Cork in the Ocean Exercise
I sometimes recommend this exercise for individuals who are experiencing some form of mental and emotional upheaval and are having a very difficult time focusing their thoughts.
It's basically an exercise in surrender - giving yourself and your mind-body-spirit system the permission to be in a state of mental chaos and knowing that you are still in the hands of a deeper wisdom, a Higher Power – and that eventually, in time, the storm will pass and you'll come out the other side at a higher level of functioning.
This can be a scary process for most people. It often brings up an internal dialogue that sounds like this "How do I stop this chaos inside my mind? How do I get my thoughts to calm down? I can't focus. How do I get my focus back? How long is this going to last? I can't function like this. I need to get my focus back."
And yet, in the world of mind-body-spirt healing, this type of a process is purposeful. It's part of the break-down within the nervous system and the overall mind-body system that needs to occur for the individual to move forward with their overall healing.
Once the wave has passed, the mind-body system re-organizes the central nervous system and the individual typically emerges with greater clarity, greater brain integration, greater mental/emotional integration and a noticeable and often significant shift in the symptom picture of their chronic illness. The term neuro-plasticity (used in brain research to describe the brain's innate ability to change and heal over time) comes to mind when I consider this type of restructuring process.
And, I should note that this exercise is somewhat similar to the cannonball exercise - which I often recommend for individuals that experience panic and anxiety as part of their detox process. The "cork in the ocean" exercise can be used for panic and anxiety as well - but it is more so indicated for a state of confusion and disorganized thinking.
The exercise goes like this...
Imagine that you are a cork in the middle of a stormy ocean. On the bottom of the cork there is a very long rope which extends to the bottom of the ocean. It goes through the ocean floor and then another ten miles deep into the earth. At the end of the rope there is a large and heavy anchor. Imagine that the anchor is in the shape of some type of spiritual symbol that you associate with great strength, comfort and stability.
During this ocean storm, you have no control over the ocean waves. The wind is strong and the waves are big and turbulent. And, as the cork in the middle of this turbulence you bob up and down, to and fro. And yet you are safe in this storm of upheaval. Your mind goes here, goes there, goes every which way - and yet you are completely safe. No need to go anywhere or figure anything out or achieve anything. You just bob up and down and all around. Time passes and you just rest into the upheaval.
In your core you know that you are anchored to something very stable and very powerful. And, you know this is a temporary storm and like other storms it will pass in time. You give yourself and your mind permission to surrender to the chaos. There's no need to control the situation. You are completely safe.
Another version of this exercise is to imagine that you are in a contained capsule floating on top of a stormy ocean. The capsule has a similar rope and anchor. Inside the capsule you are completely dry and safe. Again, there is nowhere to go, nothing to figure out, and nothing to achieve. You bob up and down. Your mind goes here and there. No need to control the capsule or your mind. On some deep level you know that there is an intrinsic wisdom that is moving you to a better place.
Still another version of this exercise is to bring into the capsule some type of symbolism that represents your connection with your Higher Self or a Higher Power. You can imagine that you are inside this very safe capsule and that within the capsule is a protective angel. The angel lovingly wraps its arms around you and protects you from any danger.
And, you can be creative and imagine other forms within the capsule that keep you safe depending on your God image. The main idea is that there is a power greater than yourself that is with you during this process, witnessing your experience and keeping you safe.
The self-parenting dialogue that you might use to connect with this inner source of strength might sound something like this: "I'm with you in this storm. I still love you even as you're experiencing confusion. You're allowed to be confused. I love you and I'm with you. We're in this together. I'm right here. I love you. I'm right here."
And, my experience as a homeopath has shown me that most of the time when clients react to remedies this type of exercise is not needed. Yet there are times when remedies trigger a healing response that involves tremendous mental confusion in which case this type of exercise might be helpful.
Remedies that can sometimes trigger this type of brain detoxification and reorganization include but are not limited to: Stramonium, Variolinum, Silicea, Platinum Metallicum, Mercurius Solubilis, Lilium Tigrinum and Helleborus Niger.