Guided imagery is one of the most commonly used tools that therapists share to help people manage stress and anxiety. For travelers, it can be a handy tool for stress management during travel. It’s also a healthy way to promote relaxation once you’re home from your travels. In this post, you will receive an introduction to guided imagery for travelers and a new guided imagery script to practice.
So what is guided imagery? Guided imagery refers to a technique by which a person is led through mental images and related sensory perception in order to promote relaxation. In short, guided imagery helps people generate and visualize soothing scenes which in turn helps them relax. It is an empirically supported (meaning that research supports its use) way to help manage stress and anxiety.
The focus here is an intro to guided imagery visualization for travelers. By this, I mean this activity can be used by travelers in several types of situations. It can be used for anxiety management during high-stress travel moments (e.g., just prior to taking off on a plane). Many people use it to help promote relaxation during travels (e.g., deepening their relaxation on the beach). It’s also great for when you’re back home but could benefit from stress relief using images from your past travels.
Why Travelers Should Use This Technique
Besides being empirically supported, there are some other great reasons to try guided imagery. For one, you don’t have to spend much time on it. While there’s no specific time limit, most people can begin from as little as a few minutes at a time. This can vary widely depending on your preferences, abilities, and needs at the time. So, it is a flexible technique from a timing perspective.
Also, you can practice almost anywhere (well, perhaps not while driving!). You don’t need any special tools or technology to use it. Use it on your train ride. Try it on your flight. Use it at home to help you both relax and remember your recent travels!
Bonus perk…guided imagery is free to use! If you’re interested in learning more about the mental health benefits of travel, including related themes like mindfulness, see this previous post.
How to Do Guided Imagery
I’m not sure it’s a totally accurate term to “do” guided imagery as this section title implies. It may be more technically correct to describe guided imagery as a process or application. However, including the word “do” seems to better capture the essence of guided imagery as an active form of relaxation. It’s not something that happens to you. Rather, it’s something you choose to engage in doing and is a skill you can actively develop.
Here is an overview of the basic process, and there’s a script below for you to practice. Select a peaceful scene, a particular place or room that you find relaxing. You will picture yourself in that scene using as much visual detail as you can muster. Although largely about visualization, you will also evoke your other senses in this technique as well. This technique works by applying a focus on your senses in a stress-reducing environment to help you relax.
You can take as short as long as you prefer, but I’d recommend spending at least five minutes minimum to help you begin to reveal the relaxation benefits. Any shorter and you will find that a fleeting visualization does not lead to quite the depth of stress relief you hoped for.
“Make your image specific, like a particular cabin room, rather than a more general scene like a whole city.”
-Psychology of Travel
Remember that for guided imagery, imagining or recalling a particularly pleasant travel memory is helpful in establishing your desired scene. Make your image specific, like a particular cabin room, rather than a more general scene like a whole city. Also, try to avoid selecting locations or memories that you found stressful or fear-provoking.
For the visually impaired or blind, you can still use guided imagery principles. For the visually impaired, instead of the sharp visual aspects of a certain vacation destination, it may help to notice outlines, shapes, colors, patterns, or even different “areas” of darkness. You can and should evoke elements from other senses including aromas, sounds, tastes, and tactile senses (e.g., heat/cold, pressure, etc) that similarly contribute to effective guided sensory relaxation as well. As with anyone, the use of imagination here is welcomed.
Intro to Visualization for Travelers
Below, I’ve included a unique guided imagery “script”, or specific wording to read through as you practice. Bookmark this page to help you return back to practice again as needed.
The following is an example of a guided imagery scene, but you can practice using your own travel memories and imagination. For some, it is ideal to close your eyes during guided imagery practice. However, it would be rather unfair of me to ask you to close your eyes and then read the script below, wouldn’t it?!
“Allow your imagination to fill in the details however you wish.”
-Psychology of Travel
You can do this practice with your eyes open while you read. Also consider having a friend read it or make an audio recording of the script below to help you practice. (*Only for personal, private use)
I want you to picture an image of a place you have traveled, a particular scene that feels positive and relaxing to you. For our purpose in this practice we will focus on a cabin in the snowy mountains. It could be similar to a place you have visited before, where you are currently traveling, or the image of what you picture your destination will look like when you arrive.
For this practice, I’ll help set the general scene, but allow your imagination to fill in the details however you wish.
Travel Guided Imagery Script
Picture that you are inside a warmly lit rustic cabin with the sun setting as you look out the window towards the snow covered mountains.
Now, what is the first thing you see in your mind’s eye as you look around the cabin in the snowy mountains? What visual pieces capture your attention immediately? Ask yourself, what is it about these areas caught my attention?
Consider the size and shapes you notice in those areas. Importantly, notice the feeling that you experience when you observe that visual piece of this scene.
I’d like to guide your attention to the colors that you see. Consider the different shades of color near the large window looking out towards the mountains. See the reddish brown wood framing the window. Notice the pure white snow and the glimpses of green from under the snow-covered tree limbs.
Notice how the wood in the cabin appears hard, smoothed though not without texture, and connected to each other in a seemingly perfect fit. Picture running your hands across one of the seams of the wood, feeling the strength and security it provides. The wood has been lightly heated by the light from the cozy fire in the fireplace.
See the sharp contrast from the warm light striking the wood frame to the icy blue-white coolness of the snow just outside. Allow yourself to see the slight flickering of the light through the window on the cold snow. Are there any other people in the cabin? Given specific details to their clothing and appearance, such as a particular style of patterned sweater.
Set the dinner table in front of you. Your favorites have already been prepared, you just need to set them on the table. Envision taking a bite, and enjoy the sweet, buttery, zesty, foods that fit this mountain cabin vacation. There are some sturdy wooden chairs at the table, worn with use, that seem to fit perfectly as you sit in them.
Take a deep breath, just as you would as if you were there in that cabin room, allowing your muscles to relax as you breathe outward. Notice the cabin smell, perhaps with a piney scent of cedar woodwork and a slight lingering aroma from the delicious meal in the kitchen area.
Imagine the sounds in the room. This may be the cheerful sounds of loved ones present chattering the background, or you can contrast that sound with an appreciation of still and quietness. Hear the soft fireplace crackle in the near distance. Can you hear the soft patter of snowflakes falling on the roof?
Take another deep breath at this point, looking around the cabin again for visual details you may have missed before. Add details including decorations on the wall, the height of the ceiling, and the shape of the door handle. Use your imagination to notice any movement in the cabin room, whether by people or the flames of the warm fireplace. Visualize objects related to activities you may do there, such as a snowboard leaned near the door or heavy coats dusted with snow from your recent hike.
Allow yourself to stay in that cabin for a moment longer. Let the visualizations come to you rather than pressuring yourself. Take in whatever you see and feel with an added amount of appreciation. Don’t just breeze through this part, take another moment and consider all you see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.
Beyond what you view in that scene, feel the joy and peace of being there. Just be there. Be in that cabin. Take another deep breathe, and just be there until you decide it’s time…
-PsychologyofTravel.com
Guided Imagery Resources
Now that you’ve seen a sample, you can practice guided imagery to deepen your ability to relax using travel themes. Don’t be discouraged when you’re first starting out, as this is a skill to be refined, not a one-time effort.
I would encourage you to consider using these resources to help you along the way. There are some great books on guided imagery that I’d recommend, particularly if you are new to guided imagery. One of the best for guidance and examples is The Healing Waterfall by Max Highstein, definitely worth a read.
You can always talk with a licensed counselor for additional guidance on this technique. One resource to find psychologists in your areas is through psychologytoday.com. Plus, there are also some solid apps that can help guide you through the process as well.
There are even guided imagery books for children, see Guided Imagery Work with Kids by Melissa Dormoy.
Happy Travels,
-Dr. L
Founder, PsychologyofTravel.com
What questions do you have about guided imagery? Comment below with your favorite guided imagery material, resources, or questions. Plus, remember to sign up for the free Psychology of Travel Newsletter for the latest updates and unique travel tips.
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