Visualisation

Visualisation is a powerful tool in working with clients who experience anxiety. Over the past few years, I have been working with more young people who have withdrawn into their homes. The experience of isolation due to Coronavirus has left a lasting impact on so many young people and their families, and withdrawal seems to be one of the symptoms.

In many cases the young person may not have had contact with people outside of the home for some time. It therefore feels like a privilege that the young person and their families allow me into their space, to work with them and find ways to support them to engage with wider life.

In preparation for the session, I always consider the energy I am going to meet the young person with, because they are taking a big step in letting me into a space that has become their safety. It always takes time to get to know each client to find out their interests and begin to explore their preoccupations. Something that has repeated is the desire to reconnect with the outside world. I wondered about ways that I could support each young person to begin to reacquaint themselves with once well-known places outside the home.

Visualisation is something that I had experienced as part of mindfulness training. The ability to create vivid mental images is embedded in the complex workings of our brains. Neuroscientists have made considerable advances in understanding the neural basis of visualisation, uncovering fascinating insights into how our minds create pictures without external stimuli.

When we participate in visualisation, various brain regions become active. The visual cortex, typically responsible for processing actual visual input, becomes active even when we’re merely imagining something. This suggests that our brains treat mental images similarly to real perceptions, a phenomenon that has profound implications for how visualisation can influence our thoughts and behaviours.

So, how does this work in psychotherapeutic practice? It’s possible that a client may wish to venture outside their safety space, perhaps starting with the garden or local park. Or perhaps a client may wish to attend a job interview or write an exam. The visualisation process can be repeated over several sessions, the client suggesting different scenarios to visualise around the same journey or event, considering points that cause anxiety and how these could be faced and resolved. The visualisation images and scenarios are completely led by the client, so that no internal mental objects are moved around by the therapist. It is very important to work delicately with each person’s defenses, some of which are necessary to function in everyday life.

Encountering points of anxiety during visualisation can awaken the amygdala, a small almond shaped part of the brain, that processes emotions. The amygdala also triggers the fight or flight response, which happens when danger is detected. Noticing, and working through this bodily response with the client, in a safe and well held space, can lead to the client being able to tolerate and breath through their anxiety, and in some cases, relieve it all together.

Some clients have shared that visualisations explored in sessions have manifested in their dreams, and they have been left with the thought and feeling that the journey or event had taken place in the real world. This seems to indicate that visualisation can perhaps trick our subconscious into believing that we have physically ventured out in the world. When we come to take that leap, the journey therefore feels familiar, bearable and even exciting.

This technique is not suitable for everyone and it’s important to let the client know that panic attacks can also occur during visualisations. It is important for the therapeutic relationship to be strong and well held before embarking on the process, so the client feels comfortable to communicate with the therapist if they feel the need to stop.

If visualisation is something you would like to know more about, whether you are a perspective client or a fellow psychotherapist, please get in touch.

I hope you enjoyed the read.