Coping With Anxiety and PTSD: Guided Imagery Exercises
Guided imagery for anxiety and trauma is a helpful tool that involves using mental visualization to create calm, relaxation, and reduce anxiety. By engaging the five senses, or at least imaging them, guided imagery helps clients to see themselves in calm and safe environments. This can help in emotional regulation and providing relief or a reduction of anxiety, distress, or discomfort. This mind-body approach can be highly effective when combined with other therapies, such as EMDR, to help clients manage anxiety more effectively in general, as well as during the EMDR process. Guided imagery is often used in therapy sessions, but it can also be practiced at home. Below are a few prompts you can use to practice guided imagery so you’ll be prepared if anxiety or trauma triggers happen.
Guided Imagery for Relaxation and Coping: Nature Walk
Find a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down.
Close your eyes and take some nice deep breaths. Breathing slowly in for 3-4 seconds, holding briefly, and then exhaling for 4-5 seconds, holding the emptiness briefly. Repeat this process for at least 5 breaths, but for as long as you want.
Imagine yourself walking through a peaceful forest.
The air is fresh and you can feel the coolness as you breathe in.
You hear birds singing softly above you. Make this as vivid as possible.
As you walk, feel the earth beneath your feet. Feel the forest floor, steady and supportive.
Notice the gentle breeze that brushes your skin, carrying the scent of pine trees and honeysuckle.
Continue your big deep breaths. Allow the calmness of the forest wash over you, clearing away any tension or worry.
Ahead, you see a clearing with a calm, crystal-clear lake. Add whatever details to the lake that you would like to see in the water.
As you approach, the surface of the water is smooth and reflective, mirroring the sky.
Take a moment to sit by the lake, watching the sunlight dance on the water.
Every breath you take becomes slower and deeper, and with each exhale, you feel yourself becoming lighter, more relaxed. Breath in healing and calmness, breath out the tension you feel in your body.
Imagine dipping your toes into the cool, refreshing water. Let the sensation ground you.
With each breath, picture any remaining stress or tension gently flowing away, carried by the water.
You are safe, centered, and calm in this space.
Nature is surrounding you like a calm, supportive hug.
Stay here for as long as you need, breathing in the calmness, breathing out any tension.
When you're ready, slowly bring your awareness back to the present moment, carrying this sense of peace with you throughout your day.
Guided Imagery for Mindfulness and Calmness: A Childhood Memory
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Repeat this with big slow deep breaths for as long as you like, at least 5 breaths.
Now picture yourself as a young child, running barefoot through a familiar place—a backyard, a beach, a forest behind your house – something that feels free, safe, and calm.
Feel the ground beneath your feet, connected to the earth through grass, sand, dirt, or whatever else.
Notice the warmth of the sun on your skin, gentle and comforting.
You hear birds in the distance and the wind blowing gently through the trees or along the dunes.
Notice a scent in the air, whatever brings you back to a comforting childhood place. Maybe the sea air, honeysuckle flowers, or your grandparents cooking in the kitchen.
Look around and see your favorite childhood spot. Maybe it’s a tree you used to climb, a swing you’d sit on, or a spot of shade in the yard.
Continue to take some deep breaths – inhaling peace and safety through your nose, exhaling stress through your mouth. You’re safe in your inner world.
Feel the light breeze in the air, carrying away the exhaled worries or stress from the present.
Allow yourself to soak in the peace of this memory—this time when life felt simple and full of wonder.
You are completely safe and free here. You don’t have any cares in the world – you’re just yourself in a familiar and safe place.
Continue the breathing.
Stay as long as you need, breathing in the calmness of your past.
When you’re ready, bring this feeling of peace back with you as you return to the present moment.
Take one last deep breath, feeling that childlike freedom within you.
Open your eyes when you're ready, bringing a sense of calm with you.
Guided Imagery for Mindfulness and Calmness: A Place of Calm and Safety
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Take several seconds to breathe in, and several seconds to breathe out.
Picture a time or place in your life where you felt calm and safe, no stress or pressure.
It could be a favorite spot in nature, your childhood home, or a favorite and stress-free vacation.
Feel whatever the experience is around you and utilize your 5 senses.
Maybe it's the warmth of the sun, the smell of fresh air, or the soft sound of birds in the distance.
Continue the nice, big, slow, deep breaths.
Let yourself settle into the peacefulness, calmness, and safety of this place.
Notice how your body relaxes as you sink in to this sense of safety and comfort.
Focus on the little details. This could be an object nearby, the texture you’re feeling like the sand beneath your feet, or the sounds that are filing the space like waves on the shore.
Take a deep breath and allow that calm feeling to spread through your body, filling you from head to toe.
Stay here for a while, enjoying the sense of security and peace. Continue taking the nice, big, deep breaths.
When you’re ready, gently bring yourself back to the present, knowing that you can return to this safe place anytime.
Open your eyes slowly, carrying the calmness and safety with you.
Attach a term or phrase to associate with this place of safety. It could be the name of the location, a key phrase like “ocean”, or maybe a person’s name that you associate with the safety and calmness, like “grandma”.
If you’re interested in learning more about EMDR, trauma, anxiety, or coping, reach out today.