About Guided Imagery
Inner Spaces
Throughout history, humans have used imagery to create change in the physical world and healing in the inner world. From the elaborate cave drawings of successful hunts crafted by our ancient ancestors or the imaginary rehearsal of a gold medal Olympic performance, to the cancer patient’s visions of an enhanced immune system, imagery is a potent tool with which we manifest our hopes and shape our experience.
The human imagination is the source of such creativity; its power comes from the essential fact that the body believes and responds to what the mind imagines. When images have a strong influence on us, they carry deep and vivid meaning, connecting to the inner reality and reverberating through the multiple levels of the psyche and into the body. The imagination is the organ that creates the link between the layers of our being, from the deep unconscious, through the emotions and the mind, and into the nervous system and the body.
In my expressive arts and guided imagery work with people coping with serious inner or outer conflict, pain or illness, there often develops a powerful sense of underlying wholeness and coherence. As we work to develop and nurture the ongoing relationship to the client’s deep imaginal world through imagery, creativity and practice, we find a source of profound rest and healing.
Interactive guided imagery is a one-on-one technique that uses these principles to assist individuals in discovering their ability to access inner calm, to create their own solutions and to discover healing pathways. A session usually begins with a brief period of talking about the problem or issue that has brought the client to therapy. Then, using simple relaxation techniques which might include progressive relaxation, music, diaphragmatic breathing or body scanning, the practitioner assists the client to calm the body and slow down the thoughts. Once a state of relaxation is attained (usually although not always with the eyes closed), the therapist guides the client into imagery using words or phrases which evoke the power of the imagination. The therapist then follows along and asks questions that support the process.
With a bit of familiarity, clients often become increasingly autonomous in their imagery work, entering a sort of waking dream, where images unfold (including auditory and other sensory experiences). Clients are encouraged to report their imagery experiences as they are occurring and the therapist becomes a witness and recorder of the experience. Once the imagery reaches a natural conclusion, the client easily returns to normal consciousness; investigation and discussion can then take place. It can also be extremely useful to concretize the imagery experience through simple expressive art tools, such as movement, writing, markers, clay or pastels.
The human imagination is the source of such creativity; its power comes from the essential fact that the body believes and responds to what the mind imagines. When images have a strong influence on us, they carry deep and vivid meaning, connecting to the inner reality and reverberating through the multiple levels of the psyche and into the body. The imagination is the organ that creates the link between the layers of our being, from the deep unconscious, through the emotions and the mind, and into the nervous system and the body.
In my expressive arts and guided imagery work with people coping with serious inner or outer conflict, pain or illness, there often develops a powerful sense of underlying wholeness and coherence. As we work to develop and nurture the ongoing relationship to the client’s deep imaginal world through imagery, creativity and practice, we find a source of profound rest and healing.
Interactive guided imagery is a one-on-one technique that uses these principles to assist individuals in discovering their ability to access inner calm, to create their own solutions and to discover healing pathways. A session usually begins with a brief period of talking about the problem or issue that has brought the client to therapy. Then, using simple relaxation techniques which might include progressive relaxation, music, diaphragmatic breathing or body scanning, the practitioner assists the client to calm the body and slow down the thoughts. Once a state of relaxation is attained (usually although not always with the eyes closed), the therapist guides the client into imagery using words or phrases which evoke the power of the imagination. The therapist then follows along and asks questions that support the process.
With a bit of familiarity, clients often become increasingly autonomous in their imagery work, entering a sort of waking dream, where images unfold (including auditory and other sensory experiences). Clients are encouraged to report their imagery experiences as they are occurring and the therapist becomes a witness and recorder of the experience. Once the imagery reaches a natural conclusion, the client easily returns to normal consciousness; investigation and discussion can then take place. It can also be extremely useful to concretize the imagery experience through simple expressive art tools, such as movement, writing, markers, clay or pastels.