Betti Hoeppner is a certified Master Practitioner of Nuero-Linguistic Programming, Interactive Guided Imagery and Hypnotherapy. She is currently on the faculty of the Academy for Guided Imagery in California

Making Changes in Your Life

To create any kind of change in your life, it must start in your mind. However, we often find that we have difficulty changing things in our mind. We have practiced our beliefs, values and old patterns of thought for a long, long time. Even when they no longer serve us well, we continue out of habit. We try to push through with "willpower" and get very frustrated and even angry at ourselves when things don't change.

So, what do we do to accomplish the changes we would like?
What kind of tools are available to assist us?

One such tool is Interactive Imagery. Imagery is the encoding language of the unconscious mind, and it conveys critical and relevant information about our beliefs, attitudes, emotions, motivations, and behaviors. It is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses & directs the imagination.

Even though imagery is sometimes called "visualization", it really involves far more than just the visual sense. It involves all of the senses (visual, auditory, feeling/sensation, smell) and almost anyone can do it. It is not just a mental activity - it involves the whole body, the emotions and all the senses, and it is precisely this body-based focus that helps create its powerful impact.

What Can Guided Imagery Do?

Guided Imagery's effectiveness has been widely studied over the past 25 years. Research has revealed imagery's impact on health, creativity and performance. Imagery has powerful physiological consequences which are directly related to the healing systems of the body. Even a small amount of time using imagery, say 10 minutes, can have a strong effect such as lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood and can enhance short-term immune cell activity.

Imagery is being used to reduce blood loss during surgery and morphine use after it. It can lessen headaches and pain. Studies show that imagery used for pain relief stimulates the release of endorphins - the body's pain-relieving chemicals.Imagery has been shown to increase physical skills such as skiing, skating, tennis, or just about any sport. It is often used to reduce anxiety and to heighten resourceful states of mind. Imagery is a powerful adjunct to treatment for cancer because it reduces the aversive effects of chemotherapy, especially nausea, depression and fatigue.

How Does Imagery Work?

Positron emission tomography (PET scan) is used to show which parts of the brain are activated at a given time. Research using PET scans has shown that it doesn't matter whether people actually perform an activity or just vividly imagine. The same parts of the brain become activated either way (just imagine biting into a sour lemon and feel your salivary glands start to work).

Even before PET scans, this fact was well known by athletes who used imagery to improve their performance. Interactive imagery uses a simple relaxation technique to help you focus attention on your own personal inner world. By invoking images to form that are related to issues in your life, you are able to access information and resources that can be powerfully therapeutic.

While imagery tends to be engaging and even entrancing, Interactive Imagery does not involve "mind control", or "psychological programming." The Interactive Imagery Guide uses non-judgmental, content-free language to help you become more aware of your own thoughts, feelings, and bodily responses which enable you to play a more active role in the healing process. Imagery helps you to access information and resources that can be powerfully therapeutic. It allows you to move at the pace that is appropriate for you.

.Can Interactive Imagery help me?

Interactive Imagery is now being used by physicians, psychotherapists, counselors and nurses and is among the safest, fastest, and most powerful therapeutic approaches available. Many people who have not responded to other techniques have found it to be helpful and effective.

Interactive Imagery is useful for teaching people to access and use their innate healing abilities through the power of the mind/body connection. Research shows that imagery hastens the body's ability to heal itself, to relax and relieve stress. It is also very effective in helping you balance emotions, resolve problems and conflicts, create sharper intuition, and become more effective at setting and reaching goals.

For a Conversation with Betti about relaxation techniques, click here.