Living Water Guided Imagery

Just like DNA, our parents and ancestors often pass down fears. Perhaps you have always been afraid of something or believed something about yourself but aren't sure why. It might be a fear or false belief about life passed down to you by your parents or maybe even their parents (or beyond). Imagery is the perfect outlet to let go of these emotions and limiting beliefs that aren't your own. I have worked with individuals who had felt this burden and were delighted to find that imagery was extremely healing. Someone recently sent me this post from Daily OM. (See screenshot below). As I read it, I thought, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Imagery is a wonderful tool for this. Message me to schedule an appointment in September. Can't wait to get started!

WHAT DOES SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GUIDED IMAGERY?

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center describes some of the benefits:
"Over the past 25 years, the effectiveness of guided imagery has been increasingly established by research findings that demonstrate its positive impact on health, creativity and performance. We now know that in many instances even 10 minutes of imagery can reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, and heighten short- term immune cell activity. It can considerably reduce blood loss during surgery and morphine use after it. It lessens headaches and pain. It can increase skill at skiing, skating, tennis, writing, acting and singing; it accelerates weight loss and reduces anxiety; and it has been shown, again and again, to reduce the aversive effects of chemotherapy, especially nausea, depression and fatigue.

Because it is a right-brained activity, engaging in it will often be accompanied by other functions that reside in that vicinity: emotion, laughter, sensitivity to music, openness to spirituality, intuition, abstract thinking and empathy."

https://www.rogelcancercenter.org/support/managing-emotions/complementary-therapies/guided-imagery?fbclid=IwAR1C6jAwV3JRTWwVLtotdioTZshntL6d8m0nSTvIbMai1qquhP4MmYxxXPc

In addition to the benefits described above research has also shown guided imagery to help with:
Sleep
Mood
IBS
Stress reduction
Accelerated Recovery (surgical or injury)
Motivation
Academic or job performance
Smoking abstinence
and more.

Guided Imagery Guided imagery uses your imagination along with breathing exercises to help you reach a state of deep relaxation, emotional calm, and feelings of being in control.

HOW IS AN AUDIO RECORDING OF GUIDED IMAGERY OR GUIDED MEDITATION DIFFERENT THAN A SESSION WITH AN IMAGERY FACILITATOR?

There are 3 main differences.
Pre-imagery discussion
A facilitator listens before the imagery portion to discuss the clients goals and focus for the session. A lot of clarity often comes as the client opens up and talks through different scenarios and explains in more detail what they hope to gain and accomplish while in the imagery state. The client may even gain clarity on the real issue itself. A lot of therapeutic value comes from this cognitive discussion portion alone.

Personalized
After this discussion the facilitator can choose which imagery experience might best serve the client’s goals and desires. Another benefit is that a facilitator can use wording that is best for the client’s suggestibility. Suggestibility is the way the subconscious mind takes in information. It falls on a continuum between literal and inferential. Based on the client’s responses to a simple and quick suggestibility quiz which can be given in the first session, a facilitator can know which wording will likely work best for each individual client. Lastly, a facilitator can use the specific wording of the client’s goals to reinforce their desires while they are in the relaxed imagery state when their subconscious mind is more receptive.

Adjustable
The facilitator can not only choose just the right imagery experience or journey based on client needs but they can also adjust the session and imagery along the way guided by the client’s responses. If a client goes into the imagery state and starts talking about an old fear rather than the original goal to feel less stress at work, the facilitator knows to focus on where the client and their subconscious seems to be leading the session. Also, as the client shares with the facilitator what he/she is experiencing the guide can more effectively assist if the client gets “stuck” or confused at any portion of the process. Lastly, I have experienced both audio recordings and facilitated sessions for guided imagery and recordings are often too fast or on rare occasions too slow for my personal preference and pacing. Because of the interactive nature of having a facilitator, they can take the client as slowly or as quickly as they need in the session.

WHAT IS GUIDED IMAGERY?

Guided imagery (sometimes called hypnotherapy) is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination. It targets the subconscious mind which can be accessed when in a relaxed state.

Although it has been called "visualization" and "mental imagery", these terms are misleading. Guided imagery involves far more than just the visual sense. Instead, imagery involves all of the senses, and almost anyone can do this. Neither is it strictly a "mental" activity - it involves the whole body, the emotions and all the senses, and it is precisely this body-based focus that makes for its powerful impact.