How to Become a Guided Imagery Therapist

Recent scientific research has demonstrated that guided imagery healing can have profound impacts on stress management and pain tolerance.

What is guided imagery?

Guided imagery therapy is a relaxation technique that medical and mental health professionals use to help patients see scenes or events that can cause them to feel calm and positive. Its origins are in the idea of the mind-body link.

The mind-body connection is used to change behavior. It emphasizes the interplay between the mind and its thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, and how they can affect the body.

Mental imagery therapy is a form of mental imaging therapy that focuses on the mental images of a person to improve their mental and physical health, change negative or destructive behaviors, and improve their health.

Guided imagery for anxiety or other purposes

It is important to activate the body’s relaxation response and help patients deal with emotional, mental, or physical stress.

While further research is necessary, studies do have limitations. However, Guided Imagery has so far shown some positive results, especially with:

• How to calm a racing mind
• How to stop heart palpitations
• Slower breathing
• Lowering blood pressure
• Relaxation
• Pain relief
• Techniques to fall asleep
• How to deal with nightmares
• Assistance with depression and PTSD

A therapist might ask someone with cancer to practice guided imagery meditation. This will allow them to visualize their immune system attacking the cancer cells. Or, help an artist or athlete in creating a relaxed state that aids creativity and performance.

Four steps to become a Guided Imagery therapist

Learn about the benefits of visual imagery therapy.

Consider the advantages of joining this field before you commit to it.

* Stress relief and anxiety:Studies have shown that guided imagery therapy can reduce stress levels.

A study showed that visual imagery therapy (anxiety pictures) was effective for 30 minutes and had the same positive effects as a 15-minute massage. A 2018 study also found that visual imagery therapy may help to reduce anxiety before surgery.

A second study was done by a guided imaging therapist and found that students’ pre-exam anxiety had decreased.

Improves sleep quality:Stress, anxiety and depression can all make it hard to fall asleep. Research has shown that guided imagery therapy can improve sleep quality. Research into visual imagery techniques (sleep pictures) in older adults who had undergone abdominal surgery showed that it improved their sleep quality and alleviated their insomnia.

* Reduces pain: Stress can also increase an individual’s perceptions of pain. However, guided imagery therapy may help people to distract themselves from pain. A 2017 review suggested that guided imagery could help patients with pain management after orthopaedic surgery. Another 2019 study showed that guided imagery can help reduce pain after surgery in children. According another research report mental imagery therapy and progressive muscles relaxation were effective in relieving pain in patients with cancer.

* Lowers depression:Intrusive, negative mental scenarios or images could be a key element in the onset or continuation of depression. The question then arises as to whether positive images can help with mental health.

A clinical trial involving participants in hemodialysis showed that those who received guided imagery intervention had lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who did not.

Learn more about certification and training programs.

Guided imagery therapy is a specialized field that requires specialized training and graduate-level education. There are many schools and associations that offer training and certification for guided visualization therapy.

Anyone who is interested in learning the basics of this field can get training in relaxation techniques and working with polarity.

The majority of programs offer a post-graduate curriculum that targets healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, and mental health therapists. It covers topics like:

* Medical research

* The history of visual imagery

* Symbolism, beliefs

* Element of therapeutic guided visualization

* Intervention with guided imagery

Guided visualization therapy is often introduced to you through direct experience. The practice of guided visualization therapy is often the focus of further study.

Although most training is done in a classroom setting, some self-learning methods may be included into the curriculum. The number of hours required to earn certification is determined by the certifying organisation.

Online group workshops and modules for home-study are used to deliver training, which is often three levels long. Guided imagery practitioners who are interested in:

* Complete 150 hours of training

* 33 hours of independent or self-learning study

* Must be licensed as a mental health professional.

The Academy for Guided Imagery also offers continuing education and training. Training in guided visualization is also available for counselors, health educators, and personal coaches.

The average length of a study

Practitioners can complete their introductory training within a week. This is because they are able to do intensive, hands-on training. The Academy for Guided Imagery, for example, requires 150 hours of study to complete its professional certification program. Programs leading to certification can take up to a year.

Certification of guided imagery

Although guided imagery practitioners are not licensed or regulated in the United States of America, there are several programs that lead to professional certification. Many organizations, including the Academy for Guided Imagery and Center for Healing and Imagery, offer certification and training for licensed professionals such as nurses, massage therapists and psychotherapists.

Training requirements

The eligibility requirements for guided imagery training may vary depending on the institution. It is common for interested individuals to have a master’s degree in addition to being licensed or certified professionals in their chosen field of study.

Unlicensed health professionals, such as health educators, may be recognized by some institutions. They might be able provide healing benefits for clients. Unlicensed professionals who are interested in guided imagery therapy certification may need to submit a resume and any relevant proof of certification or credentialing.

Take a look at the outlook for guided imaging therapy.

Mind-body medicine is becoming more mainstream. Both patients and clinicians are now focusing on preventive and drug-free wellness.

According to the NIH National Library of Medicine, meditation and other mind-body practices such as mindfulness and yoga are on the rise. In 2020, 14 percent of Americans reported having used these methods within the past year.

Practitioners who have completed guided imagery meditation training are in high demand in psychiatry and psychology as well as medicine and dentistry.

Mental imagery can be done at home with written materials and audio recordings. However, guided imagery therapists are available in hospitals, stress management clinics, or cancer treatment centers.

Salary for Guided Imagery Therapists

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists guided imagery therapists under the category for all other types of treating and diagnosing practitioners. In 2021, the median annual salary for these individuals was $100,300

These practitioners are expected to see a 13 percent increase in employment through 2031, which is significantly faster than the 5 percent national average for all career fields.

Determine if this field is suitable for you, then take action

A caring professional in health who is looking to improve their career in mental and health care, as well as bodywork, would be a good candidate for guided imagery therapy training.

Mental imagery professionals are skilled in the use of the technique to bridge between the unconscious mind and the conscious mind. Patients can experience the therapeutic benefits from focused and directed mental imagery on their body and mind.

Parting words

Mental imagery training practitioners help clients tap into the healing powers that the mind has over the body. They use relaxation techniques, directed thought, visualization, storytelling and many other methods.

People who have unprocessed trauma or personal beliefs that could conflict with imagery sessions should take extreme care.

Natural Healers’ first article was How to Become a Guided Imaging Therapist.

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By: Paula Nechak
Title: How to Become a Guided Imagery Therapist
Sourced From: www.naturalhealers.com/blog/guided-imagery/
Published Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:08:26 +0000