A lot of traumatized people report that they cannot work with guided imagery because there is too much room for negative pictures or memories to come up. In this short-form approach you get instructions to focus on imagining one sensory experience after the other. The instruction is repeated twice and then you are asked to shift to the next picture or sensory experience immediately. It is supposed to be so fast-paced that you have no time to come up with negative ideas or elaborate inner stories. The ever changing instructions will paint a picture of a mood or loosely tell a story in a certain mood. There is no need to close your eyes at all.
A morning in a Café
The soft *ding of a bell above the door. A soft *ding of a bell above the door.
The sight of a menu written in chalk on a black board. The sight of a menu written in chalk on a black board.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee. The smell of freshly brewed coffee.
The sound of steam heating up milk. The sound of steam heating up milk.
The sensation of a warm mug inside your hands. The sensation of a warm mug inside your hands.
The smell of freshly baked croissants. The smell of freshly baked croissants.
The sound of sitting down on a well-cushioned chair. The sound of sitting down on a well cushioned chair.
The sensation of a satisfied deep breath. The sensation of a satisfied deep breath.
The taste of your favorite hot drink. The taste of your favorite hot drink.
The sensation of a solid backrest as you lean back. The sensation of a solid backrest as you lean back.
The soft sound of easy morning music in the background. The soft sound of easy morning music in the background.
The taste of a warm and flaky baked good as you bite into it. The taste of a warm and flaky baked good as you bite into it.
The sound of friendly chit-chat between other people. The sound of friendly chit-chat between other people.
The sensation of delicate carvings on your teaspoon. The sensation of delicate carvings on your teaspoon.
The clinking sound of a spoon against a cup. The clinking sound of a spoon against a cup.
The smell of a new book when it is opened. The smell of a new book.
The inner warmth of a full belly. The inner warmth of a full belly.
The feeling of hope for the day. The feeling of hope for the day.
Hold on to the scene and the mood you just created for yourself and don’t look at any screens for 15 minutes.
A day at the beach
Opening your eyes to the soft morning sun coming through your window. Opening your eyes to the soft morning sun coming through your window.
The sensation of a towel on your hand as you put it into your beach bag. The sensation of a towel on your hand.
The sound of flip-flops as you walk. The sound of flip-flops.
The smell of ocean air. The smell of ocean air.
The sensation of sand between your toes. The sensation of sand between your toes.
The sight of a delicate sand sculpture. The sight of a delicate sand sculpture.
The sound of street vendors calling. The sound of street vendors calling.
The taste of ice cream from a cart. The taste of ice cream.
The gentle swinging of a hammock. The gentle swinging of a hammock.
The sound of seagulls in the air. The sound of seagulls.
Children playing with a colorful ball. Children playing with a colorful ball.
The sensation of rubbing sunscreen on your arms. The sensation of rubbing sunscreen on your arms.
The sound of waves coming in in a steady rhythm. The sound of waves.
The sensation of water around your ankles. The sensation of water around your ankles.
The taste of salt on your lips. The taste of salt on your lips.
The sensation of a cooling breeze. The sensation of a cooling breeze.
The sun setting at the horizon. The sun setting.
The smell of a small bonfire. The smell of a small bonfire.
The sound of people playing music and singing. The sound of music and singing.
The feeling of peace and a day well spent. The feeling of peace and a day well spent.
Hold on to the scene and the mood you just created for yourself and don’t look at any screens for 15 minutes.
A sunday morning at home
The cozy feeling of waking up with nothing particular to do. The cozy feeling or waking up with nothing particular to do.
Golden rays of sunshine on your ceiling. Golden rays of sunshine on your ceiling.
The sound of birds singing outside. The sound of birds singing outside.
The smell of coffee and honey. The smell of coffee and honey.
The small sounds of carefully setting the table. The small sounds of carefully setting the table.
The taste of fresh orange juice. The taste of fresh orange juice.
The slow movements of someone who has time. The slow movement of someone who has time.
The feeling of your hand brushing against the books on your shelf. The feeling of your hand brushing against the books on your shelf.
Your cozy reading chair or couch and your favorite blanket. Your cozy reading chair or couch and your favorite blanket.
The warmth of freshly brewed tea. The warmth of freshly brewed tea.
The joy of reading a good story. The joy of reading a good story.
The sound of turning pages. The sound of turning pages.
The quiet of time passing. The quiet if time passing
The sound of a pet demanding attention. The sound of a pet demanding attention.
The feeling of soft fur underneath your fingers. The feeling of soft fur underneath your fingers.
A smile when playing with your pet. A smile when playing with your pet.
The sensation of laying down for a cozy little nap. The sensation of laying down for a cozy little nap.
The satisfied feeling of having nothing left to do. The satisfied feeling of having nothing left to do.
Hold on to the scene and the mood you just created for yourself and don’t look at any screens for 15 minutes.
A day at the fair
A colorful poster of the summer fair in town. A colorful poster of the summer fair in town.
The sensation of fresh, warm summer air. The sensation of fresh, warm summer air.
The joy of walking outside. The joy of walking outside.
The sound of fun rides from afar. The sound of fun rides from afar.
The sight of a tall ferris wheel, slowly turning. The sight of a tall ferris wheel slowly turning.
The smell of warm candy floss. The smell of warm candy floss.
The sound of vendors praising their goods. The sound of vendors praising their goods.
The sight of a ball game that needs a skilled hand. The sight of a ball game that needs a skilled hand.
The sensation of a rough leather ball in your hand. The sensation of a rough leather ball in your hand.
The sound of you winning with a lucky throw. The sound of you winning with a lucky throw.
The sensation of holding a big, fluffy plushie. The sensation of holding a big, fluffy plushie.
The smell of fresh popcorn in the air. The smell of fresh popcorn in the air.
The voice of someone calling for the next round on the ferris wheel. The voice of someone calling for the next round on the ferris wheel.
The excitement of sitting down and waiting for the ride to begin. The excitement of sitting down and waiting for the ride to begin.
The sensation of fresh, cool air all around you. The sensation of fresh cool air around you.
The view over the rooftops of your city and the whole fair. The view over the rooftops of your city and the whole fair.
The feeling that everything looks so small from above. The feeling that everything looks so small from above.
A full heart as the wheel descends again. A full heart as the wheel descends again.
The smell of pizza, churros, corn dogs and other mouthwatering snacks all at once. The smell of pizza, churros, corn dogs and other mouthwatering snacks at once.
The taste of the first bite of the snack you chose. The taste of the first bite of the snack you chose.
The satisfied feeling of being around people who enjoy the sunny day. The satisfied feeling of being around people who enjoy the sunny day.
Hold on to the scene and the mood you just created for yourself and don’t look at any screens for 15 minutes.
A walk in the woods
The feeling of soft ground underneath your feet. The feeling of soft ground underneath your feet.
The rustling of leaves in the wind. The rustling of leaves in the wind.
The sound of a woodpecker pecking wood. The sound of a woodpecker pecking wood.
Tall trees on both sides of the path. Tall trees on both sides of the path.
The feeling of cool air around you. The feeling of cool air around you.
The sun shining through the gaps in the crowns. The sun shining through the gaps in the crowns.
The soft gurgling of a creek nearby. The soft gurgling of a creek nearby.
The smell of pine and resin. The smell of pine and resin.
A quick squirrel playing in a tree. A quick squirrel playing in a tree.
The sound of your feet on the gently turning path. The sound of your feet on the gently turning path.
The feeling of strength in your legs as you walk. The feeling of strength in your legs as you walk.
The sound of birds signaling to each other. The sound of birds signaling to each other.
Wild berries growing at the side of the path. Wild berries growing at the side of the path.
The sensation of deeply breathing in the forest air. The sensation of deeply breathing in the forest air.
The sight of a bird’s nest in a nearby tree. The sight of a bird’s nest in a nearby tree.
A wooden bench next to the path. A wooden bench next to the path.
Time to yourself and your thoughts. Time to yourself and your thoughts.
Just the trees and the birds and your footsteps. Just the trees and the birds and your footsteps.
The green and inviting path before you. The green and inviting path before you.
The peaceful feeling of being alone in nature. The peaceful feeling of being alone in nature.
Hold on to the scene and the mood you just created for yourself and don’t look at any screens for 15 minutes.
It is not hard to create small scenes and mood-scapes for yourself, following the same pattern of collecting sensory impressions. Sometimes writing them yourself brings up all the feelings that you try to achieve and is even more effective than listening to them.
We all can use a small break from reality sometimes. Takes these breaks, reading or writing or listening. It’s chaos out there.