If there was anything that "instigated" the whole thing, it was that, almost 17 years after David's death, certain events made me desperate to see him, talk to him, and explain some things (even though at the time I was certain that such a thing was not possible).  So, when things gradually started to "happen", I knew from the beginning that it had to do with him (although, again, it took a lot for me to believe it).  At first, things WERE quite gradual, and slowly I was able to talk to David (who I'd been very close to anyway when he was alive), and nothing unpleasant happened.  So when the scary stuff started, we'd already established some things that helped me.  In retrospect, I think that sometimes he allowed me to work things out more-or-less on my own (but always coming back around for me when things got out of hand), as a way of learning to deal with it all--kind of like a parent letting a child do something on her own, but always being close by (but just out of sight), "just in case".  If he'd held my hand during every moment of it, I never would have learned my own power to deal with certain aspects of it.



I've been told many times (both by David and just from reading, etc.) that it can't ever quite go away--it may be latent, but it's always there.  As I said earlier, things are often much more vague than they were at first (but still always there, if I just look).  Sometimes, when they get really vague, I panic that I'm "losing it", but I'm learning that it comes in waves, and it always comes back.

If and when your "snake" stops being dormant again, you can use what you learned the first time around to make it a more positive experience.  I keep a journal, and when things go a little weird or vague or don't seem to make sense I can always go back and re-read what I wrote before.  I always find that, even when things seem chaotic, there's a consistency to the message and to the way things happen.  It's helped me a lot.

I'm so glad that my posting about this helped you!  That was the kind of thing I was hoping for...

Doe