How Guided Imagery Works
by Joel Levey

The Self-Guided Relaxation CD contains guided imagery -- carefully selected words, music, and sounds to help you enter a state of deep relaxation.

The ability of your mind and body to be influenced by verbal suggestion and audio imagery is a principle that you can use to your own advantage. All of the suggestions presented here are of a positive and healthful nature.

For best results, listen in a relaxed, alert, non-judgmental way. Listen for the meaning or the feeling behind the words. Simply allow your body to respond.

On this audio program, there are no subliminal messages ... just a simple, straightforward presentation of images and ideas to help you achieve dynamic relaxation.

These sessions use phrases that in many cases have been clinically proven to promote relaxing and beneficial effects in the body. Your body will respond more to the feelings you associate with the words than to the words themselves.

Visualization Exercise -- Keep in mind that there are many individual approaches to imagination and visualization. Each person will translate the words, music, and sounds into his or her own unique style of inner-dimensional experience. Even if you do not see pictures in your mind, you still visualize and imagine

Here is the text of the exercise that you can read to yourself:

Close your eyes and imagine that you are in your kitchen and that there on the counter next to the sink is an apple. Reach out and pick up this imaginary apple now. Hold it in your hand and feel its size and weight.

What color is your imaginary apple? Is it red? Yellow? Green? Which side of the sink was it on? Although I did not suggest a specific color or location for your apple, most likely you generated a mental image of it even if you did not see a "visual image" in your mind.

Mental images have a direct impact on your body. With your eyes still closed, imagine reaching over to the counter now and picking up a juicy lemon. Feel its skin and smell its fragrance. Now imagine slicing it in half with a knife and tasting a bit of its tart, juicy pulp.

Notice how your body responds to this mental image with the physical response of salivating. In a similar way your body is continually responding to the constant flow of mental images and their associated emotional feelings.

As you listen to the audio suggestions on this program, simply allow your mind and body to respond to the mental images that you generate.

Trust in the natural power of your mind to effortlessly provide you with mental images that will deepen your experience of relaxation.