Using Guided Imagery for Self Healing
March 8th, 2009 -- Posted in mind-body connection | No Comments »
Guided imagery has been used for years by holistically oriented practitioners to relieve pain, speed healing and alleviate anxiety and depression.The power of the mind to influence the body is a remarkable and potent force in achieving and maintaining wellness.
There are numerous sources for guided imagery CDs and instant MP3 downloads on the web which makes these techniques easily available, inexpensively, to anyone who wants to try it.
Guided imagery has not only been used for healing but also to improve athletic performance and to overcome mental hurdles in business and other areas.
I am reading a great book which I highly recommend called Guided Imagery for Self Healing by Dr Martin Rossman. Dr Rossman has also teamed up with Dr. Andrew Weil to produce a CD version entitled Self Healing With Guided Imagery.
From the book’s promo: “Using methods he has taught to thousands of patients and health-care professionals since 1972, Dr. Rossman teaches a step-by-step method of harnessing the power of the mind to further one’s own physical healing. Versatile and easy-to-learn, mental imagery as explained by Dr. Rossman, can be used to:
- Achieve deep physiological relaxation
- Stimulate healing responses in the body
- Create an inner dialogue and gain a better understanding of one’s health
- Improve health and general wellbeing.
The idea of guided imagery as an aid to the healing process is a recognized key component in the health care equation of mind/body healing.”
There is a video from Light Bridge Media about Dr Rossman’s technique on YouTube which is included below:
Intro to Video From Light Bridge Media: The Academy for Guided Imagery is harnessing the mind’s awesome power to speed healing. We meet Dr. Martin Rossman, the physician who founded the Academy and has trained thousands of practitioners. And we take a look at how guided imagery is being used at a major medical center.
For a more indepth review of Dr Rossman’s ideas, a lecture by Dr Rossman (approx 90 min) from a UC San Francisco Medical School class, courtesy of You Tube, is posted below. If you have time, its worth watching in order to get a better idea of what happens to a person’s body under stress and what you can do about it.