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| Guided Imagery That Heals |
| Feature Articles - Alternative | |
| Sunday, 30 September 2001 | |
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Guided imagery is a powerful technique being used for a wide variety of healing purposes. It has the capacity to involve our mind, as well as our senses, body, and spiritual aspects. When used with people recovering from addictions it can offer healing and positive energy. Guided imagery may be classified into two basic types: directive - in which the imagery is specifically described, and non-directive - in which less specific descriptions or open-ended questions allow for the formation and exploration of personalized and spontaneous images and sensations. Directive guided imagery Directive guided imagery is often used when addressing physical ailments. The individual is asked to visualize the desired state of health. For instance, one may be guided to imagine scar tissue dissolving in the liver. This could be useful for those in recovery who are also HIV positive or have Hepatitis C. It can be used for symptomatic relief of physical ailments on a physiological and cellular level, as well as the energetic level recognized by Ayurvedic and Oriental medicines. It does require accurate knowledge of physical and energetic processes of the body and many audiotapes are available for this use. Tai Chi or Qi Gong classes, a form of asian energy movement, are readily available in most communities. These types of classes use what can be generally considered guided imagery to facilitate healing of physical illnesses through the energetic body, by directing one's attention to move energy in specific ways. Directive guided imagery can be used for emotional, mental, and spiritual awareness, but a drawback is that the desired result may be directed towards symptomatic relief, rather than deep transformation that results in long-term healing. Many people who suffer from addictions may feel desperate to find relief from discomfort, the same kind of quick relief available through drugs or alcohol. Since symptomatic relief is the only kind of relief they have ever known, they will be unaware that a much deeper comfort level can be achieved through facilitating a lasting trust in their own process. This lasting trust can be achieved when the client understands their own individual needs and where their resources and strengths lie. Non-directive guided imagery Non-directive imagery can be used to facilitate awareness of bodily sensations and also to gain insight into physical pain or symptoms of illness. This awareness encourages an understanding of the relationship between the body and metaphorical and mental/emotional realms. Many bodily sensations are felt but not understood until the relationship these sensations have to our mental, emotional and spiritual lives becomes clear. Non-directive guided imagery can have as its objective an exploration of what is happening inside of a person. When a client facing addiction understands what is happening within their own body, they can then begin to understand how to facilitate the process of healing. For example, when working with substance abusers, it can be very useful to guide them to imagine what their most satisfying life would look like. Helping them to explore their deepest desires is the first step. However, without acknowledging their emotional response to feeling satisfied, and their beliefs surrounding their ability to lead a satisfying life, they are left without the necessary tools for obtaining their vision. Many of the guided imagery tools available have the person practicing in isolation. Tapes and recordings using guided imagery for addictions are abundant in the marketplace and are generally aimed at providing an external source of assurance. The ability to soothe oneself while alone is an important skill for people with addictions. It can be especially beneficial for clients with eating disorders who generally have difficulty in regulating emotions and tolerating feelings of emptiness and loneliness. Addiction has often been described as a disease of isolation. Yet studies have shown the limbic areas of the brain to be atrophied in fetal alcohol syndrome, adolescents engaging in chronic substance use, and adult alcoholics. The limbic area of the brain is thought to have a major involvement in the regulation of emotions. This results in poor social skills and an inability to interpret emotional tone in human verbal language. Such a predicament leaves one in an awkward human position, without the ability to have social relations with ease, yet feeling anxious when alone and chronically stressed. Dealing with trauma According to Peter Levine, PhD, known for his 35 years of research on the accumulation of stress and trauma on the nervous system, the symptoms of stress can be reversed by removing the causes of stress, and temporarily relieved by techniques such as massage and meditation. Trauma, by contrast, is a fundamental fracture - a loss of connection to self, family, and the world. People traumatized by emotional, physical, and sexual violence fill the ranks of treatment programs, therefore understanding and acknowledging the role of trauma may be crucial to establishing a path to recovery. According to Levine's definition, trauma occurs when a person's ability to respond to a perceived threat is overwhelmed. A perceived threat to one person, however, can be exhilarating to another. The effects of catastrophic events have been the focus of most studies, but a series of minor events over time can also lead to traumatizing effects, though often in a much more elusive way. Levine has shown that humans become stuck in a chronic state of arousal, but have an innate ability to throw off trauma instinctively by surrendering conscious control to involuntary physical sensations. Typical responses are shaking and impulses to move in the way one would have needed to, in order to protect oneself during the threatening event. These sensations are the release of intense survival energy. When activated during traumatizing events, such responses can become very frightening for the individual. People can often override this frightening process by ingesting alcohol, drugs, or acting out through other addictive behaviors. Many also regard compulsive mood-altering behaviors as a symptom of an underlying dysfunction. Rooted in the biological body, Levine uses guided imagery to facilitate this process, allowing the patient to complete the arousal cycle and return to a sense of equilibrium. This is precisely how one learns to internally regulate emotions and have a sense of comfort, by repeatedly experiencing this completed cycle. Levine also believes that it is not possible to resolve trauma without another person present to create an environment of safety. Knowing that many in treatment suffer from the effects of trauma, listening to guided imagery by oneself would seem to have limited value, as it does not provide the required human contact. As a result, guided imagery is most effective initially when used in a group or one-on-one setting to help the client tolerate, explore, and bring resources to their direct experience. Mindfulness is a tool which aids in this process. Practicing guided imagery Mindfulness is the capacity of an individual to bring their consciousness to what is going on inside and around them in the present moment. Mindfulness can be turned toward specific aspects of experience - the body, breath, thoughts, feelings, aspirations, etc. It is a tool that allows people to be present as a neutral witness for whatever their awareness is turned toward. Present experience can be divided into four aspects:
Find a comfortable position - sitting with your back straight but not rigid, or lying down. If you are sitting in a chair, place both feet on the floor and your hands comfortably in your lap. Turn your attention toward yourself. This means to direct your awareness inward, away from outside distractions. Your eyes can be open or closed as you do this, whatever makes it easier for you to direct your attention inward. Sometimes it helps to follow your breathing for a few breaths. Breathe in and out through your nose, and follow your breath with your attention until you feel that your attention is inside rather than outside of you. In this exercise, you are going to direct your attention toward various parts of yourself. These parts are the elements of wholeness. Try to let the part of you that is paying attention be a neutral witness. It helps if you invoke your curiosity for this exercise. Pretend you are someone you have just met and want to get to know better. If you find yourself making judgments about what you are witnessing, just notice it. You can simply say, "Here is the part of me that makes judgments." If you become uncomfortable at any point, allow yourself to notice the discomfort. Another thing that helps is to dedicate this exercise to your wholeness. Invoke your spirit by asking it to show you what is important for you to experience right now at this stage of your practice. Take your time. The more time you take, the more you will experience. Begin by turning your attention toward your body. When you do this, where is your attention drawn? Are you drawn to a particular area of your body? To discomfort? To places that feel pleasurable? You do not need to do anything to change what you notice. Just notice ... How does your body feel? Is it easy or difficult to notice what is going on in your body? Are there places in your body that are absent from your awareness? What are they? What is your relationship to your body right now? Is it friendly or unfriendly? If your body could talk, what would it be saying to you right now? Take some time to listen to your body. Now, turn your attention to your emotions. What emotions do you bring to this moment? Is it easy or difficult to access your emotions? Are the emotions about something happening in the present moment or something in the past or future? Again, you do not have to do anything to change these emotions. Just notice ... Where in your body do these emotions live? What is your relationship to your emotions? What are your present emotions saying to you? Next, turn your attention toward what is going on in your mind at this moment. This can include thoughts, attitudes, images, judgments, and memories. Notice what is going on in your mind. What thoughts are you thinking? What attitudes do you bring to this moment? Again, just notice. Is it easy or hard for you to witness what is going on in your mind? What is your relationship to your mind? Finally, bring your awareness to whatever it is that you call your spirit. Is it easy or hard to do this? Where does your spirit live in you? How does this part of you feel right now? What hopes and aspirations does your spirit have for you by reading this? Do you let yourself feel your hopes and dreams? What is your relationship to your spirit? Let your spirit give you a message - what is it saying to you? When you feel ready, thank yourself for showing yourself to you. Then slowly come back into the room. Take a few moments to write down or make a mental note of what was important for you from this exercise. (Excerpt from The Practice of Wholeness: Spiritual Transformation in Everyday Life by Lorena Monda.) When clients do this exercise they have many different responses which the facilitator can then track with them. These responses can be diagnostic and point to areas in the person's present experience for which they may need help providing resources, tolerating, or exploring. For example, a client may, after bringing mindfulness to present experience, discover strong or painful emotions. Instead of simply discharging the emotions, the goal is to help the client tolerate the experience of having emotions, so they may learn to explore them and bring resources to them. The same can be done with any aspect of present experience: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Tolerating present experience In the case where clients are having trouble with a strong emotion, the first goal is to help them tolerate experiencing the emotion without acting out. The client can be oriented toward this goal with words like, "I see you are having a strong emotion. Would you like to learn some skills that will help you when you have an emotion like that?" If the person says no, they would rather not feel it, we can say, "The desire to avoid painful feelings is normal, however, avoiding painful feelings does not teach us anything about how to deal with or transform that feeling when it comes up again in the future. What would you rather do, continue to avoid a feeling that exists in you, that is a part of you, or learn how to take care of that part of you? The first step in taking care of the feeling in you is learning how to tolerate the experience of having it." If the client agrees, then they can be invited to make space in their body for the feeling that they are having or to build a supportive container inside of themselves that can hold that feeling while they learn about it. They are asked what the space in their body for this feeling looks like - invite and help them to use descriptive language. The client is asked to report what it is like for them when they experience having their emotions within this supportive container or space. If the client appears blocked, the experience of the block is explored through questions such as: "In this moment what gets in the way of you making a space or container for your emotions? What can you add to this image that can help you tolerate this feeling better?" The therapist should work slowly and break things down at this point. Many clients cannot or do not have the skills to tolerate their present experience and either flee or fight it. The step of exploring present experience comes after the client is able to sufficiently tolerate the experience that they are having. The exploration of present experience begins by asking questions that help the client use descriptive language to describe the experience they are having in detail (not explain about it). For example, in the case of a strong emotion that they are having, questions like "What does that emotion look like? If that emotion were a landscape, what would it be? What kind of shape, color, or size does it have? What is it doing?" can help the client describe their emotional experience rather than simply be caught in feeling it. Bringing resources to present experience The third step in the process is bringing resources to the present experience. Living systems are open systems, which means that humans are capable of taking in new information and resources and using them to heal, change, and grow. These resources can come from internal or external areas. One aspect of trauma and addiction is that it blocks the capacity to internalize new information and resources. Guided imagery can be used to help the client internalize the experience of bringing resources to themselves. It can also help diagnose the mental "blocks" to calling in, using, and integrating resources. The following is an example of using non-directive imagery to bring resources to emotional experience: "Imagine a situation where this emotion comes up for you and you are able to tolerate it and handle it skillfully. What is that situation like? What do you do or say? What kinds of resources are present within and around you that help you to do this?" Cautions Interpretation Allowing the client to arrive at their own interpretation of their experience - a "felt sense" as opposed to a "logical" thought process - yields the most empowerment. Interpretations made by the therapist, if not met with a "felt sense" of rightness by the client, can be damaging. Clients wanting to please the therapist may not be willing or able to say that it doesn't feel right. An interpretation delivered before a client is ready for one carries the risk of repeating earlier experiences of intrusiveness or a lack of validation. Checking in with the client by asking "What's it like to hear me say that?" or "What happens in your body when you hear me say that?" can open a dialogue and lead to a rich exchange if the therapist's attitude is one of willingness to be wrong and openness to feedback. Language and phrasing Phrasing your language in the most permissive, flexible way will create a cooperative engagement. "If you can, I'd like you to ...." or "To whatever degree possible, I'd like you to allow yourself to ..." evokes less unconscious resistance than telling clients what to do. Emphasizing that the process is about assisting the client to be himself, and that any response is acceptable, will also help take pressure off the client and allow them more access to their inner resources. Research Though research on guided imagery has been done for anxiety, depression, and stress, one will find a search on the Internet yields no research on addictions. Those struggling with addictions commonly relapse due to a difficulty with one or more of these symptoms. Lorena Monda, DOM, LPCC is the co-founder of The Mindfulness and Healing Institute. A practicing psychotherapist for 22 years, Lorena is also a Doctor of Oriental Medi-cine. She is the author of the book The Practice of Wholeness: Spiritual Transformation in Everyday Life. Laura Cooley, LAc, Registered National Acu-puncture Detoxification Association (NADA) Trainer, is co-founder of The Mindfulness and Healing Institute. Laura has been a licensed acupuncturist, NADA Trainer, and group facilitator for eight years. Guided imagery is a powerful technique being used for a wide variety of healing purposes. It has the capacity to involve our mind, as well as our senses, body, and spiritual aspects. When used with people recovering from addictions it can offer healing and positive energy. Guided imagery engages both the right brain and limbic system, therefore practicing this technique enables one to incorporate other functions that are related to those areas - emotion, laughter, sensitivity to music, openness to spirituality, intuition, abstract thinking, recognition of patterns, empathy, and capacity for love and pleasure. Though all of these aspects are important for living a rich and full life, in many addiction treatment circles, openness to spirituality is regarded as the foundation of thriving post-recovery life. Guided imagery may be classified into two basic types: directive - in which the imagery is specifically described, and non-directive - in which less specific descriptions or open-ended questions allow for the formation and exploration of personalized and spontaneous images and sensations. Directive guided imagery Directive guided imagery is often used when addressing physical ailments. The individual is asked to visualize the desired state of health. For instance, one may be guided to imagine scar tissue dissolving in the liver. This could be useful for those in recovery who are also HIV positive or have Hepatitis C. It can be used for symptomatic relief of physical ailments on a physiological and cellular level, as well as the energetic level recognized by Ayurvedic and Oriental medicines. It does require accurate knowledge of physical and energetic processes of the body and many audiotapes are available for this use. Tai Chi or Qi Gong classes, a form of asian energy movement, are readily available in most communities. These types of classes use what can be generally considered guided imagery to facilitate healing of physical illnesses through the energetic body, by directing one's attention to move energy in specific ways. Directive guided imagery can be used for emotional, mental, and spiritual awareness, but a drawback is that the desired result may be directed towards symptomatic relief, rather than deep transformation that results in long-term healing. Many people who suffer from addictions may feel desperate to find relief from discomfort, the same kind of quick relief available through drugs or alcohol. Since symptomatic relief is the only kind of relief they have ever known, they will be unaware that a much deeper comfort level can be achieved through facilitating a lasting trust in their own process. This lasting trust can be achieved when the client understands their own individual needs and where their resources and strengths lie. Non-directive guided imagery Non-directive imagery can be used to facilitate awareness of bodily sensations and also to gain insight into physical pain or symptoms of illness. This awareness encourages an understanding of the relationship between the body and metaphorical and mental/emotional realms. Many bodily sensations are felt but not understood until the relationship these sensations have to our mental, emotional and spiritual lives becomes clear. Non-directive guided imagery can have as its objective an exploration of what is happening inside of a person. When a client facing addiction understands what is happening within their own body, they can then begin to understand how to facilitate the process of healing. For example, when working with substance abusers, it can be very useful to guide them to imagine what their most satisfying life would look like. Helping them to explore their deepest desires is the first step. However, without acknowledging their emotional response to feeling satisfied, and their beliefs surrounding their ability to lead a satisfying life, they are left without the necessary tools for obtaining their vision. Many of the guided imagery tools available have the person practicing in isolation. Tapes and recordings using guided imagery for addictions are abundant in the marketplace and are generally aimed at providing an external source of assurance. The ability to soothe oneself while alone is an important skill for people with addictions. It can be especially beneficial for clients with eating disorders who generally have difficulty in regulating emotions and tolerating feelings of emptiness and loneliness. Addiction has often been described as a disease of isolation. Yet studies have shown the limbic areas of the brain to be atrophied in fetal alcohol syndrome, adolescents engaging in chronic substance use, and adult alcoholics. The limbic area of the brain is thought to have a major involvement in the regulation of emotions. This results in poor social skills and an inability to interpret emotional tone in human verbal language. Such a predicament leaves one in an awkward human position, without the ability to have social relations with ease, yet feeling anxious when alone and chronically stressed. Dealing with trauma According to Peter Levine, PhD, known for his 35 years of research on the accumulation of stress and trauma on the nervous system, the symptoms of stress can be reversed by removing the causes of stress, and temporarily relieved by techniques such as massage and meditation. Trauma, by contrast, is a fundamental fracture - a loss of connection to self, family, and the world. People traumatized by emotional, physical, and sexual violence fill the ranks of treatment programs, therefore understanding and acknowledging the role of trauma may be crucial to establishing a path to recovery. According to Levine's definition, trauma occurs when a person's ability to respond to a perceived threat is overwhelmed. A perceived threat to one person, however, can be exhilarating to another. The effects of catastrophic events have been the focus of most studies, but a series of minor events over time can also lead to traumatizing effects, though often in a much more elusive way. Levine has shown that humans become stuck in a chronic state of arousal, but have an innate ability to throw off trauma instinctively by surrendering conscious control to involuntary physical sensations. Typical responses are shaking and impulses to move in the way one would have needed to, in order to protect oneself during the threatening event. These sensations are the release of intense survival energy. When activated during traumatizing events, such responses can become very frightening for the individual. People can often override this frightening process by ingesting alcohol, drugs, or acting out through other addictive behaviors. Many also regard compulsive mood-altering behaviors as a symptom of an underlying dysfunction. Rooted in the biological body, Levine uses guided imagery to facilitate this process, allowing the patient to complete the arousal cycle and return to a sense of equilibrium. This is precisely how one learns to internally regulate emotions and have a sense of comfort, by repeatedly experiencing this completed cycle. Levine also believes that it is not possible to resolve trauma without another person present to create an environment of safety. Knowing that many in treatment suffer from the effects of trauma, listening to guided imagery by oneself would seem to have limited value, as it does not provide the required human contact. As a result, guided imagery is most effective initially when used in a group or one-on-one setting to help the client tolerate, explore, and bring resources to their direct experience. Mindfulness is a tool which aids in this process. Practicing guided imagery Mindfulness is the capacity of an individual to bring their consciousness to what is going on inside and around them in the present moment. Mindfulness can be turned toward specific aspects of experience - the body, breath, thoughts, feelings, aspirations, etc. It is a tool that allows people to be present as a neutral witness for whatever their awareness is turned toward. Present experience can be divided into four aspects:
Find a comfortable position - sitting with your back straight but not rigid, or lying down. If you are sitting in a chair, place both feet on the floor and your hands comfortably in your lap. Turn your attention toward yourself. This means to direct your awareness inward, away from outside distractions. Your eyes can be open or closed as you do this, whatever makes it easier for you to direct your attention inward. Sometimes it helps to follow your breathing for a few breaths. Breathe in and out through your nose, and follow your breath with your attention until you feel that your attention is inside rather than outside of you. In this exercise, you are going to direct your attention toward various parts of yourself. These parts are the elements of wholeness. Try to let the part of you that is paying attention be a neutral witness. It helps if you invoke your curiosity for this exercise. Pretend you are someone you have just met and want to get to know better. If you find yourself making judgments about what you are witnessing, just notice it. You can simply say, "Here is the part of me that makes judgments." If you become uncomfortable at any point, allow yourself to notice the discomfort. Another thing that helps is to dedicate this exercise to your wholeness. Invoke your spirit by asking it to show you what is important for you to experience right now at this stage of your practice. Take your time. The more time you take, the more you will experience. Begin by turning your attention toward your body. When you do this, where is your attention drawn? Are you drawn to a particular area of your body? To discomfort? To places that feel pleasurable? You do not need to do anything to change what you notice. Just notice ... How does your body feel? Is it easy or difficult to notice what is going on in your body? Are there places in your body that are absent from your awareness? What are they? What is your relationship to your body right now? Is it friendly or unfriendly? If your body could talk, what would it be saying to you right now? Take some time to listen to your body. Now, turn your attention to your emotions. What emotions do you bring to this moment? Is it easy or difficult to access your emotions? Are the emotions about something happening in the present moment or something in the past or future? Again, you do not have to do anything to change these emotions. Just notice ... Where in your body do these emotions live? What is your relationship to your emotions? What are your present emotions saying to you? Next, turn your attention toward what is going on in your mind at this moment. This can include thoughts, attitudes, images, judgments, and memories. Notice what is going on in your mind. What thoughts are you thinking? What attitudes do you bring to this moment? Again, just notice. Is it easy or hard for you to witness what is going on in your mind? What is your relationship to your mind? Finally, bring your awareness to whatever it is that you call your spirit. Is it easy or hard to do this? Where does your spirit live in you? How does this part of you feel right now? What hopes and aspirations does your spirit have for you by reading this? Do you let yourself feel your hopes and dreams? What is your relationship to your spirit? Let your spirit give you a message - what is it saying to you? When you feel ready, thank yourself for showing yourself to you. Then slowly come back into the room. Take a few moments to write down or make a mental note of what was important for you from this exercise. (Excerpt from The Practice of Wholeness: Spiritual Transformation in Everyday Life by Lorena Monda.) When clients do this exercise they have many different responses which the facilitator can then track with them. These responses can be diagnostic and point to areas in the person's present experience for which they may need help providing resources, tolerating, or exploring. For example, a client may, after bringing mindfulness to present experience, discover strong or painful emotions. Instead of simply discharging the emotions, the goal is to help the client tolerate the experience of having emotions, so they may learn to explore them and bring resources to them. The same can be done with any aspect of present experience: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Tolerating present experience In the case where clients are having trouble with a strong emotion, the first goal is to help them tolerate experiencing the emotion without acting out. The client can be oriented toward this goal with words like, "I see you are having a strong emotion. Would you like to learn some skills that will help you when you have an emotion like that?" If the person says no, they would rather not feel it, we can say, "The desire to avoid painful feelings is normal, however, avoiding painful feelings does not teach us anything about how to deal with or transform that feeling when it comes up again in the future. What would you rather do, continue to avoid a feeling that exists in you, that is a part of you, or learn how to take care of that part of you? The first step in taking care of the feeling in you is learning how to tolerate the experience of having it." If the client agrees, then they can be invited to make space in their body for the feeling that they are having or to build a supportive container inside of themselves that can hold that feeling while they learn about it. They are asked what the space in their body for this feeling looks like - invite and help them to use descriptive language. The client is asked to report what it is like for them when they experience having their emotions within this supportive container or space. If the client appears blocked, the experience of the block is explored through questions such as: "In this moment what gets in the way of you making a space or container for your emotions? What can you add to this image that can help you tolerate this feeling better?" The therapist should work slowly and break things down at this point. Many clients cannot or do not have the skills to tolerate their present experience and either flee or fight it. The step of exploring present experience comes after the client is able to sufficiently tolerate the experience that they are having. The exploration of present experience begins by asking questions that help the client use descriptive language to describe the experience they are having in detail (not explain about it). For example, in the case of a strong emotion that they are having, questions like "What does that emotion look like? If that emotion were a landscape, what would it be? What kind of shape, color, or size does it have? What is it doing?" can help the client describe their emotional experience rather than simply be caught in feeling it. Bringing resources to present experience The third step in the process is bringing resources to the present experience. Living systems are open systems, which means that humans are capable of taking in new information and resources and using them to heal, change, and grow. These resources can come from internal or external areas. One aspect of trauma and addiction is that it blocks the capacity to internalize new information and resources. Guided imagery can be used to help the client internalize the experience of bringing resources to themselves. It can also help diagnose the mental "blocks" to calling in, using, and integrating resources. The following is an example of using non-directive imagery to bring resources to emotional experience: "Imagine a situation where this emotion comes up for you and you are able to tolerate it and handle it skillfully. What is that situation like? What do you do or say? What kinds of resources are present within and around you that help you to do this?" Cautions Interpretation Allowing the client to arrive at their own interpretation of their experience - a "felt sense" as opposed to a "logical" thought process - yields the most empowerment. Interpretations made by the therapist, if not met with a "felt sense" of rightness by the client, can be damaging. Clients wanting to please the therapist may not be willing or able to say that it doesn't feel right. An interpretation delivered before a client is ready for one carries the risk of repeating earlier experiences of intrusiveness or a lack of validation. Checking in with the client by asking "What's it like to hear me say that?" or "What happens in your body when you hear me say that?" can open a dialogue and lead to a rich exchange if the therapist's attitude is one of willingness to be wrong and openness to feedback. Language and phrasing Phrasing your language in the most permissive, flexible way will create a cooperative engagement. "If you can, I'd like you to ...." or "To whatever degree possible, I'd like you to allow yourself to ..." evokes less unconscious resistance than telling clients what to do. Emphasizing that the process is about assisting the client to be himself, and that any response is acceptable, will also help take pressure off the client and allow them more access to their inner resources. Research Though research on guided imagery has been done for anxiety, depression, and stress, one will find a search on the Internet yields no research on addictions. Those struggling with addictions commonly relapse due to a difficulty with one or more of these symptoms. Lorena Monda, DOM, LPCC is the co-founder of The Mindfulness and Healing Institute. A practicing psychotherapist for 22 years, Lorena is also a Doctor of Oriental Medi-cine. She is the author of the book The Practice of Wholeness: Spiritual Transformation in Everyday Life. Laura Cooley, LAc, Registered National Acu-puncture Detoxification Association (NADA) Trainer, is co-founder of The Mindfulness and Healing Institute. Laura has been a licensed acupuncturist, NADA Trainer, and group facilitator for eight years.              |
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