The effects of guided imagery and visualisation
Guided imagery, mental imagery, visualisation, guided meditation, shamanic journeying,... - there are many forms and names for this powerful tool that helps you to connect with your Self, with other realities, with other energy fields, with your intuition (your tuition from within), with your self-healing powers, with creative life energies. It has been used since ancient times, and much has been written and researched about the beneficial effects on humans. We are slowly reaching a threshold where it becomes again widely applied in many areas of modern life: medicine, sports, business, art, psychology, overall health and wellbeing. Modern science now acknowledges that one reason, why it works so well, is that we physiologically create neural patterns in our brain that affect our whole body-mind-soul system (also see Rewire and Evolve your Brain by Dr. Joe Dispenza under VIDEOS). If you need more "left brain" information, you will find some studies here. There still aren't that many: conventional scientific research is often "lacking behind"... It took ages to find evidence for the meridian system (long after it had been well-known and "used" successfully for thousands of years in traditional Eastern medicine).
There are two ways of approaching guided imagery and visualisation: one is out-come oriented, the other is open = not attached to a specific outcome.
In order to use the tool efficiently, develop a daily (or regular) practise to strengthen the communication and connection between your mind, your body, your soul, your Self and other energy fields. Like with everything else: The more you practise, the more you apply it, the better and the more adept you will become.
Most people can visualise. If you think you can't, I ask you to imagine the smell of freshly baked bread (can you smell it?!) - or imagine some yummy red strawberries... See, it's easy ;)
Children regularly drift off into the realms of imagination and visualisation, if we let them. The visualisation skills of adults simply got a bit rusty. After all, a lot of us weren't allowed nor encouraged to "daydream".
You can either create your own visualisation/mental imagery practise or get inspired by the many support tools that are available: courses, books, CDs, youtube clips - and my favourite one, as you know: BEING IN NATURE. Sitting with a tree, a river, a lake... tuning into their energy field... receiving their imagery... merging perspectives, energies... The natural environment will recalibrate your body-mind-soul system and support you in re-establishing natural balance within you. Being in nature is also a wonderful way to practise your open imagery skills.
Young children usually need little encouragement to "dream". However, if they are already caught up in the "rat race" of modern life, guided imagery can be great to reactivate their ability to self-balance. There are CDs and books available - and, of course, you can also create your own journeys and enter dreamspace together.
Use your new skill wisely and with empathy. Don't get caught up or distracted by external "stuff". After the success of The Secret and similar publications people used the power of visualisation in a rather technical and pragmatic way to manifest material wealth and to increase their personal power. It created a whole movement that confirmed the efficiency of visualisation, while it also showed that this valuable tool can be used in many different ways. With a hammer you can build or destroy a house...
I encourage you to use imagery, visualisation, journeying or whatever you want to call it consciously as a reconnective tool. Open your connection channels, hone your skills to communicate with and tune into various energy fields/life forms (including your own body-mind-soul), so that, after a while, you can feel how everything is interconnected and in constant energetic exchange. So that you can actively co-create a life-sustaining life :) Then, you will be able to heal and balance your Self, and this automatically will affect the health and wellbeing of all life - in one gigantic ripple effect.
Have fun with it. Enjoy the process. Be curious and adventurous. And see where the journey will take you. You'll be surprised :)
There are two ways of approaching guided imagery and visualisation: one is out-come oriented, the other is open = not attached to a specific outcome.
- Outcome oriented guided imagery is a structured male energy approach. Most scientific studies and research I have come across focus on this approach. It is widely used in medicine, sports, business coaching, education.
- Open imagery is what I call "dreamspace". It holds a space for connecting with energy fields (your own and others'), for accessing subconscious and supernatural levels of awareness, for tapping into a collective or universal energy field that goes way beyond physical realities and limitations, for "entering dreamtime" as the Koori say. It is free-flowing, spontaneous, absolute present - and not oriented towards a specific outcome. It is an approach that represents female energy. Some ways of shamanic journeying are an example of this approach. Vision quests are another. The guided imageries I wrote are designed to support children in practising this approach.
In order to use the tool efficiently, develop a daily (or regular) practise to strengthen the communication and connection between your mind, your body, your soul, your Self and other energy fields. Like with everything else: The more you practise, the more you apply it, the better and the more adept you will become.
Most people can visualise. If you think you can't, I ask you to imagine the smell of freshly baked bread (can you smell it?!) - or imagine some yummy red strawberries... See, it's easy ;)
Children regularly drift off into the realms of imagination and visualisation, if we let them. The visualisation skills of adults simply got a bit rusty. After all, a lot of us weren't allowed nor encouraged to "daydream".
You can either create your own visualisation/mental imagery practise or get inspired by the many support tools that are available: courses, books, CDs, youtube clips - and my favourite one, as you know: BEING IN NATURE. Sitting with a tree, a river, a lake... tuning into their energy field... receiving their imagery... merging perspectives, energies... The natural environment will recalibrate your body-mind-soul system and support you in re-establishing natural balance within you. Being in nature is also a wonderful way to practise your open imagery skills.
Young children usually need little encouragement to "dream". However, if they are already caught up in the "rat race" of modern life, guided imagery can be great to reactivate their ability to self-balance. There are CDs and books available - and, of course, you can also create your own journeys and enter dreamspace together.
Use your new skill wisely and with empathy. Don't get caught up or distracted by external "stuff". After the success of The Secret and similar publications people used the power of visualisation in a rather technical and pragmatic way to manifest material wealth and to increase their personal power. It created a whole movement that confirmed the efficiency of visualisation, while it also showed that this valuable tool can be used in many different ways. With a hammer you can build or destroy a house...
I encourage you to use imagery, visualisation, journeying or whatever you want to call it consciously as a reconnective tool. Open your connection channels, hone your skills to communicate with and tune into various energy fields/life forms (including your own body-mind-soul), so that, after a while, you can feel how everything is interconnected and in constant energetic exchange. So that you can actively co-create a life-sustaining life :) Then, you will be able to heal and balance your Self, and this automatically will affect the health and wellbeing of all life - in one gigantic ripple effect.
Have fun with it. Enjoy the process. Be curious and adventurous. And see where the journey will take you. You'll be surprised :)