Being physically comfortable makes it easier to relax, and many people find imagery is easier to do if they recline, while others find it better to sit straight with feet on the floor or in a cross-legged position. Sometimes people find it so easy to relax when lying down that they fall asleep during the practice. If this happens with you, then practice sitting up. Falling asleep will not harm you, but you won’t be able to get all the benefits of deep relaxation, and you won’t be able to use this quiet, focused state for imagery if you are not awake. Wear comfortable clothing, and loosen anything that is tight or restrictive. Having reduced lighting often is conducive to relaxation and imagery as well but, again, once you learn to do imagery, you’ll find it portable and easy to use in most environments.

The relaxation and imagery experiences that you can link to at the top of this page can be used in several ways. The least effective way is to slowly read the script to yourself, either mentally or out loud, pausing to sense the suggested relaxation or images at the end of each phrase. This is difficult because reading tends to draw your attention away from the relaxation or imagery experience. It’s better to experiment with the abbreviated audio clips recorded by Dr. Marty Rossman. For the full versions of these audio samples, visit the Academy for Guided Imagery’s online store. A third option is to record the scripts yourself on a cassette or tape player, reading it slowly, pausing at the end of each phrase, and using a soothing, relaxing tone of voice. Whichever route you choose, remember that relaxation and imagery are learned skills, like typing, playing a musical instrument, or playing any sport that requires coordination.

Begin Your Relaxation Journey Now

• Imagery: Basic Relaxation Script
• Your First Imagery Script
• Wellness Imagery Script

And I’m simply going to invite you to imagine how you would be if you were enjoying the highest level of wellness that you can imagine for yourself. Imagining yourself this way can give you something to aim for. It can give you a blueprint. It can remind you of qualities you’d like to develop and embody in yourself as you enjoy high-level wellness. And it can also help to motivate you to care for yourself in the ways that can most likely lead you to enjoying this high level of wellness.

So begin by getting in a comfortable position and taking a deep breath or two, and beginning to shift your attention from the outer world to the inner world. You may find it easier to close your eyes but you’re welcome to open them at any time. And as you breathe in, imagine and notice that you breathe in fresh energy, fresh oxygen that flows through your system. And allow your out-breath to be a real letting-go kind of a breath, releasing and relaxing any tension or discomfort that you don’t need to hold right now. And any time you feel like relaxing more deeply, let yourself breathe deeply again. And breathe in fresh energy and oxygen and clarity, and allow the out-breath to carry away any tension, discomfort, or distraction that you don’t need to hold. And as you begin to relax and go inside, imagine that you go to a place that you like to be in. A place of beauty, and of peacefulness, and of comfort to you. A special place that you enjoy being in.

And it may be a place you’ve imagined being in before or a place you’ve actually gone in your life to commune, to be with yourself. Or it can be a new place that just occurs now. And it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s peaceful and beautiful and safe. And find a spot where you feel most centered and comfortable there as you notice what you imagine seeing around you, and hearing, and smelling. Noticing the temperature and the time of day and the season of the year. And letting yourself get very comfortable and centered. And then when you’re ready, simply invite an image to form there with you for yourself, enjoying high-level wellness. And welcome the image that forms in your awareness and allow it to become clear. An image of you enjoying the highest level of wellness you can imagine.

Take some time to simply observe this image. It may look like you or it may be a symbolic representation of this wellness. But notice what it looks like. What it’s wearing, if anything. Notice how it moves and how it holds itself — what its posture is like. Notice what its face is like. Notice what the image is doing, if anything. And notice whether there are other people, or other living things, or non-living things that are part of this image of high-level wellness for you. Notice especially the qualities that this image seems to embody. What are the qualities you sense in it that convey a sense of wellness to you? And how do those qualities seem to be connected with that sense of wellness?

If you feel comfortable with it, imagine yourself becoming this image — like you can slip into it like a suit of clothes. And notice how that feels. And notice your own posture and the way your face feels as you notice yourself enjoying this level of high-level wellness. And as this well self, imagine looking out of the eyes of this image. How does the world look from this perspective? If you had a motto, what would it be? Notice especially how it feels to experience those feelings of wellness within you.

Become yourself again and observe the image of wellness once more. Does it seem the same or different in any way? Is there anything that you’ve learned about it, or from it, in this short period of time? If you were to want to move toward being more like this image in your daily life, what might you do to support that? What barriers or obstacles come up as you think about that? And how might you deal with those in a healthy way, if you chose to, to take a step towards more wellness today? When you’re ready, thank the image for coming and turn your attention back to the outer world, letting all the images fade and go back to where they came from. And bring back with you whatever you feel is important or interesting about this experience. And when you come fully awake and back into the outer world, you may want to take a few minutes to write about your experience.

Images are simply thoughts that have sensory qualities. It’s not a mystical thing and it’s not a difficult thing, but there are ways of learning to use your imagination that can help you do many things — including relaxation, evoking serenity and peacefulness within yourself, gaining insight into situations, solving problems, being more creative, stimulating healing responses within you, and more. Because imagery is simply a way of thinking — one that we haven’t had much education in. So let this brief exploration allow you to notice how you imagine things. It’s not necessary to judge yourself or grade yourself, to see things sharply or vividly, to hear things, to smell things. Some people have better inner senses than others. Just notice how you imagine these things. Let it be an exploration. See how it comes to you.

So, begin by getting comfortable and you may want to take a deep breath or two. Allow yourself to relax a little on the out-breath. You can imagine with your eyes open, if you like. But at some point you may want to allow your eyes to close since it’s usually easier to pay attention to your inner world with your eyes closed and you can experiment by opening or closing your eyes. So, begin by simply imagining a triangle and just notice what that’s like. Notice how big or small a triangle you imagine. Notice where it seems to be in space. Is it in your head? Is it outside your head or your body? Is it an even-sided triangle or are the sides different lengths? Is it sharp and vivid or kind of ethereal. Does it come and go in your mind’s eye or is it pretty stable? Notice, if you can imagine, that you’re sending the triangle farther away from you. Or imagine bringing it closer to you. And then letting it go back where it began. And notice whether it makes it any easier to imagine that you draw a triangle on a green board or a black board. And if there’s any sensory component to that, can you feel the way it feels to write with chalk on a green board as you do that? And again, just notice how you imagine things most easily, without judgment, without grading yourself. This is simply an exploration to notice how your imagination works.

And let the triangle go and imagine instead a square. And for those of you who feel that you don’t visualize well and don’t picture things well, I’ll bet you can notice that you can picture a triangle and a square and you know that they’re different and you know which is which, whether you picture them or not. So just let that be the way you imagine a triangle and a square. Everybody doesn’t make pictures in their mind but everybody has an imagination. So, let yourself be comfortable using yours the way it naturally works for you. Let the square and the triangle fade, and imagine instead a circle. And then I wonder if you can imagine that the circle is colored yellow. Fill in all the space in the circle with yellow. Yellow like a lemon or yellow like the sun. And then let that go and imagine instead a blue circle. A circle filled with blue — like the sky or the ocean. And then notice if you can imagine that the circle becomes three-dimensional and it becomes a globe or a sphere. Three-dimensional sphere or globe. Blue. And I wonder if you can imagine that it starts spinning around an axis. Rotating.

And then if you’re comfortable with it, let’s really expand your imagination. I wonder if you can imagine that you’re way out in outer space. You’re warm and you’re comfortable, and you’re safe, and you’re looking back at the Earth spinning in space. And just notice what that’s like and how you imagine that. What you see from that perspective — the shapes of the continents, the oceans, the clouds, the rate of spin, the space around it. Some of you may notice that certain feelings come up and that’s alright too.

And then imagine that you come back to Earth, and imagine that you come back to a place that’s very beautiful to you, and very peaceful, and very safe. A special place that you love to be in. And imagine that you’re really there and look around and notice what you see, or what you imagine seeing. And notice if there are any sounds or if it’s very quiet. And notice if there’s a fragrance or aroma you imagine smelling. You may or you may not. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. Notice the temperature and the time of day. Let yourself be there for a few moments just enjoying the beauty and the peacefulness and notice especially any sense of peacefulness and relaxation — comfort that you may feel as you imagine yourself in this special place. And then as you allow all the images to fade — go back to where they came from — bring your attention back to the outer world around you. Bring back with you anything that was interesting or important, including any sense of relaxation or peacefulness or serenity. Let your eyes open, if they’ve been closed, and look around you. Come all the way back into the outer world. And you may want to make a few notes about what you’ve noticed as you’ve taken this short exploration through your own imagination.

Daydream yourself to a place that’s very beautiful to you, very peaceful, and very safe. Begin by paying attention to your breathing, and let yourself take a few nice, deep, full breaths. Let yourself breathe into your abdomen, bringing your breath all the way down into your belly, and allowing your out-breath to be a real letting-go kind of a breath. As if with that breath, you can begin to release any tension, or discomfort, or distraction that you don’t need to hold on to. You’re just using that breath to begin shifting your attention from the outer world to your inner world and to take a five-minute break and go to a place that’s peaceful and beautiful. And induce a state of peacefulness and relaxation centered within you. Let yourself imagine that when you breathe in, you’re breathing in fresh energy and oxygen that’s flowing through your whole body – because you are. And imagine that with every out-breath you just let go of a little bit of tension, a little bit of discomfort, a little distraction. So, you’re breathing in energy and relaxation, and you’re letting the out-breath be a real letting go of tension.

And you may want to allow your eyes to close because it’s easier to pay attention to your inner world that way. Let any outside sounds around you be in the background of your awareness. They’re not important to your purpose right now. If there ever is something you need to pay attention to, you’re able to open your eyes and do that.

But begin now to imagine yourself going to a place that’s very beautiful to you…very peaceful…very safe and secure — a place that you feel really good to be at. And this might be a place that you’ve actually been to in your life, or it may be a place you’ve visited before in your imagination. Or it can be a new place, some combination, or some place that you’ve never imagined yourself going to before. It doesn’t really matter. As long as the place you’re imagining is very beautiful to you…very peaceful…very safe. A nice place to be for a few minutes.

Allow yourself to imagine going there as best you can in your own way. And look around and notice what you imagine seeing in this special, quiet, peaceful place. Notice the colors and the shapes and the things that you see there. And by the way, if there’s more than one place that comes to mind, simply pick the one that interests you the most right now. You can visit others at another time.

And so as you notice what you see, notice if you imagine hearing any sounds in this special, peaceful, quiet place. Or whether it’s just very quiet. You may even imagine an aroma, an odor, or a fragrance in this place. And you may not. It doesn’t really matter. Just notice whether there’s an aroma or fragrance in the air. Notice the temperature and the time of day and the season of the year. Notice whether it’s very quiet or if there are things that are alive around you. And especially notice any feelings any peacefulness, or relaxation, or comfort that you feel. And allow them to be there. And allow yourself to relax into them and to feel that relaxation, that peacefulness. Nothing else to do right now and nowhere else to go. Simply enjoying a few quiet moments in this very beautiful and peaceful place. Find the spot where you feel most comfortable and allow yourself to get settled there. Simply enjoy a few quiet moments. Peaceful, relaxed, nothing to do, nowhere to go, enjoying the beauty and the safety. As you deeply relax in this place of beauty, peacefulness, and safety, you can allow your body to recharge and your mind as well – even your spirit. Just drawing from this sense of deep restfulness and comfort that’s here.

And if this is a pleasant experience, you should know that you can come back here and enjoy this anytime of your own choosing, simply by deciding to shift your attention to your inner world, allowing your breathing to get deep and comfortable, and imagining yourself coming to this very beautiful, very peaceful, very quiet place. If your mind should wander or get distracted, simply take another breath or two and refocus your mind back into this beautiful, peaceful, and quiet place and let this be your focus of attention for five minutes, or ten minutes, or twenty minutes – whatever period of time is right for you. And then when you decide to bring your attention back to the outer world, as I’ll invite you to do now, allow the images to fade but bring back with you any sense of relaxation, peacefulness, refreshment — a good feeling that comes from taking a little time to find that place of calm, quiet, and peacefulness within you. And know that you can come back and visit this place anytime you choose. Also know that this place is always within you, and that by even remembering it or thinking about it, you can touch into that feeling of calmness, peacefulness, and serenity and bring those qualities more and more into your daily life.

Music therapists use music selectively to evoke emotional states from clients, and there is a very well-developed form of imagery therapy called Guided Imagery and Music, developed by Helen Bonny, which can be quite powerful in therapeutic work. In this form of work, the therapist elects music likely to provoke the kinds of emotions the client needs to work through, and then invites them to close their eyes and go on an imagery journey, watching their own imagery. At the end of the session, the client is invited to draw their images, and to discuss what they experienced or learned. While no verbal suggestions are made by the therapist, the music selected is a powerful suggestion of an emotional direction, and so the therapist must be highly skilled and know the client well.

Young people process information very quickly and do not need induction periods of relaxation and quieting their mind to engage in imagery. Much of the time, we work with children’s imagery in a conversational way — “can you imagine being in a very beautiful, happy place? What does it look like? (Let them answer.) What sounds do you hear there? What does it smell like? What would you like to do there?” Or, for a scared child, “Imagine you have a powerful superhero protecting you — who is it? How do they protect you? Do they need any more help to make sure you are safe? Can you imagine they get all the help they need to make sure you are safe? Do you feel safer with them here?”

Children of school age can learn simple imagery techniques such as visualizing spelling words to improve their memories, learn to use imagery to improve their skill levels at learning, sports, and even learning to handle themselves well in class. We also use imagery with children in medicine to help them tolerate difficult procedures, to relax, to relieve pain, and to work though emotional difficulties.

Older children and teenagers can learn more structured skills for the same purposes (especially sports, performances, public speaking, and memory enhancement) and for helping them develop better social skills (talking to that cute guy or girl can be very stressful!) People of all ages benefit from using images in their daily lives and for specific goals.

1. Having a choice in how you feel.

Learning to relax builds confidence in your ability to control your body, your feelings, and your thoughts. You become aware of having more choice in how you react and how you feel.

2. Identifying sources of tension.

Relaxing helps you become more aware of what kinds of things, people, and thoughts tend to make you tense. This is the first step in being able to deal with them constructively.

3. Enhanced creativity and problem-solving ability.

Relaxation interrupts habitual negative thought patterns, clears your mind, and opens it to new ideas, new possibilities, and new ways of solving old problems. It allows you to draw on your intuition and creativity to help you move in the direction you want to go.

4. Relaxation sets the stage for skillful imaging.

Deep relaxation provides a state of mind in which more advanced and specific imagery techniques are most effective. The ability to quiet your mind and concentrate your attention will enable you to make the best use of the more advanced techniques.

You may find this journal valuable in many ways as you become more aware of the many factors that influence your wellness. Reviewing your journal from time to time will help you see the process as it unfolds, remind you of lessons already learned, and help you spot recurring patterns that may deserve more exploration.

As you write about your experience, you may want to consider the following questions:

• Did you experience any of the images as pictures? Sounds? Smells? Tastes? Feelings?
• Which images came easily? Which were more difficult, and were there any you weren’t able to imagine at all?
• Were you surprised by any particular images or your reactions to them?
• Were you able to make your images clearer by relaxing more?
• Did anything of special interest or importance happen?
• Did you have emotional reactions to any of the images?
• Did you experience heat, cold, or other sensations at any time? If you did, you’ve already begun to influence your body through your imagery. If not, you may want to experiment with your own images until you can imagine these sensations.
• Could you develop a sense of peacefulness in the last part of the exercise? If not, work with that part of the imagery exploration again until you can recall or imagine yourself feeling peaceful. When this happens, you have taken an important step in creating a positive emotional state for yourself — by choice.

If you were able to notice changes in sensation or mood from your first imagery explorations, it’s an indication that your body is particularly responsive to your imagery. If you didn’t notice any change, however, don’t despair. Like any skill, imagery takes time to learn, and you may first need to learn to relax your body and quiet your mind in order to notice results.

Positive Worry

All of us worry at one time or another: It’s natural, and sometimes worrying even allows us to solve problems by examining the situation over and over. But some of us worry habitually, and that creates a condition of chronic stress. If you are a worrier, you can break that habit and replace it with a new habit we might call “positive worry” — taking time to focus your imagination on thoughts and things that create calm, peacefulness, relaxation and a sense of security. This shift in focus allows your body and mind to refresh themselves and lets you use your coping and problem-solving abilities better.

Relaxation and More

The first skill to learn with imagery is using it to relax — we describe how to do that and even offer you audio clips you can listen to. Regular interruption of chronic stress with relaxing mental “mini-vacations” can sustain your energy, your positive mood and your ability to cope with challenges.

Beyond relaxation, imagery can be used to stimulate our creativity and help us reach new solutions to difficult problems. One technique is to imagine having a conversation with a wise and helpful figure and see what it has to tell you about an area of concern.

Imagery can be used to develop qualities in yourself you’d like to have — it’s like emotional body-building — and using a technique called “Evocative Imagery” you can cultivate courage, patience, tolerance, humor, concentration, self-confidence or any other quality you’d like to embody.

Imagery can also be used to stimulate our immune systems, to increase or decrease blood flow to areas of the body, and thus to influence healing. See the Academy for Guided Imagery Web site for more information.

Whether it’s for relaxation, problem-solving, healing, or self-development, learning to use your imagination skillfully can be one of the best investments you’ll ever make with your time.

The question really is: How can you use imagery purposefully to attain the peacefulness, enjoyment, and fulfillment you desire? The answer is to learn more about your imagination — how it works, and how to use it to accomplish what you want to accomplish.

Start with the materials here and experiment and practice. Learning to use your imagination well is like learning to do most things in life — it takes practice. Audio aids are a great help to guide you through a variety of imagery experiences for various purposes — whether relaxation, peace of mind, setting goals, planning, or dealing with illness or life crisis.

If you are in a hurry, dealing with a difficult situation, or want to learn in the most efficient way, consult with a psychotherapist who can help make sure you master the process in the least time. As with learning anything else, good coaching helps.

Once you familiarize yourself with using imagery, you may want to experiment with the best way to use it in the course of your day. Many people set aside about 20 minutes, one or two times a day, to formally relax and focus on using imagery to support their chosen goal, whether it be relaxation, healing, problem-solving, or imagery rehearsal of a plan. Others focus on it before falling asleep, or first thing in the morning. Others simply use their imagery as a type of affirmation, thinking of it briefly but frequently throughout the day, especially when they need the qualities it evokes in them. You can combine these methods, or move between them — like any other set of tools, imagery can be used for many purposes and in many ways. Your opportunity is to learn how to use this marvelous faculty and then adapt it to your own purposes and goals.

Relax

Getting relaxed while staying alert is often the first step in learning to use imagery for stress reduction, serenity, and health. Sometimes you may relax easily but find that you fall asleep and wake up not knowing what happened. Usually this isn’t a problem, since you probably needed the rest, but if you are going to use your imagery for specific purposes, like deep relaxation or encouraging healing, you need to cultivate the ability to relax and stay alert at the same time.

Some people are not able to relax enough during imagery. If that’s your problem, try these tips:

• Pick a time of day or night when you are tired and drowsy.
• Try doing your imagery after a meal.
• Try lying down rather than sitting up.

After you get comfortable, give yourself five to ten minutes just to do a “mind drain” — take a few deep breaths and just let your thoughts go where they will, but don’t try to follow them. Just watch the thoughts like you’d watch seagulls flying in and out of your field of view at the beach. Don’t try to stop them from coming and don’t try to stop them from leaving. After a few minutes, you’ll notice that the thoughts come less frequently, and you’ll start to slow down — then you can start your imagery process.

Sometimes people experience what we call “threshold phenomena” when they relax — these can range from yawning, to non-emotional tearing, to feeling like you are spinning for a while, to becoming sexually aroused. You might also have some involuntary muscle twitches or feelings of lightness or heaviness. All these can be signs that your nervous system is shifting gears; they usually disappear within a few minutes if you continue to relax.

Whenever you feel like you’re “trying hard” to focus on your imagery, take a couple of deep breaths and relax a little more. Let it come to you instead of chasing it — it works better.

Stay Alert

The opposite problem is falling asleep consistently when you do imagery. If that’s your problem, here are some tips:

• Pick a time of day when you are well-rested as opposed to just before bed or a mid-afternoon slump.
• Don’t do your imagery after eating, or drinking alcohol.
• If you do your imagery lying down, then try sitting up in a chair or cross-legged on the floor.
• Try doing guided imagery with your eyes half open rather than closed.

Find a Quiet Time and Place

While you can do imagery anywhere, it’s usually easier, especially at first, in a quiet, safe place, where you can close your eyes and relax. Ask your roomies to get you if there’s a fire, but otherwise consider you “off the planet” for twenty minutes or so while you relax. If your living quarters are crowded and there’s no place or time when you can get some quiet time, look for a local church, hospital, or library with a quiet room.

Establish a Routine

If you really want to cultivate your ability to relax with imagery most quickly, commit yourself to doing two sessions a day (15 – 20 minutes each) for three weeks. If you do that, you’ll be very confident in your ability to relax when you need to, and your sense of inner peace will begin to become evident during your daily activities. It conditions your nervous system to be less reactive, especially to small things, and most of what irritates us are small things.

If you can’t (or won’t) commit that time, then practice daily for that three-week period. The brain actually rearranges its hard wiring to facilitate new learning in about that time, so groove your ability to access the relaxed but energetic state!

It’s All About Attitude

Approach new imagery techniques with an attitude of experimentation. Do it as a journey — see where it takes you, and learn from each experience. There’s always something to learn — and this attitude takes the pressure off you to have a certain kind of experience. Learning to focus inside, to stay aware yet relaxed, to ask your own questions and pay attention to what comes up, is an acquired skill, and an extremely valuable one to have.

Adopt an attitude that is free of judgement, and give yourself plenty of time to experiment and learn how to work with this process. Be your own best friend and let your self-talk be kind and supportive.

Remember, there are lots of resources available to help you learn to do this: books, audiotapes, classes, and individual guides that can support you while you learn these invaluable skills!

Nearly everyone imagines, and if you imagine, you can use imagery for many purposes. Remember not to confuse “imagery” with “visualization”. Visualization is seeing pictures in your mind’s eye, and while people are largely visual animals, not everyone visualizes, and most people do not see images in the same way as they see the outside world. Yet almost everyone can imagine in their own way.

When people tell me they can’t visualize, I usually ask them if they can imagine a dragon, right there and then, without closing their eyes or going into a trance. They virtually always say yes, and if I ask them what color it is, what it’s doing, etc., they can tell me. I use that as an opportunity to encourage them to respect the way they imagine things, and learn to use it for good. Try it yourself now: Can you imagine a dragon? What color is it? How big is it? How far way from you is it? What color are its eyes? What’s it doing? What is its skin like? Congratulations — you can imagine a dragon! If you’d like to learn to use that good imagination for cultivating serenity, peacefulness, and well-being, click here to try our audio clips and scripts.

What is an ideal environment for imagery?

Ideally, you want a quiet, safe place so you can close your eyes, relax, and immerse yourself in your inner world of imagination. Once you feel comfortable using imagery, you can learn to let outside noises fade into the background since they are not important or threatening to you.

Being physically comfortable makes it easier to relax, and many people find imagery is easier to do if they recline, while others find it better to sit straight with feet on the floor or in a cross-legged position.

Having reduced lighting often is conducive to relaxation and imagery as well, but once you learn to do imagery, you’ll find it portable and easy to use in most environments.

Clearly, you do not want to be immersed in imagery while you are driving, operating dangerous or important equipment, or in an environment where you need to be paying attention to the outside world!

Can I do guided imagery at work?

By “guided imagery” in this setting, we assume you mean listening to tapes, and that would depend on the amount of time you have for your own at work. Let your co-workers know not to disturb you for the time you will be relaxing or listening to your imagery tapes. If your workplace has a quiet place for such meditation, use that place. Some people listen to tapes in their cars during their breaks if they are comfortable and parked in a safe environment.

Some companies actively sponsor, or are open to sponsoring, a quiet place and time for people to do relaxation, meditation, or guided imagery, and may even be open to having groups listen to tapes if they promote stress reduction, well-being, or creativity. Talk to your Human Resources representative about this. The Academy for Guided Imagery has a three-tape stress management program designed for this and will be happy to talk to your Human Resources representative about its use.

Do I have to believe in imagery for it to work?

No more or less than you have to believe that thinking can be helpful in certain situations. You don’t have to “believe” in imagery in order to be able to worry yourself sick about something that hasn’t yet happened, and you don’t have to believe in it to relax while daydreaming of being in a beautiful, peaceful place. If you’ve ever had sexual fantasies that were arousing to you, you didn’t have to believe in imagery for that to happen. Imagery is a natural way we think — but as with other forms of thinking, you can learn to do it more skillfully and get more out of it.

Left brain versus right brain

In most people, the left brain is primarily responsible for speaking, writing, and understanding language; it thinks logically and analytically, and identifies itself by the name of the person to whom it belongs. The right brain, in contrast, thinks in pictures, sounds, spatial relationships, and feelings. It is relatively silent, though highly intelligent. The left brain analyzes, taking things apart, while the right brain synthesizes, putting pieces together. The left is a better logical thinker, the right is more attuned to emotions. The left is most concerned with the outer world of culture, agreements, business, and time, while the right is more concerned with the inner world of perception, physiology, form, and emotion.

The essential difference between the two brains is in the way each processes information. The left brain processes information sequentially, while the right brain processes it simultaneously. Imagine a train coming around a curve in the track. An observer is positioned on the ground, on the outside of the curve, and he observes the train to be a succession of separate though connected cars passing him one at a time. He can see just a little bit of the cars ahead of and behind the one he is watching. This observer has a “left-brain” view of the train.

The “right-brain” observer would be in a balloon several hundred feet above the tracks. From here he could not only see the whole train, but also the track on which it was traveling, the countryside through which it was passing, the town it had just left, and the town to which it was headed.

The “right” side for healing

This ability of the right hemisphere to grasp the larger context of events is one of the specialized functions that make it invaluable to us in healing. The imagery it produces often lets you see the “big picture” and experience the way an illness is related to events and feelings you might not have considered important. You can see not only the single piece, but the way it’s connected to the whole. This change of perspective may allow you to put ideas together in new ways to produce new solutions to old problems. A right-brain point of view may reveal the opportunity hidden in what seems to be a problem.

The right brain has a special relationship not only to imagery but to emotions. This is another of the major strengths it brings to the healing adventure. Many studies have shown that the right brain is specialized to recognize emotion in facial expressions, body language, speech, and even music. This is critical to healing because emotions are not only psychological but physical states that are at the root of a great deal of illness and disease. Rudolph Virchow, a nineteenth-century physician and founding father of the science of pathology, remarked that “Much illness is unhappiness sailing under a physiologic flag.” Studies in England and the United States have found that from 50 to 75 percent of all problems presenting to a primary care clinic are emotional, social, or familial in origin, though they are being expressed by pain or illness.

Emotions themselves are, of course, not unhealthy. On the contrary, they are a normal response to certain life events. Failure to acknowledge and express important emotions, however, is an important factor in illness, and one that is widespread in our society. In many ways we are emotional illiterates, lacking clear guidelines and traditions for expressing emotions in healthy ways. It is difficult to know what to do with distressing emotions such as grief, fear, and anger, so we cope as best we can. We may unconsciously build layer upon layer of inner defenses to protect us from feeling unpleasant feelings. But strong emotion has a way of finding routes of expression. If not recognized and dealt with for what it is, it may manifest as pain or illness.

Imagery is a rich, symbolic, and highly personal language, and the more time you spend observing and interacting with your own image-making brain, the more quickly and effectively you will use it to improve your health.

Imagery

Imagery is a natural, yet special, way of thinking that involves our senses. Images are thoughts you can see, hear, smell, taste or feel, and include memories, dreams and daydreams, plans and visions, and fantasies. Imagery is a type of thinking that has particularly strong effects on our emotions (imagine the face of someone you love and notice the feelings that come with the image), and our physiology (close your eyes and imagine sucking on a really sour lemon).

Guided Imagery

Guided imagery describes a process where you are asked to focus on images selected to help you achieve certain goals. Common applications include relaxation, relieving pain and other physical symptoms, reducing distress from surgery and other medical procedures, increasing creativity, enhancing confidence, stimulating healing responses in the body, and enhancing memory and learning.

Interactive Guided Imagery

Interactive Guided Imagery is a specific way of using imagery with particular applications in mind/body medicine. It is particularly effective in helping you to discover and improve your relationship to your health, to discover what role you can play in your recovery, and in helping you to use your resources most effectively. In this form of imagery, a trained guide helps you discover and work with your personal imagery about your illness and your healing, clarify any issues that may be involved, and learn to use your mind to support your own healing.

The imagination, as it is used in imagery, is not sufficiently valued in our culture. The imaginary is equated with the fanciful, the unreal, and the impractical. In school we are taught the three R’s while creativity, uniqueness, and interpersonal skills are either barely tolerated or frankly discouraged. As adults, we are usually paid to perform tasks, not to think creatively. The premium is on the practical, the useful, the real, as it should be — but imagination should be recognized as a valuable component of human thought.

Without imagination, humanity would be long extinct. It took imagination — the ability to conceive of new possibilities — to make fire, create weapons, and cultivate crops; to construct buildings, invent cars, airplanes, space shuttles, television, and computers.

Paradoxically, our collective imagination, which has allowed us to overcome so many natural threats, has been instrumental in creating the major survival problems we face on earth today — pollution, exhaustion of natural resources, and the threat of nuclear annihilation. Yet imagination, teamed with will, remains our best hope for overcoming these same problems.

The information you will find in this program will focus primarily on simple ways of using imagery for relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional wellness.