How Visual Imagery May Reduce Your Anxiety Symptoms

Suffering from chronic anxiety can leave you feeling sad, tired, and fearful, and it can be hard to overcome these negative feelings and emotions. While doctors can help you with anxiety issues by prescribing medication, there are ways you may be able to beat your anxiety naturally. One method you may want to look into is called visual imagery or guided imagery. This method involves focusing on good things to help you learn to control your thoughts and feelings. Here are three things you may want to know about visual imagery and its effects on anxiety.

What Techniques Does It Involve?

Visual imagery is a strategy that is often used to help people find relief from pain, depression, and anxiety. It involves looking at images or videos or listening to music or tapes of people speaking. Each image, word, or video you view will contain something positive, serene, nice, or beautiful. As you view or listen to these things, you will have to try to relax completely. You will try to place your focus on what you are seeing and hearing, and you must try to take yourself to that particular place or event.

For example, you might start by viewing pictures of a beach. The therapist might tell you to imagine you are lying on the sand at this beach. You may then be instructed to imagine how it feels, what you see, and how it smells.

This is something that can be done at a clinic with a therapist, or you could do this at home after you learn how it works. You can spend as much time using this technique as you would like, and you can perform the steps as often as you want.

What Is The Purpose Of Visual Imagery?

The purpose of visual imagery is to get your mind off the problems you have in life and onto something that is appealing. When people suffer from anxiety or chronic pain, it can be hard to think about anything else. The feelings that arise from anxiety are hard to beat. They can completely take over a person's mind, and this can lead to worsened symptoms of anxiety. By learning to focus on good things, you might be able to regain control of your brain, thoughts, and feelings. If so, you will learn exactly how to change your thought patterns.

Visual imagery is also designed to help you learn techniques to use each time you feel like you are becoming anxious. You will learn how to use visual aids to help you relax and take your mind off the problems or fears you are thinking about.

Does It Really Work?

Whenever people try natural remedies for treating any type of illness or problem, they may be skeptical about the effectiveness of the remedy. If you are feeling this way but desperately want relief from your anxiety, giving visual imagery a try is definitely worth it. It cannot hurt you in any way, and it does not have any negative side effects. According to many studies on this subject, visual imagery does offer positive effects for people suffering from anxiety. These studies have also concluded that visual imagery is an effective treatment option for dealing with chronic pain and depression.

If you would like to give it a try, you can learn more by contacting a counseling center in your area that specializes in natural treatment options for anxiety. After you try this once or twice, you may too be convinced that it really does work. To learn more about this and other forms of anxiety treatment, contact a doctor or counselor in your area today.


Share