Preparation for Guided Imagery:

“This is a way to use imagery to help you access a particular quality that you might want to have more of. And that could be courage, confidence, creativity, patience, humor, assertiveness. Any quality that you want to think about.

And the way that we usually use this – and you could do this – is to think about a situation that you’ve got going on that you have had difficulty solving, or resolving. And you just feel like you just haven’t been able to resolve it. And it seems like something that you could potentially solve or resolve.

Where you just feel like you don’t have enough _________ – fill in the blank – to do this. You need a little more, again, courage, assertiveness, patience, humor, whatever it is.

If you can’t think of one right away, just think of a quality you would like to experience more of in yourself. Joy, calmness, confidence, self-love. Whatever floats your boat. Just some quality you’d like to experience more of. And give it a name.

Think about what the name of it is. And you could do a couple of qualities. Sometimes it’s unclear what you need more of. ‘I feel like I need more – I don’t know if it’s courage or strength’ – so you could do them both together.

But think about a specific quality – or a couple qualities – that you would like to feel more of in yourself.”

Guided Imagery:

“Let yourself be as comfortable as you can be. Let your eyes close and feel your whole body relax. And then just let yourself take a couple of deeper breaths. Let your breathing get a little deeper into your abdomen. And let your out breath be a letting go kind of breath.

Without forcing or straining anything, just begin to draw a deeper breath into your abdomen into your belly. Letting your out breath be a letting go kind of a breath. Just inviting your body to begin to soften and relax.

And just another time or two as you welcome the breath into your body, notice that you are literally bringing fresh energy and oxygen into your body. You can invite it to circulate and flow around your body in the bloodstream to every cell of your body. Brings fresh energy.

And as you let the breath out, if you like, just let it be an invitation to your body, your mind, to just let go of any tension or discomfort you don’t have to hold right now. Just invite the body to soften. The mind to begin to quiet.

And invite your body to continue to soften and relax, perhaps to become a little more spacious. Without worrying about how it does that. Feel free to shift or move to become even more comfortable.

And if you haven’t already, let yourself go inside to a place that’s very beautiful to you. Let yourself daydream yourself to a place that’s very beautiful, peaceful, safe. And that might be a place you have actually been in your life. Either in your outer life or inner life. Or it might be a place that just comes to mind right now, an imaginary place or some combination.

It doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s a place that’s very beautiful to you. And peaceful. And safe. And if more than one place comes to mind, just pick whichever one attracts you the most right now.

And imagine in your own way that you’re actually there. And take a few moments to just look around and notice what you imagine seeing in this beautiful, peaceful place. Notice the colors and the shapes and the things that are there.

And don’t worry about whether it’s very vivid and clear like your usual eyesight or whether its vague and comes and goes. But just notice what you imagine is there in this peaceful, beautiful and safe place.

And notice what you imagine hearing in this place. Or if it’s just very quiet. Notice any sounds you imagine hearing. Notice if there’s an aroma or fragrance or quality in the air, and notice what time of day or night it seems to be. And can you tell what season of the year it is. Just notice.

Find the spot in that place where you feel the most comfortable and at ease. Just trusting your instincts, just walk around and find the most comfortable place to be. And let yourself get comfortable there. And as you sink into this place, feel the deep sense of calm it brings. Feel it throughout your entire body, radiating inside your body, touching every cell of your body.

From the deepest part of your bone marrow. To your bones. To your connective tissues. Your muscles. The organs in your pelvis. Your abdomen. In your chest. Especially your brain. Your spine and your nervous system.

As if every cell of your body were touched by this calm. And just let yourself rest here, stay here, finding stillness for a few minutes longer.

(2 min of silence)

And so when you’re ready, just let the images go back to wherever they came from. And become aware of the room that we’re in together. And just gently start to bring your awareness from your inner world back out to the outer world.

And if you like, very gently stretch your body and feel your fingers and toes and everything in between.”