Review Text
Imagery relaxation creates a calm, worry-free mind. Negative thoughts, images, and other mental activities can be upsetting to us. This adds to stress. Imagery Relaxation turns down our "fight or flight" mental setting, and allows us to be composed in the face of life's challenges. We think more clearly, and solve problems more constructively when we are anxiety-free and focused calmly on solutions. Most of us have struggled with unwanted thoughts only to find ourselves upset. Maybe something at work is extremely pressing, or perhaps a personal problem is troubling us. Thoughts about the problems keep spinning in our minds, almost as if they were being rolled around in a clothes dryer. One idea leads to another, and soon we find ourselves totally worked up and in a state of stress. We keep rehashing the problem without finding a solution. We may find that we are unable to pay attention to anything else during the day, or we become so aroused that we cannot sleep at night. When introducing "Relaxing Ways for a Stressful World" techniques of progressive relaxation, hypnotic deep muscle relaxation, and autogenic relaxation, I made the point that these relaxation techniques work because it is almost impossible to be physically relaxed and tense at the same time. You simply cannot do both simultaneously - at least not very well! Relaxing your mind is based on the same principle. You cannot be thinking relaxed, peaceful, and calming thoughts while your mind is racing wildly up and down the stairways of your life. This recording teaches you to produce relaxing images and thoughts. These images and thoughts can be used to block out intruding and upsetting ideas. You will learn how to reduce and control mental anxiety by using imagery relaxation. Anxiety usually involves both physical and mental parts, but at times one of these may be stronger than the other. For example, one may be physically tired and yet be unable to sleep because of upsetting thoughts. This is mental anxiety. By using pleasant visual images, we can control upsetting thoughts and enjoy a deep state of physical relaxation. Learning to control your thoughts takes knowing what you need to think about, practicing those thoughts, and then using them when you want to relax. Once you have developed your ability to create pleasant mental images, you will be able to begin to visualize yourself being successful and meeting the goals to which you aspire.
