Guided imagery and visualization as treatments for diabetes, headaches, and depression

Hamilton, Alexander

Discussion post: The impact of guided imagery/visualization on health issues

The use of guided imagery and visualization is powerful testimony to the mind-body connection which can be tapped into to help individuals overcome a variety of physical and psychological health challenges. According to the Academy of Guided Imagery: "guided imagery has powerful physiological consequences and also conveys important and otherwise inaccessible information from the unconscious mind" ("Can guided imagery help me?" 2015). Regardless of one's views of what the unconscious mind consists of, the technique fundamentally deploys a well-used and well-supported concept in life coaching, namely that creative visualization can help individuals in planning for their future (Martin 2001). It is often said that if we cannot see it, we cannot achieve it. This is in evidence in three common conditions: diabetes, headaches, and depression.

Diabetes

According to American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are total of 25.8 million children and adults who are diagnosed with the condition inside the United States, in addition to the expanding population of pre-diabetic and undiagnosed cases ("Statistics about Diabetes," 2013). Although diabetes is a multifactorial disease, type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to obesity and sedentary behavior. However, quite often individuals will opt for medication vs. attempting to change their lifestyle to treat diabetes. Guided imagery and visualization can help them create a different mental image of themselves in mind. A life coach can ask his or her client to picture the client as thin, exercising, and eating in a healthy manner. This is defined by the Academy of Guided Imagery as active visualization: "where the patient is encouraged to imagine desired therapeutic outcomes while in a relaxed, open state of mind. This affords clients/patients a sense of participation and control in their own healing, which is of significant value by itself" ("Can guided imagery help me?" 2015). Weight loss can be difficult to achieve because people even cannot see themselves as 'thin,' and thus cannot act in the necessary fashion to control weight. They have internalized a self-concept of themselves as failures and overweight and may not even really understand what a healthy lifestyle entails in a realistic fashion (for example, they may believe it means running marathons and eating rabbit food, versus a realistic plan for health).

Depression

Depression is more than being in a 'bad mood': it is a serious mental disorder that causes feelings of extreme worthlessness and can even result in thoughts of or actual suicide ("Depression," 2006). Depression is a complex condition and must be managed as part of a therapeutic treatment team (often with medication and different forms of therapy). However, creative visualization and guided imagery can help a depressed individual see his or her life in a new and more positive manner. The depressive mindset often frames things in black and white such as "I am worthless." Through creative visualization, the life coach can encourage the individual to remember times when he or she did positive and helpful things or to envision the future in an upbeat fashion. This is called "receptive, or insight oriented imagery, where images are invited to enter conscious awareness where they are interactively explored to gather more information about a symptom, illness, mood, treatment, situation, or possible solution" ("Can guided imagery help me?" 2015).