Using Visualization, Focusing, and Guided Imagery for the Management of Anxiety, Depression and Flashbacks – Level II
Oftentimes, clinicians and clients can feel “stuck” in their work together. Frustration ensues when material feels inaccessible or too frightening for clients to talk about in treatment. Traditional talk therapy doesn’t always adequately allow clients to retrieve, explore, and resolve difficult, traumatic, or suppressed thoughts, feelings, and memories. This workshop will enable participants to expand their therapeutic toolkits by offering both didactic information and many experiential opportunities to incorporate strategies that move their clients beyond talking and into a more internalized, focused, somatically-based and deeply felt place that allows for safe access and a working through of challenging material.
We will process and explore modalities including: relaxation and guided-imagery for re-storying; Gene Gendlin’s paradigm for “focusing;” solution-focused techniques that help clients actualize their goals; and Peter Levine’s work with “somatic experiencing.”
Participants will learn how to enhance clients’ internal awareness and safety, strengthen self-esteem, improve sleep and self-care, reduce somatization, install a sense of hope and optimism, and safely access and re-story traumatic memories. In addition, these strategies can empower clients to be the best experts in their own healing, by helping them internally access the information and answers they need to improve their sense of well-being.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify at least three reasons why “talk therapy” stops working and why hypnotic and internally-based strategies can be successful alternatives.
- Define the steps that are necessary when preparing a client for focusing or guided imagery work.
- Describe and demonstrate a guided imagery strategy designed to increase self-esteem and competence.
- Describe and demonstrate the process of “focusing” and its impact on somatization.
- Identify at least two guided imagery exercises designed to enhance internal safety and assist with the re-storying of difficult memories.
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