This is a 'metaphorical visualisation' I put together some years ago to help out people 'stuck' in situations where any kind of personal development or 'empowerment' would be quickly crushed by physical intimidation and/or violence. It could find use anywhere from dysfunctional domestic situations to neighbourhoods with gang-related problems and even (theoretically) countries with unpleasant regimes.

The feedback I've received seems to indicate an average working time of about 2 months for small family / domestic problems. As far as I know it has never been used against an oppressive governing body, but the site got a lot of traffic from Tunisia in 2010 so who knows.

Firstly you’ll need to consider the following paradigm (way of looking at things) - can you imagine that these 'unpleasant' people causing your problems are themselves the victims of some kind of ‘mental-emotional parasite’? That somewhere inside exists their caring personalities (their ‘higher self’ or however you’d prefer to label it) - but this ‘core of humanity’ has been all but completely disempowered by the parasite which is essentially now in total control?

If you can start looking at things in that way then you have the tools to sort things out, not only for yourself but possibly for the entire group. Your focus will be on getting in touch with the ‘Higher Self’ component of these people and working together to eradicate the parasite.

The key to the success of this process is the paradigm-shift away from a conflict dominated mindset. The traditional way of looking at things would see these unpleasant people around you as 'the enemy' who must be 'attacked', 'destroyed' and 'defeated'. This kind of approach can often just make things a lot worse.

So firstly we externalise what we want to get rid of as the 'parasite'. We do not even need to attack this thing - its mindless drive to feed off things around it will be its weakness.

The destruction of the parasite serves both as a metaphor for your statement of intent and also as emotional validation or closure for you - you've suffered as a result of this thing so let's destroy it once and for all.

We imagine these people as fellow victims - so if there is any possibility of them breaking out of the problem they're in they immediately become allies to you.

These sorts of dysfunctional relationships exist in, from and by a confrontational - aggressive worldview. Your presence inside that relationship, while simultaneously keeping your worldview on a non-aggressive solution, will either destabilise the entire problem and allow these people to sort themselves out or they will insist that you leave. It's as simple as that.

Sit yourself down and spend 10 minutes performing some kind of mind-body relaxation exercise.

Now, in your mind, from an observer viewpoint imagine yourself ‘over there’ stood in front of a brightly lit stage. On the stage stands some kind of mindless and unthinking entity or creature - a parasite. This could be one parasite from a single person or a kind-of multi-parasite from the entire group dynamic. Perhaps you could take the aggressive and destructive behaviours and exaggerate - or caricature - them into an entirely inhuman visage. This is the parasite.

You see tentacles that lead from the parasite to you. They are sucking the life energies from you.

From the shadows steps the ‘higher self’ of one of these 'unpleasant' people. This figure represents what they could have been, had things been maybe just a little different. Imagine that sometime in the past someone, maybe their parents or grand-parents or someone, must have wished that they could find some happiness and fulfilment in life. This higher self figure represents that wish, that potentiality.

The figure looks at you, at what has happened to you, and says ‘I’m sorry.’

The figure pulls into sight a barrel of liquid. The barrel has a big ‘poison’ symbol on the side.

The figure grabs each of the tentacles one-by-one, squeezing them until they release you then placing the leeching end into the barrel. You watch the parasite mindlessly sucking the poison up into itself. Slowly the tentacles and the parasite itself take on a leathery appearance, then harden, turn to stone and finally crumble into powder.

The figure walks up onto the stage and from the mound of powder it pulls an ‘item of power.’ This could be a necklace or a sword or whatever. The figure puts on / wears / takes possession of the item. A gust of wind inexplicably blows through the stage and the powder is gone. The figure then walks back down to you and blesses you, and you see your ‘mind, body and spirit’ are made whole again.

Take your time at each of the steps, and try to repeat this at least twice a week.

Here’s the important bit: in the days and weeks after beginning this program of repeated visulisations you must actively look for evidence that the ‘higher self’ of these people is trying to re-assert itself. Everything they say, everything they do you must search for any glimmer, any possibility that their ‘higher self’ is beginning to gain influence. Sure - at first most of their behaviour will still be the parasite but remember this well:

It is your active search for, and recognition of, this evidence that will give their ‘higher self’ the energy to take back control.

There is no need for you to attempt any kind of direct real-world confrontation with the parasite (especially considering the possibility of physical violence.) Just focus on your goal from day to day: The more you recognise the ‘higher self’ of these people, the more power you give them.

This whole thing may take some patience and persistence on your part, but proving to yourself that you can achieve win-win solutions against seemingly intractable problems like this will open up many opportunities in other areas of your life.