Imagery in Clients with Pain or Anxiety

Guided imagery is a treatment technique that permits an individual to utilize his or her own imagination to link his or her body or mind to achieve desired results such as reduced pain and anxiety. This type of therapeutic technique takes advantage of the communication connection between the mind and the body and utilizes this imagination to produce intentional physiologic states. Guided imagery technique is always performed by nurses, therapist or by the patient in person. This technique involves lying or sitting in a quiet place and imagining a peaceful setting like a forest or beach. With regard to the patient experiencing pain or anxiety, physicians or nurses find guided imagery technique so useful in assisting them. This technique can be achieved when a patient listens to a certain recording or develop their own visual images that assist them to relax as well as manage emotional or mental stress. 

With guided imagery using visualization, patients are asked to imagine particular images that are pleasant and engaging. In this scenario, a comprehensive representation is developed in a person’s mind which assists an individual experiencing pain or anxiety to redirect his or her attention away from pain until he or she achieves a state of relaxation. Relaxation has numerous benefits which include decreasing muscle tension, enhancing concentration and mood, lowering blood pressure and minimizing active stress hormones. This suggests that using guided imagery can significantly improve the patient’s ability to adjust to both pain and anxiety. However, without the support, training, cognitive strategies and knowledge of the physician or nurses, this technique may result in dire psychological or physical damage that may be accompanied by negative consequences. It is therefore important to teach patients how to carry out these exercises on their own so that they may use these skills at the time they need them. This is because guided imagery gives people a sense of well being and control. 

Reference  

Ackerman, C. J., & Turkoski, B. (2000). Using guided imagery to reduce pain and anxiety.  Home Healthcare Now ,  18 (8), 524-530.