Judith Hochman
Judith Hochman is Director of Education and a" educational therapist at the Image Institute in Yonkers, New York She ~lizes in the use of eidetic imagery' for enhancing learning abilities and healing learning disabilities Her paper, "Eidetic Imagery: A Rich Potential for All Learners," was recently published in the "Journal of Mental Imagery. - Ms. Hochman is President of the Westchester Chapter of the ADD Action Group. For more information, call 914-963-3833.
Learning disability is a diagnosis that has come to haunt American school children and their parents. Today, learning disability (along with attention deficit disorder (ADD] or ADHD) is a label widely applied to children who have difficulty performing academically in the classroom situation. Frequency, behavior problems occur as well. In a tie when state funding for learning disabilities has been cut' the designation often does not bring with it the help that is needed. Rather, it imposes on the child a life-long sentence of poor self-image, feelings of helplessness toward learning, concerns about a neurological deficit and hopelessness about the future. This need not be the case.
Dr. Akhter Ahsen, originator of Image Psychology and an internationally known author of more than twenty-five books on imagery, has given us an approach to learning disability which sparks new hope in the field. It is based on the inner resources of each person to heal himself or herself through a special gift, available to all children and adults. This gilt is called eidetic imagery.
Eidetic imagery has been called by some an engram or a picture encoded in the brain. Eidetics [pronounced eye-detics] are not only significant images of life events that tell the story of learning that was obstructed; they are also special images of Nature experiences which are supportive and healing. When these two images mix, fascinating stories develop that locate
the cause of the problem in learning, work it through, and open up the avenues of enjoyable learning again and in a short period of time compared to standard techniques.
At the Image Institute in Yonkers, New York, Dr. Ahsen, who is Director of Research, has found that most children diagnosed with learning disabilities are extremely intelligent, sensitive and gifted with wonderfully creative imaginations. They respond enthusiastically to images which engage these qualities and from there the learning begins to flow again without repetitive use of the usual intimidating classroom materials.
Dr. Ahsen originated a set of four photographs of Nature, and these are presented to the learning disabled child to start his or her natural potentials flowing again. Each photograph shows a wide variety of objects in various natural settings. As the child unfolds a story from the objects in the photograph, dialogue begins and the child brings forth further images while s/he is working on the picture.
Invariably, the images elicit a unique story in each case of overcoming obstacles and ultimately of achieving victory over the cause of the problem. Regardless of how a child's learning disability began - a negative experience with learning during critical early stages, a humiliating teacher, a rigid learning environment, or something else - the picture will tell it all and give a solution to it.
The eidetic imagery model for learning disability empowers the child with a deep experience of his or her own unique talents and skills. For that reason, it enhances ability while it heals disability. The visual method pioneered by Ahsen emphasizes the innate sense of enjoyment, adventure and freedom as the child plays with the picture and interacts over it with another person. It is based on something we can all do: see with our mind's eye, express our feelings in the non-conflicted setting of Nature, be leaders as well as followers and teachers as well as students.
Larry's case is one of the many examples of this. Larry was flunking his freshman classes in high school. He would talk back to the teachers and principal when he considered them unfair, and he had trouble grhtmling the academic material. In addition, he felt he was at a disadvantage because he was following in the footsteps of siblings who had not done well in school; as a result, he felt that the teachers already had negative expectations, and these frustrated and defeated him. He did not think he could do anything right. His self-esteem was at an all-time low.
Working with the Nature photograph, Larry's imagination opened up and he told stories that were richly detailed and feelingful, expressing conflict and overcoming conflict using his imagination and intuitive knowledge of people. Following this, he was able to attend academic material with openness and confidence. He grhtmled it quickly and thoughtfully wrestled- with many of the ideas presented. As he stopped focusing on the negativity of the school environment, his performance and communication with teachers in school improved, as did his relationship with his parents. His self-esteem grew and he blossomed.
Development is typically identified by progressive changes in a child's behavior, and changes in the child's behavior are rooted in the eidetic process. When a child develops without problems, the eidetics are flowing smoothly. On the other hand, where a problem presents itself, the eidetics which represent it need to be handled through active engagement 'with the Nature picture to remove the problem The possibilities of gratifying development become realized through the eidetic.
An eidetic experience thus occurs at the mental level, but at the same time it gives us control over our emotional and physical states. Where conflict appears, it is viewed as a part of Nature and the growth process, like a tree struggling toward the sun. As the story unfolds at its own pace, appropriate emotional and physical expression is released along the way. The eidetic is the only kind of mental image that contains every-thing needed for psychic growth and integration.
Seven-year old Missy is a case in point. Missy could not finish her work on time in the classroom, and she felt confused, helpless and insecure about schoolwork. Missy's teacher would write "Incomplete" in large red letters across her papers, send home negative notes on a regular basis about her inability to finish her work and lack of organization, and tear out pages from Missy's composition book when her work was not neat enough.
Every day, Missy brought home her unfinished class work in addition to her regular homework, and this placed a burden on her hard working, tired parents. At first Missy was with-drawn from the Nature pictures, but soon she became engaged with them and her stories brought out her confidence at an early age, when she was being taught by her mother and her father. She had been a precocious learner who had spoken at an early age. Their confidence in her and their current disapproval of her teacher's attitude brought to the surface various images of standing up for herself in many ways. Within three weeks, Missy was no longer bringing home incomplete work and was getting grades over 90s in her tests. In addition, she and her mother enjoyed a more relaxed, playful relationship.
It is typical that as the learning disability is overcome, the child's disruptive or difficult behavior, whether in the form of overt aggression or withdrawal, disappears and that the child, teachers and parents all experience relief and renewal of hope.
In his book, Learning Ability and Disability: An Image Approach, Ahsen calls the interactive process of two active co-investigators over the Nature photograph "the socialization of perception." He believes the experience taps into the early biological, gratifying parent-child bonding images. The result is that the child overcomes self-doubt and apprehension in favor of self-confidence and communication.
Eidetics show us that no matter how bad the world is, there is a timeless place of renewal and freedom in our minds, specifically in our eidetic images. We are all born with them. They lift us up, give us hope and motivate us to positive action in the world.
Today, we all recognize the importance of ecology. We
know that we need to save our natural resources in our environment so that our children will have a future.
Eidetic learning is also ecological and, for similar reasons, it needs to be recognized and preserved. The eidetic reflects the balance in nature. At significant points in development, the eidetics come to conscious awareness naturally. As the child grows, the well-being of all who are involved in the process is maintained.
Parents and teachers may be familiar with Eidetics in their hidden form expressed through a child's expectations. For instance, the child expects to receive help with school-work when needed, even if the parent is completely exhausted from a hard day at work or the teacher has 30 children in the classroom; the child expects the adult to be always patient, kind, knowledgeable, supportive, helpful and nurturing. Because the child is operating from nature, these expectations reflect eidetic images.
How do we fulfill in the real world all these images that have existed from birth_ We can't underestimate the importance of the social environment as a crucial factor in the child's ability to learn. Learning was originally a family and community matter. Fathers and mothers taught their children what they needed to learn in order to sustain the family, themselves, the community, and the family they would one day have. Today, many complain that this job has passed to the schools.
The problem in learning today is thus a two-way street, and both parents and school must work together to insure a positive future for our children. Working with the Nature photographs brings forward the eidetics, and through these we can reinstate a nurturing social environment for parents, children and teachers alike.
A diagnosis of learning disability is not an answer to a child's difficulties in learning. Typically, children become negatively labeled, even teased, and more serious symptoms emerge in addition. In the case of Larry, it was acting out behavior; in the case of Missy, she withdrew and lacked self-confidence. A diagnosis of learning disabilities often emphasizes and solidifies the symptom, the result being a negative judgment and lifestyle. Very often parents are advised to help their children overcompensate for the disability to reach their educational potential.
It tales a great emotional toll on the child to effect these kinds of strategies. By contrast, the eidetic approach to learning disabilities brings forth the positive htmlects of the child in a genuinely natural way. The child is recognized as an intact, active, robust human being who desires engagement. The child is not seen as an information processor who is failing his or her parents and the school system. Further, in the eidetic process, the parents and teachers are considered essential biological and psychological supports.
The eidetic retrieves the original learning potentials buried underneath the imposed false negative image by bringing forth the child's own positive eidetic ecology. It generates an enjoy-able social process of education which is positive, fun, full of imagination and solutions, and dramatic, The enriched active expression, power and liveliness which results reflects first of all in the child as a more relaxed and happier human being and ultimately in improved performance in the classroom as well. It is a highly effective method for children, parents and teachers.
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