A Navy veteran talks with an imaginary old man called "The Helper" and learns how to rid himself of chronic asthma.

A female advertising executive follows the advice of a willowy young woman named Laura, whom she meets in her mind's eye. She puts full-spectrum lighting in her home and office and is greatly relieved of severe allergies.

An imaginary figure named Ricardo counsels a young psychiatrist, "You are a healer, but before you can heal others you must learn to heal yourself." Ricardo shows him a way to conduct therapy without the recurrent neck pain that has plagued him for months.

Spooky? Not really. Having a talk with an imaginary wise figure--an inner advisor--may sound strange, yet this is one of the most powerful techniques I know for helping you understand the relationships between your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, and your health.

We have much more information inside us than we commonly use. An inner advisor is a symbolic representation of that inner wisdom and experience. Your inner advisor should be thought of as a friendly guide to these valuable unconscious stores--an inner ally who can help you understand yourself more deeply.

Have you ever struggled with a problem and ultimately come to terms with it by listening to that "still, small voice within"? Do you pay attention to your gut feelings when you make important decisions? Or perhaps you have dreams that enlighten or guide you. Flashes of insight? Good hunches?

All of the above are ways you may be guided by something deep inside--a part of you usually hidden from conscious awareness. Imagining this guidance as a figure you can communicate with helps to make it more accessible.

Your inner advisor may offer advice in areas as diverse as nutrition, posture, exercise, environment, attitudes, emotions, and faith. Your advisor can serve as a liaison figure to that part of your mind that thinks in images and symbols; as an ambassador between the silent and verbal brains, the unconscious and conscious minds.

Let's look closely at the three people I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. Frank, a twenty-eight-year-old ex-naval officer in Vietnam suffered with recurrent chronic asthma. This grew worse when he started a job as a rural delivery man and had to pass hay fields and horses every day. Standard asthma medications only partially relieved his distress, and he didn't want to take steroid medications if there was any alternative. Testing confirmed strong allergies to both hay and horse dander. He didn't want to give up his job, which he both liked and needed, and was referred to me for help. With some skepticism, he agreed to explore his illness through imagery. As he relaxed and looked inside for an inner advisor, he saw an image of a stern older man working on a machine, who called himself "The Helper." The man reminded Frank of his grandfather, who had raised him on his farm.