Aristotle and Hippocrates believed in the power of images in the brain to enliven the heart and body. Today, research shows they were right. Guided imagery is helping patients use the full range of the body’s healing capacity.
Guided imagery is more than listening to relaxing sounds. It’s a learning process to listen to someone’s voice, relax the breathing and consciously direct the ability to imagine.
From there, the message is passed along to the body’s endocrine, immune and autonomic nervous systems.
Guided imagery has been shown to benefit patients by:
- Reducing side effects from cancer treatment
- Reducing fear and anxiety prior to surgery.
- Managing stress
- Managing headaches. Studies have shown that guided imagery may aid in reducing the frequency of migraine headaches.
Adapted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.