What is Guided Imagery?
The use of our imagination is a powerful tool that we use all the time. Nothing exists in our experience that we did not imagine in
some way or another. Our biggest events such a wedding, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a new job, and graduation did not just come about
without some prior thought, we’ve already imagined the situation to some degree.
This everyday occurrence is the basis for Guided Imagery.
The images we see in our imagination are as real as the actual event itself and they produce chemical changes in our bodies that affect our health. The use of our imagination and imagery is a process that utilizes our senses. The way we perceive the world around us is through sight, smell, taste, and feel.
Guided Imagery is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination. It is a technique that involves visualization that includes the use of all five of our senses. It is more than just picturing a place or a thing in your mind. It involves the use of the whole body, the senses, and the emotions.
This activity is a right-brained activity which allows for increased sensitivity to emotion, spirituality, intuition, empathy, and abstract thinking. It is able to utilize and mobilize the unconscious and pre-conscious process that can provide valuable information to conscious issues and concerns.
Guided Imagery is a powerful tool that utilizes our inner capacity to heal, to reach goals, to solve long hidden issues and concerns that may be inhibiting our ability to reach our full wellness potential.
Three Principles of Guided Imagery
The Mind-Body Connection
Guided imagery is so powerful because the body cannot differentiate between reality and imagination. The body will react to an imagined event just as it would to a real event. This is a powerful tool in healing. If the mind cues the body through images that evoke sensory stimulation the body will react. For example, Imagery that allows for one to see, feel, and hear the demolition of cancer cells can create that same physiologic result. Sensory images are the true language of the body, a language it understands without question.
The Altered State
Guided Imagery provides the opportunity to reach an altered state of consciousness. A state that allows for access to internal resources of incredible strength and power. Although all fall in and our of altered states of consciousness all day (daydreaming, is a good example), the ability to consciously apply it is a powerful tool for healing.
Locus of Control
Often situations we are faced with leave us feeling out of control and hopeless. Guided Imagery provides the opportunity to take that back. It is an activity that is internally driven and the user is in charge of what happens when, and where. This allows for a feeling of control and empowerment over our bodies as well as stressful situations.
Who can benefit from Guided Imagery
The greatest aspect of Guided Imagery is that anyone can utilize it. Imagery is based on the individual. It may be guided through the facilitator, but the individual is the one who actually creates the images and the situations. This is what allows Guided Imagery to not discriminate it’s benefits by age, race, gender, class, or education.
Even the “skeptic” of this intervention can benefit from Guided Imagery. All that is needed is a willingness to try.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is imagery the same a Hypnosis?
Imagery and hypnosis are similar techniques, but hypnosis is a broader category that includes the use of verbal suggestions.
Is Imagery the same as meditation?
Imagery is a form of meditation. Meditation utilizes deliberate focus to clear the mind and slow down the body helping to find the inner sense of peace.
How often does Imagery need to be practiced?
The more you practice Guided Imagery the more easily you can access your inner strength. The time it takes to reach the altered state in Guided Imagery varies from person to person, but with practice you’ll be able to access it any where and any time you wish!
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