What is "Integrative" Imagery?

Guided imagery refers to using the power of the imagination to evoke positive mind/body responses. The term is a broad, general category, familiar to most people. Guided imagery techniques are commonly scripted and directed by the practitioner or recorded on tape/CD. Typically, the recipient is guided to a peaceful scene or to concentrate on a theme in a guided visualization. And the widening field of therapeutic imagery is rapidly being accepted as an evidence-based holistic modality in many convention health care settings.

INTEGRATIVE IMAGERY is a specialized way to work within guided imagery. It is dynamic, active and profoundly powerful, involving an individual in his/her own imagery process. This therapeutic process goes beyond guided imagery to access the innate healing potential waiting to be discovered within each of us. Guided by a trained practitioner, an individual relaxes, focuses within to access his/her own inner resources, strengths and wisdom to address an issue or concern. The healing powers of imagery affect all levels of a person; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Imagery bridges the conscious mind with the deeper subconscious wisdom within us. True healing happens from within.

Integrative Imagery facilitates interaction with this internal source of knowledge. It is based on the premise that along with external resources, we can utilize the power of the mind, potentiate the innate healing abilities of the body, and tap into the realm of the subconscious to find the information needed to maintain or regain a state of health and well-being. For instance, a client may elicit an image of the disease and begin an exploratory journey to discover what the image needs or wants to heal. Please see the example of an Integrative Imagery technique of Inner wisdom that follows.

Communication is one significant factor that distinguishes Integrative Imagery from guided imagery. In addition to interacting with the images, the client is dialoguing with the guide while in imagery. He is actively using the right AND left hemispheres of the brain. This seems to more deeply integrate the information that comes through. Furthermore, there is something special that occurs when a practitioner holds the sacred space for another and is witness to the healing process.

Sample Integrative Imagery Session

ASSESSMENT

The Client is a 29 year-old female who wants to work with Inner Wisdom. She has had diabetes since the age of 12 and assumed she never would have children. She became pregnant 2 ½ years ago and gave birth to a healthy girl. She is so enjoying motherhood that she wants to have another child. However, given her medical situation (difficult blood sugar control, even with an insulin pump), and pressure from others, particularly her mother, she is wondering whether this is a good idea. Now that she has a child, she better understands her mother’s concerns and worries about her going through another high-risk pregnancy. In fact, she shares her mother’s concerns. At the same time, she feels very compelled to have another child. She would like to know what her inner wisdom has to offer that might shed light on this decision.

This client has had some experience with meditation and guided imagery over the years, but never integrative imagery. She has had some very powerful experiences in meditation and is eager to try this new modality. She prefers a deep breathing induction and would like to first go to a special place before inviting her inner wisdom figure to appear. Aside from the diabetes, her medical history is unremarkable.

INTERVENTION

The client was very quickly induced with some deep breathing and relaxation. She went readily to a special place. She found herself on a houseboat on a large lake. There were a lot of other people on the boat, but she was alone on an upper deck, lying in the sun and enjoying the gentle rocking motion of the boat. As I invited her to do more sensory recruitment, she became aware of the sound of the water lapping on the boat, the sound of birds, the smell of water and pine trees, and a floral / maple smell, the sensation of a light breeze, and most powerfully, the feeling of warmth as she lay in the sun. She spent a few moments grounding herself in these sensations and enjoying her special place. When she nodded that she was ready, I suggested she invite her Inner Wisdom figure to appear and when she had a good feel for its qualities, to begin describing it.

“It’s a bright white ball of light…..beaming …giving off energy. I’m holding it in my hand with my palm out, taking in all the warm energy it’s giving off.” She spent some more time describing the image and then I asked her if it had a name. “Angel”. I asked her what Angel had to communicate to her. The essence of the message was: “She says I’m a good mom, and everything looks really good….it’s a good idea….you should do it now….she says I’ll get a lot of support, just like I did with Maddie….all those other things I’m worried about will just fall into place. I need to trust the angel, not try to do it all myself….to relax, take time to soak up the sun….” and later, when thanking her image for coming and moving toward closure she told her image, “I’m surprised you were just a ball of light…I thought you’d be an old lady. ..thanks for knowing and not hesitating or feeling fearful like I know I am sometimes..”

I asked the client to gently let the image of Angel fade, and come back to the houseboat, once again noticing all that was around her: the sun, the trees, the sounds, the sensations. She stayed in that relaxed state for quite awhile. I then asked her to begin to let her special place go for now and gradually brought her back to the present time and place.

EVALUATION

In evaluation, the client said she was very moved by the power of the image and the clarity of the message she received. She also said she felt very relaxed and energized, which surprised her since when we started, she mentioned she felt like she was coming down with a cold and really didn’t feel very well.

I asked her what she would do with this information. She said she would share the experience with her husband and talk with him more about the possibility of having another child. She said this experience helped her feel more calm and confident about making the decision. I reminded her that this was just one piece of information for her to consider as she thought about this issue and that information from her husband, parents (who care for her daughter while she’s at work), and doctor would also be important to include as she continued to think about this.

She also said that when she was coming back from her special place, that she felt rushed. In fact, she had a sensation of being out of body at the time and when I started to bring her back to the present, she felt like she might fall to the deck of the boat – a very unsettling sensation! She then described to me another experience she had with some guided meditation by a yoga instructor when it took her “a long time to come back”.

Thank you to Sandie Roberts, RN for sharing this information.

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