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Therapeutic Imagery: |
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We have the unique power to imagine. |
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It was Einstein’s belief that what distinguished us as humans from all other life forms was our imagination. Our ability to imagine give us the power to create, to give an idea both form and substance. Our imagination also gives us the power to act purposefully: we can predict, we can plan, we can engage in patterns of behavior that we believe will produce desired outcomes. We can use our imagination to enhance pleasure or to create fear. We can use the power of imagination to produce emotional states that can lead to healing, relaxation, well-being, or heightened awareness.
Our ability to imagine functions thus: we take in information from our environment through our five senses, using our sensory organs. Our eyes allow us to see, our ears allow us to hear, our mouth allows us to taste, our nose allows us to smell and our skin allows us to touch and feel. Although each of these sensory organs receives information separately, our brain, the biggest and most complex sensory organ, combines and makes sense of all of the information, then stores it in our subconscious memory for future reference. New information is compared against stored information. |
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Imagine a plump, juicy lemon . . . |
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The information that we have stored in memory provides us with a rich source of material for our imagination. Using this stored material, we can create images in our brain even in the absence of sensory input, and these images are so vivid that our bodies react as though there were something actually happening in that moment. For example, if you close your eyes and imagine that you are cutting into a plump, juicy, lemon right now, and the juice of the lemon is running over your fingers as you cut, you may be able to feel the sensation of the juice on your fingers. If you imagine that you are placing a slice of the lemon in your mouth, you may feel your mouth water, or you may taste the tartness of the lemon juice on your tongue. Yet, there is no lemon. There is only the memory of a lemon and your imagination. |
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Using hypnosis and your imagination to create mental and emotional states . . . |
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Therapeutic imagery uses your memory, your imagination, and the state of hypnosis to create mental and emotional states that can be used to heal, to relax, to relieve pain, to assist in goal setting, or to facilitate the creative process, to name a few situations. You can also explore your own mind using therapeutic imagery, by accessing your subconscious memory to reveal hidden fears, sources of resistance, conflicts, or pain. |
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Where would you like to go? What would you like to do? |
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Before you enter the state of hypnosis, you may discuss with your hypnotherapist what your goals are for the session, namely what you would like to discover or the state you would like to achieve. Perhaps you would like to explore your hidden resistance to following an exercise program, or why you are experiencing writer’s block, or you would like to achieve a deep state of relaxation. Perhaps you are undergoing treatment for chronic illness and would like to help your body adapt to healing while you undergo treatment. When you enter the state of hypnosis, Set the intention, and then allow the imagery suggestions to guide you into the exploration of your subconscious mind. |
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Be prepared for a journey that takes you into a region beyond your expectations. You will be amazed at the power of your imagination and of your mind . . .
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