What is guided imagery meditation? Actually, guided meditation is somewhat of a cross between relaxation, hypnosis, and meditation, in which a relaxed state is induced and a deeper level of consciousness is reached, a state somewhere between the waking state and the unconscious or sleep state. In this state, we can go "within" and quiet outside influences and distractions to tap our inner core. Various types of imagery may be used, depending upon what the guided meditation is attempting to do. In some way, because imagery is utilized, this modality draws on our imagination and may allow us to more easily be pulled "into" the meditation and dissolve blocks that may otherwise have been barriers to finding answers.
Guided imagery meditation may be used for a variety of purposes. At its simplest, it may be used for relaxation, to still and calm anxiety. It may be used to access spirit guides and to obtain guidance, and to reach our Higher Self. It may be used to face and deal with fears, thereby overcoming them. It may be used to deal with childhood issues and pains and heal them. It may be used to attain self-esteem and self-love. And, as we attempt to move toward living consciously, it allows us to plumb our own depths, know ourselves better, and bring unconscious things to consciousness.
One of the very positive aspects of guided imagery meditation is that it can allow us to find our own answers within. Thus, it is a powerful tool for empowerment. The practitioner who uses this technique can facilitate his/her client's process of empowerment, rather than just giving the client answers that he/she could have found within or telling the client what to do. For the client, encountering one's own guides and finding one's answers can be a very powerful and transformative experience and can greatly accelerate one's process of healing, growth, and empowerment. There can be spontaneous transformations and emotional breakthroughs.
In addition, a skilled and intuitive practitioner can individualize the session to your needs and, moreover, can also actually "be there" with you and sense how to steer the imagery and, thus, the experience. This can elicit much more powerful results than may be gained through preprogrammed guided meditation tapes that may not be individualized to your needs (although, in lieu of individualized sessions, tapes can definitely be helpful).
Regression sessions are a modality similar to guided imagery meditation, in that a relaxed state is induced and a person is taken to a deeper level of consciousness. Age or past-life regression may be attained either through guided imagery or a more straightforward approach. The key component of regression sessions is that of being taken to a different time -- usually to a younger age in the present lifetime or to a past lifetime. One may do regression for a variety of reasons: to tap into childhood issues and primary causes of pain and fear, so as to facilitate insight and breakthroughs; to explore past lifetimes in order to identify possible past-life causes of present life problems, fears, relationship issues, etc.; to learn what one's past lives may have been; etc. Regression can also be a powerful transformative tool and can help elicit breakthroughs and insights.
One can also go forward in time, either to the future in the present life or to future lifetimes. We may call this technique, progression.
At their best, guided imagery meditation and regression/progression sessions can be powerful tools for self-transformation and empowerment with great gains attained in a noninvasive and facilitating manner. The noninvasive and facilitating approach in these techniques allows you to walk your own path, find your own answers, and empower yourself.
This article was first published in the June 1994 issue of "Connexions."
Many studies have been done on the effects of guided meditation and most of these studies have proven its effectiveness on calming a person's mind and body. Guided meditation is not a new exercise and has been around for many years but since the recent notice of stressful and time consuming jobs and lives, many people have turned to it to help relieve their stress and to instruct them on how to deal with straining situations. Through the use of guided meditation practices, people who participate in these meditative sessions are finding more calm and quiet moments in their lives, even when they are not meditating.
Guided meditation and private meditation were developed in the Buddhist community about 2,500 years ago and have been used ever since. The Dalai Lama takes this line of guided meditation so seriously that he decided to meet with Western neuroscientists to help them test the effectiveness of the guided meditation exercises. The Dalai Lama stands by meditation by referring to it as a way that human beings express their ability to avoid suffering and find their own personal happiness. The Dalai Lama met with these scientists in a number of sessions in which they interviewed him and presented their research on the subject of guided meditation. He offered his opinions on the subject from his Buddhist point of view but also engaged in the scientists' factual understanding of meditation and its effects. Although the Dalai Lama stands by his completely spiritual and meditative practices, he cooperated with the scientists and showed them that he understands the importance of science and research on the subject.
Guided meditation was shown to be effective at calming a person's inner thoughts and sometimes relieving ailments such as migraines. By attempting to achieve the three levels of guided mediation, many people have found their limit of difficulty and what they need to work on to make their meditative session more intense. The meditating person must first work to achieve an external focus during a guided meditation session. This is the most basic type of meditation and the easiest form to achieve. In the external focus session, the person must concentrate on an object in the room while still paying close attention to his or her own body. The internal focus is a form of guided meditation that is found to be a little more challenging. In this form of meditation, the person must focus on occupying the mind with a mantra or another small but non-thinking task while concentrating solely on removing thoughts from the brain and relaxing the body. The unfocused form of guided meditation is the most challenging form and it is the form where the person meditating can go the deepest into the meditative state. In this state of meditation, the person focuses on nothing and keeps the mind completely silent.
People are finding the world of meditation is easy to become one with when they use the help of guided meditation. Many users can achieve their meditative goals and the meditative state of calm with guided meditation.
Both Diane Brandon & Kelly Kauffman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Diane Brandon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guided Meditation, Heart Conditions. Diane Brandon is the Host of "Living Your Power" on the Health & Wellness Channel of VoiceAmerica.com, as well as an Intuition Teacher, Integrative Intuitive Counselor, and Speaker. She is the author of "Invisible Blueprints" and several articles o. Diane Brandon's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.
Kelly Kauffman has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guided Meditation, Family Concerns. Karen Kauffman, a well known freelance writer, prepared this article for Meditation CDs . Kelly Kauffman's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.