“He reports to me! Why am I so intimidated by him?” lamented Batya in our session. She was describing a recent interaction with her marketing lead. Batya, though CEO, was only in her 30s. In meetings with this employee, who happened to be much older than her, Batya would clam up, unable to assert herself.

Batya grew up with an authoritarian father, whose angry outbursts would frequently frighten her. This background made it even harder for her to confront her anxieties at work. Later, we’d delve more deeply into her childhood trauma, working to resolve those issues. But, in that moment, I knew she needed to find some confidence—a way to feel stronger and wiser beyond her years.

Cultivating a Relationship With Your Future Self

At any age, we could all use a little wisdom. That’s why, in our session, I invited Batya to do a quick visualization exercise. I asked her to call to mind someone she thought of as strong, courageous, and kind. It could have been someone she knew personally, a historical figure, or a fictional character. Batya’s brow furrowed as she told me no one came to mind. So, I suggested one of my favorite options: that she imagine her own future aspirational self.

Our future selves (no matter where the future may take us) have traveled our paths longer. They are ripened with wisdom, yet they still know us intimately. Maintaining a connection to this aspirational self can become a profound source of guidance and reassurance.

First, to help her relax and open beyond her self-limiting habitual thinking patterns, I guided Batya through a creative visualization: walking across a lush meadow, down a mysterious forest path, and into a quiet clearing where she encountered the future version of herself.

Batya described to me meeting a woman 10 to 15 years older, whom she immediately recognized as her future self. Sitting across from her on a log, she asked for guidance on how to handle the intimidating CMO. Her future self responded with calm clarity, reassuring Batya that it was OK for her to stand up for herself.

When Batya emerged from the meditation, her posture and energy had transformed. Sitting upright, she reported feeling deeply soothed, grounded, and inspired by the presence of her future self.

While she still felt some nerves, Batya had found the courage to confront the man she found so intimidating. Those early conversations were challenging, but they ultimately helped Batya claim her authority as a leader.

Having painted this image with some detail in her psyche, Batya began calling on her future self periodically whenever she needed some sage advice. After about six months, Batya told me, “The more I call on this powerful, wise, successful future Batya, the more accessible she is. The more I start to feel like her right now.”

Research Reveals: Higher Self, Future Self, and Wise Self

The meditation I guided Batya through drew on Carl Jung’s practice of active imagination, which helps people access what he called the “wise self” archetype. Jung believed these archetypes live within the collective unconscious and can be accessed through dreams, meditation, or intentional reflection.

By imagining and conversing with a wiser future version of ourselves, we can access greater clarity, confidence, and perspective in the present. Research suggests that this can enhance our resilience, competence, and resourcefulness, helping us grow into the person we aspire to become.

Your Turn: Meet Your Future Self

If you’d like to try accessing your own wisdom, try this visualization exercise:

• Find a comfortable seated position.
• Recall a challenge you are currently facing.
• Imagine yourself walking through a lush meadow, noticing the sights, sounds, scents, and sensations around you.
• Follow a meandering forest path into a sunlit clearing.
• There, meet your future self: you 10 to 15 years from now. Notice their wisdom, calm confidence, strength, and warmth.
• Greet them and take a moment to sit quietly in their presence. Notice how your body and emotions respond.
• Sit together and share your current dilemma. Ask for their guidance and listen openly to what emerges.
• If no specific answer comes, ask what values or principles you should follow.
• When the conversation feels complete, thank your future self and slowly begin walking back through the forest and meadow.
• After sitting in silence for another moment, open your eyes and reflect: What did you hear, feel, or learn? What guidance feels available to you now?

There’s much discourse around accessing and healing your “inner child.” I’d argue that we should be paying an equal amount of attention to our inner elder.

A connection to our future self not only empowers us in the present but also brings us that much closer to that dream. After all, the qualities you admire in your future self are already within you: the fullest expression of who you are.