As constellations of experiences, sensations, and descriptions unfolded across their sheets of paper, I took the time to jot down a few of my own associations connected to a pair of white, straight-leg jeans adorned with a lush landscape of teal, fuchsia and saffron yellow blossoms.

Recently, when a colleague of mine invited me to co-lead a segment of her workshop and I was faced with that familiar concoction of excitement laced with intense dread, a memory rose up from my unconscious and flooded my body in a tingling rush of energy.

It was a moment of complete and utter fascination—like realizing someone else was in the room, but the “someone else” in this case was a loving and understanding older sister who only wants the best for you.

In one of my recent writing workshops, I invited attendees to recall a time when hearing or reading about someone else’s experiences changed them or shifted their own perspectives in some way.