Using creative visualisations in your therapy room

Preparing for Visualisations

We are going to take a minute to bring ourselves into a place of peace, warmth and relaxation. Sitting comfortably, anchor your feet on the floor and imagine yourself feeling solid, safe & strong. Imagine yourself as a tree and allow your roots to slowly leave the body through the feet, anchoring yourself into the earth below

Close your eyes and focus on your breath, breathing in deeply through your nose and out of the mouth. Breathe in for a count of 5 and out for a count of 5, feel the breath entering your body and filling your stomach. Allow your body to be in the moment, recognise any tension and allow the breath to move to this area and work its way around the tension, accepting what is and releasing the tension on the out breath. Be mindful of the noises and sounds around you, allowing what is and recognising that this is a gentle part of life, it is happening and that is ok. Bring your focus back to the breath and now on each out breath, countdown from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Now begin…

The Kindness Ball

Imagine you are sitting in a beautiful space, whatever feels good and kind and warm for you. You feel safe and you feel calm in this space. Breathing in and breathing out… Just in front of you, you notice a shining ball of light. It’s just floating gently in the space in front of you, just being. Not doing anything else but just being. Its floating peacefully and gently. This ball feels safe and it feels kind. You give this ball a beautiful colour, something that feels good and safe for you.

You notice the ball becoming brighter and the colour is shining and sparkling. It feels good to watch this ball growing in kindness and warmth which each breath in and out. You reach out gently to touch the ball and as you touch it, it shines and sparkles brightly and confidently. It feels warm and kind and accepting of you just the way you are. The ball starts to move into the palm of your hand and it floats gently there. It then starts to move slowly up your arm and around your body.

It moves down through your body into your stomach, down through your legs, into your feet, up through your legs and into your stomach. The ball does not expect anything from you, you don’t have to be or do anything, it offers kindness and love for just being you.It moves up through your shoulders dissolving any tension in the body as it floats. It moves into the neck, the head and down through the throat clearing and dissolving any discomfort as it moves. It moves down into the heart area and it floats gently there for a minute.

The ball sits within your heart area absorbing painful emotions, just being. The ball does not expect anything from you. You don’t have to be or do anything but just be you. This ball represents kindness and you accept this ball with an open heart. Now as you breathe in and out, the mall slowly starts to make its way around the body and towards the hand.

Breathing in and out, it now hovers gently over the palm of your hand, just being. When you are ready, you gently release the ball back into the space in front of you and it floats gently there. You know that the ball is always there for you when you need it. Breathing in and breathing out you start to gently come back into the room…

Love

Imagine you are sitting in a beautiful space, whatever feels good and kind and warm for you. You feel safe and you feel calm in this space. Breathing in and breathing out… You are aware of the tension in your body and you allow this to be. With each breath out you release this tension into the space around you. You hold one of your hands out in front of you and your palm is facing upwards.

You start to become aware of a beautiful light building in your hand and you focus on this light. This light sparkles and glows. You give it a colour that represents love for you. This colour feels safe and warm. You sit for a few moments focusing on this loving energy light. Allowing it to be and to grow and to glow. You notice that it sparkles and feels accepting and unconditional.

You don’t have to be or do anything. You are good enough just as you are. You feel accepted and loved as this light is gently glowing in the palm of your hand. You now slowly bring the palm of your hand towards your heart. You place your hand gently over your heart and you allow this glowing, beautiful, sparkling, warm and loving light to enter the heart area.

You hold your hand over your heart allowing this energy to full your heart with love. You feel this unconditional, warm and safe love moving through your body now dissolving any emotional pain. You are aware of any thoughts now and allow these to be. They exist but you are able to bring your attention gently back to this loving energy that is growing and glowing within your heart, as you sit with your hand gently in that space.

You take a few moments to feel this accepting love… Now you gently start to move your hand away from the heart making a conscious choice to leave the energy there to work gently throughout the coming days…

Breathing in and breathing out you start to gently come back into the room…

Letting Go…

Imagine you are standing in a beautiful space, whatever feels good and kind and warm for you. You feel safe and you feel calm in this space. Breathing in and breathing out… You notice tension in the body and that’s ok. You are taking a moment to just be in this space. Focusing on the breath entering and leaving the body. You imagine your breath starts to have a beautiful and powerful colour. Whatever feels good for you. As you now breathe in you start to imagine the breath moving through the body and down into your feet. You imagine your body as if it were a tank. With each breath your tank starts to fill. Breathing in and breathing out.

With each new breath you are filling even more. Breathing in and breathing out. Your legs are now full and your beautiful, calming, powerful breath now begins to fill your stomach and your chest, moving up filling your shoulders, your neck, your throat and your head. Breathing in and breathing out. You are now full of this calming, colourful breath. You start to imagine all of the tension areas, you start to think about all of the painful emotions that you have been experiencing. Imagine those words and those emotions within your tank and your body. Breathing in and breathing out. Now with each breath out, you release the tension and the painful emotions into the space around you. Each word and each tension area is being released from the body. You allow this process to peacefully and lovingly take place. You are allowing your body to choose to let go. Breathing in and breathing out. You start to feel your tank emptying and it feels peaceful and good.

You feel relaxed and free from any painful emotions and tension in the body. You are now being free in this space. Breathing in and breathing out you start to gently come back into the room…

Remember…

When working with clients to adapt the exercises to suit their needs. Does the client feel comfortable to close their eyes? Have you prepared a safe word in case a client would like to end the visualisation? Have you helped the client to anchor themselves in the space? Remind them that they are in control, can end the session at any point. Check for things like:

• What colours to avoid that they are not comfortable with and which colours do they love to work with?
• Do they dissociate, and if so, how will you work in a way that anchors your client?
• What about sensory smells and sounds? How could you incorporate these into the session? Earl grey tea, essential oils, bird sounds in the background?
• Start gently. I always create a short visualisation at first for clients! Check in, how was that? What did you like? What didn’t you like?

If you would like to learn more about how to confidently facilitate visualisations in your counselling room, we have a four hour course available within our membership hub for just £10 per month. Plus you get access to more than 60 hours of creative counselling training.

http://www.theccchub.com