Wishing Yourself Well: The Power of Embodied Intention
Have you ever wondered what empowers a wish?
Might wishing a friend “Good luck” actually help her reach a goal or fulfill a dream?
Do perfunctory phrases like, “I wish you well,” or simple statements like “Farewell” contain more than casual courtesy?
What if you felt the power of wishing yourself well?
The concept’s not foreign, well at least not in fantasies and fairy tales. Consider Cinderella and the Disney animators. Through our hopeful princess and her animal friends, they incorporate vision, voice and motion to make the power of wishing a creative sense experience. I can still hear Cinderella singing:
“A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep.
In dreams you will lose your heartache
Whatever you wish for you keep.
Have faith in your dreams and someday
your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
if you keep on believing
the dream you wish will come true.”
But, is mind/body/spirit unity scientific or is it just a fairy tale?
Regardless of perspective, there is power in the gestalt. And while steps must be taken and choices made for wishes and dreams to come true, the heart’s call and the body’s felt sense of the intention are also powerful forces.
When the heart listens to what the mind intends, the brain’s “magic” knows how to respond.
When somatic sensation connects to intention, awake, asleep or in trance, new resources, choices and experiences can be elicited and utilized. In a therapeutic setting, somatically embodied intention, deeply sensed, can feel like conjuring clinical magic.
This is where my client Nola comes in.
To read Bette’s blog, click here.
Bette J. Freedson, LCSW is a clinical social worker, certified group psychotherapist, and the author of Soul Mothers’ Wisdom: Seven Insights for the Single Mother. Bette’s specialties 
include stress management, parenting issues, recovery from trauma and the development of intuitive insight. She maintains a private practice in southern Maine with her husband, Ray Amidon, LMFT.
