Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is directing your attention consciously in a planned pattern to:
- maximize effectiveness for general relaxation and tension reduction; or
- rehearse an upcoming high-pressure situation so as to minimize non-productive stress.
General Relaxation & Tension Reduction
Part 1
Sit erect or lie flat on your back if you can and, with hands at your side and legs uncrossed, begin to tense and then relax every muscle group in your body.
- First tense your feet and legs as tight as you can for three seconds and then relax for three seconds
- Repeat with the same muscle group
Then follow the same pattern of tensing and relaxing for three seconds twice with the following muscle groups in sequence:
- buttocks and lower back muscles (pinch your buns together)
- tomach and chest muscles (hold your breath here and tighten up)
- hands and arms (clench your fists)
- back muscles (bring your angel wings together)
- neck and shoulder muscles (be a turtle and pull your head in)
- jaw muscles (clench your teeth)
- facial muscles (squinch your face up)
- ear and scalp muscles (raise your ears and frown)
Remember to tighten and loosen each of these areas twice, then just lie there for a while and do CCB.
Practice this now if you're somewhere that you can lie down (or make a commitment to do it ASAP, OK?) Nod your head if you agree.
Part 2
Now that your body is fairly, if not completely, relaxed, let's keep it that way while we do some imagery. With your eyes closed imagine the inside of your forehead is a white screen — like being parked in the front row before the drive-in movie starts. Visualize the white screen becoming a friendly fog bank that wraps around you and relaxes you even more. Do this for about a minute. Image the fog clearing away before a gently warming sun above your head. As the fog clears completely away find yourself in the middle of a huge tree-encircled private meadow with golden grass blowing gently in the breeze. Visualize yourself lying in the warm and dry meadow, with the sun warming your skin, muscles, and bones — until your whole body is toasty warm and feels comfortably heavy. Smell the grass; hear birds chirping in the distance; and, notice the golden glow of the sun through your eyelids, as you breathe deeply and connectedly with relaxed exhales. Do this for five minutes. In your mind's eye stand up and notice your outline in the grass. Look around and take in the details of this special place. Re-member it well so that you can easily return here whenever you feel troubled, worried, tense, afraid, restless, or need to gather your energies.
Guided Imagery Tips for Relaxation
i) Try trips to the mountains, seashore, outer space, and other favorite relaxing spots you might like. Only your imagination limits you — and your imagination is unlimited!
ii) If it's too hectic to lie down, just closing your eyes for a few seconds and taking a few deep breaths while remembering your secret hideaway can help a great deal. Try it in the elevator, in line, at the office, or anywhere except while driving or peeling vegetables (and especially not while driving and peeling vegetables!).
Rehearsal of an Upcoming Stressful Event
Part 1
[Same as Part 1 above]
Part 2
Visualize the interior white screen and see yourself in the upcoming situation that you are concerned about. Notice how your body and your facial expressions appear as you feel the emotions that you are dreading. Really feel this as if it was happening for about one minute. Now begin to see your self handling the situation with total confidence. Focus your consciousness into how you would look and feel (it is very important to feel the emotions that go with the pictures) if everything went better than you could ever expect. Now notice how your body language and facial expression is more relaxed and pleasant. Do this over and over until you notice yourself feeling permanently assured about the anticipated event.
Guided Imagery Tips for Rehearsal
- Worry does not create positive results. If that were true all of us who worry about money would be billionaires! Anxiety is destructive when you cannot focus your consciousness or energies onto healthy or progressive alternatives long enough to produce effective solutions for your dilemma. Visualizing yourself as dynamically handling the problem "cools you out" enough to really do just that! For decades nationally competitive athletes have used this to increase their performance.
- Thoughts are powerful because all action is preceded by thought. What you think about is pretty much a flight plan being filed for your future. Remember: What you focus on expands. If you focus on anxiety it will grow and grow. If you focus on serenity it will grow and grow. Preferences, anyone?
- At first it takes conscious effort (work) to reverse our old ways of thinking. This means a period of deliberate willingness and practice to make it happen. Give it a go — after a while you will feel that life works for you instead of feeling like you have to work for a living!
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