How to Use Visualisation to Heal Physically and Emotionally

Visualisation is a powerful tool that can help you to see your positive future and eventually live in it. I regularly use visualisation techniques with my hypnotherapy clients and like to set homework that involves using visualisation on a daily basis.

It helps the client to focus on their healing, start each day with some positivity, and aids an increased sense of well being.

I’ve used visualisation techniques myself in the past, and still do today. In 2012 I injured my back while doing a series of charity walks and runs. The injury was so bad that I lost the ability to walk for around two weeks. The pain was so intense that even the strong pain killers I was taking didn’t do much. I spent a couple of weeks lying in my bed and having to be helped to move. 

It was also challenging psychologically. Those days were indeed dark. Something needed to change though, and that was my mindset. I was being helped by people around me, but I needed to help myself out of that hole and back to fitness.

Visualisation techniques helped significantly. I started by visualising myself being able to walk without my back giving way and without feeling pain. I visualised myself doing simple things like walking to the local shop and even getting up to go to the toilet; something I was struggling to do at that point. Seeing myself in that way empowered me to try becoming that person.

Eventually my back started to heal but I believe that it happened more quickly because of the mindset I had chosen to have and the visualisation techniques that went alongside that. I pushed myself to walk again. I made myself go to the local shop. Then I walked to the supermarket. Then it was into the town centre. It took a while until I was back to full walking ability but my way of achieving it was to visualise myself doing something and then actually doing it. My visualisations became my reality.

The back injury has never fully gone away. I still struggle sometimes with pain and mobility but it’s lessening in frequency as the years go by. Visualisation continues to help in times of a flare up.

Visualisation is not just useful for helping you to push yourself to return to fitness in time of injury. It’s beneficial in many ways. 

For example, I may see a client who has a fear of public speaking. As part of his hypnotherapy treatment, visualisation could be utilised, both in session and in between appointments. Seeing themselves as a confident person who can do any kind of public speaking so naturally and with ease can ultimately help the person to become just that. Guiding them through a visualised scenario of having to do a public speech but doing it without any nerves or anxiety and seeing the positive reaction of those listening to the speech can be incredibly powerful.

Visualisation is all about focusing your mind on how you would like your life to be. It could be connected to certain events, particular behaviours, or even your health and well being. It can help you to relax, feel less stressed, focus on achieving a goal, bring clarity to your mind, cope with pain, or heal physically and emotionally. Many successful people use visualisation techniques, including athletes to help themselves perform better and business owners to increase productivity and grow their businesses.

So, how can you get started with visualisation?

1. The first thing to do is make sure you’re alone and there aren’t any distractions around.
2. Then close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing. Allow your breathing to become slower, deeper and guide into a nice, relaxed state.
3. Once you have achieved that, focus on all the muscles in your body and allow them to relax from head to toe. When your body is relaxed, it will help your mind to relax too.
4. When you are feeling relaxed you can begin to introduce some visualisation. See yourself as the person you want to be. Maybe you’re living your life in a happier, more positive way. Perhaps you no longer feel so unwell. Maybe you are healing from a broken heart. Whatever it is you want to achieve through visualisation, that’s the thing to allow you mind and imagination to experience.
5. Once you’ve got that image in your mind, make it really bright and clear. Allow yourself to fully experience that visualisation using all of your senses. Notice anything you can see, hear, smell or touch. Relax and enjoy the experience.
6. Repeat this on a daily basis if possible and you’ll soon find that it becomes easier to visualise.

Thoughts impact on feelings and ultimately our experiences. Visualisation can help to bring about a more positive mindset that will assist you in overcoming a particular issue or achieving a goal. It’s not an instant fix but with regular practice it can help you to get to where you want to be in life. Give it a go and see how you get on.