The Power of Visualization
for Healing the Body
By Gayle North
"The body and mind are essential parts of the same system. Neither can be isolated from the other, … and all symptoms are messengers."
- NLP Presupposition
There have been numerous experiments using imagery to combat certain diseases. Perhaps the best known clinical work of this kind is that of Carl Simonton(1982). They pioneered the use of visual imagery as an additional treatment for cancer patients. Two colleagues of the Simontons (1982), both psychologists, have done further scientific analysis of imagery combined with conventional therapy used by cancer patients. One of their patients was a man who had cancer of the pancreas, a cancer with a recovery rate of only 5 percent.
He imagined his cancer cells as armadillos and his white blood cells as white knights. The knights would charge through his system spearing the armadillos with their lances; each knight had a quota to fill. A while later, he reported that his white knights were having difficulty meeting their daily quota of armadillos. They had to shake the bushes to scare up the little creatures. An ultra sound the following week showed that the patient had no sign of the tumor.
How does imagery help in the fight against disease?
It appears that we become susceptible to disease when our normal balance, or homeostasis, becomes disturbed. One of the influences that disturb the homeostasis is stress. Research has shown that excessively stressed rats secrete large amounts of corticosterone, a powerful hormone from the adrenal gland. Normally, such hormones prevent inflammation in the body. That's wonderful if there is an infection or injury. But too much of this hormone for too long can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system.
Another change brought on by stress is the reduction in T-lymphocytes – white blood cells that help produce antibodies and trigger a defense against tumors. When these immune factors are lowered, bacteria and viruses gain an opportunity to multiply and create illness.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the mind affects and directs these immune processes through complex neuro-chemical processes. Ernest Rossi in his book The Psychology of Mind Body Healing (1986) explains many of the theories about this phenomenon. This is an exciting new field if research called psychoneuroimmunology.
Many clinicians believe that the better you are able to visualize your body and its problem areas, the better your unconscious mind can coordinate your internal defense forces. Your unconscious can wave the baton and, perhaps chemically, orchestrate the components of your immune system to function in harmony and with gusto.
If you want to be thin - visualize yourself at your ideal weight (result imagery). Result imagery is picturing yourself in the way you wish as if your goal has already been accomplished. If you want to heal a part of your body – visualize the process taking place (process imagery). For example, if you want to stop a throbbing vascular headache, you might imagine your hands and feet getting warm.
Anyone can learn to visualize effectively. If you wish to have professional support in learning to visualize, a clinical Hypnotherapist, or personal coach trained in the new energy psychology methods can help you develop effective imagery strategies to align your subconscious and augment your efforts in any endeavor.
Gayle North offers Personal Coaching for Positive Change using recently developed empowerment technologies to clear mental and emotional blocks that keep people stuck in unhealthy habits and prevent them from performing at their highest potential in school, sports, relationships, work and finance. Call 406-837-1214 to learn how you can STOP SMOKING IN ONE HOUR and for coaching in person or by phone.
changeiseasy@montanasky.net www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com
|
