Managing Anxiety With Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is a common practice in psychiatric fields as a mechanism for relieving anxiety and stress. It involves encouraging the individual to change his thoughts by visualizing peaceful locations or situations in order to reduce sensations of anxiety such as increased blood pressure, trembling and fear. These in-depth relaxation techniques can have a positive effect on those with high-stress jobs or those who suffer from anxiety caused by finances, relationship difficulties or medical concerns.

Just Imagine

• An individual trained in guided imagery encourages a patient to get comfortable and then close her eyes. Through the use of preprinted scripts or audio tape playbacks, the individual is guided in the visualization of a certain place, such as a beach, a peaceful forest or a desert at sunset.

Details

• Once the person has been encouraged to visualize a quiet tropical beach, a tranquil forest or another calming location, guided imagery practitioners ask him to sense details, like smell, sensations or items of visual interest at his location. For example, a person may be encouraged to literally feel the ocean breeze gently tug on his hair, or smell the salt in the ocean waves, which he may hear crashing or lapping onto the beach. In the forest, a person might be asked to imagine the chirp of birds, the lap of a nearby brook or the sound of an eagle flying through the wind, filled with the scent of fresh pine and loam.

Soothing Symptoms

• Practiced imagery usually starts with brief periods of exposure that may last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Later, as the individual begins to master the practice, she is encouraged to practice guided imagery on her own, listening to an audio tape or as a friend or loved one reads a script to guide her through the process.