IMAGERY [MENTAL HEALTH]ARTICLE 1, 2

Article 1

A good way of stimulating our brains is with imagery . We are going to do compassionate imagery mindfully, which means that should your mind ever wander from the task this really doesn’t matter at all- you simply know this and bring it back .

People often say that they are no good at imagery . This is because they don’t really understand what we mean by it.

For example , if I say to you,’What ‘s biscuit ?’ or ‘Where did you go on your last holiday?’ you would probably be able to answer . You can because you have images flashing in and out of your mind . They may be very vague , fleeting and shadowy but they are there.

The most important thing about imagery is that it often comes with a’felt sense’ . As we discussed earlier, if you lie in bed and create an erotic image, you might get aroused because the image you are producing simulates the pituitary area of your brain , which then rekleases hoemones into your body .

Article 2

However, these images may not be clear, viviod ones but hazy and impressionistic. So, when we deliberately use im ages to stimulate the body, you do not need to create clear visual images -in fact at timesa you may see very little . It is more the feeling that goes with your focus of attention that is important.

When we needed to get very clear images in order to cast ourselves into the scene and make changes to it. In this case it is the feeling not the image itself , which we are interested in.