When your hectic work and social life gets the best of you, take a time-out and regroup with a guided imagery session. Guided imagery, or the use of visualization to transform your mood, may eradicate your immediate stress responses and leave you in a better emotional and physical state of health, states the American Cancer Society. However, ask your doctor how guided imagery will fit into your current medical plan before you practice guided imagery on your own or with the help of a trained guided imagery therapist.
Identification
Guided imagery, also called visualization, is a type of meditation that uses mental pictures, smells, sounds and tastes to create a daydream that allows your mind to rest and unwind from stress. You can practice guided imagery with a professional mental health therapist or on your own with narrated guided imagery audio recordings, or by just using your own imagination.
Theories/Speculation
Guided imagery proponents believe that the practice can alter your brain waves, lower your blood pressure, decrease your heart rate and provide a way for epiphanies, or sudden emotional insights, to occur that in turn relax your mind and body, according to the American Cancer Society. Proponents also believe that guided imagery can alleviate bodily pain and increase the effectiveness of prescribed pharmaceutical drugs.
Clinical Trials
In one clinical trial cited by the National Institutes of Health, 12 overweight Latino teenagers with hypercortisolism, a condition in which elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol affect bodily metabolism, were randomly assigned 45-minute guided imagery sessions over a period four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, the majority of the teens experienced drops in cortisol levels. Another NIH-reported study from Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing found that patients who used guided imagery exercises before gallbladder surgery felt less anxiety before their surgery and had lower cortisol levels the next day than people who did not use guided imagery.
Types
There are numerous guided imagery techniques for stress reduction. You can simply imagine yourself at a restful place, such as a lake, beach or tropical island, and envision the smells, tastes, sounds and sights that would normally accompany the relaxing experience. Or you can also use formal guided imagery techniques, such as palming, a process where you place the palm of your hands over your closed eyes and imagine a color that you relate with stress, such as orange. You then let orange fade into a color you associate with relaxation, such as green, for as long as it takes to transform your emotions from frightened to peaceful.
Considerations
Although guided imagery meditation is considered a safe practice, do not use it as your sole healing method if you have a life-threatening disease such as cancer, warns the American Cancer Society. This type of treatment works best when used alongside conventional medical treatments.
