Guided imagery is the way your mind actually works. You can think by using your senses. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. So imagery is the inner representation of those senses. Images and your other senses are the way your brain uses to communicate with your body. Imagery is your senses. IT IS ALL OF YOUR SENSES. So images aren’t necessarily limited to visual but can be sounds, taste, smells or other combinations of senses. For example when you are dreaming you are using imagery.

Once again imagery is simply a flow of thoughts that one can see, hear, feel, smell or taste in ones imagination. Imagery is symbolic. For example, you can use an image, which is especially significant to you to represent a healing power or force such as sunshine or laser beams. It is the language of the unconscious. It is the language of the emotions and the interface connection between mind and body. In a nutshell, imagery is how you think.

We think using hearing when we talk inside our minds. We think using sight when we remember what is in the refrigerator.

What is the difference between guided imagery and traditional therapy?

Traditional therapy is talking with a counselor or therapist about your issues. Guided Imagery uses your mind to effect change in your body. For example: For stress reduction simply imagining yourself or sensing yourself at a favorite place of relaxation, such as mountains, the beach or your own home. More sophisticated imagery is used for healing conditions such as depression, anxiety, and pain control. Imagery has been used since earliest civilization. It was used in healing in the entire world’s cultures. Ancient Greeks and Egyptians including Aristotle and Hypocrites believed in using imagery to heal. They even believed a strong image of a disease was enough to cause its symptoms.

Why is imagery so powerful and how does it work?

The unconscious doesn’t know the difference between vividly imagined and real. For example: Imagine holding a juicy yellow lemon. Feel its coolness, its texture, it weight in your hand. Now imagine cutting the lemon in half. Smell its lemony scent. Then imagine biting into the lemon. What happened in your mouth as you imagined doing this? If you imagined vividly biting into a lemon, you would salivate. Did you have any other kind of physical reaction? Most people do. Much more than if you simply asked them to salivate.

Another example: Imagine yourself on a warm sunny day, walking along a sandy beach, barefoot. When you imagine that, how does your body feel? What are you hearing in the background? What is the picture you are making in your mind?

These are simple illustrations of the type of physiological responses that imagery can induce. If thinking of a lemon makes you salivate, what other important effects on the physiology might certain types of imagery have?

Imagery of various types have been shown to effect the heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory patterns, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide elimination, brain wave rhythms, electrical characteristics of the skin, local blood flow and temperature of tissues, gastrointestinal motility and secretions, levels of hormones and neurotransmitters in the blood and immune system function.

Is this why imagery is so effective with anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other emotional issues such as anger

Yes, the mind controls the body. Imagery is the language of the mind or unconscious mind. Reorganizing the thoughts in the mind changes the effect on the body. Resolving the emotions that cause anxiety and depression resolves the problem in the body.

How long does it take for someone to start to feel better

Most people start to feel better immediately. Beyond simple relaxation, imagery can have specific effects in relieving numerous conditions. Imagery is a way of treating people rather than symptoms or diseases; it can be applied to any health care concern.

Can you tell us a little about the use of imagery in the treatment of cancer and other medical conditions?

Back in 1971 Radiation oncologist, O.Carl Simonton, M.D, pioneered imagery as a tool in cancer therapy. He used imagery as a means of reinforcing traditional medical treatments, suggesting that his patients imagine their cancer cells as ‘anything soft that can be broken down, like hamburger meat or fish eggs, and their warrior white cells as ‘aggressive and eager for battle.’

Dr. Simonton first employed this technique in 1971 with a throat cancer patient whose condition has been diagnosed as ‘hopeless.’ The man was sixty-one years old. He was extremely weak, his weight had dropped to ninety-eight pounds, and he was having trouble breathing and swallowing. Although he was scheduled to receive radiation treatment, his doctors were concerned that treating him would further deteriorate his condition.

Dr. Simonton outlined a program of relaxation and imagery for the man, instruction him to devote five to fifteen minutes three times a day. The imagery exercise consisted of imagining the radiation treatment as ‘bullets of energy’ striking his cells, with the healthy cells remaining healthy and the cancer cells dying off. The man would then visualize his cancer shrinking in size and his health returning to normal. As a result of this program, the man was able to receive radiation treatment with minimum discomfort. Halfway through his treatment, he began eating again, and regaining weight and strength. Within two months, his cancer completely disappeared.

Even when cancer patients are not cured through imagery, they report benefits from its use, including relief from anxiety and pain, increased self-esteem, and an increased sense of control over their bodies. They also report an increased ability to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In addition, by coming to grips with the illness, they are often able to resolve personal and family issues.

What is the very first appointment with you like?

In your first appointment, we do a detailed assessment, discuss obstacles to success, define goals and set objectives. Together we formulate a plan to achieve your goals and objectives as quickly as possible for your particular situation.