Guided Imagery Class 2:
 Tapes Can Be Your Guide
BY ARLENE F HARDER, MA, MFT
PHOTO BY FABIAN
Classes 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Audio versions of meditations, guided imagery cd's for anxiety reduction and managing anger are excellent ways to learn about what guided imagery can do for you.
One of the best ways to learn imagery is to use a tape or CD, since you are setting out on a path you haven't used before and entering new territory. In times like this, it's nice to have a guide who can help you along this unfamiliar road.
An experience I once had following my husband up a canyon illustrates what it can be like when following such a guide. We had started walking at dusk and when it got darker, he and I turned on our flashlights. Glancing up to see his light in the distance gave me an idea of the approximate direction in which the winding path was heading. As long as I kept my flashlight pointed immediately in front of my feet, I had enough illumination so each step could be taken in safety.
However, when I pointed my flashlight far ahead to where he was and beyond, I couldn't see clearly to avoid stumbling over rocks and roots at my feet. Returning to focus to the area just in front of me and trusting in his guidance, I had a wonderful walk around boulders, ponds and scrub to discover, at the end of our hike, a delightful waterfall sparkling in the moonlight.
There Are as Many Guides as There Are Paths
Even though you have no idea what may lay ahead for you in doing imagery, there are those who can gently guide you along the path that leads to the images that add sparkle and life to your heart and spirit. By listening to guided imagery tapes created by excellent guides, you can learn how to walk the path to inner resources you didn't know you had.
Fortunately, many different kinds of audio and video tapes are sold in book stores, specialty shops and catalogs, so you have a wide selection from which to choose. You can get male and female voices, with or without an accent. Almost any of these tapes are excellent tools for learning the imagery process and demonstrating the power of the imagination. But not all are equally good for everyone.
As you listen to these tapes, you may find that one guide may go too fast for you and another too slow. You may feel that one gives too many instructions or is too specific or too wordy. With another you may feel lost and unsure of what is being asked of you. Some styles and voices will obviously be more comfortable for you than others.
However, you will likely find that even favorites can become boring and unproductive. At first, for example, you may want relaxation instructions in which you first tighten groups of muscles and then relax them. After you've learned how to relax fairly quickly, taking time to go through this step-by-step process can become annoying and counterproductive. Then it's time to use another tape.
Give the Guide a Chance
It is not uncommon to listen to a new tape and feel you won't get anything out of it. My advice is to give the guide at least a second chance, unless you find something so disconcerting that you know listening again would not change your mind.
That happened to me when I spent three weeks in the hospital and needed a good imagery tape for comfort and to maximize my pain medication. I was very fortunate to have a pain control tape by Belleruth Naparstek, a premier imagery guide whose informative website, HealthJourneys, provides information on the value of this technique for healing. In the middle of the night, her gentle voice and affirmations guided me back to sleep.
On the other hand, I had been given a pain tape by someone else who was so awful I couldn't get past the first several minutes before I had to turn it off! Her grating voice and what seemed like a condescending attitude really got to me, so it doesn't hurt to know a bit about the guide before buying one.
However, if the guide isn't as bad as that one was, listening again often helps you understand something you missed the first time. In fact, you will learn imagery most easily by experimenting with a variety of tapes and by following the guide's suggestions, even when you aren't sure you're doing it the way you think it is "supposed" to be done. The more thoroughly you allow yourself to follow the guide's instructions, the more likely you are to achieve whatever the imagery exercise was designed to achieve. Further, the more completely you can draw upon all of your senses (seeing, feeling, tasting, touching, smelling and experiencing a felt body sense), the more you will be nourished in body, mind and spirit.
Learning to Notice Signposts Along the Way
Unless I'm driving, I don't usually pay attention to which way we turn or notice traffic signs along the way. It's relaxing to sit back, watch the passing scene and converse with the friend who is driving. Soon I'm at our destination -- and I couldn't retrace our route or find my way there again if my life depended on it. Listening to tapes can be like that. You can just listen and enjoy. On the other hand, after you've used a tape several times, you might want to pay attention to the steps along the way that led you to where you wanted to go. If you make the process your own, as fully as you can, soon you won't need a tape, a quiet spot or a special time to evoke the powerful images of healing and peace that lie within the core of who you are.
Add Your Own Safety Features
Sitting on a rock at the edge of a large body of water and watching waves splash against land may be idyllic if your experience has been like that of thousands of others. But if you had the misfortune of being knocked off a rock by a wave or watching someone drown, such a scene would be far from comforting. Nevertheless, guides choose scenes they feel would be best for the average person, although none of us is "average" in everything. So always remember that you can add your own touches.
Years ago I was in a group being led through an imagery exercise in which we were taken up to the roof of a tall building and were asked to go over to the edge and look down. It was fascinating to watch the people below, who looked like little ants crawling along the sidewalk. One of the participants later said she was afraid of heights and found the experience very disconcerting, since the guide hadn't said there was a railing at the edge to prevent her falling off. It was only then I realized that in my imagination I had crawled over to the edge and added a guard rail before looking down.
Short of opening your eyes, you can also create safety for yourself by bringing into your mind's eye a powerful ally or magic protector. We'll talk more about that later in a class on inner advisors. For now, just remember that if you want to continue following the guide, but are afraid you may get into an area that could be unpleasant, create in your imagination an image, such as a lantern that will shine into dark places or a dog to protect you or anything else that would give you security as you explore new territory.
Class Exercise: An Early Morning Walk
We don't have a tape for you for this exercise. However, I've decided to let you read about a frequently used scenario for imagery tapes, which is to have the listener imagine a pleasant place outdoors, often a meadow. The whole "action" of the imagery exercise can take place in the meadow or the guide may have you walk along a path and up into a mountain or down into a cave to explore some aspect of the psyche.
There are several reasons for this. One is that almost all of us have been to meadows or, at the very least, have seen pictures of meadows on TV. Thus we can usually reconnect with our earlier experiences. Another reason is that in the real world of nature, as well as scenes we remember from our childhood, the heart can learn what it needs to know. In nature the spirit can discover a source of quiet strength that is not found in monuments build by civilizations, but within symbols that touch the depths of the unconscious.
As part of an imagery tape I created several years ago, I used a meadow in the initial scene. I have adapted part of that exercise for this class and call it An Early Morning Walk. When you use your imagination for this exercise, you demonstrate your willingness to step back from your normal routine and enter an inner world, whether you are using a tape or simply your imagination.
Class Symbol: Willingness to Experiment
I suggest that the symbol for this class be one that can represent your willingness to experiment and learn. An example of such a symbol might be a trophy you won (or a picture of a trophy), reminding you that you can become proficient at a task if you set a goal for yourself and work on the skills needed to reach that goal.
© Copyright 1996, Revised 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT |
