Images and Symbols: The Glue of Habit, The Lubricant of Change

CHAPTER TWELVE

Common Techniques When Beginning an Imagery Exercise

BY ARLENE F. HARDER, MA, MFT

Chapter - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13

I always know I'm not living consciously when I notice the small, empty paper cup that once held a piece of caramel nut chocolate — and realize I can't remember what it tasted like. It's particularly annoying since I’m not supposed to have more than a small amount of chocolate. Consequently, to make the experience worthwhile, I prefer GOOD chocolate. I realize that living with awareness "in the moment" is difficult to maintain all the time, but it sure would be nice if I could remember to be present in those moments I eat chocolate.

The benefit of living with awareness is obvious at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center where mindfulness meditation is taught to patients with chronic pain, severe stress and panic attacks. At the start of an eight-week class, participants aren’t taught to sit quietly, breathe correctly, or close their eyes. They are simply asked to slowly chew and consciously taste a raisin! The purpose is to demonstrate a way in which we can experience not only eating, but all of life, mindfully, i.e., with awareness.

They are also asked to use this same attention to being where they are and doing what they’re doing for forty-five minutes a day as part of a “mindfulness meditation” practice! That's a lot of time spent “doing nothing,” especially for many of us accustomed (okay, addicted) to being active and on the go. Nevertheless, people who have gone through this program report that forty-five minutes seems as though no time at all has passed. Further, when asked to determine how much these techniques have helped them, over seventy percent reported “moderate to marked improvement” of their previously untreatable symptoms both a year and a year-and-a-half later.

Even if you didn’t spend that much time “doing nothing,” just imagine what would happen if the next time you sat down to dinner you made an effort to notice the look, texture, smell and taste of each bite. Becoming aware of the nuances of eating — noticing what you experience AS you experience it — could give you a sense of what it would be like if you continued this awareness at other times during the day. Then, rather than have your mind racing ahead to what will happen next, or worrying about what has already happened, you could truly be present in each moment. Considering the calories in chocolate, it would be worth it.

What does this have to do with imagery exercises? Well, in order for an imagery exercise to do you much good, you have to “be there” while you’re doing it. You have to learn how to slow down the chatter of your mind and allow your body to relax fully, while your mind remains alert. You need to move from a focus on the outer world and all you’ve been doing up until that moment, to the inner world where images are available to teach you about yourself and your relationship to the world.

The following are several of the methods people use to begin an imagery exercise so they can step back from their ordinary way of living and enter into a place where they can be relaxed, alert, and focused on the present. Obviously you aren’t going to do all of them each time you begin an imagery exercise. However, I give you this sample of techniques so you may try them to see how they work for you.

Begin With the Breath

Since the breath is so frequently an early part of imagery instructions, I gave that topic a whole chapter. Here I will simply note again that it is helpful when beginning any imagery and relaxation session to pay attention to the breath — not to the thought of the breath, but to the experience of the breath itself. Allow your consciousness to flow in and out with each breath. You may even notice as you do this that there is a cusp, or transition, between the breath coming in and the breath going out. The awareness that your breath has a time for not doing anything can reinforce the concept of you not having to do something all the time.

Of course, it may be that you have a physical condition in which breathing is sometimes difficult and taking deep breaths is painful. In that case, you may have a hard time equating breathing with relaxation, but you can nevertheless use the general principles discussed here by simply substituting inhaling and exhaling breaths of air with imagining a gentle soft light or warm healing energy moving into and out of your body.

Do a Body Scan

Close the door of your mind to inner chatter and outer stimuli by bringing your attention to the center of your body. Then scan your body to see what you are experiencing at that moment. Do this with an objective, curious interest so that a tightness in one place is simply noticed as a tightness and is not labeled as something “wrong.” Even a feeling of relaxed muscles can be accepted as a body sensation without needing to feel “right” about feeling relaxed. Experience what is, just as a video camera observes what is.

Listen to CDs and Tapes of Music or Sounds of Nature

You may want to listen to a CD or tape of music or sounds of nature, allowing yourself to move into the music and other sounds. Remember, though, that this kind of listening is different from using music as a background while you think about a problem. Simply flow with the music and notice where it might take you in your imagination.

Tighten and Relax Your Muscles

It’s almost impossible to benefit from imagery exercises if you’re all wound up. Therefore, learning how to relax as you begin an exercise is really important. In the previous chapter on Easy Relaxation Techniques I give you several different ways you can begin an exercise with relaxation. Here I’ll just mention one particular technique that some people like to use: they tighten and then relax different sets of muscles, perhaps beginning with the muscles of the scalp and working their way down to their feet. This is particularly helpful for people who can't identify a relaxed state from a tense state, which is true for many people just starting to use these techniques.

Relaxation CDs and Tapes

Some CDs and tapes walk you step-by-step through the process of relaxing your body and are used primarily for that purpose. Following these suggestions can give you confidence that eventually you will be able to relax completely, yet remain alert, on your own. If that still doesn’t seem to work, you may want to try a little biofeedback.

Silently Saying a Word or Phrase

Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response and Timeless Healing, has done extensive research on the effect of relaxation techniques on the autonomic nervous system and suggests a passive focus on a neutral word, such as "one," on each exhalation for a period of twenty minutes.

He reports that physiological changes appear to be more profound when the person incorporates a short prayer or statement reflecting their deepest personal beliefs or religious roots. I recommend that you could also choose any word or short phrase that signals your willingness to create an atmosphere of quiet calm. For a long time, I used the word “open” to represent my willingness to accept whatever might arise in the process of taking time for either meditation or imagery and noticed that when I did use the word, many unexpected insights arose. Whether there was “magic” in the word, or whether it simply gave me permission to release what was already there, I don’t know. I only know that it made my quiet times very satisfying.

There are many words you might use, such as relax, release, peace, love, gentleness. Say that word silently to yourself over and over — with or without doing it on the exhalation of the breath — until you feel you have reached the deepest level of relaxation you can at that time. If your only purpose is to relax, you can continue using this word throughout the whole time you have available for relaxing. If you want to move into the imagery exercise itself, you will carry that relaxed state with you.

© Copyright 2008, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT