Help Yourself Heal: Guided imagery
We described the connection between the mind and the body and that whatever is in your mind, the body usually thinks it's real and will react as if it is real.
When you feel extremely worried or threatened by something, the threat has not yet happened and still your body may be reacting to it by your heart racing, your blood pressure going up, having a knot in your stomach, maybe some tightness in your chest – and yet the threat may never even happen.
It is common to worry about an upcoming surgery. But now there is a way of interrupting these thoughts, blocking these negative images and replacing them with positive images through guided imagery.
What we really want to happen before surgery is to trigger the release of healing hormones like endorphins and serotonins that will assist you in healing in a normal time frame or healing faster, but certainly not to have any delayed healing at all. Endorphins are known to be our body's natural pain killer so they can also help you cope better with your pain.
Guided imagery technique
The exercise that follows is an example of imagery you can use, but as you practice you may develop your own individualized imagery which is more powerful because it is yours. That positive information you're thinking is immediately relayed to your body and as we know your body reacts to it as if it is really happening. Allow these positive images to come in. Cultivate them and if a negative image emerges, interrupt it with a positive one. In other words, feel free to customize this guided imagery exercise with your own positive imagery as it arises – do not block it off.
So, let's start.