The Power of Visualization

When images of war are useful. This book was written and illustrated by my son Alec when he was around 8 years old and had a strep throat. He had learned about visualization when he had a Plantar's wart and our dermatologist suggested that Alec picture the wart as a fortress and to picture an army of warriors that could go in and invade it and tear it down. She said that visualization works well with small children - they are good at it - and she likes to try this before doing any aggressive and possibly painful treatment. It worked!

So you see here an army of Ooga Men going into the body by mouth and then travelling down into the lungs, heart and stomach to do battle with all sorts of gnarly, nasty germs and bacteria, then back up the throat and out the ear. Do click on these for the details, they are very funny!

I've recently been reading John Fiore's very moving and often hilarious blog, Holy Cow, I Have Leukemia. Keeping a sense of humor in the face of illness takes tremendous courage and strength of spirit, and John has these qualities in spades. He is currently undergoing chemo and preparing for a bone marrow transplant. His latest post tells of how he did visualization to get through the pain of the bone marrow biopsy - he pictured himself surfing and riding the waves, very much like what women do while in labor.

I would like to send Alec's Ooga Men into John's system to fight the Bad Guys - they are a capable crew!

Ooga Men III, 1991

by Alec Miller, age 8