GUIDED

IMAGERY SCRIPT BY MAX HIGHSTEIN

VISIT THEHEALINGWATERFALL.COM FOR AN AUDIO VERSION OF THIS SCRIPT.
12-STEP GUIDED MEDITATIONS
1st STEP

Introduction
The guided meditations in this program are based upon the 12-Steps as described in
the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, and as practiced in 12-Step recovery groups
all over the world. These meditations are not intended to take the place of meetings,
sponsors, or any existing 12-Step practices, but have been designed to further
support your recovery while you're actively engaged in such programs.

Much of the work in any 12-Step program is about self examination and change
from within. But when looking inward, it’s all too easy to fall into confusion, self-
deception, and a host of distractions.

Guided meditation can be especially helpful here. The meditations included in this
program are each designed to help you stay focused on a particular area of concern,
related to the Step you’re currently working on, from a deeply relaxed state. In each
guided meditation, you’re given a highly optimized opportunity to uncover truth,
and let go of any negativity that might otherwise hold you back.

At the same time, this program can reinforce the positive, wholesome aspects of
your character, while strengthening your relationship to your Higher Power. The
deep support offered through these meditations can help you experience your own
spirituality in a genuine, direct way.

Introduction To Step One Meditation
“I admit I am powerless over my addiction—that my life has become unmanageable.”

Everyone has blind a blind spot -- something too close to see. The meditation for
Step One is designed to help you uncover your own blind spot, so you’ll know more
about yourself, and how you might be getting in your own way.

Copyright 2016, Max Highstein, all rights reserved.

It is illegal to duplicate and distribute this work in any form without the express permission of the author.
 GUIDED IMAGERY SCRIPT BY MAX HIGHSTEIN
VISIT THEHEALINGWATERFALL.COM FOR AN AUDIO VERSION OF THIS SCRIPT.

There is a natural tendency at the beginning to avoid looking carefully, to jump
ahead and try to fix things. But that very tendency is often part of the problem. As
with the 12-Steps, each of the 12 meditations in this series will build upon the prior
ones. So, don’t short change yourself by glossing over this meditation. Take your
time, work with it carefully, and make the most of it. Set aside time where you’ll
have privacy and comfort, and can focus only on this guided meditation. Have pen
and paper nearby, so that after the meditation, you can write about what you have
discovered. Work with this meditation at least several times over several days, to
insure you’ve learned what you can at this point in time. Later on, after you’ve
completed the series and your life has progressed, come back to revisit it, and learn
more.

Guided Meditation
Make yourself comfortable, and close your eyes. Take a slow deep breath, and let go
of any tension in your body, as you feel yourself sinking into the surface you’re
resting on, becoming still more comfortable and relaxed.

Take another slow, deep breath, and feel a sense of calm and peace begin to fill you,
as you relax further.

And take another slow, deep breath, and let your thinking begin wind down and
smooth out, as you become still comfortable, and relaxed.

Imagine you’ve been sleeping a deep, sound sleep for many hours, and you’re just
beginning to stir awake. And the first thing you notice, is that you’re waking up on a
soft bed of pine needles, on the ground, surrounded by ancient fir trees. It’s just
before dawn, and the air is quite cool, the light is dim, and there’s a foggy mist in the
air. You can smell the scent of pine, and the damp coolness of the earth. It’s quiet,
and any sound is blanketed by the mist. Everything is a palette of soft greens,
browns, and grays.

Copyright 2016, Max Highstein, all rights reserved.

It is illegal to duplicate and distribute this work in any form without the express permission of the author.
 GUIDED IMAGERY SCRIPT BY MAX HIGHSTEIN
VISIT THEHEALINGWATERFALL.COM FOR AN AUDIO VERSION OF THIS SCRIPT.

Standing up, you begin to walk along a path through the trees, and you can feel the
spongy ground beneath your feet. Perhaps you still feel a bit foggy from your sleep,
but soon you come to a little spring, cup your hands to get a drink, and splash some
of the cool, clear water on your face. Now you’re beginning to wake up a bit, and see
the trees and plants that surround you more clearly.

Walking along further, you come to an outcropping of rocks, in the shape of a small,
natural amphitheater, surrounded by trees. It seems as if nature had prepared this
place just for you, to rest and contemplate. Find a place to sit, and make yourself
comfortable. As you look out at the small stage formed by the rocks in front of you,
settle in and feel the peace and tranquility that seems to embrace you here.

As the show before you opens, a holographic image begins to appear on the stage, in
the form of a banner displaying your name, and just below it, the word, Clarity.

The banner fades, and a moderator walks up on the stage, and begins to speak,
saying:

“You are about to see a documentary about you and your life, presented to show you
things you may not have been aware of, or things you might have glimpsed but then
quickly blocked out. The producers wish to point out that this documentary contains
only information, with no judgment or moral conclusion. Any decisions you might
make as a result, are entirely up to you. We simply present the information. How
you see and respond to it is your own choice.”

The moderator leaves the stage, and a hologram again appears, this time in the form
of a movie. The movie begins with scenes from your last 48 hours, and highlights
something about you that had a negative impact on you or the people around you.
This might have been something you said or didn’t say, something you did or didn’t
do, or it may have stemmed from your a mood or state of mind. See, hear, and feel

Copyright 2016, Max Highstein, all rights reserved.

It is illegal to duplicate and distribute this work in any form without the express permission of the author.
 GUIDED IMAGERY SCRIPT BY MAX HIGHSTEIN
VISIT THEHEALINGWATERFALL.COM FOR AN AUDIO VERSION OF THIS SCRIPT.
this scene unfold clearly, and watch carefully for the impact it has on you and any
other people involved.

Watch that scene again, and see, hear, and feel it with as much clarity as possible, as
everything comes into sharper focus. Make sure to notice if it included the use of any
substance, habitual behavior, or mental/emotional pattern you held that
contributed to the negative outcome.

Watch that scene one more time, and this time notice how automatically you slipped
into your part. Be aware of how you might have been either unconscious of what
you were doing, or might have known what you were doing, but were unable to alter
your course, as if the matter were out of your hands.

As that scene fades, another appears, this time from the past two weeks. It again
highlights something about you or what you did that had a negative impact on you
or the people around you. Watch this scene unfold clearly on the screen, and look
and listen carefully for the impact it had on you and others.

Watch that scene again as it comes into clearer focus, and notice the use of any
substance, habitual behavior, or mental/emotional pattern.

Watch that scene once more, and notice how you automatically slipped into your
part. Perhaps it seems as if you already knew what you were going to do before it
happened, and you were simply following a script.

The movie changes again, and goes back further in your history. Look for a scene
from as far back as you can recall, when you exhibited a similar pattern of behavior
to the first two scenes. Notice how it seems you were somehow programmed to
respond the way you did, as if the matter was almost out of your hands.

Copyright 2016, Max Highstein, all rights reserved.

It is illegal to duplicate and distribute this work in any form without the express permission of the author.
 GUIDED IMAGERY SCRIPT BY MAX HIGHSTEIN
VISIT THEHEALINGWATERFALL.COM FOR AN AUDIO VERSION OF THIS SCRIPT.
Watch that scene once more, and this time see it from the angle of the people around
you. Notice how they felt about you, and how they reacted.

The last scene fades away, and the moderator reappears.

“This movie has been an attempt to help you recognize a pattern that might
otherwise be hard for you to see, and even harder for you to admit. Although you
may have been caught in this pattern for quite a long time, and despite all the
negative consequences that may have occurred as a result, you’ve never able to
change it, even up until the last 48 hours. This is what is meant by the sentence, I
admit that I am powerless over my addiction—that my life has become unmanageable.

The moderator leaves the stage, and the holographic banner reappears to close the
performance. Written there is the sentence, I admit that I am powerless over my
addiction— that my life has become unmanageable. The words of the first of the 12-
Steps remain, until they are finally replaced once again by your own name, and the
word, Clarity.

It’s almost time to bring this inner journey to a close. So gather together anything
you have learned, that you’d like to bring with you.

Gradually bring your awareness back into your body, and your physical
surroundings.

Take your time, and when you’re ready, open your eyes, and feel awake, alert, and
refreshed.

Pick up your pen and paper, and write about your experience now, while it’s still
fresh in your mind.

Copyright 2016, Max Highstein, all rights reserved.

It is illegal to duplicate and distribute this work in any form without the express permission of the author.