Elevating Well-Being: The Transformative Power of Guided Visualization
Personal well-being is a vital measure of quality of life, yet many things can affect it, including a medical diagnosis, mental health disorder, or daily stress.
However, guided visualization is a practice that those of all backgrounds can implement to reduce mental concerns, improve physical health, and increase quality of life.
Summarized below are five studies exploring the benefits of guided visualization on well-being for a range of health situations.
Table of Contents
1. Guided Visualization Improves Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
2. Guided Imagery Lowers Psychological Distress from Cancer Diagnosis
3. Quality of Life While Undergoing Isolating Treatment Improves with Guided Imagery
4. Guided Visualization Helps Those with Depression Halt Maladaptive Thinking
5. Guided Imagery and Music Improve Well-Being in Patients of Various Conditions
1. Guided Visualization Improves Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that, as a result of its disabling progression, significantly affects quality of life by decreasing functional, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Those with MS frequently seek out alternative medicine, with two surveys suggesting that between 57% and 67% of those with MS have tried integrative medicine to improve physical functioning and quality of life. Specifically, there is an association between stressful life events and increased MS activity, so stress management modalities may lessen the recurrences of MS through their ability to reduce autonomic arousal.
Guided visualization activates the body’s natural relaxation response, which has been suggested to influence the immune system. A study by Case et al. examined how guided visualization can help those with MS and found that those who completed Healing Light Guided Imagery (HLGI) had a significant reduction in fatigue and depression alongside a considerable improvement in their mental and physical quality of life.
This research shows that guided visualization offers more than just mental benefits for a person’s well-being; it can improve their physical quality of life as well.
2. Guided Imagery Lowers Psychological Distress from Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer diagnosis and treatment have long been shown to cause psychological distress. However, emotionally adjusted people with a hopeful attitude often have better responses to treatment and see improved health outcomes, inciting a need to find interventions that control psychological distress in order to improve the patient’s quality of life.
To further explore the impact of guided imagery on cancer patients, Baider et al. examined the use of progressive muscle relaxation with guided imagery to increase the patient’s sense of control following cancer diagnosis and decrease psychological distress. The researchers measured the patient’s psychological distress within one month of diagnosis, three months later (shortly before starting guided imagery), and six months after stopping guided visualization.
The results of the study showed that guided visualization successfully decreased psychological distress, offering a way to improve a patient’s outlook regarding their diagnosis, which may lead to better outcomes.
3. Quality of Life While Undergoing Isolating Treatment Improves with Guided Imagery
While a cancer diagnosis itself is stressful, some patients have the added stress of needing to undergo very aggressive treatment. They experience anxiety and depression in anticipation of what is to come, which causes a decline in their quality of life.
One form of treatment for cancer is brachytherapy, which uses radioactive sources placed in body cavities, within the tumor, in healthy tissue, or in contact with the tumor. While it has many advantages, patients are isolated during the 1–4-day treatment period since they are radioactive. Many patients deem this treatment uncomfortable, and their quality of life is often affected.
During a randomized study in Spain, researchers evaluated how effective relaxation and guided imagery is at reducing anxiety and depression in patients undergoing brachytherapy. The 66 patients included in the study were split into two groups: both received brachytherapy, but one also received training in relaxation and guided visualization. The patients were then given questionnaires on anxiety and depression and quality of life before, during, and after brachytherapy.
Leon-Pizarro et al. found that those who received training on guided imagery had a significant reduction in anxiety, depression, and body discomfort, demonstrating the power of this simple and inexpensive intervention in improving patient wellness.
4. Guided Visualization Helps Those with Depression Halt Maladaptive Thinking
Maladaptive thinking, or a belief that is false and rationally unsupported, is common in those with depression, and disengaging from maladaptive thinking is an important step in depression treatment. Still, those with depression do not naturally have these skills; they need to be taught them.
In addition to heading off a depressive period, guided visualization can be used to halt maladaptive thinking as it is actively occurring, according to a study by Costa and Barnhofer. The study participants completed a single-session training on guided imagery relaxation and then practiced it daily over one week. The results showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in self-regulatory functioning. Furthermore, these changes were maintained during follow-up, promising lasting effects and improvements in well-being.
5. Guided Imagery and Music Improve Well-Being in Patients of Various Conditions
Positive Psychology encourages individuals to improve their well-being by developing their personal strengths, with some of its original pillars including engagement, positive emotions, and healthy relationships. Music therapy, by keeping clients engaged and allowing them to build their own resources, may merge well with Positive Psychology, specifically when combined with guided imagery.
A systematic literature review into Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) showed the promising effect of GIM on the well-being of clients seeking help, which included cancer patients, schizophrenia-spectrum patients, major depressive disorder patients, those recovering from a stroke, stressed workers, and those seeking addiction treatment. Across these 11 studies investigating those with various conditions, improvements in well-being thanks to GIM were consistent.
Improve Your Well-Being with Guided Visualization
Quality of life is a common metric when analyzing various medical treatments and gauging the severity of a certain medical condition, as it directly affects how happy someone is with their life. However, whether from stress or disease- or treatment-related morbidity, many factors can cause quality of life to decline.
In addition to increasing the risk of mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, a low quality of life may decrease your odds of treatment success.
The five articles detailed above have shown how guided visualization can improve quality of life following a significant medical diagnosis, when undergoing aggressive and isolating treatment, and when combating the maladaptive thoughts characteristic of depression.
In addition to these specific scenarios, a literature review on guided imagery generally showed improvements in well-being for all people, no matter their reason for seeking it out.
By relaxing the body and reframing thoughts to a more hopeful and positive tone, guided visualization can improve your well-being. Learn more about how you can benefit from this tool when undergoing disease management and treatment.
Read more in our series highlighting recent research on guided visualization’s effect on health and well-being below:
The Healing Power of Guided Visualization: A Journey to Shorter Recovery Times
Harnessing the Calming Power of Guided Visualization: Research on Reducing Anxiety and Stress
Strengthening Immunity: The Science Behind Guided Visualization
Navigating Chronic Illness: The Empowering Role of Guided Visualization
References
Case, L. K. (2018). Guided Imagery Improves Mood, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Efficacy Trial of Healing Light Guided Imagery - Laura K. Case, Paula Jackson, Revere Kinkel, Paul J. Mills, 2018. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2515690X17748744
Baider, L., Peretz, T., Pnina Ever Hadani, & Koch, U. (2001). Psychological intervention in cancer patients: a randomized study. General Hospital Psychiatry, 23(5), 272–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0163-8343(01)00158-x
León-Pizarro, C., Ignasi Gich, Barthe, E., Rovirosa, A., Farrús, B., Casas, F., Verger, E., Biete, A., Jordi Craven-Bartle, Sierra, J., & Arcusa, A. (2007). A randomized trial of the effect of training in relaxation and guided imagery techniques in improving psychological and quality‐of‐life indices for gynecologic and breast brachytherapy patients. Psycho-Oncology, 16(11), 971–979. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.1171
Costa, A., & Thorsten Barnhofer. (2015). Turning Towards or Turning Away: A Comparison of Mindfulness Meditation and Guided Imagery Relaxation in Patients with Acute Depression. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44(4), 410–419. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1352465815000387
Jerling, P. A. (2019). Guided imagery, music and well-being: a systematic literature review. Nwu.ac.za. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/32252
