Guest Blog Post by Kristen Radden
I've always been fascinated by symbolism. Before my 12th birthday, I was giving dream consultations, helping friends demystify dream symbols and bridge them to waking life. But I wondered if there was a way to simplify the process. Must we wait for a dream to provide symbols or is there another way to pull symbolic wisdom from the subconscious mind? This question inspired me to create SoulStory journaling.
What is SoulStory journaling? SoulStory journaling is a projective imagery technique. Projective techniques have their origin in psychoanalytic psychology, which argues that we have unconscious attitudes and motivations concealed from conscious awareness.
How does it work? Take a visual image (photo or illustration) and create a story about it based on what you see. Every visual image you engage with is reflecting your life story back to you. Translate the story metaphors into your personal story. Use your SoulStory as a self-coaching tool to dis-cover feelings, desires, fears, goals and solutions.
So how is this different from traditional journaling? You access your conscious mind when you journal your thoughts but you access your subconscious mind when you create a SoulStory. Many times, our conscious thoughts are blocking what we really need to see, hear, feel and know. Even very honest people are rarely honest with themselves. Because this process allows you to examine your hidden stuff, the SoulStory always offers new insights.
How to Start Your SoulStory Journal
Step 1: Create a Prompt
Find an action-oriented image and describe what’s happening and/or answer questions about what YOU see in the image. For beginners, it’s best to choose images featuring one person or character. You can make up your own questions or use one or two of these key prompts for journaling:
Describe the character and their environment.
How does this character feel?
What does this character want and need?
What’s wrong?
What’s the solution? What action is necessary?
Let’s try one together. Answer these questions about the image.
Who’s in charge?
What is the character in charge doing that the others are not?
What are the other characters doing?
Figure 1 - Image courtesy of OldBookArt.com
Step 2: Transform Your Story
Once you’ve journaled your responses, put your story into 1st person (“I did…” instead of “she did…”). This is the most important step to transform your story into your SoulStory.
Step 3: Decode Symbols
In many instances, your story will contain words that prevent clarity and will need decoding. To decode the symbol, ask yourself, “How would (symbol) be used?” Sometimes, a good dream interpretation book is helpful.
Step 4: Discover Your Soul’s Story
Here’s an actual response to the prompt above: The guy with the blue and black hat on is in charge. He’s at the front of the boat watching the horizon. He has a sure plan and knows to trust that everything will be alright. The guy with the telescope is trying to anticipate the goal and the man with the tallest hat looks nervous as if he doesn’t believe they will actually get there.
This prompt reflects your view of leadership and success. It reveals the actions you need to take (or to stop taking) to be successful and reach your goals! To turn this story into a SoulStory, we simply put it in 1st person and decode the symbols.
To be successful, I need to be taking charge of my life (at the front of the boat) watching what’s ahead (the horizon). I must have a sure plan and know to trust that everything will be alright. I should NOT try to anticipate the goal or look nervous as if I don’t believe I will actually get there.
Based on my experience with friends, colleagues and clients, SoulStory journaling can help you define goals, determine next steps, find solutions, clarify desires and needs, explore your shadow, and translate values into a personal brand.
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