaking
Relationship and Empathy Exercise
Speaker 1of which , let's maybe unpack a couple of examples from the course the one on relationships and empathy that really stayed with me .
Speaker 2Oh yeah , that's an incredibly rich exercise . The basic idea , as Dina sets it up , is you allow an image to come up of someone you want to explore a relationship with .
Speaker 1Could be anyone living or ?
Speaker 2anyone living , someone who's passed away even a part of yourself you have a tricky relationship with .
Speaker 1And then you talk to this image .
Speaker 2You do . And the genius part , I think , is the structure she gives , using those unfinished sentences , things like I'm really angry that or I love you for thank you . Maybe what I haven't told you or myself is .
Speaker 1Ah right .
Speaker 2And you only complete the ones that actually feel true for you right then , with that specific image .
Speaker 1So it's gentle , but it sounds like it could get quite deep by passing the usual defenses .
Speaker 2It really can . It kind of nudges expression without forcing it . But the exercise doesn't end there . There's a really crucial next step . Dina introduces , bringing in a wise being A wise being .
Speaker 1What role does that figure play ?
Speaker 2This is someone or something that can love , respect and understand both of you , so you , the participant , and the image person you're engaging with . It's this presence of wisdom and compassion . Yeah and Dina often suggests actually using a third chair you physically get up and sit in the wise being's place .
Speaker 1Oh , interesting . That physical move really emphasizes shifting perspective , doesn't it ?
Speaker 2It grounds it . I think , and from that wise being spot , the idea is to look at the dynamic , you know , between the participant and the image and try to see what they don't know , what's missing from their usual viewpoints .
Speaker 1What insights are kind of waiting just outside their usual awareness ?
Speaker 2Exactly , and then still , as the wise being drawing on that broader view , there's a healing part .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 2You might imagine offering some kind of healing towards the relationship , maybe using your hands or setting light or sound , whatever feels right , and you just watch how that energy affects the image , the connection between the two .
Speaker 1And after doing all that , you go back to being yourself .
Speaker 2That's right . You return to your own chair , your own perspective , to kind of receive and integrate whatever came through the message , the healing , the shift . And Dina offers this beautiful closing option only if it feels right of hugging the image person and letting them sort of melt inside you . Wow , like integrating the change or the understanding really deeply yeah powerful symbol and the examples that came up from participants in the course modules . They really show the breadth of this .
Speaker 1They did , didn't they ? I remember someone working with an image of a partner who had died . Sh shows it's not just about current relationships .
Speaker 2And Elaine's share about working with her daughter-in-law where things were difficult . Just the courage it took for her to say to the image notice I'm trying . Dina really highlighted the bravery in that .
Speaker 1That was moving and Suzanne's experience with her husband's image . That sounded incredibly profound .
Speaker 2It really did . She saw their combined love as get this a massive white rhinoceros .
Speaker 1A white rhinoceros .
Speaker 2Yeah , that charged against anything that wasn't love . It helped her let go of some self-blame and she got this validation back . Your love is like a white rhinoceros Amazing , what an image . And for her , the wise being turned out to be her own daughter , amy , shows how those figures can emerge from our own lives , in our inner world .
Speaker 1Incredible . It really makes you think about that reflection from the group , doesn't it About how difficult it can be to love . This exercise seems to hold that difficulty but also offer a way through .
Speaker 2It does . It doesn't shy away from the complexity . And another really important point Dina makes just for accessibility if English isn't your first language , she always says it's best to do the inner work in your native tongue .
Speaker 1Ah , good point for that direct line to feeling .
Speaker 2Exactly Okay . So , shifting focus a little , let's talk about that other really striking exercise future-proofing your life , the one with the space and
Future-Proofing Your Life Exercise
Speaker 2time ship .
Speaker 1Yes , that was quite the journey . Such an imaginative way to look at potential futures .
Speaker 2It really is . You hop in this metaphorical ship and visit two possible futures maybe one year ahead , maybe five . Dina gets flexibility there .
Speaker 1And the first stop is the negative future , which sounds a bit daunting .
Speaker 2It's meant to be impactful . I think you land in this future feeling awful about your life because you've neglected , abandoned or otherwise betrayed your true self .
Speaker 1Betrayed your true self . What kind of things did people report feeling or seeing when they landed there ?
Speaker 2It often felt really physical , people described like a void or just nothingness aches , total exhaustion , feeling drained , angry , really stuck , just the weight of being off track .
Speaker 1And it wasn't just the feeling , was it ? It was about figuring out how they got there . The actions .
Speaker 2Absolutely , that demanded some real honesty . People identified things like I just did what everyone expected , or I kept going because I felt I had to be there for everyone else , basically not for yourself . They'd neglected themselves and they'd look at their relationships , work , life and , crucially , how they felt about death for that future point . Often it was scared or like it felt too soon or just nothing meaningful achieved .
Speaker 1Confronting the potential cost of not listening to yourself . And wasn't there that really powerful step of creating a recipe ?
Speaker 2Yes , a recipe for the person back in the present , say 2024 , detailing exactly how to end up in that bleak future .
Speaker 1Wow , so you make the self-sabotaging pattern conscious .
Speaker 2Yeah , Writing down the ingredients for disaster . It's stark but incredibly clarifying .
Speaker 1And then , thankfully , you get back in the ship .
Speaker 2You do With a sigh of relief usually , yeah and you turn towards the positive future , the one where you land feeling great about your life because you have honored your true self .
Speaker 1Ah , much better . What did that feel like and what had people done differently to arrive there ?
Speaker 2Well , the feeling was often the complete opposite Exciting , wow , free , a sense of peace and , interestingly , feeling okay and warm about death .
Speaker 1Okay and warm about death . That's striking .
Speaker 2Isn't it and what got them there ? Things like actively pursuing what they want , resisting , being enticed back to an old life , really making choices for self , taking some daring steps .
Speaker 1Living authentically .
Speaker 2Yeah , Seeing fulfilling work , genuine relationships and not being weighed down by regrets when thinking about the end of life .
Speaker 1That connection between honoring yourself and feeling okay about death that really comes through . John's example wasn't In the negative death felt too soon but in the positive , where he was a writer , he felt all right with it .
Speaker 2Exactly . It shows that living truly isn't just about daily happiness . It changes your whole perspective on your life's journey , including the end , and Sonia's realization too . Oh yeah , she initially thought she might have to pick freedom instead of love , but in her positive future she saw that by being genuinely free and herself , she was actually both loving and loved .
Speaker 1Ah , so authenticity doesn't mean isolation . It can be the foundation for deeper connection .
Speaker 2Seems so and the effect on people back in the present after these journeys was really noticeable in the feedback , michelle , feeling not stuck and there is hope .
Speaker 1Right .
Speaker 2Julie saying I can make choices for me . Graham , I have choices . Louise feeling excited about the future . And Vanessa finding it pulled her out of all the nitty gritty . Current day stresses feeling it's all going to be OK .
Speaker 1Just that glimpse of possibility can create a real shift right now .
Speaker 2It really can , yeah , and importantly , the exercise also involves looking at the part of you that might consciously or unconsciously want that negative future .
Speaker 1Really , why would a part want that ?
Speaker 2Well , Dina mentions things like the dutiful self-concept , the part that feels it has to do certain things , or maybe even a part that's hanging on to what you don't like , perhaps out of habit or even spite .
Speaker 1Wow . So you're not just aiming for the positive , you're also facing the internal resistance to it .
Speaker 2Exactly , and it all builds towards this crucial element of commitment . Dina asks directly are you willing to do whatever it takes to move towards that positive vision ?
Speaker 1That sounds demanding .
Speaker 2It is , but there's a balance . She also asks are you willing to accept that if you don't get there , you'll still be okay and be able to ask what's next ?
Speaker 1Ah , okay , so it's commitment with self-compassion , striving , but without rigid attachment to one specific outcome .
Speaker 2Precisely . It's about committing to the journey the effort , not needing to control the exact destination . You claim that positive feeling , put it in your heart , and then there's that optional shamanic invocation .
Speaker 1Saying and so must it be now .
Speaker 2Yeah , powerfully declaring that intention . It's quite a process Deep looking , facing shadows , setting intention and making a declaration .
Speaker 1Which brings us right back to the relevance for us , for colleagues listening . Why is this course
Professional Applications and Conclusion
Speaker 1, this whole image , work , approach so valuable in our practice ?
Speaker 2Well , this is really the heart of it , isn't it ? Understanding these inner images , both our own and our clients . It's not just theory . It gives us incredibly powerful tools and insights . How so Our clients come with these complex inner worlds right ? Yeah , often , expressing things indirectly , image work offers a way , maybe a more direct way , into those many rooms of their consciousness .
Speaker 1So it helps access experiences beyond just what they can easily say in words . I think so , yeah , yeah .
Speaker 2By helping someone explore the inner image of , say , their anxiety or a difficult relationship or their hopes , you tap into that symbolic language . It often gets past the intellectual chatter straight to the feeling core . These exercises give us actual frameworks we can potentially adapt .
Speaker 1So , for instance , a client stuck in a relationship pattern might use some ideas from that relationship exercise to explore their inner image of the other person , maybe finding a new angle .
Speaker 2Exactly . Or someone feeling lost about the future could maybe explore images of different paths , like in the future proofing exercise , to find clarity or motivation . Yeah , it just gives us another language , another way to work .
Speaker 1And you mentioned earlier . It's not just for clients . It's valuable for our own personal development as practitioners too .
Speaker 2Oh , hugely . I mean , our primary tool in this work is ourselves , right .
Speaker 1True .
Speaker 2So exploring our own inner images , our own rooms , our own potential futures . It boosts our self-awareness , helps us see our own blind spots or sticking points and maybe build our capacity to just be with intense stuff ours and our clients . This course is a fantastic resource for that vital self-work .
Speaker 1And the way the course itself is structured , blending the theory , the demonstrations and then all the experiential practice it feels designed for that integration .
Speaker 2It really is well put together for learning and experiencing , and it's just such a great example of what the Online Vents Learning Library aims to offer Thousands of hours of quality CPD , all curated for helping professionals .
Speaker 1Yeah , that focus on being accessible , affordable , genuinely inclusive and offering the CPD certificates , that's really the foundation of the library . Finding an 11-hour deep dive , like Dina Glaberman's image work journey within it is well , it's quite special .
Speaker 2It really does add so much to a practitioner's toolkit and just deepens that understanding of the inner world which is so fundamental to everything we do .
Speaker 1So we really encourage you , if this resonates , to explore , unlock the Power of your Inner Images an 11-hour transformational journey with Dr Dena Glaberman for yourself , in the online Emmons Learning Library .
Speaker 2And maybe , as you reflect on our conversation today , just consider this Learning Library . And maybe , as you reflect on our conversation today , just consider this If your own inner images hold maps to hidden rooms inside you , what important insights , what potential journeys might you be overlooking by not yet exploring them ?