EXERCISE: Physicalizing

[Guest guest]

I'm attempting to do the exercise " Physicalizing " on p. 137 of

" Getting Out of Your Mind . . . . " The chapter is " Willingness:

Learning How to Jump. "

This is an exercise in physicalizing; give an image to a thought,

emotion, memory, etc. By answering a series of questions, the task is

to imagine the physical form of the target identified on p. 134.

The shape of my target is that of a crab, not unlike a Chesapeake Bay

blue crab. If you don't know what one looks like, pls Google it. Of

course, my image is of a big thing, 5 foot long, 3 foot high. The

image comes from a B-movie horror flick made in the 1950s, " Attach of

the Crab Monsters, " a movie that scared me to death when I saw it as a

kid. (Hey, the exercise asked me to give it a shape; this is what

popped into my head; don't get all Freudian on me!). While sitting in

my chair with my eyes closed and imaging this thing just a few feet

away, I felt my body twitch with fear, and I actually scooted my chair

away from the image.

After imagining this thing, the workbook sez if any " sticky negative

reactions " (p.139) remain, we are to create a second target; i.e.,

make this second target physical. My " sticky negative reaction " to

the crab monster is fear, and my image of that fear is a scared puppy.

[All together now: " Ahhhhhh. " ]

If we can drop our struggle with the second target, which, I guess, is

to stop struggling against the fear I have of the first target and to

accept the fear (my puppy) as an emotion that exists, then we are to

take the two objects back. We are to imagine picking up each target,

and take each one back inside. Now, I can image picking up, holding,

and taking the puppy [Once again: " Ahhhhhh. " ]. But there's no way

I'm picking up a 5-ft crab and pushing it into my chest.

Now what? Am I understanding this exercise correctly? Is my

physicalizing too literal, too physical? What were your images? And

what do I do with this 5-ft crab that's now in my room?

thx

N.B. Before responding, pls review if necessary the exercise in

physicalizing (pp. 137-140) so that we're both on the same page(s).