Relaxation though Imagery |
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Two commonly cited imagery exercises for relaxing. You may want
to practice imagery first on a neutral topic; images misbehave surprisingly
easily if you haven't practiced before!
The
Tension drainer
The
Quiet place
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Why it
works:
People respond almost as well to what they imagine as to what
they see - physically as well as mentally. There's good evidence that
imagining body movement, for example, has your brain firing all the
impulses needed to generate actual muscle action, even to the point
that subliminal muscle response can be detected. (That has powerful
implications for mental rehearsal, but for now we're interested in
relaxation). |
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1: The Tension
Drainer |
Sounds weird,
but similar images work for real people. this one can also be used
to control mental tension and worry; see the variation below.
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Find a comfortable place to
sit. Settle comfortably, with your hands on your knees or slightly
overhanging the arms of your chair. |
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Note:
It often helps to have your eyes closed for imagery
work. |
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Breathe normally |
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Imagine your whole body filled
with seething, red liquid. Feel the tension it's causing in your muscles. |
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Now imagine you have little
taps (faucets, for you US folk) on the ends of you fingers and toes.
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Imagine those drain taps being
opened |
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Iimagine that red liquid flowing
out of the taps, being replaced with cool green fluid from your head
downwards. |
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If that green
fluid has a cool, fresh aroma, so much the better. Even imagined aromas
are very evocative. |
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Feel your muscles relax as
they're bathed in green, cooling fluid |
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Variation:
If you;re going after mental relaxation - for worry control - let
your head/mind be full of red seething stuff, and feel your thoughts
settle and calm down as you 'drain the tension out'. |
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When your red fluid is all drained out, close the taps and relax
for a moment before 'waking up' and carrying on.
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2. Quiet
place |
Much abridged version of the
quiet place exercise in sporting
bodymind. Practice this outside competition, so you can recall
the images and feelings easily. |
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Settle and get as relaxed
as possible; you have to feel comfortable to develop this well. |
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Imagine yourself somewhere
calm and refreshing. It can be somewhere you know well, or a complete
invention. It can also be a time when things were going well - even
a successful shoot. Visualisations including calm water and/or open
spaces are often effective. |
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Observe the scene carefully.
Look in front of you and study the details. feel the air move past
you, and notice the smells on the wind. If you're touching something
in your visualisation, feel the surface. Notice the clothes you're
wearing and how they feel. Listen to the sounds you hear. Notice how
comfortable and relaxed you feel in this environment. |
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Imagery is
effective if you just see the picture; it is more effective if you
can feel yourself in the scene. |
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Look to the left, and examine
the details again, with the same attention to all your senses. Do
the same towards your right hand and upwards. Imagine turning round
to study the scene behind you. |
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Finally, become aware again
of yourself in the real world, still feeling that sense of relaxation
from your quiet place. |
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The sporting
bodymind exercise suggests fading into the real world, and squeezing
a thumb gently as you return to the quiet place; the thumb-squeeze
can later be used as a cue for quick visits to the quiet place. Often,
though, once you've built your visualisation and practiced, you can
go there relatively quickly without a cue. |
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