Visualization: The Use of Imagery to Relax and Regulate

“Visualization plays a pivotal role in emotional regulation. Individuals can counteract distress or anxiety by consciously guiding thoughts toward positive and calming images.” Better Help Tutorial Team.

Recovery from mental health issues involves being able to regulate your body, which has been an underlying theme of this month’s blog posts. Visualization, combined with breathing, and a therapeutic arts activity, is a powerful way of regulating, motivating, and developing self-compassion (Star, 2024). Typically visualization uses images to promote relaxation, which makes it a valuable tool in coping with anxiety and preventing or deescalating panic attacks.

Later, when I tell my story about using visualization, you will see how visualization practices that originate in trauma therapy paired with bilateral stimulation can help you move through stress and overwhelming emotions. This technique is one I learned in therapy and has been so helpful during times of chronic stress. It is important to note that this is a tool that I feel needs to be taught by a professional counsellor because it can bring to the surface traumatic memories and be very triggering. Here is a link to an interesting article about self-administered EMDR (a type of therapy used to treat trauma) and its pros and cons and recommendations for when and how to use it: How To Self Administer EMDR Therapy From Home – EMDR Healing. For this post, I am describing my use of this tool from therapy for the purpose of showing you what it can do instead of asking you to try it on your own.