Imagery is a part of almost all relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. It is a proven method for pain relief, for helping people tolerate medical procedures and treatments and reducing side effects, and for stimulating curing responses in the body. Imagery can assist in clarifying attitudes, emotions, behaviors, and lifestyle patterns that may be involved in producing illness. It can also facilitate recovery, and be used to help people find meaning in their illnesses, cope more effectively with their health problems, and come to grips with life's limitations.

   For many people, imagery is the easiest way to learn to relax, and its active nature makes it more comfortable than other methods of relaxation. Learning to relax is fundamental to self-curing.

 

  Dr. Bresler states that imagery can be applied to almost any health care, because it is a way of treating people rather than symptoms or diseases. The following areas of application are some examples of where imagery can be useful, but this list is by no means complete.

  Imagery is often used for relief of chronic pain, and other symptoms, including headaches, neck and back pain, allergies (including hay fever and asthma), high blood pressure, benign arrhythmias (heartbeat irregularities), stress-related gastrointestinal symptoms (including chronic abdominal pain and spastic colon), functional urinary complaints, and reproductive irregularities including premenstrual syndrome, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), and even excessive uterine bleeding. It can also accelerate curing and minimize discomfort from all kinds of acute injuries, including sprains, strains, and broken bones, as well as from the symptoms of the common cold, flus, and infections. Because imagery can affect immune system function, within limits, there is a great deal of interest among researchers of mind/body medicine for applying it to a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus (a chronic inflammatory disease with symptoms including arthritis, fatigue, and skin lesions).

  Finally, a great number of people with cancer have used imagery as part of their recovery process. O. Carl Simonton, M.D., radiation oncologist, was first who pioneered imagery in cancer therapy. He used imagery as a means of reinforcing traditional medical treatments, suggesting that his patients imagine their cancer cells as anything soft that can be broken down, like hamburger meat, or fish eggs, and their warrior white cells as aggressive and eager for battle.

  Dr. Simonton first employed this technique in 1971 with a sixty-one years old throat cancer patient. He was extremely weak, his weight had dropped to ninety-eight pounds, and he was having trouble breathing and swallowing his own saliva. Although he was scheduled to receive radiation treatment, his doctors were concerned that treating him would further worsen his condition.

  Dr. Simonton outlined a program of relaxation and imagery for the man, instructing him to devote five to fifteen minutes three times a day. The imagery exercise consisted of imagining the radiation treatment as "bullets of energy" striking his cells, healthy and cancerous alike, with the healthy cells remaining healthy and the cancer cells dying off. The man would then visualize his cancer shrinking in size and his health returning to normal. As a result of this program, the man was able to receive radiation treatment with minimum discomfort. Halfway through his treatment, he began eating again, and regaining weight and strength. Within two months, his cancer completely disappeared.

  Patricia Norris, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of imagery and author of Why Me?, works with people with serious illnesses. Dr. Norris likes to distinguish between two types of imagery: That which uses /images preconceived by the therapist as a means of suggesting curing; and imagery created by the patient as a way to better understand the meaning of symptoms or to access inner resources. Dr. Norris remembered a nine-year-old Garrett Porter, who was diagnosed with an inoperable, terminal brain tumor. By creating an imagery scenario with Garrett (based on his favorite TV show, "Star Trek"), used in combination with biofeedback, Dr. Norris was able to guide Garrett through a year of intensive therapy, after which the boy's tumor completely disappeared.

  Even when cancer patients are not cured through imagery, they report benefits from its use, including relief from anxiety and pain, increased self-esteem, and an increased sense of control over their bodies. They also report an increased ability to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy. 

  In addition to being used to explore diseases and symptoms, imagery can be helpful for enhancing tolerance to medical procedures such as MRI's (magnetic resonance imaging), bone marrow biopsies, cancer chemotherapy, and radiation. Imagery can also help prepare people for surgery and postsurgical recovery.

  In fact, imagery can be applied to almost any medical situation where problem solving, decision making, relaxation, or symptom relief is useful. Imagery can be considered as an addition treatment to health care no matter how minor the condition. Jeanne Achterberg, Ph.D., President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, says,  establishing healing patterns is far easier when the individual is relatively healthy than when faced with a serious disease. Once someone is diagnosed as being seriously ill, the person often lacks the emotional resources and belief system to use imagery to its best advantage.

 

  This simple technique can be used as a stress reducer either for a few minutes, or half an hour. It's best when learning it to have another person read and guide you through the steps until they are familiar. You can also tape the exercise yourself and listen to it before going to bed at night.

  Get comfortable, either lying down or sitting up. Take a few deep breaths and begin to imagine that with each in-breath, you take in calmness and peacefulness-with each out-breath you release tension, discomfort, and worry. Let your breath find its own natural rate and rhythm and continue to imagine breathing in calmness and peacefulness, and breathing out tension and worry.

   Relax your body. Imagine breathing calmness into your feet and legs-release any tension on the out-breath. Breathe into your pelvis, hips, and low back, and release on the out-breath-don't struggle or make an effort-just imagine this happening in your own way. Breathe calmness into your abdomen and release tension on the out-breath, breathe into your chest and release tension as you exhale, breathe peacefulness into your neck and shoulders, and release tension as you exhale. Breathe calmness into your arms and hands all the way to the fingertips, and relax as you let go of the breath, breathe into your face and jaws, into your scalp and forehead, into your eyes and release all tension. Allow your whole body to sink into a peaceful, relaxed state.

  Now imagine yourself in a place that is particularly peaceful and beautiful, perhaps a place you've actually visited, or a place imagined-a special place you'd really like to be. Imagine yourself there now-notice the details-what you see, the colors, shapes, living things. Notice what you hear in this special place, smell any aromas or odors you associate with this place, pay special attention to any feelings of peacefulness and relaxation that you feel and allow yourself to experience them as fully as possible.

  Whenever you are ready, simply allow the /images to fade and, taking all the time you need, bring yourself back to the outer world, gently opening your eyes and stretching as you return.