Part 5: The Obstacle

You continue walking down the road and you come to

something on the road that prevents you from going any
further, it stops you in your tracks, there is an obstacle.

•What is the obstacle?

•What do you see past the obstacle?

An obstacle is a person, thing or situation that prevents us

from progressing in life.

It is life’s central conflict.

 Obstacle imagery:

Mental images are an unconscious psychical

phenomena.

• Dead animal – It is a self representation, we feel

a victim of life, incapable of going forward.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Angry bear– this person is powerful and capable

of harming us.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Beer cans – alcoholism

 Obstacle imagery:

• Black cloud – a sad situation

 Obstacle imagery:

• Black locomotive – a powerful underdog

 Obstacle imagery:

• Briars – a painful situation

 Obstacle imagery:
• Bridge out – emotional paralysis in progressing
from one stage of life to another
 Obstacle imagery:

• Angry bull – male agressiveness

 Obstacle imagery:
• Auto accident – each vehicle represents a person in
a broken relationship, usually divorce.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Car – going the wrong way- deviating from our

goals
– abandoned – unappreciated by others
– out of gas– having no energy or resources to progress
 Obstacle imagery:

• Cliff – this represents an unstable situation with

pessimism and lack of hope.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Construction site – this person is aware of their

problems and willing to work on them to resolve
them. This healthy mental image shows therapy
is progressing.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Cow – if seen as friendly and peaceful this mental

image is a self representation
 Obstacle imagery:

• Angry dog – represents a person who treats us

like this
 Obstacle imagery:

• Fence– this person keeps their feelings inside

 Obstacle imagery:

• Barbed wire – keeps painful feelings inside, feels

a prisoner of life
 Obstacle imagery:

• Gate– this troubled person may keep strong

emotions inside but a gate being weaker than a
wall, strong emotion can break out. Represents
death to many, suicide symbol to some.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Group of people – feeling judged by others

 Obstacle imagery:

• Guardrail – boundaries are an issue for this

person
 Obstacle imagery:

• Hill of dirt – represents a problem in which the

person feels unappreciated by others
 Obstacle imagery:

• Angry man – hurt by a man

 Obstacle imagery:

• “Me” – having insight into their emotional

problems
 Obstacle imagery:

• Mountain – having a big problem

 Obstacle imagery:

• Railroad crossing – represents a problem seen as

temporary
 Obstacle imagery:

• Boulder – a sudden, unforeseen problem

 Obstacle imagery:

• Snake – a phallic symbol, it represents traumatic

sexual abuse
 Obstacle imagery:

• Tiger – if this mental image is unpleasant it

represents a person who treats us like an angry
tiger would
 Obstacle imagery:

• Fallen tree – this is the most common symbol of

victimization. We are the fallen tree. The
manner in which it fell gives clues as to the
trauma.
 Obstacle imagery:

• Angry female – hurt by a female