As you surely remember, we talk about the dissociation when you see yourself from another person’s perspective during the visualisation.
Association occurs when you see a picture through your own eyes.
Double dissociation may be used for planning a new way of behaviour in a particular situation.
If there is a situation in which you behave in a specified, unnecessarily effective way, you can design a different course of events, and another, more useful reaction.
Imagine (in dissociation) that you are sitting in a cinema. You see a black and white movie with you as a star.
In this movie, you see yourself (second dissociation) just before the contact with the stimulus that induces the hitherto existing reaction.
Stop the movie 30 seconds before the appearance of the stimulus.
Now, imagine that on the second screen (on the laptop) you generate another movie containing the continuation of the first one. But this time you react in a different way. You decide how the movie will end. See how naturally and spontaneously you behave now, and how easily you deal with something that caused you troubles in the past. Let this movie be colourful, multicoloured and bright, and let it have a wonderful happy end.
Now, „leave your body” and with the new movie go to the projection box at the back of the hall.
From this box you can see yourself both on the seat and on the screen. In this box you assemble these two movies together.
Play the movie to the end and watch it on the screen. Notice the expression of satisfaction on your face in the last scene. Be aware of the fact that it is much better now.
Come back to the cinema, „enter your body” which is on the seat and watch the movie again, from beginning to end and from end to beginning. Pay attention to the differences in your behaviour and in your feelings. You surely perceive this new situation much better.
Stand up from the chair, approach the screen and enter yourself (the actor). Watch (this time in association) the whole movie from beginning to end and from end to beginning. You can do it faster (it’s like a rewinding on the display). Pay attention to your feelings during the happy end.
Now, you can bring your thoughts back to the initial situation and check how much your reaction has changed.