To reflect is to be connected to a passage of time - it involves looking back through memory at what has happened. To reflect effectively also involves taking stock of the present and thinking forward to the future.

Your mind responds well to the challenge of vision and imagination and needs to process or reflect on the outcomes of this.

When a person seeks to reflect the process is a mediational one, creating insights and solutions.

A passion for reflecting is a motivating force - an impetus to finding solutions - a fire within - a union of vision, imagining and purpose.

Reflection creates an explosion of inner synergy - a passion for learning and integrating our fundamental needs - emotional, intellectual, physical, social, economic and spiritual. It creates energy and power to create solutions.

A persons issues in reflecting represent the presence of knowledge not its absence. Reflecting looks beyond present reality as a person lives out of their imagnination instead of their memory.

Reflection can be used as a therapeutic method for dealing with, managing or finding solutions to life issues. As a counselling method, Reflective Therapy overcomes the barriers to reflecting and makes the process of reflection open and exploratory.

This approach is useful because it:

• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Produces a refreshed clear and positive state of mind
• Creates better health and wellness outcomes
• Improves the quality and quantity of sleep
• Increases mental alertness and improves information processing
• Makes people happier and more contented
• Facilitates learning

Reflect upon these questions carefully:

How open are you about your strengths and weaknesses?
Can you focus on what went well as well as what was difficult?

During reflection, be open and exploratory, don't be defensive and try to avoid taking things personally. You might like to ask yourself some of these questions:

• How do I react when I make a mistake
• What do I do when I'm criticised
• How do I handle my own success or failure
• How do I stay calm in difficult learning situations
• How do I keep myself optimistic about learning and achievement
• Is a problem in learning a challenge or a threat

Are your responses to these questions positive or negative?
What do you know about what you do well?

Prior knowledge may make us experience difficulties reflecting in new ways, as our mind grapples with existing patterns. Reflective Therapy uses mediational processes to deal with this.

Reflect on challenging assignments you managed to complete.
Reflect on the effectiveness of learning useful knowledge and skills.
New knowledge and skills will depend on the effectiveness of known learning methods.

• How did it feel to work in particular ways
• Which techniques fitted easily into your goals and visions
• Did you find it harder to imagine working in a particular way
• What learning methods have you that you could build on
• What learning issues do you need to overcome
• How effective are your learning methods
• What have you done to improve your learning methods

Do you begin to feel you might have a particular style of operating in sole activities, relationships, groups, partnerships, work places or so on. Reflect as an ongoing basis and after each learning experience.

If you feel you may benefit from reflective approaches to therapy please contact us. We encourage reflection by making it a habit of mind. Writing in a journal is a useful way of reflecting, but all communication modes have important roles to play in reflecting.