Guided Imagery Class 3:

Setting The Stage

IMAGERY CLASS THREE BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT
— PHOTO BY FABIAN

Classes 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

Creating a special place in your house for imagery and meditation can make all the difference in having a successful experience.

Have you ever noticed that cathedrals, temples and mosques have a calming effect on those who enter, even for nonbelievers? Museums can have a similar effect. As you walk through the doors of such places, you can feel a subtle shift in your body. You expect such places to have a certain "atmosphere" and so you walk a little slower and become quieter, perhaps shedding some of the worries you might have felt a moment before.

In a similar vein, many people have found that imagery and meditation seem to be enhanced if they set aside a place in their home or yard where they will practice these techniques. As they return time after time, a feeling of comfort surrounding this special place seems to grow.

For many years I would do imagery, quiet reflection and meditation in a lazy-boy chair in the living room. Although it was, admittedly, a super-comfortable chair, there was something about the atmosphere built up from hundreds of meditation sessions that seemed to assist me in quickly reaching a deep sense of peace and inner focus. Unfortunately, some back problems recently forced me to move that chair to another spot and replace it with one that has a more firm back and seat. It has taken awhile for the new chair to take on what, for lack of a more articulate term, I would call "peaceful energy."

There are several ways you can make your special place conducive to imagery. One easy way is to place on a nearby table or shelf items that symbolize beauty, serenity, and joy. Some of these may be permanent items you can always keep there. Others may be ones you bring into the area only for the time you spend doing imagery and meditation. For example, if your place is too dark to grow flowering plants, you can bring some violets, like those in the picture above, from a bright spot to your special place.

As you read these classes, you may get ideas for a number of symbols you can use to create a place of calm and serenity -- even though the rest of the house may be a muddle of confusion and busyness.

How Long Should You Do Imagery?

When I first started teaching imagery, I suggested ten or fifteen minutes a day for beginners, although clinical evidence suggests that twenty minutes a day is optimal for your autonomic nervous system. I thought that it was better to be doing something rather than nothing at all.

Then I heard about the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Here patients suffering from chronic pain and stress-related medical disorders are asked to do "mindfulness meditation" for forty-five minutes a day! That's a lot of time spent "doing nothing", especially for many of us are 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, both a year and a year-and-a-half later over seventy percent reported "moderate to marked improvement" of their previously untreatable symptoms.

Especially when you are dealing with a stressful problem in your life, such as a serious illness, it is easy for the mind to review, over and over again, what you might have done in the past to prevent it and worry about what the future will hold. Under these circumstances it is difficult to live "in the moment", where real peace of mind lies. However, if you make time for imagery (some like to spend one twenty minute session a day and others like several shorter sessions) you will discover that having greater serenity takes away the power of past and future to dominate your life.

Although some experts say not to use an alarm clock, I recommend it for those who have something to which they must attend and are unable to completely relax because they're afraid they'll sit too long. Setting a small timer will relieve you of feeling you have to keep checking your watch. Even with my experience of many years, I sometimes find a timer the perfect companion on very busy days.

What Time of Day is Best?

Morning, noon or evening? That will depend, first of all, on when things are most likely going to be quiet, such as when the phone is less likely to ring. Of course, you can always unplug the phone or turn on the answering machine, but there are few times in the day when the neighborhood is guaranteed to be quiet. With practice, however, you will be less bothered by noises. In fact, you can even use unexpected noise to deepen relaxation and can actually incorporate those sounds into your images.

Because mornings are busy times in many households, the evening may be the only time available. There are three reasons, however, why I think morning is best. First, taking time early in the day can set the tone for the rest of the day. Second, most people are so tired in the evening that they tend to fall asleep rather than stay focused as they would like. Third, it is very easy to let other things intrude into your special time until there aren't any minutes left before bedtime.

Whether morning or evening, a consistent time of day seems to be the main ingredient in developing a regular habit.

Class Exercise: An Appointment With Yourself

With the pressure of daily life, it isn't surprising that we don't take time for ourselves. Then, when crises intrude, time can seem even more precious. Today, however, more and more people understand the effect that stress has on the body and the value of relaxation and imagery techniques. They thus have an incentive to make time, especially during times of stress.

An Appointment With Yourself, the exercise for this class, will hopefully encourage you to build into your schedule a period of time each day when you "check out" from outside pressures and "check in" to inner peace.

Class Symbol: Recognizing the Importance of Taking Time for Yourself

Use your imagination to create an image that can reinforce your intention to regularly set aside time just for quiet reflection, imagery and meditation.

© Copyright 1997, Revised 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT