How Guided Imagery Helped Me

I would like to give some information about a type of tool that my Health and Wellness Coach and I used to help me do a number of things; such as, stop irritable bowel syndrome; deal with hurtful events by people from my past; physically heal my heart; help me better cope with depression, self-esteem, feelings of self worth and insomnia.

I frist sought out this help for an eating disorder, but quickly learned I had a whole other bushel baskets of issues that had to be dealt with before I could concentrate on my weight problems.

I have heard many people say they hate "therapy" because it seems the "therapists" always wants to go back to their past. Most of us believe there is nothing from our past that has anything to do with our present or future. Well, I was wrong, and many of you are probably wrong too.

Hypnosis is somewhat of a controversial subject for many people. I don't think it's for everyone, but it proved to be most helpful for me. I was also a very willing subject and I think that may have played a big role in how much hypnosis helped me. Now-days the word hypnosis isn't used as much as the new term, Guided Imagery. Guided Imagery is still a method of hypnosis.

While I was sitting comfortable in a recliner, slightly reclined, my wellness coach would talk me through stages of relaxing my body and deep breathing exercises until I reached a super relaxed state. From what I understand, this makes your subconscious mind more open to suggestions. With your 'coach' knowledge of your unique situation, he or she will make a suggesting for you to begin bringing up the thoughts from the particular time of your life where you may have not processed the 'problems' or 'bad things' that happened. Your coach is by your side and walking with you all the way...thus the term...."Guided Imagery".

This type of therapy proved to me to be life-saving. I had suppressed thoughts and feelings that I had no idea were causing a problem for my life in my forties. As a young girl, I like many people, suffered some abuse at the hands of an adult. As an adult, I had somewhat brushed those memories to the side, simply saying it was 'over' and by the time I was 40, my abuser was death anyway. I didn't think I had any reason to re-visit those memories. Not only was there a reason, but the past had and was, an effect on my present and would no doubt have affected my future without help.

In my deepened relaxed state, my coach helped me go back in my mind to that very place and time of my abuse. I could feel it.........smell it......taste it. It was as real as if it had happened the day before. I was 12 years old again and very afraid. It was tough, don't get me wrong, but in the long-run, it was well worth the trip. I was able to go back to that place, mentally, and face my abuser as an adult and 'set up' a scenario of what it would have been like if I would have been an adult or if I had told an adult at that time. I can now say, I am free of that pain. On occasion, I have had some flash-backs to that time, but for the most part, it is over, worked through and no longer deprives me of any joy life has to offer me.

Guided Imagery can be used to help many different problems, and/or issues in our lives. There is even a Guided Imagery Internationalwebsite where you can find a practitioner in your area or state. (www.imageryinternational.org) .  On their site, you can also link to other types of Alternative Medicine practitioners.

Prior to my work with Guided Imagery, I had seen psychiatrist, psychologists, and Licensed therapist. All of them were helpful, but it wasn't until I met with the perhaps unconventional "Wellness Coach" that I learned about this, and other, methods of treatment.

If you need help, and if you think you've tried everything there is, try this. You owe it to yourself to have life and to have a joy-filled life. Don't let the past rob you of today and your future.

There are some very special people in my life that literally help me to save my own life with there help. I vowed to tell others of how I was helped and that's my reason for this Hub.