Visualizations are readily available for use anytime, anywhere, without anyone knowing and at no expense: all you need is your mind! That's right: fast, free, no side-effects and always available. Just 3-5 minutes of visualizing creates natural physiological changes in our bodies that may be consciously directed to improve health. The secret is to engage as many of your fives senses as you can (touch, smell, sight, sound, taste) to evoke a full-body experience - the more sensory, the better!
Soothe yourself by imagining a favorite scene, real or unreal. Include cherished sights, sounds, smells, textures and a calming mood. Use your senses to evoke a full body experience.
Visualization: Restful Scene
I enter a lovely, quiet, dimly lit room that contains a long pool of clear, revitalizing water. There’s a faint hint of my favorite fragrance in the air. I slip out of my clothes and into the water, which is at just the temperature I need. Slowly I swim the length of this shallow pool, feeling my cares wash off of me. At the other end, I walk up some steps that lead out of the pool and wrap myself in a fluffy soft robe, in my favorite color, which is awaiting me. At this end of the room, there is an ample bed beneath a moonlit window. I climb onto this bed, pull the soft covers up over my shoulders, and rest for a while, or even go to sleep, in this lovely, safe space, lulled by the gentle murmur of a little waterfall outside my window.
Visualization: a Stroll at the Beach
I am going for a lovely, slow walk on a beautiful, empty beach. It is early summer and the air is just right—warm, with a gentle cooling breeze. The only things at this beach are distant seagulls floating on air currents and little sandpipers bobbing along the waters edge. It is a protected beach, so the waves are small and as they come in, they make a lovely slip-slupping sound. I feel the firm, golden sand beneath my feet as I walk along the water’s edge. Sometimes the sand feels pleasantly warm, and then I step on a wet place and it feels pleasantly cool. The rhythmical sound of the little waves is hypnotic, relaxing me more and more. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue and far out, where larger waves are cresting on a sandbar, it is flecked with whitecaps. The soft, rhythmical, roaring sound of the distant waves lulls me deeper and deeper into relaxation. I draw in the fresh, salty smell of the air with each breath. My skin glows with the warmth of the sun. I feel a gentle breeze against my cheek and ruffling my hair. I sit down on the sand so I can just rest and gaze out at the beautiful sea. The sand is soft, the sun is gently warm, the breeze lightly cools me. Far away, the gulls call to one another, and there is the slow, continuous, rhythmic sound of the little waves murmuring on the shore. I breathe in deeply the fresh, salty air, and as I exhale, I feel any remaining tension release from my body, mind and thoughts… I just let it go. I am safe, I am here, and I am relaxed. I lie back on the sand and take some time to rest here, comfortable and breathing easily. It feels so good to relax in pleasant sensations in my body.
Anytime I wish, I can return to this lovely beach and hear the sounds of the waves, smell the salty air, feel the firm sand, the sun’s warmth and the gentle breeze on my skin. I am always welcome here.
Anytime I wish, I can return to this lovely beach and hear the sounds of the waves, smell the salty air, feel the firm sand, the sun’s warmth and the gentle breeze on my skin. I am always welcome here.